CHILY Virus ๐Ÿ” (.[[email protected]] Files) โ€” How to Remove?

Written by Brendan Smith
The Chily virus belongs to the ransomware type of infection. Harmful software of such sort encrypts all the data on your computer (images, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, leaving the Read Me.Hta files in each folder which contains the encrypted files.
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Chily virus: what is known so far?

โ˜๏ธ A scientifically accurate denomination for the Chily would be “a ransomware malicious agent”.

Chily adds its specific .[[email protected]] extension to the name of every encrypted file. For example, a file named “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.[[email protected]]”. Just like the Excel file named “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.[[email protected]]”, and so forth.

In every folder with the encoded files, a Read Me.Hta text document will appear. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other remarks. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. You can get this decryptor after contacting [email protected] by email. That is pretty much the scheme of the crime.

Chily abstract:
Name Chily Virus
Extension .[[email protected]]
Ransomware note Read Me.Hta
Contact [email protected]
Detection Win32:Vitro [Inf], Backdoor:ASP/Chopper.F!dha, Ransom:Win32/Multiverze
Symptoms Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .[[email protected]] extension and you can’t open them.
Fix Tool See If Your System Has Been Affected by Chily virus

In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Chily looks like. Each filename has the “.[[email protected]]” extension added to it.

Chily Virus - encrypted .[Chily@Dr.Com] files

That is how encrypted “.[[email protected]]” files look.

How did Chily ransomware end up on my PC?

There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

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

If you open your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is strange to you, beware of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a malicious item attached to them. So it is even more dangerous to open 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 machine disguised as something different. For example, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some software. But what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful agent that encrypts your data. Since the update package can have any title and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the stuff you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to use the software developers’ official websites.

As for the peer file transfer protocols like torrent trackers 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 websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded items with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.

How do I get rid of the Chily virus?

It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Chily virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Sometimes racketeers would decode few of your files so you know that they really have the decryption program. As Chily virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a method to undo its work. However, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently updated, so the solution may soon arrive.

Sure thing, if the malefactors do the job of encoding victim’s critical files, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. However, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After receiving the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports of malefactors 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 disk or at least on an external disk. Surely, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that one you were working upon when it all went down. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.

Chily is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. Examples of those are Tury, Powd, Bowd, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Chily are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: documents become encoded, their extensions altered, ransom notes emerge in every directory containing encoded files.

Some fortunate users were able to decode the arrested files with the help of the free software provided by anti-ransomware specialists. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decryption key to the victims in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.

How ัan I avert ransomware attack?

Chily ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.

You can protect your system from ransomware attack in several easy steps:

  • Never open any letters from unknown mailboxes with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (how can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, check all elements of the questionable email with caution. A hoax letter will surely contain mistakes.
  • Never use cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often distributed as an element of cracked software, possibly as a โ€œpatchโ€ preventing the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are very hard to tell from trustworthy software, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. Try to find information on this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the best way is not to use such software.
  • And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect 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 computer.

Run Setup.exe

An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click โ€œYesโ€ to continue with the installation.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware Setup

Press “Install” button.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware Install

Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware Splash-Screen

Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your PC for Chily 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.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware Scanning

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 โ€œClean Nowโ€ button in right corner.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware Scan Result

FAQ

๐Ÿค” How can I open “.[[email protected]]” files?Are the “.[[email protected]]” files accessible?

Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.[[email protected]]” files you will not be able to access them.

๐Ÿค” I really need to decrypt those โ€œ.[[email protected]]โ€ files ASAP. How can I do that?

Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. All other solutions require time.

๐Ÿค” You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Chily virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?

Of course not. The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete the viruses from your PC. The ransomware that has infiltrated your system is probably still functional and launching checks periodically to arrest any new files you might create on your PC after the initial attack. As it has already been said, the Chily ransomware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide criminals with easy access to your computer after some time.

๐Ÿค” What actions should I take if the Chily virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

In such an unfortunate situation, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or brought into your PC. To stop this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.

๐Ÿค” What could help the situation right now?

Many of the encrypted files might still be at your disposal

  • If you sent or received your important files through 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 pictures 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 disks might have all those files too.
  • Maybe you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, cellphone, flash memory, etc.

HINT: You can use file recovery programs5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate the ransomware itself with an antivirus program.

Also, you can contact the following governmental fraud and scam sites to report this attack:

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 Smith
How to Remove CHILY Ransomware & Recover PC

Name: CHILY Virus

Description: CHILY Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .[[email protected]] extension. So, you can't use them at all.

Operating System: Windows

Application Category: Virus

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References

  1. You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
  2. You can read more on spyware variants and nature in the respective section of GridinSoft official website.
  3. GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
  4. More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
  5. Here are Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.

About the author

Brendan Smith

I'm Brendan Smith, a passionate journalist, researcher, and web content developer. With a keen interest in computer technology and security, I specialize in delivering high-quality content that educates and empowers readers in navigating the digital landscape.

With a focus on computer technology and security, I am committed to sharing my knowledge and insights to help individuals and organizations protect themselves in the digital age. My expertise in cybersecurity principles, data privacy, and best practices allows me to provide practical tips and advice that readers can implement to enhance their online security.

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