YASHMA Ransomware 🔐 — Removal Guide

The Yashma virus falls within the Chaos ransomware family. Malware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, text files, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, creating the read_it.txt files in each folder which contains the encrypted files.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.

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What is known about the Yashmavirus?

☝️ A scientifically correct denomination for the Yashma is “a Chaos family ransomware-type malicious agent”.

Yashma adds its extra extension of 4 random symbols to every file’s title. For example, an image named “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.pj9f”. Likewise, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will end up as “table.xlsx.vrnk”, and so forth. There is no straightforward pattern used to pick an extension for each file.

In every folder that contains the encrypted files, a read_it.txt file will appear. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is how they do it.

Yashma overview:

The read_it.txt file coming in package with the Yashma malware provides the following frustrating information:

All of your files have been encrypted with Yashma ransomware
Your computer was infected with a ransomware. Your files have been encrypted and you won\'t
be able to decrypt them without our help.What can I do to get my files back?You can buy our special
decryption software, this software will allow you to recover all of your data and remove the
ransomware from your computer.The price for the software is $1,500. Payment can be made in Bitcoin only.
How do I pay, where do I get Bitcoin?
Purchasing Bitcoin varies from country to country, you are best advised to do a quick google search
yourself  to find out how to buy Bitcoin.
Many of our customers have reported these sites to be fast and reliable:
Coinmama - hxxps://www.coinmama.com Bitpanda - hxxps://www.bitpanda.com


Payment informationAmount: 0.1473766 BTC
Bitcoin Address:  bc1qlnzcep4l4ac0ttdrq7awxev9ehu465f2vpt9x0

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

Files ciphered by Yashma ransomware

How did my computer get infected with Yashma ransomware?

There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most popular methods for evil-doers to have ransomware planted in your system. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer networks.

If you open your inbox 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, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a malware item attached to them. So it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with emails like these.

Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus scheme. A Trojan is an object that gets into your machine disguised as something legal. For instance, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some software. But what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful agent that encrypts your data. Since the installation package can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the things you’re downloading. The optimal thing 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. So you’d better be using trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded items with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.

How do I get rid of the Yashma virus?

It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Yashma virus will probably install Vidar Stealer on your PC to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Sometimes racketeers would decode few of your files so you know that they really have the decryption tool. As Yashma virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware designers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decoding tools are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.

Understandably, if the hackers do the job of encoding victim’s essential data, the desperate person will most likely comply with their demands. However, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of criminals simply disappearing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.

The optimal countermeasure to ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud disk or at least on an external drive. Surely, that might be not enough. Your most important thing could be that file you were working upon when it all happened. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the system restoration.

Yashma 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, Nifr, Boty, Niwm, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Yashma are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become encoded, their extensions altered, ransom notes are created in every folder containing encoded files.

Some lucky people were able to decode the blocked files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decoding key to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ instrument to lay their hands on the money of their victims.

How to avert ransomware infection?

Yashma ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.

You can defend your system from its infiltration in several easy steps:

• Never open any emails from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the suspicious letter with caution. A hoax email will surely have a mistake.
• Never use cracked or unknown software. Trojans are often spreaded as a part of cracked products, most likely under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are very hard to tell from reliable software, because trojans may also have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such software.
• And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect shield for your system.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft²

There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft³.

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 computer.

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 Yashma 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 completed, 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

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

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

🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.klsp” 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. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Yashma malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?

No way! Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with real viruses. The ransomware that has infiltrated your PC is must be still functional and launching checks from time to time to arrest any new files you might create on your computer after the initial attack. As it has been said above, the Yashma ransomware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your computer in the future.

🤔 What to do if the Yashma malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.

In such an unfortunate situation, you need to have a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or brought into your machine. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.

🤔 And what should I do now?

Some of the encrypted data can be found elsewhere.

• If you exchanged your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to give those images back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try downloading them again.
• Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud disks might have all those files too.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, mobile, flash memory, etc.

HINT: You can use data recovery utilities⁴ to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but remember: you can do it only after you eradicate 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.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
2. GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
3. More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
4. Here’s the list of Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.