The Ritzer virus belongs with the ransomware type of malicious agent. This malware is considered to be the successor of Chaos ransomware since it uses pieces of code from that malware example. Harmful software of this type encrypts all the data on your computer (photos, documents, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, creating the read_it.txt text files in every directory containing encrypted files.
Ritzer virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically correct description for the Ritzer would be “a ransomware infection”.
Ritzer will append its own .Ritzer extension to the name of each encoded file. For instance, an image named “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.ritzer”. Just like the Excel table with the name “table.xlsx” will end up as “table.xlsx.ritzer”, and so on.
In every directory containing the encoded files, a read_it.txt text file will appear. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually describes how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is it.
Ritzer summary:
| Name | Ritzer Virus |
| Extension | .ritzer |
| Ransomware note | read_it.txt |
| Detection | FileRepMalware [Bot], Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.RPI!MTB, Trojan.Win32.DelShad.fbo |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .ritzer extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Ritzer virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Ritzer looks like. Each filename has the “.ritzer” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .ritzer files.
How did Ritzer ransomware end up on my PC?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited ways for malefactors to have the Ritzer virus working in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you open 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 unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a ransomware file enclosed in them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse scheme1. A Trojan program gets into your machine disguised as something legal. For example, you download an installer of some program you need or an update for some software. However, what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful agent that encrypts your data. Since the installation file can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resources of the stuff you’re downloading. The best thing is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for peer-to-peer networks like torrent trackers or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never guess what you download until you get it. We suggest that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is complete.
How to remove the Ritzer virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your files, the Ritzer 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 credentials from your browser’s auto-filling card file.
Often tamperers would decrypt several of your files to prove that they have the decryption tool. As the Ritzer virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a way to undo its work. Nevertheless, the decoding tools are frequently upgraded, so an effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Sure thing, if the malefactors do the job of encoding the victim’s essential files, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about criminals simply vanishing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The optimal safety measure against ransomware is to have a system restore point or copies of your critical files in the cloud storage or at least on external storage. That might be insufficient. The most important thing could be the one you worked on when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the system restoration.
There are other ransomware products, besides Ritzer, that work similarly. For instance, Dfwe, Zfdv, Fdcv, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Ritzer are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: files become encrypted, their extensions changed, and ransom notes emerge in every folder containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate victims were able to decrypt the arrested files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decryption code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the victim to restore the files. But naturally, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a criminal’s tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How сan I avoid ransomware injection?
Ritzer ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can protect your PC from its injection by taking several easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown mailboxes with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the dubious email. A hoax letter will always have mistakes.
- Avoid using cracked or untrusted programs. Trojan viruses are often shared as a part of cracked software, possibly under the guise of a “patch” preventing the license check. But dubious programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. Try to find information about this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such software.
- And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect shield for your PC.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft3
There is no better way to recognize, remove, and prevent ransomware than to use 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 allowing GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Press the “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 Ritzer infections and other malicious programs. This process can take 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has been completed, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in the right corner.
Frequently Asked Questions
🤔 How can I open “.ritzer” files?Are the “.ritzer” files accessible?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.ritzer” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 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. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Ritzer virus?
not! 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 infiltrated your device must be still active and it scans your system from time to time to encrypt any new files you might create on your computer after the initial attack. As it has already been said, the Ritzer ransomware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provides hackers with easy access to your PC after some time.
🤔 What should I do if the Ritzer virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key?
In such a case, you need to have a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or imported into your computer. To block this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Some of the blocked files can be located elsewhere.
- If you exchanged your critical files via email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You may have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Just ask them to post those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud storage might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, mobile, memory stick, etc.
HINT: You can use data recovery programs5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you can do it only after you remove the ransomware itself with an anti-malware 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 talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove RITZER Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: RITZER Virus
Description: RITZER Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .ritzer 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.
