The Polina virus belongs under the ransomware type of infection. Malware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the computer (images, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, leaving the READ_HELP.txt text files in every folder with the encrypted files.
What is Polina virus?
☝️ A strictly accurate designation for the Polina is “a ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Polina will add its specific .POLINA extension to the title of every encrypted file. For instance, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.POLINA”. Just like the Excel file named “table.xlsx” will be altered to “table.xlsx.POLINA”, and so forth.
In each folder that contains the encrypted files, a READ_HELP.txt text document will be created. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is it.
Polina abstract:
| Name | Polina Virus |
| Extension | .POLINA |
| Ransomware note | READ_HELP.txt |
| Detection | Trojan:Win32/RedLineStealer.LSA!MTB, Trojan:Win32/Corebot, Win32:Downloader-RPG [Trj] |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .POLINA extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Polina virus |
In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Polina looks like. Each filename has the “.POLINA” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.POLINA” files look.
How did my machine catch Polina ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most popular ways for evil-doers to have the Polina virus working in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer file transfer.
If you open your mailbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, beware of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a viral file enclosed in them. Thus it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse scheme1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your PC disguised as something different. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some service. But what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful program that corrupts your data. Since the update package 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 thing is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer networks like torrent trackers or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never know what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using 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 Polina virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Polina virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes tamperers would decrypt some of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption tool. As Polina virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a way to undo its work. However, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Understandably, if the malefactors do the job of encrypting someone’s critical files, the hopeless person will probably comply with their demands. Despite that, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still dangerous. After getting the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of racketeers simply disappearing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The optimal safety measure against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud storage or at least on an external disk. Surely, that might be not enough. The most important thing could be that file you were working on when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.
Polina 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, Ggwq, Llqq, Dkrf, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Polina are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes are created in every folder containing encoded files.
Some fortunate people were able to decode the arrested files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware specialists. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the user to restore the files. But of course, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.
How сan I avoid ransomware attack?
Polina ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can defend your system from ransomware injection in three easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the suspicious email carefully. A hoax letter will always contain a mistake.
- Avoid using cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often spreaded as a part of cracked software, most likely as a “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy software, as trojans may also have the functionality you need. You can try to find information on this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal way is not to use such programs at all.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful shield for your personal computer.
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 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 Polina 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 “.POLINA” files?Can I somehow access “.POLINA” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.POLINA” files are decrypted.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
If the “.POLINA” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. 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. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Polina virus?
No way! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete the infections from your PC. The ransomware that has infiltrated your system is most likely still functional and it scans your system every so often to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been said above, the Polina virus comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your PC after some time.
🤔 What should I do if the Polina malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.
In such an unfortunate situation, 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 starts automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or brought into your machine. To block this function – 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 exchanged your critical files by email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You may have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to give those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files too.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, mobile, memory stick, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ file recovery programs5 to get your lost data back since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the video below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you kill 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 POLINA Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: POLINA Virus
Description: POLINA Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .POLINA 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 are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
