KMUFESD Virus 🔐 (.KMUFESD Files) — How to Remove?

The Kmufesd virus falls under the Snatch ransomware family. Malware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, leaving the HOW TO RESTORE YOUR FILES.TXT text files in every folder with the encrypted files.

What is Kmufesd virus?

☝️ A scientifically correct description for the Kmufesd is “a Snatch family ransomware infection”.

Kmufesd will add its specific .kmufesd extension to the name of each encrypted file. For example, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.kmufesd”. In the same manner, the Excel table with the name “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.kmufesd”, and so forth.

In each directory with the encrypted files, a HOW TO RESTORE YOUR FILES.TXT file will be created. It is a ransom money note. It contains information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is how they do it.

Kmufesd abstract:

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

How did my computer get infected with Kmufesd ransomware?

There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most popular ways for malefactors to have the Kmufesd virus working in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer networks.

If you open your mailbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is strange to you, beware of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a viral item attached to them. Thus it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with emails like these.

As for the peer file transfer protocols like BitTorrent or eMule, the threat 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. So you’d better be using trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is done.

How do I get rid of the Kmufesd virus?

It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Kmufesd virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware³ can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Often tamperers would unblock several of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption tool. As Kmufesd virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware engineers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decoding tools are constantly updated, so the solution may soon arrive.

Understandably, if the evildoers succeed in encrypting someone’s essential files, the desperate person will probably comply with their demands. Despite that, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about criminals just vanishing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.

The best safety measure against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud disk or at least on an external drive. Surely, that might be insufficient. Your most important thing could be that file you were working upon when it all started. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the system restoration.

There are other ransomware products, besides Kmufesd, that work similarly. For instance, Goaq, Qotr, Coaq, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Kmufesd are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: documents become blocked, their extensions changed, ransom notes are created in every directory containing encrypted files.

Some lucky people were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free software provided by anti-malware specialists. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decryption code to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But obviously, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a bandits’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.

How to avoid ransomware attack?

Kmufesd ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, neither does any similar malware.

You can protect your system from its injection taking several easy steps:

• Never open any letters from unknown senders with unknown 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 expecting, check all elements of the suspicious email carefully. A hoax letter will surely have mistakes.
• Avoid using cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often shared as a part of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. You can try to find information about this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal solution is not to use such software.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft⁴

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

🤔 How can I open “.kmufesd” files?Can I somehow access “.kmufesd” files?

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

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

It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. 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. All other solutions require time.

🤔 What should I do if the Kmufesd malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

🤔 And what should I do now?

Many of the encrypted files might still be at your disposal

• If you sent or received your important files via 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 images back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try downloading them again.
• Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud storage might have all those files too.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a notebook, cellphone, memory stick, etc.

HINT: You can employ data recovery programs⁶ to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, removing the original 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 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.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
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