Tox virus (Removal Guide) - Jun 2016 update

What is Tox virus?

Tox ransomware: the virus for sale

When Tox virus emerged a few years ago, it was a sensation among the Internet community. It did not only operate as ransomware, capable of encrypting personal files, but it is also functioned as ransomware-as-a-service. The creator of this threat published a website where interested users were given instructions to spread the virus while receiving a financial “compensation.” At that time, this novelty caused much ruckus. Currently, there are such viruses as RaaS and Encryptor Raas, which also use the same principle. The major news, regarding Tox, was that the author, who presented himself as “kid sitting in his parents‘ house wreaking havoc on the Internet“, announced to sell the virus last year. Though it seems that the virus was officially ceased, do not get excited. There are still rogue version of the virus roaming on the Web. Recently launched ToxCrypt might be the offspring of this virus as well. If your computer has been taken over by one of such, collect yourself and concentrate on Tox removal.

How does the tox malware operate?

The virus functions mainly in two ways – like ordinary ransomware and ransomware-as-service. In the first case, Tox malware, using the disguise of screensaver file (.scr), sneaks into the computer and then searches for encryptable extensions.

txt, .odt, .ods, .odp, .odm, .odb, .doc, .docx, .docm, .wps, .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb, .xlk, .ppt, .pptx, .pptm, .mdb, .accdb, .pst, .dwg, .dxf, .dxg, .wpd, .indd, .cdr, .jpg, .jpe, .jpeg, .dng, .3fr, .arw, .mef, .mswmm, .ss, .eml, .csv.

Once each of these files is encrypted, a victim sees a warning message, demanding to buy a special decryption key, which is needed for unblocking the connection to files. No matter that it may seem like the only way to unblock files and remove Tox ransomware from the system, do not pay the money. First of all, there is no guarantee that this will help you to get this decryption key. Also, transfering the money, you will support the hackers and encourage them to continue making such threats. The most interesting part is that anyone is capable of creating this threat. It can be done by visiting a special site where its developer asks to pay 30% of ransom payments for the ability to distribute the virus.

Within the time when the official version virus rampaged on the Web, there was also published a toolkit which enables to download Tox virus. In other words, besides the main website, there was software enabling interested people to contribute to the spreading of the virus. It helped a user to become a Tox virus maker. The author of this threat was quoted saying that the driving force for creating the ransomware was not money nor fame. He was merely hooked on it out of the desire for a challenge. In addition, his primary target was pedophiles who are an easy prey for hackers. In addition, he claimed that he gained valuable information communicating with other hackers via Tox dark net which is accessible via anonymous Tor browser.

However, when the mastermind announced the sale of Tox ransomware, there was an amazing number of users willing to take up this duty of spreading the virus. However, if you want to join the group as well, you should keep in mind that there will be someone one step ahead. In other words, IT specialists will come up with decryption key sooner or later. Lastly, you really don’t want to ruin your peaceful life if your version of Tox happens to attract attention of the FBI.

In order to fix your computer, the first thing that you must do is to scan it with updated anti-spyware. In this particular case, we highly recommend using FortectIntego. After you remove Tox virus, try to recover your files. You wouldn’t even think about that if you would have extra copies of these affected files. Nevertheless, if you don’t have backups, you can also try using these tools: R-Studio, Photorec. If these programs fail to help you recover the locked information, it means that your files are lost forever.

When did the virus infect my operating system?

Tox virus is spread just like any other ransomware. Typically, it tries to infiltrate computers through spam. In most cases, such emails are filled with tricky information, such as warnings about purchased goods, invoices, traffic notifications, etc. So, you should always pay attention to the sender. Check the content of the message without clicking on links or downloading attached files. No matter how trustworthy it looks, if it is filled with typo or grammar mistakes, it might be fake. Also, you can download Tox ransomware by clicking on the misleading message that may show up on your PC’s desktop out of nowhere. In most cases, such messages show up while visiting illegal websites but there is no guarantee that, after being hacked, the legitimate website won’t show you such message on your PC’s desktop. If you believe that this ransomware is already hiding in your computer, waste no time and follow the elimination guide.

Tox removal options

Regarding the complexity of the ransomware, employ a powerful security application to help you to get rid of Tox virus. Unless you specialize in IT programming, the anti-spyware program is the only choice. It is crucial to remove all files of the ransomware. You can be sure that the software will remove Tox completely. Furthermore, we highly recommend thinking about the prevention of such infections. For that, you can use previously mentioned programs. Besides, don’t forget to back up your valuable information regularly and store in several computer archives and portable data storage devices. If you cannot run your anti-virus or anti-spyware program, use the recovery instructions delivered below.