The Pandora virus falls within the ransomware type of malicious agent. Malware of such sort 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 Restore_My_Files.txt text files in every directory containing encrypted files.
What is Pandora virus?
☝️ A strictly correct designation for the Pandora would be “a ransomware-type infection”.
Pandora appends its extra .pandora extension to the name of every encrypted file. For instance, a file named “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.pandora”. In the same manner, the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will become “table.xlsx.pandora”, and so on.
In every folder that contains the encoded files, a Restore_My_Files.txt file will be found. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is it.
Pandora summary:
| Name | Pandora Virus |
| Extension | .pandora |
| Ransomware note | Restore_My_Files.txt |
| Detection | MSIL/Spy.Agent.DSV, TrojanSpy:Win32/Delgent, Trojan.Ransom.Magniber |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .pandora extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Pandora virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Pandora looks like. Each filename has the “.pandora” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .pandora files.
How did Pandora ransomware end up on my PC?
There are many possible ways of ransomware injection.
There are currently three most exploited ways for evil-doers to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer file transfer.
If you open your mailbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a malware file attached to them. Therefore, it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus scheme1. A Trojan is a program that gets into your PC pretending to be something else. Imagine, you download an installer of 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. As the update wizard can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the files you’re downloading. The best thing is to trust the software companies’ 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 know what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded items with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is done.
How to remove the Pandora virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Pandora virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes criminals would decode few of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption tool. As Pandora virus is a relatively new ransomware, security software developers have not yet found a method to undo its work. Nevertheless, the decoding instruments are constantly upgraded, so the solution may soon arrive.
Sure thing, if the criminals succeed in encoding someone’s critical data, the desperate person will probably fulfill their demands. Despite that, paying a ransom does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports of malefactors 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 drive. Of course, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Pandora, that work similarly. Examples of those are Tuid, Udla, Gtys, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Pandora are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: files become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes are created in each directory containing encoded files.
Some fortunate people were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free software provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decryption key to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But naturally, 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 avert ransomware attack?
Pandora ransomware has no superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can protect your computer from ransomware attack taking three easy steps:
- Ignore any letters from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, check all elements of the suspicious letter with caution. A fake email will always have mistakes.
- Avoid using cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often distributed as an element of cracked products, most likely as a “patch” to prevent the license check. But dubious programs are very hard to tell from trustworthy software, as trojans may also have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information about this software product 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, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect defense for your PC.
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 computer.
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 Pandora 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 “.pandora” files?Can I somehow access “.pandora” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.pandora” files are decrypted.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
If the “.pandora” 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 Pandora virus?
Of course not. Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your PC off the actual viruses. The virus that has infected your computer is probably still functional and running scans every so often to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the initial attack. As it has been mentioned above, the Pandora malware 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 should I do if the Pandora virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
In such a case, you need to prepare a flash memory card 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 PC. To suppress this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Some of the encrypted data can be found 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. Simply ask them to send those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try downloading them 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 portable device, phone, memory stick, etc.
HINT: You can use data recovery programs4 to get your lost data back since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate 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 PANDORA Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: PANDORA Virus
Description: PANDORA Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .pandora 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 Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
