The Scl virus falls under the ransomware type of malicious agent. Harmful software of this type encrypts all the data on your computer (photos, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and appends its own extension to every file, leaving the HELP_DECRYPT_YOUR_FILES.TXT files in every directory with the encrypted files.
Scl virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A strictly accurate designation for the Scl is “a ransomware infection”.
The renaming will be done by this scheme: id_xxxxx_email_%contact-email%.scl. As a part of encryption, a file entitled, for example, “report.docx” will be turned into “report.docx.id_9ecfa84e4a778478_email_enc1@usa.com_.scl”.
In each folder with the encrypted files, a HELP_DECRYPT_YOUR_FILES.TXT text file will be found. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can get this tool after contacting enc1@usa.com through email. That is basically the scheme of the malefaction.
Scl outline:
| Name | Scl Virus |
| Extension | .scl |
| Ransomware note | HELP_DECRYPT_YOUR_FILES.TXT |
| Contact | enc1@usa.com |
| Detection | BScope.TrojanDownloader.Deyma, Mal/Kryptik-BX, Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.ST!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .scl extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Scl virus |
The HELP_DECRYPT_YOUR_FILES.TXT document accompanying the Scl malware states the following:
NOT YOUR LANGUAGE? USE hxxps://translate.google.com What happened to your files ? All of your files were protected by a strong encryption with RSA-2048. More information about the encryption keys using RSA-2048 can be found here: hxxp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSA_(cryptosystem) How did this happen ? !!! Specially for your PC was generated personal RSA-2048 KEY, both public and private. !!! ALL YOUR FILES were encrypted with the public key, which has been transferred to your computer via the Internet. !!! Decrypting of your files is only possible with the help of the private key and decrypt program , which is on our Secret Server What do I do ? So, there are two ways you can choose: wait for a miracle and get your price doubled, or start obtaining BITCOIN NOW! , and restore your data easy way. If You have really valuable data, you better not waste your time, because there is no other way to get your files, except make a payment. For more specific instructions: Contact us by email only, send us an email along with your ID number and wait for further instructions. Our specialist will contact you within 12 hours. For you to be sure, that we can decrypt your files - you can send us a single encrypted file and we will send you back it in a decrypted form. This will be your guarantee. Please do not waste your time! You have 72 hours only! After that The Main Server will double your price! So right now You have a chance to buy your individual private HardWare with a low price! E-MAIL1: enc0@dr.com E-MAIL2: enc1@usa.com YOUR_ID: -
In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Scl looks like. Each filename has the “.scl” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .scl files.
How did my machine catch Scl ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most popular ways for malefactors to have ransomware settled in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer file transfer.
If you access your inbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a malicious item attached to them. Therefore, it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse scheme1. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your PC pretending to be something legal. Imagine, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some software. But what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful agent that corrupts your data. As the installation package can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the things you’re downloading. The best way is to use the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer networks like torrents or eMule, the danger 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. Our suggestion is that you use 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 finished.
How to remove the Scl virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Scl virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your machine to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes criminals would decode several of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption tool. Since Scl virus is a relatively recent ransomware, security software engineers have not yet found a method to undo its work. Nevertheless, the decoding instruments are frequently updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Of course, if the tamperers succeed in encrypting victim’s critical data, the desperate person will most likely fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying to criminals does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports about racketeers just vanishing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.
The optimal solution against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud storage or at least on an external storage. Surely, that might be insufficient. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working on when it all happened. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the system is rolled back.
Scl is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. For instance, Oflg, Ofww, Towz, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Scl are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: files become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in each folder containing encoded files.
Some lucky people were able to decode the blocked files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-malware developers. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decoding key to the victims 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 tamperers’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How сan I avoid ransomware infiltration?
Scl ransomware has no superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can protect your PC from ransomware injection in three easy steps:
- Ignore 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 lottery without participating in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, check all elements of the suspicious letter with caution. A hoax email will surely have a mistake.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted software. Trojans are often spreaded as a part of cracked products, most likely as a “patch” preventing the license check. But dubious programs are very hard to distinguish from reliable software, as trojans may also have the functionality you need. You can try searching for information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal solution is not to use such programs at all.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful armor for your personal computer.
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 system for Scl 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
🤔 Can I somehow access “.scl” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.scl” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. All other solutions require time.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Scl virus?
Of course not. Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with real threats. The malware that has infiltrated your device is must be still active and it scans your system every so often to arrest any new files you might create on your computer after the attack. As it has been said above, the Scl virus comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide criminals with easy access to your system in the future.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Scl virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
If that happened, you need to have a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or imported into your system. To suppress this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Some of the blocked files can be found elsewhere.
- If you exchanged your critical 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. Just ask them to post those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files too.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old PC, a notebook, phone, memory stick, etc.
HINT: You can employ file recovery programs4 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you can do it only after you kill the ransomware itself with an anti-malware 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 SCL Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: SCL Virus
Description: SCL Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .scl 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 Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
