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

The Leakdb virus belongs to the Phobos ransomware family. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, creating the info.txt text files in every 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.

DOWNLOAD NOW

Gridinsoft Anti-Malware 6-day trial available.
EULA | Privacy Policy | 10% Off Coupon

Subscribe to our Telegram channel to be the first to know about news and our exclusive materials on information security.

Leakdb virus: what is known so far?

☝️ Leakdb is a Phobos family ransomware-type virus.

The renaming will be executed by the following scheme: id[xxxxxx].[contact-email].LEAKDB. After the encryption, a file named, for instance, “report.docx” will be altered to “report.docx.id[9ECFA84E-3143].[pcsupport@skiff.com].LEAKDB”.

In each directory that contains the encrypted files, a info.txt file will appear. It is a ransom money memo. 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 racketeers. You can get this decoding tool after contacting pcsupport@skiff.com via email. That is it.

Leakdb Overview:

The info.txt document accompanying the Leakdb malware states the following:

Your data is encrypted and downloaded!


Unlocking your data is possible only with our software.
Important! An attempt to decrypt it yourself or decrypt it with third-party software will result in the loss of your data forever.
Contacting intermediary companies, recovery companies will create the risk of losing your data forever or being deceived by these companies.
Being deceived is your responsibility! Learn the experience on the forums.


Downloaded data of your company.


Data leakage is a serious violation of the law. Don\'t worry, the incident will remain a secret, the data is protected.
After the transaction is completed, all data downloaded from you will be deleted from our resources. Government agencies, competitors, contractors and local media
not aware of the incident.
Also, we guarantee that your company\'s personal data will not be sold on DArkWeb resources and will not be used to attack your company, employees
and counterparties in the future.
If you have not contacted within 2 days from the moment of the incident, we will consider the transaction not completed.
Your data will be sent to all interested parties. This is your responsibility.


Contact us.


Write us to the e-mail:pcsupport@skiff.com
In case of no answer in 24 hours write us to this e-mail:pctalk01@tutanota.com
Write this ID in the title of your message: -
If you have not contacted within 2 days from the moment of the incident, we will consider the transaction not completed.
Your data will be sent to all interested parties. This is your responsibility.


Do not rename encrypted files
Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss.
Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.

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

That is how encrypted “.LEAKDB” files look.

How did my computer get infected with Leakdb ransomware?

There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware injection.

There are currently three most exploited methods for evil-doers to have ransomware planted in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer file transfer.

• If you open your inbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is strange to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a malicious file enclosed in them. So it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
• Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus scheme. A Trojan is a program that gets into your machine disguised as something legal. Imagine, you download an installer of some program you need or an update for some program. But what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful program that corrupts your data. Since the installation file can have any name 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 use the software companies’ official websites.
• As for the peer networks 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 a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded items with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is complete.

How to remove ransomware?

It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Leakdb virus will most likely deploy Vidar Stealer on your computer to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

Remove Leakdb with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware

We have also been using this software on our systems ever since, and it has always been successful in detecting viruses. It has blocked the most common Ransomware as shown from our tests with the software, and we assure you that it can remove Leakdb as well as other malware hiding on your computer.

To use Gridinsoft for remove malicious threats, follow the steps below:

1. Begin by downloading Gridinsoft Anti-Malware, accessible via the blue button below or directly from the official website gridinsoft.com.

2.Once the Gridinsoft setup file (setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe) is downloaded, execute it by clicking on the file.

3.Follow the installation setup wizard's instructions diligently.

4. Access the "Scan Tab" on the application's start screen and launch a comprehensive "Full Scan" to examine your entire computer. This inclusive scan encompasses the memory, startup items, the registry, services, drivers, and all files, ensuring that it detects malware hidden in all possible locations.

Be patient, as the scan duration depends on the number of files and your computer's hardware capabilities. Use this time to relax or attend to other tasks.

5. Upon completion, Anti-Malware will present a detailed report containing all the detected malicious items and threats on your PC.

6. Select all the identified items from the report and confidently click the "Clean Now" button. This action will safely remove the malicious files from your computer, transferring them to the secure quarantine zone of the anti-malware program to prevent any further harmful actions.

8. If prompted, restart your computer to finalize the full system scan procedure. This step is crucial to ensure thorough removal of any remaining threats. After the restart, Gridinsoft Anti-Malware will open and display a message confirming the completion of the scan.

