TUTU Virus 🔐 (.TUTU Files) — How to Remove?

The Tutu virus falls under the Dharma ransomware family. Malware of such sort encrypts all the data on your computer (photos, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, leaving the README!.txt text files in each folder with the encrypted files.

What is known about the Tutu virus?

☝️ Tutu is a Dharma family ransomware infection.

The renaming will be done by this pattern: id-xxxxx.[contact-email].tutu. After the encryption, a file entitled, for instance, “report.docx” will be turned into “report.docx.id-9ECFA84E.[tutu@download_file].tutu”.

In each folder with the encoded files, a README!.txt text document will be found. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can get this decryptor after contacting tutu@download_file through email. That is how they do it.

Tutu Overview:

The README!.txt document accompanying the Tutu ransomware provides the following dispiriting information:

Your data has been stolen and encrypted!

email us

[email protected]

In the image below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Tutu looks like. Each filename has the “.tutu” extension appended to it.

How did my machine catch Tutu ransomware?

There are many possible ways of ransomware injection.

Nowadays, there are three most exploited ways for hackers to have the Tutu virus acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer networks.

• Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file model. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your computer disguised as something legal. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some program. However, what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful program that corrupts your data. Since the installation file can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the files you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to use the software developers’ official websites.
• As for the peer file transfer protocols like torrent trackers or eMule, the threat 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 items with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.

How do I get rid of ransomware?

It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your files, the Tutu virus will most likely deploy Vidar Stealer on your PC to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.

How do I avoid ransomware attack?

Tutu ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.

You can defend yourself from ransomware infiltration in several easy steps:

• Ignore any emails from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (how can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the suspicious letter carefully. A fake email will surely have a mistake.
• Never use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often spreaded as a part of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” to prevent the license check. But untrusted programs are difficult to tell from trustworthy ones, as trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try searching for information about this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 Are the “.tutu” files accessible?

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

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

Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. 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 Tutu malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.

🤔 And what should I do now?

Many of the encrypted files might still be within your reach

• If you sent or received your critical files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to post those images back to you.
• If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do it 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 portable device, phone, memory stick, etc.

USEFUL TIP: You can employ data recovery programs² to retrieve your lost information since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you kill the virus with an antivirus program.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
2. Here are Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.