The Solo virus belongs under the VoidCrypt ransomware family. Harmful software of such sort encrypts all the data on your PC (photos, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, creating the unlock-info.txt text files in every directory containing encrypted files.
What is Solo virus?
☝️ A strictly correct description for the Solo would be “a VoidCrypt family ransomware-type malicious agent”.
The scheme of renaming is this: (victim_id)(contact_email).solo. As a part of encryption, a file named, for instance, “report.docx” will be altered to “report.docx.(CW-DV6109742358)([email protected]).solo”.
In every folder with the encoded files, a unlock-info.txt file will be found. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other remarks. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the racketeers. You can get this tool after contacting [email protected] via email. That is it.
Solo overview:
| Name | Solo Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | VoidCrypt ransomware |
| Extension | .solo |
| Ransomware note | unlock-info.txt |
| Contact | [email protected] |
| Detection | MSIL/Slithermon.A, MSIL/Filecoder.SLAM.A, OScope.Trojan.MSIL.Basic.8 |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .solo extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Solo virus |
The unlock-info.txt file accompanying the Solo ransomware states the following:
All your files have been encrypted! All your files have been encrypted due to a security problem with your PC. If you want to restore them, write us to the e-mail; [email protected] Write this ID in the title of your message : - In case of no answer in 24 hours write us to theese e-mails: [email protected] You have to pay for decryption in Bitcoins. The price depends on how fast you write to us. After payment we will send you the decryption tool that will decrypt all your files. Free decryption as guarantee Before paying you can send us up to 1 file for free decryption. The total size of files must be less than 1Mb (non archived), and files should not contain valuable information. (databases,backups, large excel sheets, etc.) How to obtain Bitcoins The easiest way to buy bitcoins is LocalBitcoins site. You have to register, click \'Buy bitcoins\', and select the seller by payment method and price. hxxps://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins Also you can find other places to buy Bitcoins and beginners guide here: hxxp://www.coindesk.com/information/how-can-i-buy-bitcoins/ Attention! Do not rename encrypted files. Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss. Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.
In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Solo looks like. Each filename has the “.solo” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.solo” files look.
How did my machine catch Solo ransomware?
There are many possible ways of ransomware injection.
There are currently three most exploited methods for evil-doers to have the Solo virus settled in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer file transfer.
If you open your mailbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a harmful file attached to them. Thus it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus model2. A Trojan is an object that gets into your PC disguised as something different. For example, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some program. However, what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful agent that compromises your data. As the update file can have any title and any icon, you’d better be 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 file transfer protocols like torrent trackers or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never guess what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is complete.
How to remove the Solo virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Solo virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware3 can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Often tamperers would decrypt some of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption tool. Since Solo virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures developers have not yet found a method to undo its work. However, the decoding instruments are constantly upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Of course, if the criminals do the job of encoding victim’s critical data, the hopeless person will probably comply with their demands. Despite that, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After getting the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports about malefactors just vanishing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The best solution against 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 storage. Surely, that might be not enough. The most important thing could be that file you were working on when it all went down. 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.
Solo 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, Eewt, Adww, Oflg, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Solo are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: documents become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes emerge in each folder containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate victims were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free software provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decoding code to the victims in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a bandits’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How do I avoid ransomware infiltration?
Solo ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour yourself from its infiltration in several easy steps:
- Ignore any emails from unknown mailboxes with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (how 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 suspicious letter carefully. A fake letter will always have a mistake.
- Never use cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often distributed as a part of cracked software, most likely as a “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are very hard to tell from reliable software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try to find information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such software.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful shield for your system.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft4
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft5.
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 Solo 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 finished, 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 “.solo” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.solo” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.solo” files ASAP. How can I do that?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Solo malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
Absolutely not! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with real threats. The virus that has infected your system is must be still active and launching checks every so often to encode any new files you might create on your computer after the initial attack. As it has already been said, the Solo malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide malefactors with easy access to your system in the future.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Solo malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
In such a case, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or imported into your PC. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be within your reach
- If you sent or received your important files by email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You may have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to give those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud storage might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, phone, flash memory, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ file recovery programs6 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the video below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate the virus 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.
I need your help to share this article.
It is your turn to help other people. I have written this guide to help users like you. You can use the buttons below to share this on your favorite social media Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit.
Brendan SmithHow to Remove SOLO Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: SOLO Virus
Description: SOLO Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .solo extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
- 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.
