BAT Virus 🔐 (.BAT Files) — How to Remove?

The Bat virus falls under the Dharma ransomware family. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, text files, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, creating the RETURN FILES.txt text files in every folder with the encrypted files.

Bat virus: what is known so far?

☝️ A scientifically accurate designation for the Bat is “a Dharma family ransomware malicious agent”.

The renaming will be done by the following pattern: id-xxxxx.[contact-email].bat. In the process of encryption, a file entitled, for example, “report.docx” will be altered to “report.docx.id-1E857D00.[[email protected]].bat”.

In each folder containing the encrypted files, a RETURN FILES.txt text file will be created. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can obtain this decryptor after contacting [email protected] by email. That is basically the scheme of the malefaction.

Bat outline:

The RETURN FILES.txt file accompanying the Bat ransomware provides the following discouraging information:

All your data is encrypted!
for return write to mail:
[email protected]

In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Bat looks like. Each filename has the “.bat” extension added to it.

How did my computer get infected with Bat ransomware?

There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

Nowadays, there are three most exploited methods for malefactors to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer file transfer.

If you access your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a malware file enclosed in them. So it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.

Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file scheme. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your PC pretending to be something legal. For instance, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some software. But what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful program that compromises your data. Since the installation wizard can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the files you’re downloading. The best thing is to use the software developers’ official websites.

As for the peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never guess what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.

How do I get rid of the Bat virus?

It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Bat virus will most likely deploy Vidar Stealer on your PC to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Often tamperers would decrypt several of your files so you know that they do have the decryption tool. As Bat virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the anti-ransomware instruments are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.

Sure thing, if the malefactors do the job of encoding someone’s critical data, the desperate person will probably fulfill their demands. However, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your data back. It is still risky. After receiving the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports about malefactors simply vanishing 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 essential files in the cloud drive or at least on an external drive. Obviously, that might be insufficient. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.

There are other ransomware products, besides Bat, that work similarly. Examples of those are Coty, Foza, Coza, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Bat are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes are found in every folder containing encrypted files.

Some fortunate users were able to decode the arrested files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the criminals mistakenly send the decryption code to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the victim to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.

How сan I avoid ransomware injection?

Bat ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.

You can defend your system from its infiltration within three easy steps:

• Never open any letters from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (how can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the dubious email carefully. A fake email will always have mistakes.
• Never use cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often distributed as an element of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy software, because trojans sometimes 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.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft²

Download Removal Tool.

Run the setup file.

Press “Install” button.

Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.

Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.

Click on “Clean Now”.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 Can I somehow access “.bat” files?

There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.bat” files are decrypted.

🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?

If the “.bat” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. 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.

🤔 What should I do if the Bat ransomware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

🤔 What could help the situation right now?

Some of the blocked files can be located elsewhere.

• If you exchanged your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to give those images back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try to do it again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files too.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, phone, flash memory, etc.

HINT: You can employ data recovery programs⁴ to get your lost data back since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but be advised: you can do it only after you eradicate the ransomware itself with an antivirus 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.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
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