Safety specialist Tomas Meskauskas was the person who, for the first time, revealed the Rar virus, which falls under the VoidCrypt ransomware family. A harmful program of this type encrypts all the data on your computer (photos, text files, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file, creating the Read.txt files in every folder containing encrypted files.
Rar virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically correct denomination for the Rar would be “a VoidCrypt family ransomware-type infection”.
The renaming will be done according to the following scheme: .Rar. During the encryption, a file entitled, for instance, “report.docx” will be renamed to “report.docx.[CW-JL7840913526](spystar1@onionmail.com).Rar”.
In each folder with the encoded files, a Read.txt text document will appear. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can obtain this decryptor after contacting spystar1@onionmail.com (Email), @Rar_support (Telegram) by email. That is pretty much the scheme of the malefaction.
Rar overview:
| Name | Rar Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | VoidCrypt ransomware |
| Extension | .Rar |
| Ransomware note | Read.txt |
| Contact | spystar1@onionmail.com (Email), @Rar_support (Telegram) |
| Detection | RATX-gen [Trj], Ransom:Win32/Balaclava!mclg, Trojan:MSIL/njRAT.RDSA!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .Rar extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Rar virus |
The Read.txt document accompanying the Rar malware states the following:
All your files have been encrypted. If you want to restore them, write us to the e-mail:spystar1@onionmail.com Write this ID in the title of your message - You can also write us using this Telegram Username: @Rar_support Do not rename encrypted files. Do not try to decrypt your data using third-party software and sites. It may cause permanent data loss. The decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased prices (they add their fee to our), or you can become a victim of a scam.
In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Rar looks like. Each filename has the “.Rar” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .Rar files.
How did my machine catch Rar ransomware?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited ways for tamperers to have the Rar virus planted in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer networks.
If you open your inbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is strange to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a malware item attached to them. Thus it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse model2. 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 program. However, what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful program that encrypts your data. Since the installation file can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the things you’re downloading. The optimal way is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the threat 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 folder containing the downloaded objects with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is done.
How do I get rid of the Rar virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Rar virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often racketeers would decode few of your files to prove that they really have the decryption program. As Rar virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decoding tools are constantly updated, so the solution may soon arrive.
Understandably, if the evildoers succeed in encrypting someone’s essential files, the desperate person will most likely fulfill their demands. However, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After getting the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about hackers simply disappearing after getting the money without even writing back.
The optimal solution against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud drive or at least on an external storage. Obviously, that might be insufficient. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working on when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also advisable to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.
Rar is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. Examples of those are Nuis, Powd, Bowd, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Rar are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: files become encoded, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in each folder containing encoded files.
Some lucky users were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decoding code to the victims in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.
How do I avoid ransomware infection?
Rar ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can armour your computer from its attack taking several easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (how 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, check all elements of the dubious letter with caution. A fake email will surely contain a mistake.
- Never use cracked or unknown software. Trojan viruses are often shared as a part of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy ones, because trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try searching for information about this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal way is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful shield for your PC.
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 computer for Rar 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
🤔 Can I somehow access “.Rar” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.Rar” files are decrypted.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.Rar” files ASAP. How can I do that?
If the “.Rar” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Rar virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?
No way! Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with active viruses. The ransomware that has attacked your PC is probably still functional and it scans your system periodically to encode any new files you might create on your computer after the initial attack. As it has been mentioned above, the Rar ransomware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide criminals with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What to do if the Rar virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
If that happened, you need to have a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the procedure. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or imported into your computer. To suppress this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Some of the blocked data can be located elsewhere.
- If you exchanged your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to post those images 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 storage might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, phone, flash memory, etc.
HINT: You can use file recovery utilities5 to get your lost data back since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the video below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate the ransomware itself 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 RAR Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: RAR Virus
Description: RAR Virus is a ransomware-type infection. This virus encrypts important personal files (videos, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .Rar extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
- 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’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
