D7K Ransomware 🔐 (.D7K File) — Removal Guide

The D7k virus belongs under the ransomware type of infection. Harmful software of such sort encrypts all the data on your PC (photos, documents, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file, creating the note.txt files in every directory containing encrypted files.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.

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What is D7k virus?

☝️ A strictly accurate denomination for the D7k is “a ransomware-type infection”.

D7k adds its specific .D7k extension to the name of every encrypted file. For example, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.D7k”. In the same manner, the Excel sheet named “table.xlsx” will become “table.xlsx.D7k”, and so forth.

In every folder that contains the encrypted files, a note.txt 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 a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is pretty much the scheme of the crime.

D7k outline:

In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the D7k looks like. Each filename has the “.D7k” extension added to it.

An example of encrypted .D7k files.

How did D7k ransomware end up on my PC?

There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most popular ways for criminals to have ransomware acting in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer file transfer.

If you access your inbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is strange to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a malware file enclosed in them. So it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with letters like these.

Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus model¹. A Trojan is a program that gets into your computer disguised as something different. For instance, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some program. But what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful agent that encodes your data. As the installation package can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the stuff you’re downloading. The optimal way is to use the software companies’ official websites.

As for the peer-to-peer networks like torrents 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 websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is done.

How do I get rid of the D7k virus?

It is important to note that besides encrypting your data, the D7k virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware² can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

Often racketeers would decode several of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption tool. Since D7k virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. However, the decryption instruments are constantly updated, so the solution may soon be available.

Understandably, if the malefactors succeed in encrypting victim’s critical files, the desperate person will probably comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still risky. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports of racketeers just vanishing after getting the ransom without even writing back.

The best solution 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 not enough. Your most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all started. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.

There are other ransomware products, besides D7k, that work similarly. For instance, Coaq, Dapo, Tyos, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the D7k are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: files become blocked, their extensions altered, ransom notes are found in every folder containing encoded files.

Some fortunate people were able to decode the blocked files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ instrument to lay their hands on the money of their victims.

How do I avert ransomware infection?

D7k ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.

You can defend your system from ransomware injection within several easy steps:

• Never open any letters from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (how can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, check all elements of the dubious letter with caution. A fake email will always contain a mistake.
• Do not use cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often shared as an element of cracked software, most likely as a “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information about this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal way is not to use such software.
• And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful shield 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 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 D7k 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 completed, 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 “.D7k” files?Is it possible to open“.D7k” files?

There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.D7k” files are decrypted.

🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.D7k” files ASAP. How can I do that?

If the “.D7k” 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.

🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the D7k malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?

Absolutely not! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete the infections from your system. The virus that has infected your computer is probably still active and running scans every so often to arrest any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been said above, the D7k malware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your PC in the future.

🤔 What to do if the D7k virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.

If that happened, you need to have a flash memory drive with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the procedure. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or imported into your system. To block this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital 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 within your reach

• If you sent or received your important files by email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• You may have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to send those images back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try downloading them again.
• Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, mobile, memory stick, etc.

HINT: You can use file recovery programs⁵ to get your lost data back since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the video below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, 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.

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 Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.