The Erinalexralf virus falls within the ransomware type of infection. Harmful software of such sort encrypts all the data on your PC (photos, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, leaving the HOW_TO_RETURN_FILES.txt text files in every folder with the encrypted files.
What is known about the Erinalexralfvirus?
☝️ A scientifically correct description for the Erinalexralf would be “a ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Erinalexralf adds its specific .enc extension to every file’s name. For example, a file named “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.enc”. Likewise, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be altered to “table.xlsx.enc”, and so on.
In each directory containing the encrypted files, a HOW_TO_RETURN_FILES.txt text document will be created. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information about 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 Erinalexralf developers. That is how they do it.
Erinalexralf outline:
| Name | Erinalexralf Virus |
| Extension | .enc |
| Ransomware note | HOW_TO_RETURN_FILES.txt |
| Detection | MSIL/Spy.Agent.DSV, TrojanSpy:Win32/Delgent, Trojan.Ransom.Magniber |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .enc extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Erinalexralf virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Erinalexralf looks like. Each filename has the “.enc” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.enc” files look.
How did Erinalexralf ransomware end up on my PC?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware injection.
Nowadays, there are three most popular methods for criminals to have the Erinalexralf virus acting in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer networks.
If you access your inbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a ransomware item enclosed in them. So it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse scheme1. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something legal. For instance, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some software. But what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful agent that encrypts your data. Since the update package can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the things you’re downloading. The best way is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer networks 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 directory containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is complete.
How to remove the Erinalexralf virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your data, the Erinalexralf virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware2 can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes criminals would decode some of your files so you know that they really have the decryption tool. As Erinalexralf virus is a relatively recent ransomware, security software developers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decryption tools are frequently updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Sure thing, if the hackers succeed in encoding someone’s essential files, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. Despite that, paying to criminals does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about racketeers just disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The optimal safety measure against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud storage or at least on an external storage. Of course, that might be not enough. Your most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all went down. But at least it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the OS is rolled back.
Erinalexralf is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. Examples of those are Kqgs, Wdlo, Bpqd, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Erinalexralf are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: files become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes are created in each directory containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate users were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware developers. Sometimes the criminals mistakenly send the decryption key to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But obviously, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a bandits’ technology to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How do I avert ransomware infiltration?
Erinalexralf ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can protect your computer from ransomware infiltration in three easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (how can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the questionable email carefully. A fake email will surely contain mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted software. Trojans are often spreaded as a part of cracked products, possibly as a “patch” which prevents the license check. But potentially dangerous programs are very hard to distinguish from reliable ones, as trojans may also have the functionality you need. You can try searching for information on this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the best way is not to use such software.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files 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 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 Erinalexralf 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.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.enc” files?Is it possible to open“.enc” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.enc” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.enc” files ASAP. How can I do that?
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.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Erinalexralf virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?
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 ransomware that has infiltrated your device is must be still functional 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 already been said, the Erinalexralf malware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide criminals with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Erinalexralf virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.
In such a case, you need to have a flash memory drive with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or brought into your PC. To suppress this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Many of the encoded files might still be within your reach
- If you exchanged your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to send those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded 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 too.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, phone, memory stick, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use data recovery utilities5 to get your lost data back since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you kill 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 ERINALEXRALF Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: ERINALEXRALF Virus
Description: ERINALEXRALF Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .enc 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 Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
