The Catiito virus falls under the ransomware type of infection. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all the data on your computer (images, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file.
What is Catiito virus?
☝️ A scientifically accurate denomination for the Catiito is “a ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Catiito adds its own .CaTiiTo extension to every file’s name. For example, a file named “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.CaTiiTo”. Just like the Excel sheet named “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.CaTiiTo”, and so forth.
The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can get this decoding tool after contacting filesdecryption@protonmail.com by email. That is how they do it.
Catiito abstract:
| Name | Catiito Virus |
| Extension | .CaTiiTo |
| Contact | filesdecryption@protonmail.com |
| Detection | Trojan:Win32/ExtenBro!MSR, Trojan:Win32/Selfdel.C, MSIL/Filecoder.Slimhem.B |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .CaTiiTo extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Catiito virus |
The note coming in package with the Catiito malware provides the following frustrating information:
All of your files have been ENCRYPTED with CaTiiTo RANSOMWARE Your computer was infected with a ransomware. Your files have been encrypted and you won\'t be able to decrypt them without our help. What can I do to get my files back? You can buy our special decryption software, this software will allow you to recover all of your data and remove the ransomware from your computer. Email our team at: filesdecryption@protonmail.com Telegarm: https://t.me/recovermyfiles1
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Catiito looks like. Each filename has the “.CaTiiTo” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .CaTiiTo files.
How did my computer get infected with Catiito ransomware?
There are many possible ways of ransomware injection.
Nowadays, there are three most popular methods for criminals to have ransomware planted in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer networks.
If you access your mailbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a malware item attached to them. Thus it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse scheme1. A Trojan is a program that gets into your computer disguised as something legal. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some program. However, what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful program that corrupts your data. Since the installation wizard can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the things you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer networks 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 files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How to remove the Catiito virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your files, the Catiito virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes racketeers would decrypt several of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption tool. As Catiito virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a method to undo its work. Nevertheless, the decoding instruments are frequently upgraded, so the solution may soon be available.
Sure thing, if the hackers do the job of encoding someone’s critical data, the hopeless person will most likely fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After getting the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about hackers simply disappearing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The best safety measure against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud storage or at least on an external drive. Obviously, that might be not enough. The most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all happened. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.
Catiito is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. For instance, Vvwq, Oori, Ooxa, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Catiito are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: files become blocked, their extensions altered, ransom notes are created in every folder containing encoded files.
Some lucky users were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware specialists. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decoding code to the victims in the ransom readme. 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 bandits’ technology to pull the money out of their victims.
How to avert ransomware attack?
Catiito ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour yourself from ransomware attack in three easy steps:
- Ignore any emails from unknown mailboxes 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?). If the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, check all elements of the questionable email with caution. A fake email will surely have a mistake.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojan viruses are often distributed as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. But potentially dangerous programs are difficult to tell from reliable ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. You can try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal way is not to use such programs at all.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect armor for your PC.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft2
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft3.
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 computer.
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 computer for Catiito 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.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.CaTiiTo” files?Is it possible to open“.CaTiiTo” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.CaTiiTo” files are decrypted.
🤔 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. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Catiito malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
Of course not. Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will remove actual infections from your computer. The ransomware that has infiltrated your system is must be still active and running scans periodically to arrest any new files you might create on your PC after the attack. As it has been said above, the Catiito malware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide malefactors with easy access to your system in the future.
🤔 What should I do if the Catiito ransomware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.
In such a case, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or imported into your machine. To suppress this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be within your reach
- If you exchanged your critical files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to give those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try doing 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 computer, a portable device, cellphone, memory stick, etc.
HINT: You can employ file recovery programs4 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but be advised: you can do it only after you remove the ransomware itself with an anti-malware program.
Also, you can contact the following official 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.
I need your help to share this article.
It is your turn to help other people. I have written this guide to help people like you. You can use the buttons below to share this on your favorite social media Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit.
Brendan SmithHow to Remove CATIITO Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: CATIITO Virus
Description: CATIITO Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .CaTiiTo 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.
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
- Here are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
