The Ragnar_locker virus belongs with the ransomware type of malicious agent. Harmful software of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, text files, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, leaving the RGNR_0DE48AAB.txt files in every directory containing encrypted files.
Ragnar_locker virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically accurate designation for the Ragnar_locker would be “a ransomware-type infection”.
The renaming will be executed according to this pattern: %filename%.ragnar_victimID. In the course of encryption, a file entitled, for example, “report.docx” will be altered to “report.docx.ragnar_0DE48AAB”.
In every directory with the encrypted files, a RGNR_0DE48AAB.txt file will be found. It is a ransom money note. It contains information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the racketeers. You can obtain this tool after contacting hello_psecu@protonmail.com via email. That is it.
Ragnar_locker overview:
| Name | Ragnar_locker Virus |
| Extension | .ragnar |
| Ransomware note | RGNR_0DE48AAB.txt |
| Ransom | 25 to 50 BTC |
| Contact | hello_psecu@protonmail.com or qTox contact |
| Detection | Trojan.Ransom.VirLock, Ransom:MSIL/Cryptolocker.EK!MTB, Ransom:Win32/MedusaLocker.B!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .ragnar extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Ragnar_locker virus |
The RGNR_0DE48AAB.txt file coming in package with the Ragnar_locker malware provides the following dispiriting information:
Hello * !
********************
If you reading this message, then your network was PENETRATED and all of your files and data has been ENCRYPTED
by RAGNAR_LOCKER !
********************
*********What happens with your system ?************
Your network was penetrated, all your files and backups was locked! So from now there is NO ONE CAN HELP YOU to get your files back, EXCEPT US.
You can google it, there is no CHANCES to decrypt data without our SECRET KEY.
But don\'t worry ! Your files are NOT DAMAGED or LOST, they are just MODIFIED. You can get it BACK as soon as you PAY.
We are looking only for MONEY, so there is no interest for us to steel or delete your information, it\'s just a BUSINESS $-)
HOWEVER you can damage your DATA by yourself if you try to DECRYPT by any other software, without OUR SPECIFIC ENCRYPTION KEY !!!
Also, all of your sensitive and private information were gathered and if you decide NOT to pay,
we will upload it for public view !
****
***********How to get back your files ?******
To decrypt all your files and data you have to pay for the encryption KEY :
BTC wallet for payment: *
Amount to pay (in Bitcoin): 25
****
***********How much time you have to pay?**********
* You should get in contact with us within 2 days after you noticed the encryption to get a better price.
* The price would be increased by 100% (double price) after 14 Days if there is no contact made.
* The key would be completely erased in 21 day if there is no contact made or no deal made.
Some sensetive information stolen from the file servers would be uploaded in public or to re-seller.
****
***********What if files can\'t be restored ?******
To prove that we really can decrypt your data, we will decrypt one of your locked files !
Just send it to us and you will get it back FOR FREE.
The price for the decryptor is based on the network size, number of employees, annual revenue.
Please feel free to contact us for amount of BTC that should be paid.
****
! IF you don\'t know how to get bitcoins, we will give you advise how to exchange the money.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!
! HERE IS THE SIMPLE MANUAL HOW TO GET CONTCAT WITH US !
!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1) Go to the official website of TOX messenger ( hxxps://tox.chat/download.html )
2) Download and install qTOX on your PC, choose the platform ( Windows, OS X, Linux, etc. )
3) Open messenger, click \"New Profile\" and create profile.
4) Click \"Add friends\" button and search our contact *
5) For identification, send to our support data from ---RAGNAR SECRET---
IMPORTANT ! IF for some reasons you CAN\'T CONTACT us in qTOX, here is our reserve mailbox ( * ) send a message with a data from ---RAGNAR SECRET---
WARNING!
-Do not try to decrypt files with any third-party software (it will be damaged permanently)
-Do not reinstall your OS, this can lead to complete data loss and files cannot be decrypted. NEVER!
-Your SECRET KEY for decryption is on our server, but it will not be stored forever. DO NOT WASTE TIME !
********************
---RAGNAR SECRET---
*
---RAGNAR SECRET---In the image below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Ragnar_locker looks like. Each filename has the “..ragnar” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.ragnar” files look.
How did my computer get infected with Ragnar_locker ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited methods for hackers to have ransomware planted in your system. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer file transfer.
If you open your inbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is strange to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a malicious file attached to them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse scheme1. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your computer pretending to be something else. For example, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some service. But what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful agent that encodes your data. As the installation wizard can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the things you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to use 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 a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded items with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is complete.
How do I get rid of the Ragnar_locker virus?
It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Ragnar_locker virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes racketeers would decode some of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption program. As Ragnar_locker virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures developers have not yet found a method to undo its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware instruments are constantly upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Of course, if the evildoers do the job of encoding victim’s critical data, the hopeless person will most likely fulfill their demands. However, paying a ransom does not necessarily mean 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 criminals simply vanishing after getting the money 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. Obviously, that might be not enough. The most crucial thing could be that one you were working on when it all went down. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Ragnar_locker, that work similarly. Examples of those are Tury, Nuis, Adlg, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Ragnar_locker are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: documents become blocked, their extensions altered, ransom notes emerge in every folder containing encrypted files.
Some lucky victims were able to decode the arrested files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-malware specialists. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decryption code to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the user to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How to avoid ransomware attack?
Ragnar_locker ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can protect your system from ransomware attack taking three easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown senders with strange 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?). If the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the questionable email carefully. A hoax letter will always contain mistakes.
- Avoid using cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often shared as a part of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy software, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. You can try to find information on this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the best solution is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful defense 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 PC for Ragnar_locker 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
🤔 Can I somehow access “.ragnar” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.ragnar” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.ragnar” files ASAP. How can I do that?
If the “.ragnar” 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.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Ragnar_locker virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?
No way! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your system off the actual threats. The malware that has infected your system is most likely still active and launching checks periodically to encode any new files you might create on your PC after the attack. As it has been said above, the Ragnar_locker virus does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide hackers with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What to do if the Ragnar_locker ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
In such a case, you need to have a memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or imported into your PC. To block this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Some of the encrypted files can be found elsewhere.
- If you exchanged your critical files by email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to send those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try to do it again.
- Your messengers, social media 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, external storage, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ file recovery utilities5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, 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.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove RAGNAR_LOCKER Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: RAGNAR_LOCKER Virus
Description: RAGNAR_LOCKER Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific ..ragnar 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.
