The Firstkill virus belongs under the ransomware type of infection. A harmful program of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file, creating the CO_SIĘ_STAŁO.html files in each folder which contains the encrypted files.
What is Firstkill virus?
☝️ A strictly accurate designation for the Firstkill is “a ransomware-type infection”.
Firstkill appends its own .FirstKill extension to every file’s name. For instance, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.FirstKill”. In the same manner, the Excel sheet with the name “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.FirstKill”, and so on.
In each directory with the encoded files, a CO_SIĘ_STAŁO.html file will appear. It is a ransom money note. It contains information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is it.
Firstkill summary:
| Name | Firstkill Virus |
| Extension | .FirstKill |
| Ransomware note | CO_SIĘ_STAŁO.html |
| Detection | Troj/GandCrab-A, Trojan:Win32/Glupteba.NI!MTB, Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.SLH!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .FirstKill extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Firstkill virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Firstkill looks like. Each filename has the “.FirstKill” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .FirstKill files.
How did my computer get infected with Firstkill ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most popular methods for hackers to have ransomware acting in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer networks.
If you access your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is strange to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a harmful item attached to them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus model1. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your PC disguised as something different. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some service. But what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful program that encodes your data. Since the installation wizard can have any title and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the things you’re downloading. The best thing is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrent trackers or eMule, the danger 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. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. 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 done.
How to remove the Firstkill virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Firstkill virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often tamperers would decrypt some of your files so you know that they really have the decryption tool. Since Firstkill virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a way to undo its work. Nevertheless, the decryption tools are frequently updated, so the solution may soon be available.
Sure thing, if the hackers do the job of encrypting someone’s essential files, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. However, paying to criminals does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still risky. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports about hackers just disappearing after getting the money without even writing back.
The best solution against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud drive or at least on an external disk. Of course, that might be not enough. Your most crucial thing could be that one you were working upon when it all happened. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the system restoration.
Firstkill 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, Qqkk, Ccew, Qqmt, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Firstkill are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: files become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in each folder containing encrypted files.
Some lucky people were able to decrypt the arrested files with the help of the free software provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the criminals mistakenly send the decoding code to the victims in the ransom note. 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 bandits’ technology to pull the money out of their victims.
How to avert ransomware infection?
Firstkill ransomware has no endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can armour your computer from ransomware infiltration within several easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown mailers with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (how can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, check all elements of the questionable email carefully. A hoax letter will surely have mistakes.
- Avoid using cracked or unknown software. Trojans are often shared as a part of cracked products, most likely under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. But untrusted programs are very hard to tell from trustworthy software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. Try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal way is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful armor 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 Firstkill 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 “.FirstKill” files?Is it possible to open“.FirstKill” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.FirstKill” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. 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.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Firstkill malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
No way! Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your PC off the actual threats. The ransomware that has infected your computer is probably still functional and it scans your system from time to time to arrest any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has been said above, the Firstkill virus does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide criminals with easy access to your system after some time.
🤔 What to do if the Firstkill malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.
In such an unfortunate situation, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or brought into your machine. To block this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Many of the blocked files might still be within your reach
- If you exchanged your critical files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You may have shared images or videos with your friends or family members. Just 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 disks might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a portable device, mobile, memory stick, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use file recovery utilities4 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but remember: you can do it only after you remove the ransomware itself with an antivirus 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.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove FIRSTKILL Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: FIRSTKILL Virus
Description: FIRSTKILL Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .FirstKill 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 Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
