Malware analyst Tomas Meskauskas was the person who, for the first time, recognized the Delta team virus, which belongs to the ransomware type of infection. Malware of such sort encrypts all the data on your PC (images, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, creating the FILES ENCRYPTED.txt text files in each directory with the encrypted files.
What is Delta team?
☝️ A strictly correct designation for the Delta team is “a ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Delta team adds its specific [email protected] to the title of every encoded file. For instance, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be altered to “[email protected]”. In the same manner, the Excel sheet with the name “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “[email protected]”, and so on.
In each directory containing the encoded files, a FILES ENCRYPTED.txt notebook document will be created. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the racketeers. You can get this decoding tool after contacting [email protected] via email. That is how they do it.
Delta team overview:
| Name | Delta team Virus |
| Extension | [email protected] |
| Ransomware note | FILES ENCRYPTED.txt |
| Ransom | $1800 or $900 in Bitcoin cryptocurrency |
| Contact | [email protected] |
| Detection | Win32:Dropper-MRI [Drp], Win32/Injector.QHO, Win32/Injector.BJQP |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a [email protected] extension and you can’t open them. |
| Additional Information | Delta Team ransomware’s decryption password is doydoo21 – however, there are no decryption programs available. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Delta team virus |
The FILES ENCRYPTED.txt file accompanying the Delta team ransomware states the following:
You Are Hacked....! ATTENTION! Don't worry, you can return all your files! All your files like pictures, databases, documents,aplications and other are encrypted with strongest encryption and with unique key. The only method of recovering files is to purchase decryption software and his key for you. This decryption software will dycrypt all your encrypted files and also your computer come in his good condition. Price of decryption key and decrypt software is $1800, but discount 50% will apply(means you pay only $900.), if you contact us within 1day(24 hours). There are only 1 method for paying money to us, only BitCoin You have 24 hours to transfer 0,019 BTC to wallet: bc1q2n23xxx2u8hqsnvezl9rewh2t8myz4rqvmdzh2 Our Email - [email protected] Copy This line and email us - and give me wallet address. Warning - contact within 24 hours for pay only $900, otherwise you charge $1800 for dycryption key and software After email we will in Some time, reply you and give you wallet address. and then after successfull payment , we will send you decryption software link and decryption key to your replyed email. Caution - if You Change any encrypted file name (remove his [email protected] extention), then you won't be able to decrypt this file. Our email for your contact - [email protected] - Delta_Team :) Your id (save it, its very important) -
In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Delta team looks like. Each filename has the “[email protected]” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted [email protected] files.
How did my computer get infected with Delta team ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware injection.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited ways for hackers to have the Delta team virus working in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer networks.
If you open your mailbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a malicious file enclosed in them. Therefore, 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 an object that infiltrates into your computer disguised as something legal. For instance, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some software. But what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful agent that corrupts your data. As the update wizard 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 way is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer networks like torrent trackers or eMule, the danger 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. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the Delta team virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your files, the Delta team virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes racketeers would decode some of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption program. Since Delta team virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures developers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the anti-ransomware instruments are constantly updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Understandably, if the criminals succeed in encrypting victim’s critical files, the hopeless person will most likely fulfill their demands. However, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of ransomware developers just vanishing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The optimal solution against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud storage or at least on an external disk. Obviously, that might be not enough. The most important thing could be that one you were working on when it all started. Nevertheless, 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 Delta team, that work similarly. Examples of those are Futm, Rigj, Pqgs, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Delta team are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: documents become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes emerge in each 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 experts. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decryption key to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But naturally, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.
How сan I avert ransomware infection?
Delta team ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can defend your PC from its infiltration in three 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 participating in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the dubious letter with caution. A hoax letter will always have a mistake.
- Avoid using cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often shared as an element of cracked products, possibly as a “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable software, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal way is not to use such programs at all.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect defense for your PC.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft2
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft3.
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 system.
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 Delta team 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 “[email protected]” files?Can I somehow access “[email protected]” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “[email protected]” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Delta team virus?
No way! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with actual viruses. The ransomware that has infected your system is most likely still functional and it scans your system every so often to encrypt any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has been mentioned above, the Delta team ransomware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide malefactors with easy access to your PC after some time.
🤔 What should I do if the Delta team malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
In such an unfortunate situation, you need to have a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or brought into your computer. To suppress this function – 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?
Some of the blocked data can be located elsewhere.
- If you exchanged your important files via email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You may have shared images or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to post those images back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, cellphone, flash memory, etc.
HINT: You can employ file recovery utilities4 to get your lost data back since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the video below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you can do it only after you eradicate the virus 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.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove DELTA TEAM Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: DELTA TEAM Virus
Description: DELTA TEAM 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
User Review
( votes)References
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated 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 Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