Remember Gridinsoft offers a 6-day free trial. This means you can take advantage of the trial period at no cost to experience the full benefits of the software and prevent any future malware infections on your system. Embrace this opportunity to fortify your computer's security without any financial commitment.

Trojan Killer for “Leakdb” removal on locked PC

In situations where it becomes impossible to download antivirus applications directly onto the infected computer due to malware blocking access to websites, an alternative solution is to utilize the Trojan Killer application.

There is a really little number of security tools that are able to be set up on the USB drives, and antiviruses that can do so in most cases require to obtain quite an expensive license. For this instance, I can recommend you to use another solution of GridinSoft - Trojan Killer Portable. It has a 14-days cost-free trial mode that offers the entire features of the paid version. This term will definitely be 100% enough to wipe malware out.

Trojan Killer is a valuable tool in your cybersecurity arsenal, helping you to effectively remove malware from infected computers. Now, we will walk you through the process of using Trojan Killer from a USB flash drive to scan and remove malware on an infected PC. Remember, always obtain permission to scan and remove malware from a computer that you do not own.

Step 1: Download & Install Trojan Killer on a Clean Computer:

1. Go to the official GridinSoft website (gridinsoft.com) and download Trojan Killer to a computer that is not infected.

2. Insert a USB flash drive into this computer.

3. Install Trojan Killer to the "removable drive" following the on-screen instructions.

4. Once the installation is complete, launch Trojan Killer.

Step 2: Update Signature Databases:

5. After launching Trojan Killer, ensure that your computer is connected to the Internet.

6. Click "Update" icon to download the latest signature databases, which will ensure the tool can detect the most recent threats.

Step 3: Scan the Infected PC:

7. Safely eject the USB flash drive from the clean computer.

8. Boot the infected computer to the Safe Mode.

9. Insert the USB flash drive.

10. Run tk.exe

11. Once the program is open, click on "Full Scan" to begin the malware scanning process.

Step 4: Remove Found Threats:

12. After the scan is complete, Trojan Killer will display a list of detected threats.

13. Click on "Cure PC!" to remove the identified malware from the infected PC.

14. Follow any additional on-screen prompts to complete the removal process.

Step 5: Restart Your Computer:

15. Once the threats are removed, click on "Restart PC" to reboot your computer.

16. Remove the USB flash drive from the infected computer.

Congratulations on effectively removing Leakdb and the concealed threats from your computer! You can now have peace of mind, knowing that they won't resurface again. Thanks to Gridinsoft's capabilities and commitment to cybersecurity, your system is now protected.

Often tamperers would unblock few of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption tool. As Leakdb virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decoding instruments are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.

Understandably, if the hackers succeed in encrypting victim’s essential data, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying to criminals does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your data back. It is still risky. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports about ransomware developers just vanishing after getting the money without even writing back.

The optimal countermeasure to ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external drive. Surely, that might be not enough. Your most important thing could be that file you were working on when it all happened. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the OS is rolled back.

Leakdb 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 Jazi, Jawr, Muskoff, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Leakdb are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become encrypted, their extensions changed, ransom notes appear in every directory containing encoded files.

Some lucky victims were able to decrypt the arrested files with the help of the free software provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But obviously, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.

How to avert ransomware infiltration?

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

You can protect yourself from ransomware infiltration in three easy steps:

• Never open any letters from unknown senders 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?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, check all elements of the dubious letter carefully. A fake letter will surely have a mistake.
• Never use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often spreaded as an element of cracked products, most likely under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are difficult to tell from reliable ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try to find information on this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal way is not to use such software.
• And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect armor for your PC.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 Is it possible to open “.LEAKDB” files?

Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.LEAKDB” files first. Then you will be able to open 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. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Leakdb virus?

No way! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with real threats. The malware that has attacked your PC is probably still functional and launching checks every so often to encode any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been mentioned above, the Leakdb virus does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide malefactors with easy access to your computer in the future.

🤔 What actions should I take if the Leakdb ransomware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

In such a case, you need to have a flash memory drive with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or imported into your computer. To stop this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital 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 critical files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• You may have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to send 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 disks might have all those files too.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, cellphone, flash memory, etc.

USEFUL TIP: You can employ data recovery utilities² to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the video below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you can do it only after you eradicate the virus with an anti-malware program.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
2. Here are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.