FIXED Virus (.FIXED Files) — How to Remove?

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:

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.

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.

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.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft²

Download Removal Tool.

Run the setup file.

Press “Install” button.

Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.

Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.

Click on “Clean Now”.

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.

🤔 What to do if the Fixed virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.

🤔 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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