SSDOX Virus — Ransomware (.SSDOX Files)

The Ssdox virus falls within the CONTI ransomware family. Malware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, text files, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, creating the readme.txt text files in every directory with the encrypted files.

What is Ssdox?

☝️ A scientifically accurate description for the Ssdox is “a CONTI family ransomware-type infection”.

Ssdox adds its specific SSDOX to every file’s title. For instance, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.SSDOX”. Just like the Excel sheet with the name “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.SSDOX”, and so on.

In each directory containing the encrypted files, a readme.txt notebook document will be created. It is a ransom money note. It contains 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. That is it.

Ssdox overview:

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

How did my machine catch Ssdox ransomware?

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

There are currently three most exploited ways for tamperers to have ransomware working in your system. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer file transfer.

If you access your mailbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a ransomware file attached to them. Thus it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with emails like these.

As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the threat 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. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is done.

How do I get rid of the Ssdox virus?

It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Ssdox virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your machine to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Sometimes tamperers would decode several of your files to prove that they do have the decryption program. As Ssdox virus is a relatively new ransomware, security software engineers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the decoding tools are constantly upgraded, so the solution may soon be available.

Understandably, if the malefactors succeed in encrypting victim’s critical data, the desperate person will most likely fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports about criminals simply vanishing after getting the ransom without even writing back.

The optimal countermeasure to ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external disk. Surely, that might be not enough. The most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the system restoration.

Ssdox 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 Futm, Rigj, Pqgs, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Ssdox are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: files become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in each directory containing encrypted files.

Some fortunate victims were able to decode the arrested files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the victim to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ technology to pull the money out of their victims.

How to avoid ransomware infiltration?

Ssdox ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, neither does any similar malware.

You can armour your computer from ransomware injection taking several easy steps:

• Ignore any letters from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (how can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, check all elements of the suspicious letter carefully. A hoax email will surely have mistakes.
• Avoid using cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often spreaded as an element of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are very hard to distinguish from reliable software, because trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal way is not to use such software.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft³

Download Removal Tool.

Run the setup file.

Press “Install” button.

Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.

Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.

Click on “Clean Now”.

FAQ

🤔 How can I open “.SSDOX” files?Are the “.SSDOX” files accessible?

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

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

If the “.SSDOX” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 What should I do if the Ssdox virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.

🤔 What could help the situation right now?

Some of the blocked files can be located elsewhere.

• If you sent or received your important files via 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 give those images back to you.
• If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try downloading them again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files as well.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, mobile, external storage, etc.

HINT: You can employ file recovery utilities⁵ to get your lost data back since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but be advised: you can do it only after you kill 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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