The Cyberone virus belongs under the ransomware type of malicious agent. Malware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, documents, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, creating the ___RECOVER__FILES__.cyberone.txt text files in every directory with the encrypted files.
Cyberone virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically correct description for the Cyberone would be “a ransomware-type infection”.
Cyberone will append its extra .cyberone extension to the title of every encoded file. For example, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.cyberone”. Likewise, the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.cyberone”, and so on.
In every folder that contains the encoded files, a ___RECOVER__FILES__.cyberone.txt text file will be created. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the racketeers. That is basically the scheme of the crime.
Cyberone abstract:
| Name | Cyberone Virus |
| Extension | .cyberone |
| Ransomware note | ___RECOVER__FILES__.cyberone.txt |
| Detection | TrojanDownloader:Win32/Nitedrem.A, Backdoor:Win32/Koceg!B, Win32/GenKryptik.DCUC |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .cyberone extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Cyberone virus |
In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Cyberone looks like. Each filename has the “.cyberone” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .cyberone files.
How did Cyberone ransomware end up on my PC?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most popular ways for tamperers to have ransomware settled in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer networks.
If you open your inbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a malware file enclosed in them. So it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus model1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your machine pretending to be something else. Imagine, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some software. But what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful agent that compromises your data. As the update file can have any name 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 file transfer protocols like torrent trackers or eMule, the threat 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 resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is complete.
How to remove the Cyberone virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Cyberone virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes criminals would decrypt some of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption program. Since Cyberone virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently upgraded, so the solution may soon be available.
Understandably, if the hackers do the job of encoding victim’s critical files, the hopeless person will most likely fulfill their demands. Despite that, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports about racketeers simply disappearing after getting the money without even writing back.
The best safety measure against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external drive. Obviously, that might be not enough. The most important thing could be that file 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 restoration.
Cyberone 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 Mmvb, Eewt, Oflg, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Cyberone are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in each directory containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate victims were able to decrypt the blocked files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-malware developers. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decoding key to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.
How сan I avoid ransomware infiltration?
Cyberone ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour your computer from its injection in several easy steps:
- Ignore any letters from unknown mailers 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 participating in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the questionable letter with caution. A hoax email will surely contain mistakes.
- Never use cracked or unknown software. Trojan viruses are often shared as a part of cracked products, possibly as a “patch” which prevents the license check. But untrusted programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy software, as trojans may also have the functionality you need. You can try searching for information on this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such programs at all.
- And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful armor for your PC.
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.
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 Cyberone 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
🤔 How can I open “.cyberone” files?Can I somehow access “.cyberone” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.cyberone” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
If the “.cyberone” 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. All other solutions require time.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Cyberone 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.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your system off the actual threats. The ransomware that has infected your device is probably still functional and launching checks from time to time to arrest any new files you might create on your PC after the attack. As it has been mentioned above, the Cyberone malware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide criminals with easy access to your system in the future.
🤔 What should I do if the Cyberone virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
In such a case, you need to have a flash memory drive with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or brought into your system. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be at your disposal
- If you sent or received your critical files by email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to send those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try downloading them 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 computer, a laptop, mobile, memory stick, etc.
HINT: You can employ data recovery utilities5 to get your lost data back since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate the virus 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.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove CYBERONE Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: CYBERONE Virus
Description: CYBERONE Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .cyberone 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 are Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
