How to remove Cryptobot virus

Cryptobot virus locks your data and asks for ransom for its return

Cryptobot is a dangerous ransomware that is used by cybercriminals to hole personal files of the victim hostage. The main goal of the attack is to make users pay for a decryption tool that can be used to recover the locked data.

Once installed, malware does not instantly encrypt files. Instead, it performs changes within the Windows OS environment for various operational reasons. After locking all files, it then contacts a remote server to retrieve a unique ID and places a ransom note for users to view.

After infiltrating computers via backdoors or Zeus botnet, it virus encrypts the following file types:

bay, cdr, cer, cr2, crt, dbf, dcr, dng, doc, docm, docx, dwg, dxf, dxg, indd, jpe, jpg , mdb, mdf, mef, nef, nrw, odm, odp, orf, pdd, pef, pfx, ppt, pptm, pptx, psd, ptx, r3d, raf, raw,, rw2, rwl, srf, srw, wpd, wps, xlk, xls, xlsb, xlsm, xlsx.

After doing so, it shows a warning message just like the one that is given below. Here, we must add that each of the languages has its warning that asks to pay a ransom of $500 to reveal the decryption key for the victim.

Typically, victims are given 72 hours to pay this ransom. If they fail to do that, the decryption key, and the ability to connect these encrypted files, is destroyed. It is believed that Cryptobot has already affected several hundreds of PC users.

During the past three days, we have received several questions about it. It seems that this ransomware is very similar to Cryptolocker and CTB locker, which means that the main thing that  it seeks is money. The attackers want victims to transfer Bitcoin cryptocurrency to a particular wallet. However, we think that you should never pay the ransomware because there is no guarantee that this payment will help you to get a decryption key.

If you believe that you have also been infected with Cryptobot ransomware, the main thing that you have to do is to scan your computer with updated anti-spyware and remove it. This will also help you to prevent additional encryption of your files. In addition, try to recover your blocked files with the help of these programs:

• R-Studio
• Photorec
• Kaspesky Ransomware Decryptor.

Malware distribution tactics

Ransomware is mostly spread via spam. It seems that this distribution technique is still very popular among hackers because people are still downloading infected email attachments without bothering to check what the sender is or what typo or grammar mistakes can be found in the email. Beware that if an email is full of mistakes or belongs to a suspicious sender, there is a huge possibility that the attachment is infected.

In addition, when trying to avoid the infiltration of ransomware, you should also keep in mind that such cyber threats can also be spreading around via fake notifications. In most cases, they claim that you need to update some of your programs, such as:

• Java
• Flash Player
• FLV player, etc.

However, one of the victims, who has been tricked into installing the virus on a computer, has reported that this happened after clicking on the survey ad. In most cases, there is no difference in what website, legitimate or illegal, you decide to visit because legitimate websites can be hacked without much effort.

Remove Cryptobot virus

There are lots of people who ask us about the removal of ransomware. If you are one of its victims, you should waste no time and use a guide, which is given below. Finally, we highly recommend thinking about the prevention of such infections as Cryptobot.

For that, you can use previously mentioned programs. Besides, don't forget to think about the immunity of your files and backup. For that, you can use USB external hard drives, CDs, DVDs, or simply rely on online backups, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Flickr, and other solutions. More information about backups can be found in the following post:

Why do I need backup and what options do I have for that?