The Polsat virus was originally discovered by virus analyst Tomas Meskauskas, and belongs to the ransomware type infection. This ransomware encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc), adds its specific extension to every file, and creates the info.hta, info.txt files in every folder which contains encrypted files.
Polsat Virus
☝️ Polsat can be correctly identify as a ransomware infection.
After the encryption process files will be renamed according to the pattern POLSAT, which is laid in ransomware. Your photo, named an example “me.jpg” will be altered to “me.jpg.id[C279F237-3188].[ICQ_Polsat].POLSAT” after the encryption.
info.hta, info.txt file, which can be found in every folder that contains the encrypted files, is a ransom money note. Inside of it, you can find information about ways of contacting Polsat ransomware developers, and some other info. Inside of the ransom note, there is usually an instruction saying about purchasing the decryption tool. This decryption tool is created by ransomware developers, and can be obtained through the ICQ, contacting @Polsat on ICQ.
Here is a summary for the Polsat:
| Name | Polsat Virus |
| Extension | .POLSAT |
| Ransomware note | info.hta, info.txt |
| Contact | @Polsat on ICQ |
| Detection | BAT/KillFiles.NKI, Backdoor:Win32/Zegost.AD, Win32/Kryptik.FRPJ |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .POLSAT extension and you can’t open it. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Polsat virus |
The info.hta file by the Polsat ransomware states the following frustrating information:
Hello my dear friend Unfortunately for you, a major IT security weakness left you open to attack, your files have been encrypted If you want to restore them, install ICQ software on your PC hxxps://icq.com/windows/ or on your mobile phone search in Appstore / Google market "ICQ" Write to our ICQ @Polsat hxxps://icq.im/Polsat Attention! Do not rename encrypted files. Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss. As early you write us - then lower will be price We give all guarantees of your files decryption Hola mi querido amigo Desafortunadamente para usted, una gran debilidad de seguridad de TI lo dejó expuesto a ataques, sus archivos han sido encriptados Si desea restaurarlos, instale el software ICQ en su PC hxxps://icq.com/windows/ o en su teléfono móvil busque en Appstore / Google market \"ICQ\" Escribe a nuestro ICQ @Polsat hxxps://icq.im/Polsat ¡Atención! No cambie el nombre de los archivos cifrados. No intente descifrar sus datos utilizando software de terceros, puede causar una pérdida permanente de datos. Tan pronto como nos escriba, el precio será más bajo Damos todas las garantías de descifrado de sus archivos Ciao caro amico mio Sfortunatamente per te, una delle principali debolezze della sicurezza IT ti ha lasciato aperto agli attacchi, i tuoi file sono stati crittografati Se vuoi ripristinarli, installa il software ICQ sul tuo PC hxxps://icq.com/windows/ o sul tuo cellulare cerca in Appstore / mercato Google \"ICQ\" Scrivi al nostro ICQ @Polsat @Polsat hxxps://icq.im/Polsat Attenzione! Non rinominare i file crittografati. Non tentare di decrittografare i dati utilizzando software di terze parti, potrebbe causare la perdita permanente dei dati. Non appena ci scrivi, il prezzo sarà inferiore Diamo tutte le garanzie della decrittazione dei file Bonjour mon cher ami Malheureusement pour vous, une faille de sécurité informatique majeure vous a laissé ouvert aux attaques, vos fichiers ont été chiffrés Si vous souhaitez les restaurer, installez le logiciel ICQ sur votre PC hxxps://icq.com/windows/ ou sur votre téléphone mobile recherchez dans Appstore / Google market \"ICQ\" Écrivez à notre ICQ @Polsat hxxps://icq.im/Polsat Attention! Ne renommez pas les fichiers cryptés. N\'essayez pas de déchiffrer vos données à l\'aide d\'un logiciel tiers, cela pourrait entraîner une perte de données permanente. Dès que vous nous écrivez - le prix sera inférieur Nous donnons toutes les garanties de décryptage de vos fichiers Hallo mein lieber Freund Unglücklicherweise haben Sie aufgrund einer großen IT-Sicherheitslücke offen für Angriffe. Ihre Dateien wurden verschlüsselt Wenn Sie sie wiederherstellen möchten, installieren Sie die ICQ-Software auf Ihrem PC hxxps://icq.com/windows/ oder auf Ihrer Handysuche im Appstore / Google Market \"ICQ\". Schreiben Sie an unseren ICQ @Polsat hxxps://icq.im/Polsat Beachtung! Benennen Sie verschlüsselte Dateien nicht um. Versuchen Sie nicht, Ihre Daten mit Software von Drittanbietern zu entschlüsseln, da dies zu einem dauerhaften Datenverlust führen kann. Sobald Sie uns schreiben - dann wird der Preis niedriger sein Wir geben alle Garantien für die Entschlüsselung Ihrer Dateien 你好我亲爱的朋友 对于您来说不幸的是，一个重大的IT安全漏洞使您容易受到攻击，您的文件已被加密 如果要还原它们，请在PC hxxps://icq.com/windows/ 或在Appstore / Google市场“ ICQ”中的手机搜索上安装ICQ软件。 写信给我们的ICQ @Polsat hxxps://icq.im/Polsat 注意力！ 不要重命名加密的文件。 请勿尝试使用第三方软件解密数据，否则可能会导致永久性数据丢失。 尽早给我们写信-价格会更低 我们为您的文件解密提供所有保证
Content of info.txt file:
Hello my dear friend Unfortunately for you, a major IT security weakness left you open to attack, your files have been encrypted If you want to restore them, install ICQ software on your PC hxxps://icq.com/windows/ or on your mobile phone search in Appstore / Google market \"ICQ\" Write to our ICQ @Polsat hxxps://icq.im/Polsat Write this ID in the title of your message - Free decryption as guarantee Before paying you can send us up to 5 files for free decryption. The total size of files must be less than 4Mb (non archived), and files should not contain valuable information. (databases,backups, large excel sheets, etc.) Attention! Do not rename encrypted files. Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss. EVERY DAY PRICE WILL BE HIGHER IN YOUR INTEREST TO DO ALL FAST
The image below gives a clear vision of how the files with “.POLSAT” extension look like:
Example of encrypted .POLSAT files
How did I get Polsat ransomware on my computer?
