The Narumi virus falls within the ransomware type of malicious agent. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, text files, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, leaving the RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt files in each directory containing encrypted files.
Narumi virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A strictly accurate denomination for the Narumi would be “a ransomware-type infection”.
Narumi will append its own .NARUMI extension to the name of each encrypted file. For example, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.NARUMI”. Likewise, the Excel sheet with the name “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.NARUMI”, and so forth.
In each directory containing the encrypted files, a RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt text file will appear. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the racketeers. That is it.
Narumi summary:
| Name | Narumi Virus |
| Extension | .NARUMI |
| Ransomware note | RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt |
| Detection | Win32:Xpirat-C [Inf], Win32:ReposFxg-F [Trj], Win64/CoinMiner.AEF |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .NARUMI extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Narumi virus |
In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Narumi looks like. Each filename has the “.NARUMI” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .NARUMI files.
How did my machine catch Narumi ransomware?
There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most popular methods for evil-doers to have ransomware working in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer file transfer.
If you access your mailbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is strange to you, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a malicious item enclosed in them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse model1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your PC disguised as something different. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some software. However, what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful program that corrupts your data. Since the update file can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the things you’re downloading. The optimal way is to use the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-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. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded items with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is done.
How to remove the Narumi virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Narumi virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Often tamperers would unblock several of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption tool. Since Narumi virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures developers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. However, the decoding instruments are constantly updated, so the solution may soon be available.
Understandably, if the hackers do the job of encoding victim’s essential files, the desperate person will most likely comply with their demands. However, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After getting the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about malefactors just disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The optimal solution against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external storage. Surely, that might be not enough. The most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all happened. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the system restoration.
Narumi 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 Dehd, Zaqi, Sbpg, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Narumi are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: documents become encoded, their extensions changed, ransom notes are found in each folder containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate users were able to decrypt the arrested files with the help of the free software provided by anti-malware developers. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decoding key to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But obviously, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ technology to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How do I avert ransomware attack?
Narumi ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.
You can protect your computer from its attack taking several easy steps:
- Never open any emails 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 waiting for, check all elements of the questionable email with caution. A fake email will surely contain a mistake.
- Avoid using cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often distributed as an element of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. But dubious programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try to find information about this software product on the anti-malware forums, 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, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect shield for your system.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft3
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft4.
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 PC.
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 computer for Narumi 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.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.NARUMI” files?Can I somehow access “.NARUMI” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.NARUMI” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.NARUMI” files ASAP. How can I do that?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. 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.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Narumi virus?
Absolutely not! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete actual infections from your system. The virus that has attacked your device is probably still functional and launching checks from time to time to encrypt any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has already been said, the Narumi ransomware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide criminals with easy access to your system after some time.
🤔 What to do if the Narumi ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
If that happened, you need to have a memory stick with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. The point is that the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or brought into your computer. To suppress this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Many of the blocked files might still be at your disposal
- If you exchanged 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 post those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, mobile, memory stick, etc.
HINT: You can employ data recovery utilities5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the video below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, 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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Brendan SmithHow to Remove NARUMI Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: NARUMI Virus
Description: NARUMI Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .NARUMI 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.
- 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’s the list of Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
