DATAF LOCKER Ransomware 🔐 (.DATAF File) — Removal Guide

The Dataf locker virus falls within the Babuk ransomware family. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, leaving the How To Restore Your Files.txt files in every directory which contains the encrypted files.

Dataf locker virus: what is known so far?

☝️ A strictly accurate denomination for the Dataf locker would be “a Babuk family ransomware-type malicious agent”.

Dataf locker adds its specific .dataf extension to the name of every encrypted file. For example, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.dataf”. In the same manner, the Excel sheet named “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.dataf”, and so on.

In every folder with the encoded files, a How To Restore Your Files.txt file will appear. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the racketeers. That is it.

Dataf locker overview:

In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Dataf locker looks like. Each filename has the “.dataf” extension added to it.

How did my computer get infected with Dataf locker ransomware?

There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most exploited ways for malefactors to have the Dataf locker virus settled in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer networks.

If you access your inbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a ransomware file attached to them. So it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with emails like these.

As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrent trackers or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never know what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using 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 done.

How do I get rid of the Dataf locker virus?

It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Dataf locker virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Sometimes criminals would unblock few of your files so you know that they do have the decryption program. Since Dataf locker virus is a relatively new ransomware, security software engineers have not yet found a way to undo its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware instruments are frequently upgraded, so the solution may soon be available.

Of course, if the criminals do the job of encoding someone’s critical files, the hopeless person will probably fulfill their demands. Despite that, paying to criminals does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your files back. It is still dangerous. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of criminals just vanishing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.

The best countermeasure to ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud storage or at least on an external storage. Surely, that might be insufficient. The most important thing could be that file you were working on when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the OS is rolled back.

There are other ransomware products, besides Dataf locker, that work similarly. For instance, Zatp, Bowd, Tcvp, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Dataf locker are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become encoded, their extensions changed, ransom notes are created in each folder containing encoded files.

Some lucky people were able to decode the arrested files with the help of the free software provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decoding key to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the user to restore the files. But of course, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a bandits’ technology to lay their hands on the money of their victims.

How to avoid ransomware attack?

Dataf locker ransomware has no endless power, so as any similar malware.

You can defend your system from its infiltration 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 expecting (how can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the questionable letter carefully. A fake letter will always contain a mistake.
• Do not use cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often shared as a part of cracked products, possibly as a “patch” preventing the license check. But untrusted programs are difficult to tell from trustworthy software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft³

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

🤔 How can I open “.dataf” files?Is it possible to open“.dataf” files?

Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.dataf” files first. Then you will be able to open them.

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

If the “.dataf” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. In case you haven’t, there is still a chance that you do have a Restore Point from some time ago to roll back the whole system to the moment when it had no virus yet, but already had your files. The rest of the methods require patience.

🤔 What actions should I take if the Dataf locker malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.

🤔 What can I do right now?

Some of the blocked data can be found elsewhere.

• If you sent or received your important files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• 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 doing it again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud storage might have all those files as well.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, cellphone, flash memory, etc.

HINT: You can employ file recovery utilities⁵ to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encodes 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 remember: 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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