TALIBAN SKULL Virus Ransomware (.ENCRYPTED Files)

The Taliban skull virus belongs to the ransomware type of malicious agent. Malware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the computer (images, text files, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and appends its own extension to every file, creating the README_YOU_AS_BEEN_HACKED.txt files in every directory containing encrypted files.

Taliban skull virus: what is known so far?

Taliban skull will append its specific .encrypted extension to every file’s title. For instance, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.encrypted”. Likewise, the Excel sheet with the name “table.xlsx” will end up as “table.xlsx.encrypted”, and so forth.

In every folder containing the encoded files, a README_YOU_AS_BEEN_HACKED.txt text file will be created. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. You can obtain this tool after contacting [email protected] via email. That is it.

Taliban skull Overview:

The README_YOU_AS_BEEN_HACKED.txt document accompanying the Taliban skull malware states the following:

YOU HAS BEN HACKED


YOU HAS BEN HACKED
ALL YOUR FILES WERE ENCRYPTED!
IF YOU WANT TO RECOVER YOUR DATA...
READ THE INSTRUCTIONS IN: README_YOU_AS_BEEN_HACKED.txt
CONTACT ME AT: [email protected]


YOU HAS BEN HACKED

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

How did my computer get infected with Taliban skull ransomware?

There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware injection.

There are currently three most popular ways for malefactors to have the Taliban skull virus working in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer networks.

• Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file scheme. A Trojan is a program that gets into your PC pretending to be something different. For instance, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some software. However, what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful program that compromises your data. As the update package can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the files you’re downloading. The best thing is to trust 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. So you’d better be using trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is complete.

How to remove ransomware?

It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Taliban skull virus will probably install Vidar Stealer on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.

How сan I avert ransomware infection?

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

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

• Never open any letters from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the questionable letter with caution. A hoax email will always contain a mistake.
• Avoid using cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often shared as a part of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. But dubious programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy software, as trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try to find information about this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal way is not to use such programs at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 How can I open “.encrypted” files?Can I somehow access “.encrypted” files?

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

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

If the “.encrypted” 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. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 What to do if the Taliban skull malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

🤔 What can I do right now?

Some of the encrypted files 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 photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to give those pictures back to you.
• If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try to do it again.
• Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud storage might have all those files as well.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, phone, external storage, etc.

USEFUL TIP: You can employ data recovery utilities¹ to get your lost data back since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, removing the authentic 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 remove the virus with an anti-malware program.

1. Here’s the list of Best Data Recovery Software Of 2024.