The Redeye virus falls within the ransomware type of infection. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, text files, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, opening the Pop-up window after finishing the encryption process.
What is known about the Redeyevirus?
☝️ A strictly correct description for the Redeye is “a ransomware infection”.
Redeye appends its own .RedEye extension to the title of every encrypted file. For example, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.RedEye”. Just like the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.RedEye”, and so on.
When ransomware finishes the encryption, it opens a pop-up window. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the Redeye developers. You can obtain this decrypting software after visiting the Onion site specified in the pop-up window text. That is basically the scheme of the malefaction.
Redeye outline:
| Name | Redeye Virus |
| Extension | .RedEye |
| Ransomware note | Pop-up window |
| Ransom | 0.1 BTC |
| Contact | Onion site |
| Detection | Cydoor.Adware.Advertising.DDS, Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Blocker.pef, Win32/GenKryptik.GCGO |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .RedEye extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Redeye virus |
The Pop-up window file coming in package with the Redeye ransomware provides the following frustrating information:
All your personal files has been encrypted with an very strong key by RedEye! (Rijndael-Algorithmus - AES - 256 Bit) The only way to get your files back is: The only way to get your files back is: - Go to hxxp://redeye85x9tbxiyki.onion/tbxlyki - Enter your Personal ID and pay 0.1 Bitcoin to the address below! After that your need to click on \"Check Payment\". Then you will get a special key to unlock your computer. You got 4 days to pay, when the time is up, then your PC will be fully destroyed!
In the image below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Redeye looks like. Each filename has the “.RedEye” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .RedEye files.
How did my computer get infected with Redeye ransomware?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware injection.
There are currently three most popular methods for tamperers to have ransomware planted in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you open your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a ransomware item attached to them. So it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file model1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your PC pretending to be something legal. For example, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some program. However, what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful program that compromises your data. As the update wizard can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the stuff you’re downloading. The best way is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never guess what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is done.
How do I get rid of the Redeye virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your data, the Redeye virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your PC to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes racketeers would decrypt several of your files so you know that they really have the decryption program. As Redeye virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware designers have not yet found a way to undo its work. However, the decryption instruments are constantly upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Sure thing, if the tamperers succeed in encoding someone’s critical data, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. However, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your files back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of criminals simply disappearing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.
The optimal safety measure 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. Surely, that might be insufficient. The most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all went down. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the OS is rolled back.
Redeye 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 Redeye are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: documents become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes are found in each directory containing encoded files.
Some lucky victims were able to decrypt the blocked files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decryption key to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.
How do I avoid ransomware injection?
Redeye ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can defend your system from ransomware injection within three easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown mailboxes with unknown 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?). If the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the dubious letter carefully. A fake email will surely contain mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often distributed as an element of cracked products, most likely under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. But dubious programs are very hard to tell from reliable ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal way is not to use such software.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful defense for your system.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft2
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft3.
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 computer for Redeye 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 “.RedEye” files?Are the “.RedEye” files accessible?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.RedEye” files are decrypted.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. 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. All other solutions require time.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Redeye 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 computer off the actual threats. The virus that has attacked your PC is most likely still active and it scans your system from time to time to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been mentioned above, the Redeye ransomware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide malefactors with easy access to your PC in the future.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Redeye malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
In such an unfortunate situation, 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 starts automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or imported into your machine. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Some of the encrypted files can be found elsewhere.
- If you sent or received your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared photographs 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 disks might have all those files too.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, mobile, flash memory, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use data recovery utilities4 to get your lost data back since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but be advised: 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 REDEYE Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: REDEYE Virus
Description: REDEYE Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .RedEye 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.
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
- Here are Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
