An infection with the dangerous .enc Virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove .enc Virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of .enc Virus
The .enc Virus is a new virus which has been sighted in a limited attack campaign. At the moment the security researchers cannot determine the primary infection strategy. We presume that the most widely used tactics are going to be employed.
Among them are the email messages created in an automated way and sent to large lists of potential victims. The .enc Virus can be directly attached to the messages. This is one of the easiest way for the criminals to attempt the infection. However a lot of email hosting providers usually capture the signatures of the virus and as such discard such messages or label them as dangerous or spam. Other infection methods related to this one is the option of inserting hyperlinks in the body content of the messages. The links are usually labelled as leading to a familiar website or a file of user interest. Redirects can redirect to hacker-controlled sites, infected payloads or other instances that can lead to an .enc Virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the .enc Virus. A popular option is the use of infected documents which may be of different types ‒ spreadsheets, rich text documents, presentations and databases. They are modified to initiate the virus once the built-in scripts are run. Usually when the files are opened a notification will ask the users to run the macros (scripts). If this is done the infection follows.
The hacker-controlled sites are specialist portals that have been created either manually or automatically by the criminals behind the .enc Virus. They can either directly distribute the threat by initiating various scripts or automated operations or link to such instances. Redirects are usually caused by email interaction, ad networks or other browsing activity. However one of the main sources is the availability of browser hijackers. They are malicious addons made for the most popular web browsers ‒ Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, Microsoft Edge and Safari. Once installed they not only infect the users with the malware, but also redirect the victims to a hacker-controlled site. Depending on the configuration the browser hijackers can also steal sensitive information such as any stored passwords, account credentials, history, bookmarks, form data and settings.
Impact of .enc Virus
Recent malware infections with a threat called the .ec virus has caused a major security investigation. Victims of this threat should know that this is the alternative name of the MadBit ransomware. The initial code analysis made upon the collected samples shows that it does not derive from any of the famous ransomware families. And no information is available about the hacker or criminal collective behind it.
At the moment the captured samples of the .enc virus showcase a modular framework that allows the threat to be further extended in future versions. The captured samples can be updated to execute a complex behavior pattern. Such infections begin by extracting sensitive information from the compromised hosts. Usually advanced strains generate a complete profile of the hardware components. The values are usually entered as input parameters when generating the unique victim ID. The security and privacy risks associated with such infections are related to the fact that the .enc virus can also include code that harvests sensitive user credentials. They can be extracted both from the operating system itself or the installed user applications. Usually the most popular software are targeted, popular examples are the most widely used web browsers including: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari and Internet Explorer. The hackers can access the stored data such as the: bookmarks, cookies, history, autofill information, passwords and account credentials.
The next step would be to prevent security software from detecting and deleting the threat. Using the obtained information the availability of any sandboxes, virtual machines and debug environments can be countered. If the virus finds that it cannot delete or overcome the security software then it can delete itself to avoid detection.
Once all of this is done the actual infection process can continue. One or two stages can be organized depending on the complexity and the configuration set by the attackers.
Usually the first stage is reserved for the primary computer alterations. They can include any of the following components:
- Windows Registry — Changes to existing registry values can result in many detrimental effects upon the compromised hosts. Depending on the made changes the users may find that certain components will cease to function properly, in other cases performance issues are faced.
- Startup and Boot Options — The .enc virus can alter the boot options which disables the startup recovery, advanced boot options and other methods that are used to manually remove the malware instances from the hosts.
- Persistent Installation — Certain viruses can install themselves in a persistent way which actively counters any manual removal attempts. In such cases the victims need to restore their computers using a quality anti-spyware solution.
Updated versions of the .enc virus can also access the regional settings and extract values related to the preferences of the users. This is a popular tactic that gains information about the location of the victims. When the ransomware engine contains several ransom notes this information is used to select the most appropriate version.
