FUNNY Ransomware 🔐 (.FUNNY File) — Removal Guide

The Funny virus belongs to the Dharma ransomware family. Malware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, creating the FILES ENCRYPTED.txt text files in each folder containing encrypted files.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.

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What is Funny virus?

☝️ A scientifically accurate designation for the Funny is “a Dharma family ransomware-type malicious agent”.

The scheme of renaming is this: id-xxxxx.[contact_email].FUNNY. After the encryption, a file entitled, for example, “report.docx” will be turned into “report.docx.id-1E857D00.[[email protected]].FUNNY”.

In every directory with the encoded files, a FILES ENCRYPTED.txt text document will be created. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. You can obtain this decoding tool after contacting [email protected] by email. That is it.

Funny overview:

The FILES ENCRYPTED.txt file coming in package with the Funny ransomware states the following:

all your data has been locked us
You want to return?
write email [email protected] 

In the screenshot below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Funny looks like. Each filename has the “.FUNNY” extension appended to it.

An example of encrypted .FUNNY files.

How did Funny ransomware end up on my PC?

There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most exploited ways for hackers to have ransomware planted in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer networks.

If you open your inbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a ransomware file enclosed in 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 horse model². A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your computer disguised as something else. For example, you download an installer of some program you need or an update for some software. However, what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful agent that compromises your data. As the installation wizard can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the things you’re downloading. The best way is to trust the software developers’ 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 Web. You can never guess what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is done.

How to remove the Funny virus?

It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Funny virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Sometimes criminals would unblock some of your files to prove that they do have the decryption tool. Since Funny virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decryption instruments are constantly updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.

Understandably, if the malefactors do the job of encrypting someone’s essential data, the desperate person will probably comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still dangerous. After getting the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of ransomware developers simply vanishing after getting the ransom without even writing back.

The best solution against ransomware is to have aan OS 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. The most important thing could be that file you were working upon when it all went down. But at least it is something. It is also wise to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the OS restoration.

There are other ransomware products, besides Funny, that work similarly. For instance, Goaq, Qotr, Coaq, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Funny are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: files become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes are created in each folder containing encoded files.

Some lucky users were able to decode the arrested files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.

How do I avoid ransomware attack?

Funny ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.

You can protect yourself from ransomware infiltration within several easy steps:

• Never open any emails from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (how can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the dubious email carefully. A fake email will always contain a mistake.
• Do not use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often shared as an element of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy software, because trojans may also have the functionality you need. You can try searching for information about this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal 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 program will be a powerful shield for your PC.

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 computer.

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 Funny 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.

FAQ

🤔 Can I somehow access “.FUNNY” files?

There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.FUNNY” files are decrypted.

🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.FUNNY” 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. The rest of the methods require patience.

🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Funny malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?

Absolutely not! Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with real viruses. The virus that has infiltrated your PC is most likely still active and it scans your system every so often to encrypt any new files you might create on your computer after the attack. As it has been mentioned above, the Funny malware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide criminals with easy access to your computer in the future.

🤔 What to do if the Funny virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

If that happened, you need to prepare a flash memory card with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or brought into your computer. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.

🤔 And what should I do now?

Many of the blocked files might still be at your disposal

• If you exchanged 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 post those pictures back to you.
• If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do it again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud storage might have all those files too.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, phone, flash memory, etc.

HINT: You can use data recovery programs⁵ 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 recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you can do it only after you kill the virus 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.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
2. You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
3. GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
4. More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
5. Here’s the list of Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.