Cry36 ransomware – malicious program which damages victim's files to demand a ransom
Cry36 ransomware is a unique version of CryptON (Nemesis) virus that encodes files using cryptographic ciphers and refuses to reverse the encryption until the victim pays a required sum of money (ransom). The malware creates a file called ### DECRYPT MY FILES ###.txt, which holds instructions on how to recover encrypted records.
Cry36 virus differs from other CryptON versions, such as Cry128 or Cry9, because files that it encrypts turn out to be 36 bytes larger than their original copies. The ransomware scans all system folders and encrypts data with specific file extensions. After encrypting a target file, the malware adds a particular string to its filename. The new file extension consists of victim’s ID, criminal’s email address, and random file extension of 4 characters. Victims have already reported the following file extensions:
.id-2559797930_[mk.smoke@aol.com].a97rq;
.id-1163283255_[liukang@mortalkombat.su].aj29p;
.2271021857_[mk.rain@aol.com].be87r.
Cry36 ransomware doesn’t state what amount of money should be paid in order to get the Nemesis decryptor. Instead, it suggests writing to criminals’ email address to get the instructions. Currently, known email addresses are mk.smoke@aol.com, liukang@mortalkombat.su, and mk.rain@aol.com.
Criminals have been asking to provide victim’s ID in the message to them, and also provide links to a .onion website with a chat box (an alternative way to contact the cyber criminals). If your files were encrypted by Cry36 ransomware and you can no longer open them, do not lose your hope to see them again – malware researchers might succeed in attempts to create a free decrypter. Until then, try data recovery solutions we described at the end of this post.
Before you attempt to download any data recovery tools, remove Cry36 virus with FortectIntego or another powerful malware uninstaller. We also want to add that the decryptor released for earlier CryptON versions[1] do not work for this ransomware variant.
Cry36 ransomware locks victim's files, adds long extensions to their filenames and demands a ransom. In this picture, you can see the ### DECRYPT MY FILES ###.txt file, which is the ransom note.
Traditional ransomware distribution schemes
Ransomware has been distributed in similar ways for years. Although some parts of the distribution strategies were readjusted and improved, we can say that the majority of these malicious viruses are still being distributed via malicious spam. In other words, scammers add malicious files to emails and send them out to hundreds of email accounts worldwide. After opening the email attachment, the victim lets the ransomware into the system.
However, recently attackers started to rely on RDP attacks. For this reason, we suggest users to use strong passwords for accounts with remote access to the computer network. Finally, having an up-to-date anti-malware software and a backup is a must. If you do not have one of them, the risk of losing your private files increases.
On top of that, we want to warn you that not all ransomware variants are crackable, and only because researchers managed to defeat Cry36, it doesn’t mean that any other ransomware variant can be analyzed and reversed so efficiently. For instance, files locked by Cerber[2] cannot be accessed using any other tools except the ones that the developers of the ransomware suggest buying for ridiculous amounts of money.
Remove Cry36 before you try to decrypt the locked files
Do not try to access your data until you completely remove Cry36 ransomware. The ransomware must be deleted carefully because leaving any of its remains on the system increases the risk that it will continue its encryption in the future. Besides, having malicious files on the system can always increase the risk of catching more dangerous viruses in the future.
Do not waste your time and delete the malware according to Cry36 ransomware removal instructions we provided. After uninstalling the virus, take a look at data recovery solutions provided at the very end of this page.
Compatible with Microsoft Windows
Compatible with macOS
What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Remove the virus by deleting all of its files using anti-malware program.
Important! → Manual removal guide might be too complicated for regular computer users. It requires advanced IT knowledge to be performed correctly (if vital system files are removed or damaged, it might result in full Windows compromise), and it also might take hours to complete. Therefore, we highly advise using the automatic method provided above instead.
Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking
Manual malware removal should be best performed in the Safe Mode environment.
Windows 7 / Vista / XP
Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 button (if that does not work, try F2, F12, Del, etc. – it all depends on your motherboard model) multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
Windows 10 / Windows 8
Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
Click Restart now.
Select Troubleshoot.
Go to Advanced options.
Select Startup Settings.
Press Restart.
Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking.
Step 2. Shut down suspicious processes
Windows Task Manager is a useful tool that shows all the processes running in the background. If malware is running a process, you need to shut it down:
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
Click on More details.
Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
Right-click and select Open file location.
Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
Delete the contents of the malicious folder.
Step 3. Check program Startup
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
Go to Startup tab.
Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
Step 4. Delete virus files
Malware-related files can be found in various places within your computer. Here are instructions that could help you find them:
Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
Select the drive you want to clean (C: is your main drive by default and is likely to be the one that has malicious files in).
Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:
Temporary Internet Files Downloads Recycle Bin Temporary files
Pick Clean up system files.
You can also look for other malicious files hidden in the following folders (type these entries in Windows Search and press Enter):
%AppData% %LocalAppData% %ProgramData% %WinDir%
After you are finished, reboot the PC in normal mode.
Remove Cry36 using System Restore
Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt Windows 7 / Vista / XP
Click Start→Shutdown→Restart→OK.
When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
Select Command Prompt from the list
Windows 10 / Windows 8
Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
Now select Troubleshoot→Advanced options→Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window.
Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.
Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again..
When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of Cry36. After doing that, click Next.
Now click Yes to start system restore.
Once you restore your system to a previous date, download and scan your computer with FortectIntego and make sure that Cry36 removal is performed successfully.
Bonus: Recover your data
Guide which is presented above is supposed to help you remove Cry36 from your computer. To recover your encrypted files, we recommend using a detailed guide prepared by 2-spyware.com security experts.
Suggested data recovery methods are provided below.
If your files are encrypted by Cry36, you can use several methods to restore them:
Follow a Shadow Explorer Setup Wizard and install this application on your computer;
Launch the program and go through the drop down menu on the top left corner to select the disk of your encrypted data. Check what folders are there;
Right-click on the folder you want to restore and select “Export”. You can also select where you want it to be stored.
Cry36 decryption tool
Files encrypted by Cry36 cannot be recovered using any third-party tools. We do not recommend paying the ransom to buy the decrypter from cyber criminals as it can bring additional malware to your PC.
Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from Cry36 and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes
How to prevent from getting ransomware
Protect your privacy – employ a VPN
There are several ways how to make your online time more private – you can access an incognito tab. However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of Private Internet Access VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise. Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and Private Internet Access VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals.
No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool
If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers – human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence. In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.
If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. Data Recovery Pro is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market – it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.
Alice Woods
- Likes to teach users about virus prevention
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