How to remove Pay_creditcard ransomware virus

Things to know if your PC was infected with Pay_creditcard ransomware

Pay_creditcard virus is a recently discovered ransomware^[1] virus that seems to be created by quite advanced programmers. Just like other ransomware viruses, it seeks to encrypt all files on the target PC, and for that it uses a complex encryption algorithm^[2]. The encryption is based on usage of two keys – private and public one. The public one is used to encrypt files, while the private one is the one that can revert them to their original condition. Without the private key, the victim cannot restore his/hers files. To mark all encrypted files and help the victim understand the extent of the attack, virus marks each file with a .crypted file extension. Once that’s done, the ransomware creates an index.html file, which is a shortcut of Pay_creditcard.htm and index.html. These HTML documents open via victim’s default web browser and show detailed information on how to restore encrypted data (how to buy Bitcoins^[3], how to transfer them, etc.) 

The ransom note that the virus opens immediately after the attack clearly reminds us of the infamous CTB-Locker’s GUI, which allows switching between several languages. It explains that all of victim’s files, including photos, documents, databases, and the rest of important data was encrypted with an individual key created for the victim. It is easy to guess what cyber frauds wants the victim to do, and the type of the virus prompts it – they want the victim to pay a ransom in exchange for a chance to decrypt corrupted data. They suggest buying the key for 1 BTC, which, according to the ransom-demanding message, equals to 957 USD. However, the price can go up and down at any time because the price of this virtual currency changes frequently. The ransom note urges the victim to gather required amount of money within 4 days, or the decryption key will be deleted and the files will remain useless forever. Now, we need to remind you why paying the ransom is not the best idea^[4]. First of all, your data might stay locked, second, you might receive even more malware, and third, you can not know how scammers are going to use that money. You might be funding something illegal or really bad, so we suggest you think about it. If you decide to remove Pay_creditcard ransomware and not obey cybercriminals’ commands, we recommend using anti-malware software you can trust. For this case, we suggest using FortectIntego software. Before you launch or download this program, follow steps of Pay_creditcard removal guide that is given right below the article.

How to not get infected with ransomware?

Ransomware is a sneaky computer program, which is developed by advanced programmers who certainly know what they’re doing. We discovered that Pay_creditcard malware is being distributed via RIG Exploit Kit^[5], which is known to be responsible for distribution of many other ransomware variants, such as CryptoMix, CryptoShield, and even Cerber ransomware. We recommend removing all unnecessary browser extensions and keeping software installed on the computer up-to-date if you do not want to become a victim of such exploit kit-based attack. Ransomware is also frequently distributed via email, so needless to say, you should be careful when opening emails (make sure you avoid that Spam folder at all costs). To protect your PC, use an up-to-date anti-malware software. Finally, if you do not want to consider the option of paying the ransom, create data backups in time. Data backup is the only thing that can save you time and provide you with copies of data that was encrypted due to ransomware attack.

Best practices to remove Pay_creditcard ransomware virus

Ransomware is probably the worst computer virus that can destroy years of work very quickly, however, we are happy to see an improvement in users’ cybercrime awareness these days. We invite you to say no to cybercriminals and not to pay the ransom to them. If you’re ready to remove Pay_creditcard virus, you should remove all of its remains, including the “How_To_Decrypt_Files” folder that it creates to store the ransom notes. However, we do not recommend doing this manually because you might miss some of the malignant files and leave the system vulnerable to further malware attacks. To deep-clean your PC system, we recommend using anti-malware programs. We strongly recommend you to read these Pay_creditcard removal instructions before you attempt to launch the security software.