The Aumcc virus belongs under the ransomware type of malicious agent. A harmful program of this type encrypts all the data on your computer (photos, documents, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, leaving the 3LUo_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt files in every folder containing encrypted files.
Aumcc virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A strictly accurate designation for the Aumcc is “a ransomware infection”.
The scheme of renaming is the following: [random string].aumcc. As a part of encryption, a file named, for instance, “report.docx” will be renamed to “report.docx.EIFB1370dN208FoY3929cBNinwIC.aumcc”.
In every directory with the encoded files, a 3LUo_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt text document will be created. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is pretty much the scheme of the felony.
Aumcc outline:
| Name | Aumcc Virus |
| Extension | .[random string].aumcc |
| Ransomware note | 3LUo_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt |
| Detection | Virus.VirLock.1, Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.PAH!MTB, Ransom:Win32/Shade!MSR |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .[random string].aumcc extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Aumcc virus |
In the screenshot below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Aumcc looks like. Each filename has the “.[random string].aumcc” extension appended to it.
![Aumcc Virus - encrypted .[random string].aumcc files](https://howtofix.guide/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Aumcc-files-virus.jpg)
That is how encrypted “.[random string].aumcc” files look.
How did Aumcc ransomware end up on my PC?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most popular methods for criminals to have ransomware settled in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer networks.
If you access your mailbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, beware of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a malicious item enclosed in them. Therefore, it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse model1. A Trojan is a program that gets into your PC disguised as something legal. For instance, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some service. But what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful program that compromises your data. As the update package can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the stuff you’re downloading. The best thing is to trust the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer networks like torrent trackers or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never know what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is done.
How to remove the Aumcc virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Aumcc virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often racketeers would decrypt some of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption program. As Aumcc virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a method to undo its work. However, the decryption tools are frequently updated, so the solution may soon arrive.
Sure thing, if the criminals succeed in encrypting someone’s critical files, the desperate person will probably fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your files back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports of criminals just disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The best safety measure against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud storage or at least on an external storage. Obviously, that might be not enough. The most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also advisable to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the system is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Aumcc, that work similarly. For instance, Qqqw, Maak, Bbbw, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Aumcc are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: documents become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes emerge in each folder containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate users were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware specialists. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decoding code to the victims in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.
How сan I avoid ransomware infiltration?
Aumcc ransomware has no endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can armour your system from its attack within three easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (how can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the dubious email with caution. A fake letter will surely contain a mistake.
- Never use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojan viruses are often distributed as an element of cracked products, possibly as a “patch” preventing the license check. But untrusted programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy software, as trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try to find information about this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful defense for your personal computer.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft3
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft4.
Download Removal Tool.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
Run the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your PC.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your PC for Aumcc infections and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has finished, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.
Frequently Asked Questions
🤔 Can I somehow access “.[random string].aumcc” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.[random string].aumcc” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. In case you haven’t, there is still a chance that you do have a Restore Point from some time ago to roll back the whole system to the moment when it had no virus yet, but already had your files. All other solutions require time.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Aumcc malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
Of course not. The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your computer off the actual viruses. The malware that has infected your PC is probably still functional and it scans your system from time to time to arrest any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has been said above, the Aumcc malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide criminals with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What should I do if the Aumcc virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
In such an unfortunate situation, you need to have a memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or imported into your computer. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be within your reach
- If you exchanged your important files by email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to post those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files too.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, mobile, flash memory, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ file recovery programs5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you remove 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 sécurité des systèmes d’information;
- In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
- In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;
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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Brendan SmithHow to Remove AUMCC Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: AUMCC Virus
Description: AUMCC Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .[random string].aumcc extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
- You can read more on spyware variants and nature in the respective section of GridinSoft official website.
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
- Here’s the list of Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
