The Prynt virus belongs with the ransomware type of infection. Harmful software of such sort encrypts all the data on your computer (photos, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, leaving the ___RECOVER__FILES__.prynt.txt files in each directory containing encrypted files.
Prynt virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically accurate denomination for the Prynt is “a ransomware-type infection”.
Prynt appends its specific prynt to every file’s name. For instance, a file named “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.prynt”. Likewise, the Excel table with the name “table.xlsx” will end up as “table.xlsx.prynt”, and so forth.
In each directory containing the encrypted files, a ___RECOVER__FILES__.prynt.txt notebook file will be created. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the Prynt developers. That is it.
Prynt overview:
| Name | Prynt Virus |
| Extension | .prynt |
| Ransomware note | ___RECOVER__FILES__.prynt.txt |
| Ransom | $100 |
| Detection | Win32:Dropper-MRI [Drp], Win32/Injector.QHO, Win32/Injector.BJQP |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .prynt extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Prynt virus |
The ___RECOVER__FILES__.prynt.txt file coming in package with the Prynt malware states the following:
Oops all of your files have been encrypted. To unlock them, please send $100 bitcoin(s) to BTC address: Your Wallet Here Afterwards, please email your transaction ID to: Your Email Here Thank you and have a nice day! Encryption Log: ----------------------------------------
In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Prynt looks like. Each filename has the “.prynt” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .prynt files.
How did my machine catch Prynt ransomware?
There are many possible ways of ransomware injection.
There are currently three most exploited ways for tamperers to have ransomware planted in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer networks.
If you access your mailbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is strange to you, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a harmful file enclosed in them. So it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus scheme1. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something different. For example, you download an installer of some program you need or an update for some service. However, what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful agent that compromises your data. As the update package can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the stuff you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer file transfer protocols 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 reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded objects with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.
How to remove the Prynt virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your data, the Prynt virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware2 can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often criminals would decrypt some of your files to prove that they really have the decryption program. Since Prynt virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures designers have not yet found a method to undo its work. However, the decryption instruments are frequently updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Understandably, if the evildoers do the job of encrypting someone’s essential data, the desperate person will probably comply with their demands. However, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about criminals simply disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The optimal safety measure 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 important thing could be that one you were working on when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the system restoration.
There are other ransomware products, besides Prynt, that work similarly. Examples of those are Futm, Rigj, Pqgs, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Prynt are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: documents become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes are found in every directory containing encrypted files.
Some lucky people were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware specialists. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decryption key to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ technology to pull the money out of their victims.
How to avert ransomware attack?
Prynt ransomware has no superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can protect your PC from ransomware infiltration taking three easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown mailers with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (how can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, check all elements of the suspicious letter carefully. A hoax letter will surely have mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or unknown software. Trojans are often shared as an element of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are very hard to tell from reliable software, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such programs at all.
- And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect armor 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 system for Prynt 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
🤔 How can I open “.prynt” files?Is it possible to open“.prynt” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.prynt” files are decrypted.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.prynt” files ASAP. How can I do that?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. All other solutions require time.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Prynt malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
Of course not. Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete the viruses from your computer. The malware that has infected your PC is must be still active and running scans every so often to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been said above, the Prynt malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your system after some time.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Prynt ransomware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
In such a case, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the procedure. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or imported into your computer. To suppress this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Many of the blocked files might still be at your disposal
- If you exchanged your important files by email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You may have shared images or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to post those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, phone, memory stick, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ file recovery utilities5 to get your lost data back since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate the virus with an antivirus 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 PRYNT Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: PRYNT Virus
Description: PRYNT Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .prynt 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.
