SECLES Ransomware (.SECLES File) Removal

The Secles virus falls under the ransomware type of malicious agent. A harmful program of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, text files, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, leaving the ReadMe.txt files in every directory with the encrypted files.

Secles virus: what is known so far?

The renaming will be executed according to this scheme: id[victim_id].[Telegram_contact].secles. After the encryption, a file named, for example, “report.docx” will be altered to “report.docx.id[DYz8jzMo].[t.me_secles1bot].secles”.

In every folder with the encrypted files, a ReadMe.txt text file will be found. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the Secles developers. You can obtain this decoding tool after contacting Telegram contact via email. That is how they do it.

Secles Overview:

The ReadMe.txt document accompanying the Secles malware states the following:

to recover your data install telgram messanger at @seclesbot ( hxxps://t.me/secleslbot ) you will talk with support using the bot , admin will be monitoring if for any reason bot is not avaiable you can find link and id of new bot at our onion site 2kksm7oobarkoedfnkihgsa2qdvfgwvr4p4furcsopummgs5y37s6bid.onion you will need to install for browser for onion sites ( hxxps://www.torproject.org/download/ ) you dont need to install for if our telegram bot is working, the bot gets banned once a while


you id is : -


you will get two sample decryption (decoding) before any payment for free this is strong ransomware, any day you waste without paying is one business day you waste our price is reasonable,the wasted days will cost you more

 

some notes:
1-although illegal and bad but this is business,you are our client after infection and we will treat you respectfully like a client


2-do not delete files at c:\\secles , if you want to reinstall windwos take a backup of the folder (dont waste time trying to get anything out of them ,they are encrypted with out public key and cant be read without our private keys)


3-do not play with encrypted file, take a backup if you want to waste some time playing with them


4-if you take a middleman do deal with us directly , take one with good reputation ,we always provide decryptor after payment and only ask for one payment , if you take a random middle man from internet he may take you money and not pay as and disappear or lie to you


5-police can\'t help you , we are excpericed hackers and we don\'t leave footprints behind , even if we did police wont risk ther million dollar worth zero day exploits for catching us, instead what they do get sure of is you never pay us and you suffer loss your data


6-if some of your files don\'t have our extention but do not open ,they are encrypted all other files and will decrypt normally ,they just have not been renamed to get our extension 

In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Secles looks like. Each filename has the “.secles” extension added to it.

How did Secles ransomware end up on my PC?

There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most popular methods for criminals to have the Secles virus planted in your system. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer-to-peer networks.

• If you open your inbox and see letters that look like familiar 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 letters. They are very likely to have a ransomware file enclosed in them. So it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
• Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse model. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your computer disguised as something different. For instance, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some program. However, what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful agent that corrupts your data. As the update file can have any title and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the stuff you’re downloading. The best thing is to use the software developers’ official websites.
• As for the peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the danger 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. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is complete.

How do I get rid of ransomware?

It is important to note that besides encrypting your data, the Secles virus will probably deploy Vidar Stealer on your computer to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

How сan I avoid ransomware infection?

Secles ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.

You can protect your computer from its injection taking three easy steps:

• Ignore any letters from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the dubious letter carefully. A hoax letter will always have a mistake.
• Avoid using cracked or unknown software. Trojan viruses are often shared as a part of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. You can try to find information on this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the best way is not to use such software.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 Can I somehow access “.secles” files?

Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.secles” files you will not be able to access them.

🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.secles” files ASAP. How can I do that?

If the “.secles” 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.

🤔 What should I do if the Secles ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.

🤔 What can I do right now?

Some of the blocked data can be found elsewhere.

• If you exchanged your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• 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 Web, you can try downloading them 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, cellphone, memory stick, etc.

HINT: You can use file recovery utilities¹ to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the video below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but be advised: you can do it only after you kill the ransomware itself with an anti-malware program.

1. Here’s the list of Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.