Efdc ransomware (virus) - Decryption Steps Included

What is Efdc ransomware?

Efdc ransomware is yet another version in the particular file-locker family that is non-decryptable

The ransomware threat is considered dangerous because of the direct blackmail feature

Efdc file virus is the ransomware locking files when the machine gets infected. The infiltration process is quick and happens when the pirating services^[1] get used, so people can't notice the infiltration, in most cases. Once these common files like documents, images, video, or audio files get locked, the ransom note _readme.txt is delivered to your machine. The text file is placed in various folders with encrypted data, and on the desktop, the victim is reading the instructions thoroughly.

This is the version of a threat that already has around 330 different variants. DJVU ransomware is a family of the virus that encrypts the files you use every day. The infection checks for commonly used files, so the data is more valuable and more needed to recover. Once it infects your computer and those files get locked, the virus asks for $490 -$980 in Bitcoin as ransom and threatens to delete all your files if payment isn't made. The legitimacy and trust are attempted to build with the discount for the first 72 hours and with the offer for test decryption of one file.

Efdc virus is like other ransomware in this family, such as Orkf and Hoop. This type of malware encrypts popular file types and adds its own .efdc extension to all files. Then delivers the ransom demanding message via a text file:

ATTENTION!

Don't worry, you can return all your files!
All your files like pictures, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.
What guarantees you have?
You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.
You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:
hxxps://we.tl/t-VCW326HODa
Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that's price for you is $490.
Please note that you'll never restore your data without payment.
Check your e-mail “Spam” or “Junk” folder if you don't get answer more than 6 hours.

To get this software you need write on our e-mail:
manager@mailtemp.ch

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:
managerhelper@airmail.cc

The encryption process^[2] starts once the infection reaches the computer, so it might be quicker than you think and affect more than it seems. It is common for malicious programs to trigger the additional process window to mask encoding or different processes. Research shows that this virus triggers particular Windows Update pop-ups to fake that the system performs poorly for a reason.

Encryption and decryption explained

Djvu is not the new ransomware, making this Efdc version more dangerous than any other newly released ransomware. Creators of the threat are already developing improved variants of these threats, so there are many advantages that the infection has. Previous versions were decrypted, so the tool was released and helped a lot of victims.

However, creators managed to alter those flaws and released a more advanced, proved version of the code, so all the versions since 2019 cannot be decrypted easily. But there are some instances when the only offline ID method is used, and the existing tool works.

When the ransomware can't connect to its command and control servers while encrypting your files, it uses a built-in encryption key. The offline ID is generally easy to identify because different variants end in t1, with each one having its own unique private keys. This means that everyone who has had their files encrypted by this variant will have the same decryption key.

If the Efdc ransomware has a good connection to its command and control servers when it encrypts files, these servers generate random keys for every infected computer – unique victim. Since each computer has its own key, you can't use another one to decrypt your files in most cases.

File lockers use encryption methods and makes files unopenable, so money can be demanded

A decrypter may be able to work around this with older variants if there's help from other computers; however, newer versions are not recoverable without further action since nothing is done about them even if they're offline or don't have an internet connection available. There are some hopeful cases when offline IDs still get used ruing such infections like the Efdc virus.

If you have infected your computer with one of the Djvu variants, you should try using Emsisoft decryptor for Djvu/STOP. It is important to mention that this tool will not work for everyone – it only works if data was locked with an offline ID due to malware failing to communicate with its remote servers.

Even if your case meets this condition, somebody from the victims has to pay criminals, retrieve an offline key, and then share it with security researchers at Emsisoft. As a result, you might not be able to restore the encrypted files immediately. Thus, if the decryptor says your data was locked with an offline ID but cannot be recovered currently, you should try later. You also need to upload a set of files – one encrypted and a healthy one to the company's servers before you proceed.

• Download the app from the official Emsisoft website.
• After pressing Download button, a small pop-up at the bottom, titled decrypt_STOPDjvu.exe should show up – click it.
  
• If User Account Control (UAC) message shows up, press Yes.
• Agree to License Terms by pressing Yes.
  
• After Disclaimer shows up, press OK.
• The tool should automatically populate the affected folders, although you can also do it by pressing Add folder at the bottom.
  
• Press Decrypt.
  

From here, there are three available outcomes:

1. “Decrypted!” will be shown under files that were decrypted successfully – they are now usable again.
2. “Error: Unable to decrypt the file with ID:” means that the keys for this version of the virus have not yet been retrieved, so you should try later.
3. “This ID appears to be an online ID; decryption is impossible” – you are unable to decrypt files with this tool.

Remove the threat to be able to restore .efdc files

STOP/Djvu tool is an effective decryption tool that will stop the ransomware from running, so you don't have to worry about your files being encrypted. However, it doesn't obliterate the ransomware — most Anti-Virus software detects these infections like the Efdc virus if installed on a computer. Still, there's no other way of detecting or removing it unless you scan for malware regularly with specialized security tools.

Sometimes these threats can block access to the software like SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes, so the termination process is not easy. You might find a tip for the Safe Mode with Networking solutions below the article. This is the solution when the detection tool cannot find the threat because it is blocked from accessing the system and locating the malware payload. As we mentioned, removing the infection will not recover files that get locked during encryption.

Anti-malware tools can find the intruder and properly eliminate it from the system

The same goes for system data that is damaged or corrupted. Malware like this often affects pieces like DLLs, system directories, folders, registry. These are the parts of the machine that should never be manually repaired or altered by the user. It is important to recover the machine properly, so tools like FortectIntego can help you with that.

• Download the application by clicking on the link above
• Click on the ReimageRepair.exe
  
• If User Account Control (UAC) shows up, select Yes
• Press Install and wait till the program finishes the installation process
• The analysis of your machine will begin immediately
• Once complete, check the results – they will be listed in the Summary
• You can now click on each of the issues and fix them manually
• If you see many problems that you find difficult to fix, we recommend you purchase the license and fix them automatically.

Once the machine is properly restored and there are no traces of the malware, you can freely recover those encoded files yourself. Backups from the external drive would be the best option. Still, since many users do not prepare proper data backups prior to being attacked by Efdc ransomware, they might often lose access to their files permanently. Paying criminals is also very risky, as they might not fulfill the promises and never send back the required decryption tool.

While this might sound terrible, not all is lost – data recovery software might be able to help you in some situations (it highly depends on the encryption algorithm used, whether ransomware managed to complete the programmed tasks, etc.). Since there are thousands of different ransomware strains, it is immediately impossible to tell whether third-party software will work for you.

Therefore, we suggest trying regardless of which ransomware attacked your computer. Before you begin, several pointers are important while dealing with this situation:

• Since the encrypted data on your computer might permanently be damaged by security or data recovery software, you should first make backups of it – use a USB flash drive or another storage.
• Only attempt to recover your files using this method after you perform a scan with anti-malware software.

Install data recovery software

1. Download Data Recovery Pro.
2. Double-click the installer to launch it.
3. Follow on-screen instructions to install the software.
4. As soon as you press Finish, you can use the app.
5. Select Everything or pick individual folders where you want the files to be recovered.
6. Press Next.
7. At the bottom, enable Deep scan and pick which Disks you want to be scanned.
8. Press Scan and wait till it is complete.
9. You can now pick which folders/files to recover – don't forget you also have the option to search by the file name!
10. Press Recover to retrieve your files.

Experts^[3] note that removing the Efdc infection is crucial when you want to use the device later on. The computer needs to be virus-free because any restoring of the data can end up in the second or even double-encryption. It would be best if you kept those anti-malware tools like SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes to save yourself the hassle of clearing the infection later.