The Eternity virus falls within the ransomware type of malicious agent. Ransomware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, text files, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, opening the pop-up window at the end of the ciphering process.
What is known about the Eternityvirus?
☝️ A strictly accurate designation for the Eternity is “a ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Eternity will append its extra .ecrp extension to every file’s title. For instance, an image named “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.ecrp”. In the same manner, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be altered to “table.xlsx.ecrp”, and so on.
In every folder with the encrypted files, a pop-up window with instructions will be created. It is a ransom money note. It contains information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the racketeers. That is how they do it.
Eternity summary:
| Name | Eternity Virus |
| Extension | .ecrp |
| Ransomware note | Pop-up window |
| Detection | Trojan:Win32/RedLineStealer.LSA!MTB, Trojan:Win32/Corebot, Win32:Downloader-RPG [Trj] |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .ecrp extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Eternity virus |
In the image below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Eternity looks like. Each filename has the “.ecrp” extension added to it.
That is how encrypted “.ecrp” files look.
How did Eternity ransomware end up on my PC?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware injection.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited methods for tamperers to have the Eternity virus working in your digital environment. 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, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is strange to you, beware of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a harmful file enclosed in them. So it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse model1. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your machine disguised as something legal. For instance, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some service. However, what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful agent that encrypts your data. As the update file can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the things you’re downloading. The optimal way is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer file transfer protocols like BitTorrent 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. So you’d better be using trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How to remove the Eternity virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your data, the Eternity virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often racketeers would decode some of your files to prove that they really have the decryption tool. Since Eternity virus is a relatively new ransomware, security software engineers have not yet found a way to undo its work. However, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Sure thing, if the criminals do the job of encoding victim’s critical data, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. However, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After receiving the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports about criminals simply disappearing 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 essential files in the cloud storage or at least on an external disk. Surely, that might be not enough. Your most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all started. But at least it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the system restoration.
Eternity 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, Ggwq, Llqq, Dkrf, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Eternity are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in each folder containing encrypted files.
Some lucky victims were able to decrypt the arrested files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-ransomware specialists. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the user to restore the files. But naturally, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ instrument to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How to avert ransomware attack?
Eternity ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour yourself from its attack in three easy steps:
- Ignore any emails from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to 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 expecting, check all elements of the questionable email with caution. A fake email will surely have a mistake.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojan viruses are often distributed as a part of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable ones, as trojans may also have the functionality you need. Try to find information about this software product 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 software will be a powerful shield for your personal computer.
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 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 Eternity 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 “.ecrp” files?Are the “.ecrp” files accessible?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.ecrp” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.ecrp” files ASAP. How can I do that?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. 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.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Eternity malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
No way! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with actual threats. The virus that has infiltrated your computer is probably still functional and launching checks every so often to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the attack. As it has been said above, the Eternity malware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your system after some time.
🤔 What to do if the Eternity malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
In such an unfortunate situation, you need to have a flash memory drive with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or imported into your system. To stop this process – 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 encrypted 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 photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to give those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try to do 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 notebook, mobile, external storage, etc.
HINT: You can use file recovery programs4 to get your lost data back since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you kill 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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Brendan SmithHow to Remove ETERNITY Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: ETERNITY Virus
Description: ETERNITY Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .ecrp 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’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
