The Enigma virus belongs to the ransomware type of malicious agent. Ransomware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, text files, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, leaving the enigma_info.txt text files in each directory containing encrypted files.
What is known about the Enigmavirus?
☝️ A scientifically accurate designation for the Enigma is “a ransomware malicious agent”.
Enigma appends its extra .1txt extension to the title of each encoded file. For example, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.1txt”. Just like the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will be altered to “table.xlsx.1txt”, and so forth.
In every directory containing the encrypted files, a enigma_info.txt text document will be found. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is how they do it.
Enigma summary:
| Name | Enigma Virus |
| Extension | .1txt |
| Ransomware note | enigma_info.txt |
| Detection | MSIL/Filecoder.ANC, Win32/Sepohie.G, UDS:Trojan-Ransom.MSIL.Purgen |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .1txt extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Enigma virus |
In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Enigma looks like. Each filename has the “.1txt” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.1txt” files look.
How did my computer get infected with Enigma ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware injection.
There are currently three most exploited ways for malefactors to have ransomware acting in your system. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer networks.
If you access your mailbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is unknown to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a harmful file attached to them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse scheme1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your PC disguised as something else. For example, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some program. But what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful program that encrypts your data. As the installation wizard can have any title and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the stuff you’re downloading. The optimal way is to trust the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never guess what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. 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 to remove the Enigma virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your data, the Enigma virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your machine to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware2 can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Often criminals would decrypt some of your files to prove that they really have the decryption program. Since Enigma virus is a relatively new ransomware, security software designers have not yet found a way to undo its work. However, the decoding instruments are frequently updated, so the solution may soon be available.
Of course, if the tamperers do the job of encrypting victim’s critical files, the desperate person will probably comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports of racketeers just vanishing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The best safety measure 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. Obviously, that might be not enough. Your most crucial thing could be that one you were working on when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the system restoration.
Enigma 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, Dehd, Zaqi, Sbpg, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Enigma are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: documents become blocked, their extensions changed, ransom notes appear in every folder containing encoded files.
Some lucky users were able to decrypt the blocked files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the criminals mistakenly send the decryption code to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a criminals’ instrument to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How do I avert ransomware infection?
Enigma ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can armour yourself from ransomware attack in three easy steps:
- Ignore any letters from unknown mailboxes with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the questionable email with caution. A fake email will always contain mistakes.
- Avoid using cracked or unknown software. Trojans are often shared as an element of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are difficult to tell from reliable ones, because trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try to find information on this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful shield for your personal computer.
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 Enigma 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 “.1txt” files?Is it possible to open“.1txt” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.1txt” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.1txt” files ASAP. How can I do that?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Enigma virus?
Absolutely not! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your computer off the actual threats. The malware that has infiltrated your PC is must be still active and launching checks from time to time to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the initial attack. As it has been said above, the Enigma virus does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your PC after some time.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Enigma virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
If that happened, you need to have a flash memory card with a pre-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 PC. To block this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run automatically. 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 via 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 pictures back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do it again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud drives might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, cellphone, memory stick, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use data recovery utilities5 to get your lost data back since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you remove 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.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove ENIGMA Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: ENIGMA Virus
Description: ENIGMA Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .1txt 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’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
