GILFILLAN Ransomware (.GILFILLAN files) — Removal Guide

The Gilfillan virus falls within the VoidCrypt ransomware family. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all the data on your PC (images, text files, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, creating the Decryption-Guide.txt files in every folder containing encrypted files.

What is known about the Gilfillanvirus?

☝️ A strictly accurate description for the Gilfillan is “a VoidCrypt family ransomware-type infection”.

The renaming will be executed according to the following scheme: id-*******.[email address].Gilfillan. After the encryption, a file named, for example, “report.docx” will be turned into “report.docx.id-38CB9FLN10.[[email protected]].Gilfillan”.

In every folder with the encoded files, a Decryption-Guide.txt text document will appear. 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 buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can obtain this decryptor after contacting [email protected] via email. That is basically the scheme of the felony.

Gilfillan outline:

In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Gilfillan looks like. Each filename has the “.id-*******.[email address].Gilfillan” extension appended to it.

How did my computer get infected with Gilfillan ransomware?

There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

Nowadays, there are three most popular methods for tamperers to have ransomware acting in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer file transfer.

If you access your mailbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a viral file attached to them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.

As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never know what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded objects with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is done.

How to remove the Gilfillan virus?

It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your files, the Gilfillan 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 logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Often tamperers would unblock several of your files to prove that they really have the decryption tool. Since Gilfillan virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures designers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. However, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.

Understandably, if the malefactors succeed in encoding someone’s critical files, the desperate person will most likely fulfill their demands. Despite that, paying a ransom does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After getting the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about hackers simply vanishing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.

The optimal safety measure 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 storage. Obviously, that might be not enough. The most crucial thing could be that one you were working on when it all went down. But at least it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the OS is rolled back.

Gilfillan 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, Wdlo, Kqgs, Udla, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Gilfillan are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: files become blocked, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in each directory containing encrypted files.

Some lucky victims were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware developers. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the victim to restore the files. But naturally, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.

How to avert ransomware attack?

Gilfillan ransomware has no superpower, so as any similar malware.

You can protect yourself from its infiltration within three easy steps:

• Never open any emails from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, check all elements of the dubious letter with caution. A fake letter will always have a mistake.
• Do not use cracked or unknown software. Trojan viruses are often spreaded as an element of cracked products, most likely as a “patch” preventing the license check. But dubious programs are very hard to distinguish from reliable ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. Try to find information about this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal way is not to use such software.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft³

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”.

FAQ

🤔 Are the “.id-*******.[email address].Gilfillan” files accessible?

Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.id-*******.[email address].Gilfillan” files you will not be able to access them.

🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?

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 should I do if the Gilfillan ransomware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

🤔 What could help the situation right now?

Many of the blocked files might still be within your reach

• If you exchanged your critical files by email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to post those images 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 too.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old PC, a portable device, phone, external storage, etc.

USEFUL TIP: You can use data recovery programs⁵ to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the video below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you remove 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.

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