The Fixed virus belongs to the ransomware type of infection. A harmful program of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, text files, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its own extension to every file, leaving the Info.hta files in each folder containing encrypted files.
Fixed virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A strictly correct description for the Fixed would be “a ransomware-type infection”.
Fixed adds its extra .FIXED extension to every file’s title. For example, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.FIXED”. Likewise, the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will be altered to “table.xlsx.FIXED”, and so on.
In each directory containing the encrypted files, a Info.hta text document will be created. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is how they do it.
Fixed summary:
| Name | Fixed Virus |
| Extension | .FIXED |
| Ransomware note | Info.hta |
| Detection | Ransom:Win32/Cryptolocker.PAL!MTB, UDS:Trojan-Banker.Win32.Bandra, Trojan:MSIL/AgentTesla.EPQ!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .FIXED extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Fixed virus |
In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Fixed looks like. Each filename has the “.FIXED” extension added to it.
That is how encrypted “.FIXED” files look.
How did Fixed ransomware end up on my PC?
There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most popular ways for tamperers to have ransomware settled in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you access your mailbox and see letters that look just like 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 most likely to have a ransomware item attached to them. Thus it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus scheme1. A Trojan is a program that gets into your computer disguised as something different. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some service. However, what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful program that corrupts your data. As the update file can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the stuff you’re downloading. The best thing is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer networks like torrents or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never know 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 finished.
How do I get rid of the Fixed virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Fixed virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes criminals would decrypt several of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption program. As Fixed virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a way to undo its work. However, the decryption instruments are constantly updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Of course, if the criminals do the job of encrypting victim’s critical data, the desperate person will most likely fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of malefactors simply vanishing 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 disk or at least on an external disk. Surely, that might be not enough. Your most important thing could be that file you were working upon when it all started. Nevertheless, 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 Fixed, that work similarly. Examples of those are Bbnm, Sijr, Jhdd, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Fixed are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes are created in every directory containing encoded files.
Some fortunate people were able to decode the arrested files with the help of the free software provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But obviously, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.
How do I avoid ransomware infection?
Fixed ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can armour your PC from ransomware attack in three easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (how can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, check all elements of the suspicious email with caution. A hoax letter will surely have mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often shared as an element of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” to prevent the license check. But dubious programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy ones, as trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try to find information about this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.
- And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect defense for your PC.
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 system.
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 Fixed 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 “.FIXED” files?Is it possible to open“.FIXED” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.FIXED” files are decrypted.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. All other solutions require time.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Fixed virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?
Of course not. Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with real viruses. The virus 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 computer after the initial attack. As it has been said above, the Fixed 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 PC after some time.
🤔 What to do if the Fixed virus has blocked my PC 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 perform the cleaning. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or imported into your system. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Many of the blocked files might still be within your reach
- If you sent or received your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might 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 downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files too.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, cellphone, flash memory, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use file recovery programs4 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the video below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate 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 FIXED Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: FIXED Virus
Description: FIXED Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .FIXED 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.
