ROBAJ Virus 🔐 (.ROBAJ Files) — How to Remove?

The “Robaj” belongs to the Conti ransomware family. A harmful program of such sort encrypts all the data on your computer (photos, text files, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.

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What is known about the Robaj virus?

☝️ Robaj is a Conti family ransomware virus.

Robaj adds its own .Robaj extension to every file’s name. For instance, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.Robaj”. Just like the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be altered to “table.xlsx.Robaj”, and so on.

The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the racketeers. You can obtain this tool after contacting readme.txt through email. That is basically the scheme of the crime.

Robaj Overview:

The note accompanying the Robaj ransomware states the following:

Dear user,
Your system has been locked by our advanced encryption algorithm, and all important files have been encrypted, making them temporarily inaccessible.We have noticed the high value of your data,
and thus we offer the only data recovery solution.If you wish to recover the affected files, please follow these steps :
Do not attempt to decrypt the files yourself or use third - party tools for recovery, as this may result in permanent damage to the files.
Please contact us through anonymous communication channels as soon as possibleand prepare a specified amount of bitcoins as ransom.
Upon receiving the ransom, we will provide a dedicated decryption tooland key to recover your files.
Please note that we monitor every attempt to crack the encryption, and failure to pay the ransom on time or attempting to bypass the encryption may result in an increase in ransom or the complete destruction of the key.
We value the needs of every \"customer\", and cooperation will be the fastest way for you to retrieve your data.
Best regards
[@Robaj]

In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Robaj looks like. Each filename has the “.Robaj” extension appended to it.

That is how encrypted “.Robaj” files look.

How did Robaj ransomware end up on my PC?

There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

Nowadays, there are three most exploited ways for malefactors to have the Robaj virus settled in your digital environment. 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 companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a viral file attached to them. Therefore, it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
• Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file model. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something different. For example, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some software. But what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful program that compromises your data. As the installation package can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the stuff you’re downloading. The best way 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. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is done.

How do I get rid of ransomware?

It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Robaj virus will most likely deploy Vidar Stealer on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

Remove Robaj with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware

We have also been using this software on our systems ever since, and it has always been successful in detecting viruses. It has blocked the most common Ransomware as shown from our tests with the software, and we assure you that it can remove Robaj as well as other malware hiding on your computer.

To use Gridinsoft for remove malicious threats, follow the steps below:

1. Begin by downloading Gridinsoft Anti-Malware, accessible via the blue button below or directly from the official website gridinsoft.com.

2.Once the Gridinsoft setup file (setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe) is downloaded, execute it by clicking on the file.

3.Follow the installation setup wizard's instructions diligently.

4. Access the "Scan Tab" on the application's start screen and launch a comprehensive "Full Scan" to examine your entire computer. This inclusive scan encompasses the memory, startup items, the registry, services, drivers, and all files, ensuring that it detects malware hidden in all possible locations.

Be patient, as the scan duration depends on the number of files and your computer's hardware capabilities. Use this time to relax or attend to other tasks.

5. Upon completion, Anti-Malware will present a detailed report containing all the detected malicious items and threats on your PC.

6. Select all the identified items from the report and confidently click the "Clean Now" button. This action will safely remove the malicious files from your computer, transferring them to the secure quarantine zone of the anti-malware program to prevent any further harmful actions.

8. If prompted, restart your computer to finalize the full system scan procedure. This step is crucial to ensure thorough removal of any remaining threats. After the restart, Gridinsoft Anti-Malware will open and display a message confirming the completion of the scan.

Remember Gridinsoft offers a 6-day free trial. This means you can take advantage of the trial period at no cost to experience the full benefits of the software and prevent any future malware infections on your system. Embrace this opportunity to fortify your computer's security without any financial commitment.

Trojan Killer for “Robaj” removal on locked PC

In situations where it becomes impossible to download antivirus applications directly onto the infected computer due to malware blocking access to websites, an alternative solution is to utilize the Trojan Killer application.

