DEAL Ransomware (.deal files) — How to remove virus?

The Deal virus belongs under the Phobos ransomware family. Harmful software of such sort encrypts all the data on your PC (photos, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file, leaving the info.txt text files in each folder with the 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 known about the Deal virus?

☝️ A scientifically accurate description for the Deal is “a Phobos family ransomware malicious agent”.

The renaming will be executed by this pattern: id[xxxxxxx].[contact_email].deal. During the encryption, a file named, for instance, “report.docx” will be renamed to “report.docx.id[1E857D00-2423].[butters.felicio@aol.com].deal”.

In every folder with the encrypted files, a info.txt text file will be created. It is a ransom money note. It contains information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can obtain this decryptor after contacting butters.felicio@aol.com via email. That is how they do it.

Deal outline:

The info.txt document coming in package with the Deal ransomware states the following:

Files are locked* but not corrupted
Your computer is infected with a virus.
Files are locked* but not corrupted.
Send an email butters.felicio@aol.com, specify in the subject unique identifier 1E857D00-2423 and you will definitely be helped to recover.
*you can send us a couple of files and we will return the restored ones to prove that only we can do it
IMPORTANT:
1. the infection was due to vulnerabilities in your software
2. if you want to make sure that it is impossible to recover files using third-party software, do this not on all files, otherwise you may lose all data.
3. only communication through our email can guarantee file recovery for you. We are not responsible for the actions of third parties who promise to help you - most often they are scammers.
4. if we do not respond to you within 24 hours, send a message to the email ezequielanthon@aol.com
5. if you need an alternative communication channel - write a request by e-mail
6. our goal is to return your data, but if you do not contact us, we will not succeed

In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Deal looks like. Each filename has the “.id[xxxxxxx].[contact_email].deal” extension appended to it.

That is how encrypted “.id[xxxxxxx].[contact_email].deal” files look.

How did my machine catch Deal ransomware?

There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most popular ways for hackers to have the Deal virus working in your system. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer-to-peer networks.

If you open your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is unknown to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a viral item enclosed in them. So it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with emails like these.

Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse model². A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your computer pretending to be something else. For example, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some software. However, what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful program that encodes your data. As the update wizard can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the files you’re downloading. The best way is to trust the software developers’ official websites.

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 Internet. You can never know what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is done.

How do I get rid of the Deal virus?

It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Deal virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Often criminals would decrypt few of your files to prove that they really have the decryption tool. Since Deal virus is a relatively recent ransomware, security software designers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. However, the decryption instruments are constantly updated, so the solution may soon be available.

Sure thing, if the evildoers succeed in encoding someone’s essential files, the hopeless person will probably fulfill their demands. However, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports about ransomware developers just vanishing after getting the ransom without even writing back.

The optimal solution against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external drive. Of course, that might be insufficient. Your most important thing could be that file you were working upon when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the OS restoration.

Deal 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, Ccps, Yoqs, Qqqe, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Deal are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become encoded, their extensions altered, ransom notes emerge in each folder containing encrypted files.

Some fortunate people were able to decrypt the blocked files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decoding key to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But obviously, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ technology to pull the money out of their victims.

How do I avoid ransomware infection?

Deal ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.

You can defend your PC from its injection within several easy steps:

• Ignore any emails from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the dubious letter carefully. A fake email will always have mistakes.
• Do not use cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often shared as a part of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable software, because trojans may also have the functionality you need. Try searching for information on this program 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, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect armor for your system.

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 system for Deal 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

🤔 Are the “.id[xxxxxxx].[contact_email].deal” files accessible?

There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.id[xxxxxxx].[contact_email].deal” files are decrypted.

🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.id[xxxxxxx].[contact_email].deal” files ASAP. How can I do that?

If the “.id[xxxxxxx].[contact_email].deal” 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. All other solutions require time.

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

Absolutely not! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.

With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your computer off the actual viruses. The ransomware that has infiltrated your system is must be still active and launching checks periodically to arrest any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been said above, the Deal malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide criminals with easy access to your system after some time.

🤔 What should I do if the Deal ransomware 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 previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the procedure. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or imported into your computer. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.

🤔 And what should I do now?

Many of the blocked 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 photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to give 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 networks pages, and cloud storage might have all those files as well.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, phone, flash memory, etc.

HINT: You can employ data recovery utilities⁵ to get your lost data back since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn 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 anti-malware 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.

How to Remove DEAL Ransomware & Recover PC

Name: DEAL Virus

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

Operating System: Windows

Application Category: Virus

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