The Ktc virus belongs under the ransomware type of infection. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all the data on your PC (images, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, leaving the RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt text files in every folder containing encrypted files.
Ktc virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically accurate description for the Ktc would be “a ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Ktc will append its specific .KTC extension to every file’s title. For example, an image named “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.KTC”. Likewise, the Excel sheet with the name “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.KTC”, and so forth.
In each folder that contains the encrypted files, a RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt text file will be created. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the racketeers. That is how they do it.
Ktc outline:
| Name | Ktc Virus |
| Extension | .KTC |
| Ransomware note | RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt |
| Detection | Trojan.Spy.Banker.ADEF, Trojan:Win32/Loyeetro.DSK!MTB, Trojan:Win32/Raccrypt.GL!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .KTC extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Ktc virus |
In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Ktc looks like. Each filename has the “.KTC” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.KTC” files look.
How did my computer get infected with Ktc ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited methods for tamperers to have the Ktc virus working in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you access your inbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet 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 thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file model1. A Trojan is a program that gets into your computer pretending to be something different. For instance, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some program. But what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful agent that corrupts your data. As the installation file can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the files you’re downloading. The optimal way is to use 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 Internet. You can never guess what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. 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 Ktc virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your data, the Ktc virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often criminals would decode several of your files to prove that they really have the decryption tool. As Ktc virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a way to undo its work. Nevertheless, the decryption instruments are constantly updated, so the solution may soon arrive.
Of course, if the malefactors do the job of encoding victim’s essential files, the hopeless person will most likely fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports about criminals just disappearing after getting the ransom 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 drive or at least on an external disk. Of course, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that one you were working on when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.
Ktc 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, Xcmb, Mljx, Hudf, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Ktc are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: files become encrypted, their extensions changed, ransom notes are found in every directory containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate people were able to decode the blocked files with the aid of the free tools 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 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 avert ransomware infiltration?
Ktc ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can defend your system from its attack taking several easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown mailboxes with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (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 questionable letter carefully. A hoax email will surely contain mistakes.
- Avoid using cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often distributed as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. But untrusted programs are very hard to tell from reliable software, as trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try to find information on this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal solution is not to use such programs at all.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful armor for your personal computer.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft2
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft3.
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 system for Ktc 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
🤔 How can I open “.KTC” files?Can I somehow access “.KTC” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.KTC” files are decrypted.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
If the “.KTC” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. 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.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Ktc malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
No way! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with real threats. The ransomware that has attacked your PC is probably still active and running scans from time to time to encode any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has already been said, the Ktc virus does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What to do if the Ktc malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
If that happened, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. The point is that the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or imported into your PC. To block 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 could help the situation right now?
Some of the blocked files can be found elsewhere.
- If you sent or received your critical files by email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to send those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a notebook, mobile, flash memory, etc.
HINT: You can employ data recovery programs4 to get your lost data back since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but remember: you can do it only after you eradicate the virus 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.
I need your help to share this article.
It is your turn to help other people. I have written this guide to help users like you. You can use the buttons below to share this on your favorite social media Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit.
Brendan SmithHow to Remove KTC Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: KTC Virus
Description: KTC Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .KTC extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated 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.
