SEX3 Ransomware (.SEX3 File) — How to Remove?

The Sex3 virus belongs to the SATANA ransomware family. This malicious program ciphers files of multiple categories (photos, documents, tables, projects et cetera). Such files are no longer accessible after the encryption. To identify those files, it adds a specific extension to every file. SEX3 ransomware also leaves the !satana!.txt files in each directory which contains the encrypted files.

Sex3 virus: what is known so far?

☝️ A scientifically correct denomination for the Sex3 would be “a SATANA family ransomware-type infection”.

Sex3 adds a specific .SEX3 extension to every file. For example, the image named “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.SEX3”. Likewise, the Excel sheet named “table.xlsx” will end up as “table.xlsx.SEX3”, and so on.

This malware adds a !satana!.txt text document to each folder with encrypted files, and also to the desktop. It is a ransom note. That text file contains instructions on how to pay the ransom and get the decryption tool. In particular, the ransom note contains a BTC wallet address, and also an email of the fraudster. In the case of this ransomware, the crooks offer you to pay 0.5 BTC to a specified wallet and then text them on [email protected] email address.

Sex3 overview:

The !satana!.txt file coming in package with the Sex3 ransomware states the following:

The harddisks of your computer have been encrypted with an military grade encryption algorithm. There is no way to restore your data without a special key. You can purchase this key on the darknet page
E-mail: [email protected] - this is our mail
CODE: 14B4030A8A7F8B8D7B1101720567C27E this is code; you must send
BTC: 17CqMQFeuB3NTzJ2X28tfRmWaPyPQgvoHV  here need to pay 0,5 bitcoins
continue the normal download on your computer. Good luck! May God help you!

In the screenshot below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Sex3 looks like. Each filename has the “.SEX3” extension appended to it.

How did Sex3 ransomware end up on my PC?

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

There are currently three most popular methods for hackers to have ransomware acting in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer file transfer.

If you access your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, beware of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a ransomware item attached to them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.

As for the peer file transfer protocols 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. 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 complete.

How to remove the Sex3 virus?

It is important to note that besides encrypting your data, the Sex3 virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Often criminals would decode some of your files so you know that they do have the decryption program. Since Sex3 virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware designers have not yet found a method to undo its work. Nevertheless, the decoding tools are frequently updated, so the solution may soon be available.

Understandably, if the evildoers do the job of encoding victim’s essential data, the desperate person will probably fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your data back. It is still risky. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. 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 the copies of your essential files in the cloud disk or at least on an external storage. Surely, that might be insufficient. The most important thing could be that file you were working on when it all went down. But at least it is something. It is also advisable to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the system is rolled back.

Sex3 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 Zatp, Bowd, Tcvp, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Sex3 are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes are created in each folder containing encrypted files.

Some lucky users were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decryption key to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But obviously, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.

How сan I avert ransomware infiltration?

Sex3 ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, neither does any similar malware.

You can protect your PC from its injection within several easy steps:

• Ignore any letters from unknown mailers with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the questionable email carefully. A hoax letter will surely contain mistakes.
• Avoid using cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often distributed as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. But untrusted programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable software, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try to find information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal way is not to use such software.

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FAQ

🤔 How can I open “.SEX3” files?Is it possible to open“.SEX3” files?

Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.SEX3” files first. Then you will be able to open them.

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

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.

🤔 What actions should I take if the Sex3 ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.

🤔 What could help the situation right now?

Some of the blocked data can be found elsewhere.

• If you sent or received your important files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• You may have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to post those images back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try downloading them 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 PC, a notebook, phone, memory stick, etc.

HINT: You can employ data recovery utilities⁵ to get your lost data back since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the video below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you remove the ransomware itself with an antivirus 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 have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.

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