The Attacksystem virus falls under the MedusaLocker ransomware family. Harmful software of this type encrypts all the data on your PC (images, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, creating the How_to_back_files.html files in each directory which contains the encrypted files.
What is Attacksystem virus?
âïž A strictly correct description for the Attacksystem is âa MedusaLocker family ransomware-type malicious agentâ.
Attacksystem adds its specific .attacksystem extension to every fileâs name. For instance, an image named âphoto.jpgâ will be renamed to âphoto.jpg.attacksystemâ. In the same manner, the Excel table with the name âtable.xlsxâ will be changed to âtable.xlsx.attacksystemâ, and so forth.
In every folder that contains the encrypted files, a How_to_back_files.html text document will appear. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can obtain this decoding tool after contacting [email protected] via email. That is basically the scheme of the felony.
Attacksystem abstract:
| Name | Attacksystem Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | MedusaLocker ransomware |
| Extension | .attacksystem |
| Ransomware note | How_to_back_files.html |
| Contact | [email protected] |
| Detection | Trojan.Win32.Maxpow, Trojan:Win32/SmokeLoader.CU!MTB, Trojan:Win32/Nabucur |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .attacksystem extension and you canât open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Attacksystem virus |
The How_to_back_files.html file accompanying the Attacksystem malware states the following:
YOUR PERSONAL ID: - /!\\ YOUR COMPANY NETWORK HAS BEEN PENETRATED /!\\ All your important files have been encrypted! Your files are safe! Only modified. (RSA+AES) ANY ATTEMPT TO RESTORE YOUR FILES WITH THIRD-PARTY SOFTWARE WILL PERMANENTLY CORRUPT IT. DO NOT MODIFY ENCRYPTED FILES. DO NOT RENAME ENCRYPTED FILES. No software available on internet can help you. We are the only ones able to solve your problem. We gathered highly confidential/personal data. These data are currently stored on a private server. This server will be immediately destroyed after your payment. If you decide to not pay, we will release your data to public or re-seller. So you can expect your data to be publicly available in the near future.. We only seek money and our goal is not to damage your reputation or prevent your business from running. You will can send us 2-3 non-important files and we will decrypt it for free to prove we are able to give your files back. Contact us for price and get decryption software. email: [email protected] [email protected] * To contact us, create a new free email account on the site: protonmail.com IF YOU DON\'T CONTACT US WITHIN 72 HOURS, PRICE WILL BE HIGHER.
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Attacksystem looks like. Each filename has the â.attacksystemâ extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted â.attacksystemâ files look.
How did my computer get infected with Attacksystem ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited methods for evil-doers to have the Attacksystem virus acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer networks.
If you access your inbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, beware of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a harmful item attached to them. Thus it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file scheme. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your PC pretending to be something legal. For example, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some program. But what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful program that corrupts your data. As the update wizard can have any name and any icon, youâd better be sure that you can trust the resource of the things youâre downloading. The optimal thing is to trust the software developersâ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never guess what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is done.
How to remove the Attacksystem virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your data, the Attacksystem virus will probably install Vidar Stealer on your machine to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware can extract your credentials from your browserâs auto-filling data.
Often tamperers would decrypt few of your files so you know that they do have the decryption program. Since Attacksystem virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the anti-ransomware tools are constantly updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Of course, if the hackers do the job of encrypting victimâs essential data, the desperate person will most likely comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying to criminals does not necessarily mean that youâre getting your blocked information back. It is still risky. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports about criminals just disappearing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The optimal safety measure against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud drive or at least on an external storage. Of course, that might be insufficient. The most important thing could be that file you were working on when it all started. But at least it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Attacksystem, that work similarly. Examples of those are Coty, Foza, Coza, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Attacksystem are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become encoded, their extensions changed, ransom notes are created in every directory containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate victims were able to decrypt the arrested files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-malware developers. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the user to restore the files. But obviously, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminalsâ technology to pull the money out of their victims.
How to avoid ransomware infection?
Attacksystem ransomware has no endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can armour your computer from ransomware attack in several easy steps:
- Ignore any letters from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (how can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, check all elements of the dubious email carefully. A hoax letter will surely contain a mistake.
- Do not use cracked or unknown software. Trojans are often distributed as an element of cracked products, most likely as a âpatchâ which prevents the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are very hard to tell from reliable ones, because trojans may also have the functionality you seek. You can try to find information on this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal solution is not to use such programs at all.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft2
Download Removal Tool.
Run the setup file.
Press âInstallâ button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
Click on âClean Nowâ.
Frequently Asked Questions
đ€ How can I open â.attacksystemâ files?Can I somehow access â.attacksystemâ files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the â.attacksystemâ files first. Then you will be able to open them.
đ€ What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
Itâs good if you have fĐ°r-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.
đ€ What should I do if the Attacksystem virus has blocked my computer and I canât get the activation code.
đ€ And what should I do now?
Some of the blocked data can be located elsewhere.
- If you exchanged your critical files by email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to send those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do it again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud drives might have all those files too.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, cellphone, external storage, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ data recovery utilities4 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the video below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you wonât be able to do it before you eradicate the ransomware itself with an anti-malware program.
Also, you can contact the following governmental fraud and scam sites to report this attack:
- In the United States: On Guard Online;
- In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
- In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
- In Australia: SCAMwatch;
- In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
- In France: Agence nationale de la sĂ©curitĂ© des systĂšmes dâinformation;
- In Germany: Bundesamt fĂŒr Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
- In Ireland: An Garda SĂochĂĄna;
To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.
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