That was a huge number of different ways of ransomware injection.
However, nowadays there are only two ways of Polsat injection – email spam and trojans. You may see a lot of messages on your email, stating that you need to pay different bills or to get your parcel from the local FedEx department. But all such messages are sent from unknown email addresses, not from familiar official emails of these companies. All such letters contain the attached file, which is used as a ransomware carrier. If you open this file – your system will get infected by Polsat.
In case of trojans presence, you will be offered to download and install ransomware on your PC under the guise of something legit, like a Chrome update, or update for the software you are storing on your computer. Sometimes, trojan viruses can be masked as legit programs, and ransomware will be offered for download as an important update, or a big pack of extensions that are essential for proper program functioning.
There is also the third way of ransomware injection, however, it becomes less and less popular day-to-day. I am talking about peering networks, such as torrents or eMule. No one can control which files are packed in the seeding, so you can discover a huge pack of different malware after downloading. If circumstances force you to download something from peering networks – scan every downloaded folder or archive with antivirus software.
How to remove Polsat virus?
In addition to encode a victim’s files, the Polsat virus has also started to install the Azorult Spyware on system to steal account credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, desktop files, and more.
To ensure the user that ransomware distributors really have the decryption tool, they may offer to decrypt several encrypted files. And they are the single owners of this decryption program: Polsat ransomware is a completely new type, so there is no legit program from anti-malware vendors, which can decrypt your files. But such a situation is in momentum: decryption tools are updating every month.
However, paying the ransom is a bad decision, too. There is no guarantee that Polsat ransomware developers will send you the decryption tool and a proper decryption key. And there are a lot of cases when ransomware distributors deceived their victims, sending the wrong key or even nothing. In the majority of cases, there is a way to recover your files for free. Search for available backups, and restore your system using it. Of course, there is a chance that the backup you found is too old, and does not contain a lot of files you need. But, at least you will be sure that there is no malware in your system. However, to ensure that there are no malicious programs in your system after the backup, you need to scan your PC with anti-malware software.
Polsat ransomware is not unique. There are more ransomware of this type: Ytbn, How, Fdcz. These examples of ransomware act in a similar way: encrypting your files, adding a specific extension, and leaving a great number of ransom money notes in every folder. But there are two things that make difference between these ransomware – cryptography algorithm, which is used for file encryption, and ransom amount . In some cases, victims are able to decrypt their files without any payments, just using free solutions produced by several anti-malware vendors, or even with the decryption tool which is offered by ransomware creators. The last scenario is possible when ransomware distributors have typed your decryption key inside of a ransom money note. However, as you can already guess, such luck is a very rare thing. Ransomware is created for money gaining, not for jokes or scaring.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft1
The is an excellent way to deal with recognizing and removing threats – using Gridinsoft Anti-Malware. This program will scan your PC, find and neutralize all suspicious processes2.
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 PC for Polsat 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
No way. These files are encrypted by Polsat ransomware. The contents of .POLSAT files are not available until they are decrypted.
If your data remained in the .POLSAT files are very valuable, then most likely you made a backup copy.
If not, then you can try to restore them through the system function – Restore Point. All other methods will require patience.
Of course not. Your encrypted files do not pose a threat to the computer. What happened has already happened.
You need GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove active system infections. The virus that encrypted your files is most likely still active and periodically runs a test for the ability to encrypt even more files. Also, these viruses install keyloggers and backdoors for further malicious actions (for example, theft of passwords, credit cards) often.
In this situation, you need to prepare the memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer.
You can try to find a copy of an original file that was encrypted:
- Files you downloaded from the Internet that were encrypted and you can download again to get the original.
- Pictures that you shared with family and friends that they can just send back to you.
- Photos that you uploaded on social media or cloud services like Carbonite, OneDrive, iDrive, Google Drive, etc)
- Attachments in emails you sent or received and saved.
- Files on an older computer, flash drive, external drive, camera memory card, or iPhone where you transferred data to the infected computer.
Also, you can contact the following government 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.
How сan I avoid ransomware attack?
Polsat ransomware doesn’t have a superpower.
You can easily protect yourself from its injection in several easy steps :
- Ignore all emails from unknown mailboxes with a strange unknown address, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without taking part in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, check carefully all elements of the suspicious letter. A fake email will surely contain a mistake.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often distributed as a part of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. But untrusted programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy software, because trojans may also have the functionality you need. You can try to find information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such programs.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will surely be a perfect shield for your personal computer.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove POLSAT Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: POLSAT Virus
Description: POLSAT Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .POLSAT extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
