The Find0m virus belongs under the ransomware type of infection. Malware of this type encrypts all the data on your computer (images, text files, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file, creating the FinD0m.txt files in every directory which contains the encrypted files.
What is known about the Find0mvirus?
☝️ A scientifically correct designation for the Find0m is “a ransomware-type infection”.
Find0m will add its specific .FinD0m extension to every file’s name. For example, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.FinD0m”. In the same manner, the Excel sheet named “table.xlsx” will be altered to “table.xlsx.FinD0m”, and so forth.
In each directory containing the encrypted files, a FinD0m.txt text document will be found. 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 instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is pretty much the scheme of the malefaction.
Find0m overview:
| Name | Find0m Virus |
| Extension | .FinD0m |
| Ransomware note | FinD0m.txt |
| Detection | Crytex.Virus.FileInfector.DDS, Win32/Filecoder.OLC, Malware-Cryptor.InstallCore.5 |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .FinD0m extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Find0m virus |
In the screenshot below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Find0m looks like. Each filename has the “.FinD0m” extension added to it.
That is how encrypted “.FinD0m” files look.
How did my computer get infected with Find0m ransomware?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware injection.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited ways for tamperers to have ransomware planted in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you open your inbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is strange to you, beware of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a viral file attached to them. Therefore, it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan file model1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your PC disguised as something else. For instance, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some service. But what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful program that compromises your data. As the update wizard can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the files you’re downloading. The best thing is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer networks like torrent trackers or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never guess 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 objects with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is complete.
How to remove the Find0m virus?
It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Find0m virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes criminals would decode few of your files to prove that they really have the decryption program. Since Find0m virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures designers have not yet found a way to undo its work. However, the decryption instruments are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Of course, if the malefactors succeed in encrypting someone’s essential files, the hopeless person will probably comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports of racketeers simply disappearing 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 storage or at least on an external drive. Surely, that might be insufficient. Your most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all started. But at least it is something. It is also advisable to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the system is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Find0m, that work similarly. For instance, Isal, Bpws, Znto, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Find0m are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: files become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes emerge in every directory containing encoded files.
Some fortunate people were able to decrypt the blocked files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-malware developers. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decoding key to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But obviously, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ technology to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How do I avoid ransomware attack?
Find0m ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can protect your computer from ransomware infiltration in several easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, check all elements of the dubious letter carefully. A hoax letter will surely contain a mistake.
- Avoid using cracked or untrusted software. Trojans are often shared as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. But untrusted programs are very hard to tell from reliable ones, as trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try to find information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful shield 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 PC for Find0m 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 “.FinD0m” files?Is it possible to open“.FinD0m” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.FinD0m” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.FinD0m” files ASAP. How can I do that?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. 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 Find0m virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?
Of course not. The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with active threats. The ransomware that has attacked your computer is must be still active and running scans periodically to encode any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been mentioned above, the Find0m ransomware comes with the company. 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 to do if the Find0m malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
If that happened, you need to have a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or imported into your computer. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Some of the encrypted data can be located elsewhere.
- If you exchanged your important files by 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 pictures 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 networks pages, and cloud drives might have all those files too.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, mobile, external storage, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use data recovery programs5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate the virus with an anti-malware program.
Also, you can contact the following official 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.
I need your help to share this article.
It is your turn to help other people. I have written this article to help users like you. You can use the buttons below to share this on your favorite social media Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit.
Brendan SmithHow to Remove FIND0M Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: FIND0M Virus
Description: FIND0M Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .FinD0m 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 are Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
