The Korya virus falls within the Xorist ransomware family. Malware of this type encrypts all the data on your computer (images, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, leaving the HOW TO DECRYPT FILES.txt text files in each directory which contains the encrypted files.
Korya virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A strictly accurate designation for the Korya is “a Xorist family ransomware malicious agent”.
Korya will add its extra .KoRyA extension to the name of each encrypted file. For example, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.KoRyA”. Just like the Excel sheet with the name “table.xlsx” will become “table.xlsx.KoRyA”, and so forth.
In each directory that contains the encoded files, a HOW TO DECRYPT FILES.txt text file will appear. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the racketeers. You can get this tool after contacting korya@tuta.io through email. That is basically the scheme of the felony.
Korya summary:
| Name | Korya Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | Xorist ransomware |
| Extension | .KoRyA |
| Ransomware note | HOW TO DECRYPT FILES.txt |
| Ransom | $1000 (in BTC) |
| Contact | korya@tuta.io |
| Detection | Crytex.Virus.FileInfector.DDS, Win32/Filecoder.OLC, Malware-Cryptor.InstallCore.5 |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .KoRyA extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Korya virus |
The HOW TO DECRYPT FILES.txt file accompanying the Korya malware provides the following dispiriting information:
ATTENTION! All your files have been encrypted And their decryption will cost you 0.06 bitcoin. To start the decryption process follow the steps below Step 1) Make sure you send 0.06 bitcoin to this wallet: bc1q73lm30rgv6h9wy42y88t0r8prjh9l9pzpvvm9c Step 2) Contact me at this email address: korya@tuta.io With this Subject: - After the payment has been confirmed, you will receive the decryptor and the keys for decryption! Other information: If you don\'t own bitcoin, you can buy it here very easily www.coinmama.com www.bitpanda.com www.localbitcoins.com www.paxful.com You can find a larger list here: hxxps://bitcoin.org/en/exchanges If the payment is not made in 2 days, I will consider that you do not want to decrypt your files, and therefore the keys generated for your PC will be permanently.deleted.
In the screenshot below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Korya looks like. Each filename has the “.KoRyA” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.KoRyA” files look.
How did my computer get infected with Korya ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited ways for criminals to have ransomware working in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer networks.
If you open your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a viral item attached to them. Therefore, it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus model2. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something different. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some service. However, what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful program that corrupts your data. Since the installation package can have any title and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the things you’re downloading. The optimal way is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the danger 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. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded objects with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the Korya virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Korya virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware3 can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes criminals would unblock few of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption program. As Korya virus is a relatively new ransomware, security software designers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decoding instruments are constantly upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Sure thing, if the evildoers do the job of encrypting victim’s essential files, the desperate person will most likely comply with their demands. Despite that, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still dangerous. After getting the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports of racketeers simply vanishing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.
The best solution against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud disk or at least on an external disk. Of course, that might be not enough. Your most crucial thing could be that one you were working upon when it all went down. But at least it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the system restoration.
Korya is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. Examples of those are Maos, Isal, Znto, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Korya are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: documents become encrypted, their extensions changed, ransom notes emerge in every folder containing encoded files.
Some fortunate victims were able to decode the arrested files with the help of the free software provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decoding key to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the user to restore the files. But naturally, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.
How do I avert ransomware infection?
Korya ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can protect your PC from ransomware attack taking several easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with 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 email with caution. A hoax email will surely contain a mistake.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often spreaded as a part of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. But untrusted programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable ones, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try to find information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal way is not to use such software.
- And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect armor for your PC.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft4
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft5.
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 Korya 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 “.KoRyA” files?Is it possible to open“.KoRyA” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.KoRyA” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.KoRyA” files ASAP. How can I do that?
If the “.KoRyA” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Korya virus?
No way! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with active viruses. The malware that has attacked your system is must be still functional and it scans your system every so often to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the initial attack. As it has been said above, the Korya malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide malefactors with easy access to your system after some time.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Korya ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
In such a case, you need to have a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or brought into your computer. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Some of the blocked files can be located elsewhere.
- If you sent or received your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You may have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Just ask them to give those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, cellphone, flash memory, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ file recovery utilities6 to get your lost data back since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the tutorial 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 governmental 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 KORYA Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: KORYA Virus
Description: KORYA Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .KoRyA extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
- You can read more on spyware variants and nature in the respective 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 are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