There is a really little number of security tools that are able to be set up on the USB drives, and antiviruses that can do so in most cases require to obtain quite an expensive license. For this instance, I can recommend you to use another solution of GridinSoft - Trojan Killer Portable. It has a 14-days cost-free trial mode that offers the entire features of the paid version. This term will definitely be 100% enough to wipe malware out.

Trojan Killer is a valuable tool in your cybersecurity arsenal, helping you to effectively remove malware from infected computers. Now, we will walk you through the process of using Trojan Killer from a USB flash drive to scan and remove malware on an infected PC. Remember, always obtain permission to scan and remove malware from a computer that you do not own.

Step 1: Download & Install Trojan Killer on a Clean Computer:

1. Go to the official GridinSoft website (gridinsoft.com) and download Trojan Killer to a computer that is not infected.

2. Insert a USB flash drive into this computer.

3. Install Trojan Killer to the "removable drive" following the on-screen instructions.

4. Once the installation is complete, launch Trojan Killer.

Step 2: Update Signature Databases:

5. After launching Trojan Killer, ensure that your computer is connected to the Internet.

6. Click "Update" icon to download the latest signature databases, which will ensure the tool can detect the most recent threats.

Step 3: Scan the Infected PC:

7. Safely eject the USB flash drive from the clean computer.

8. Boot the infected computer to the Safe Mode.

9. Insert the USB flash drive.

10. Run tk.exe

11. Once the program is open, click on "Full Scan" to begin the malware scanning process.

Step 4: Remove Found Threats:

12. After the scan is complete, Trojan Killer will display a list of detected threats.

13. Click on "Cure PC!" to remove the identified malware from the infected PC.

14. Follow any additional on-screen prompts to complete the removal process.

Step 5: Restart Your Computer:

15. Once the threats are removed, click on "Restart PC" to reboot your computer.

16. Remove the USB flash drive from the infected computer.

Congratulations on effectively removing Robaj and the concealed threats from your computer! You can now have peace of mind, knowing that they won't resurface again. Thanks to Gridinsoft's capabilities and commitment to cybersecurity, your system is now protected.

Often racketeers would decode several of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption program. As Robaj virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a method to undo its work. However, the decryption instruments are constantly updated, so the solution may soon arrive.

Of course, if the criminals succeed in encoding victim’s critical data, the hopeless person will probably comply with their demands. However, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports about ransomware developers simply disappearing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.

The optimal countermeasure to ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud drive or at least on an external drive. Obviously, that might be insufficient. Your most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the OS is rolled back.

There are other ransomware products, besides Robaj, that work similarly. Examples of those are Blackskull, Bgjs, Bgzq, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Robaj are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become blocked, their extensions altered, ransom notes are created in every folder containing encoded files.

Some lucky people were able to decrypt the arrested files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decryption code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But obviously, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ instrument to lay their hands on the money of their victims.

How сan I avoid ransomware injection?

Robaj ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, neither does any similar malware.

You can defend your system from its injection within three easy steps:

• Never open any emails from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, check all elements of the suspicious letter carefully. A hoax letter will always have a mistake.
• Do not use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often distributed as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. But potentially dangerous programs are difficult to tell from trustworthy ones, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try searching for information about this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such software.
• And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect defense for your PC.

FAQ

🤔 How can I open “.Robaj” files?Is it possible to open“.Robaj” files?

There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.Robaj” files are decrypted.

🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?

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.

🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Robaj malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?

Absolutely not! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will remove active malware from your computer. The virus that has attacked your system is most likely still functional and it scans your system periodically to arrest any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has been mentioned above, the Robaj virus comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide malefactors with easy access to your system in the future.

🤔 What to do if the Robaj virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.

In such a case, you need to prepare a flash memory card with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or imported into your system. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.

🤔 And what should I do now?

Many of the encrypted files might still be at your disposal

• If you sent or received your critical files by email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Just ask them to give those images back to you.
• If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try doing it again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files as well.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, cellphone, flash memory, etc.

USEFUL TIP: You can employ file recovery programs² to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you can do it only after you kill the ransomware itself with an antivirus program.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
2. Here’s the list of Best Data Recovery Software Of 2024.