When all prerequisite conditions are met the ransomware engine is started. Like other popular threats it uses a built-in list of target file type extensions. Sample lists usually act against the most popular user data: archives, documents, music, images, videos, backups and etc. The resulting data is renamed using the .enc extension. The ransomware note is created in a file called madbit encryptor: Hello, you are encrypted! which reads the following:
***!WARNING!***
***YOUR COMPUTER ARE INFECTED***
***ALL DATABASES, SITES AND USERS HOME FILES HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED***
================================================
>>>You have to pay for decryption in Bitcoins. The price depends on how fast you write to us.<<< ***After payment we will send you the decryption tool ,that will decrypt all your files.*** ===FREE DECRYPTION AS GUARANTEE=== ===Before paying you can send to us up to 1 files for free decryption=== Please note: that files must NOT contain valuable information and their total size must be less than 1Mb === Important information === YOUR COMPUTER UID : *** COPY&SEND YOUR UID TO EMAIL'S : [email protected] ================================================ ***!WARNING!*** ===****rnadbit***madbit***madbit***madbit***madbit***madbit***madbit***madbit***madbit****===
Remove .enc Virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the .enc Virus requires being familiar with system files and registries. Removing important data accidentally can lead to permanent system damage. If you don’t feel comfortable with manual instructions, download a powerful anti-malware tool that will scan your system for malware and clean it safely for you.
SpyHunter anti-malware tool will diagnose all current threats on the computer. By purchasing the full version, you will be able to remove all malware threats instantly. Additional information about SpyHunter / Help to uninstall SpyHunter
.enc Virus – Manual Removal Steps
Start the PC in Safe Mode with Network
This will isolate all files and objects created by the ransomware so they will be removed efficiently. The steps bellow are applicable to all Windows versions.
1. Hit the WIN Key + R
2. A Run window will appear. In it, write msconfig and then press Enter
3. A Configuration box shall appear. In it Choose the tab named Boot
4. Mark Safe Boot option and then go to Network under it to tick it too
5. Apply -> OK
Remove .enc from Windows
Here’s a way to remove the program. This method will work regardless if you’re on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP. Simply selecting the program and pressing delete won’t work, as it’ll leave a lot of small files. That’s bad because these leftovers can linger on and cause all sorts of problems. The best way to delete a program is to uninstall it. Here’s how you can do that:
1. Hold the “Windows” button (It’s between CTRL and Alt on most keyboards) and press “R”. You’ll see a pop-up window.
2. In the textbox, type “appwiz.cpl”, then press“ Enter ”.
3. The “Programs and features” menu should now appear. It’s a list of all the programs installed on the PC. Here you can find the program, select it, and press “Uninstall“.
Remove .enc Virus From Your Browser
Before resetting your browser’s settings, you should know that this action will wipe out all your recorded usernames, passwords, and other types of data. Make sure to save them in some way.
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1. Start Mozilla Firefox. In the upper right corner, click on the Open menu icon and select “Add-ons“.
2. Inside the Add-ons Manager select “Extensions“. Search the list of extensions for suspicious entries. If you find any, select them and click “Remove“.
3. Click again on the Open menu icon, then click “Options“.
4. In the Options window, under “General” tab, click “Restore to Default“.
5. Select “Search” in the left menu, mark the unknown search engine and press “Remove”.
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1. Start Google Chrome. On the upper-right corner, there a “Customize and Control” menu icon. Click on it, then click on “Settings“.
2. Click “Extensions” in the left menu. Then click on the trash bin icon to remove the suspicious extension.
3. Again in the left menu, under Chrome, Click on “Settings“. Go under “On Startup” and set a new page.
4. Afterward, scroll down to “Search“, click on “Manage search engines“.
5. In the default search settings list, find the unknown search engine and click on “X“. Then select your search engine of choice and click “Make default“. When you are ready click “Done” button in the right bottom corner.
2. In the “Manage add-ons” window, bellow “Add-on Types“, select “Toolbars and Extensions“. If you see a suspicious toolbar, select it and click “Remove“.
3. Then again in the “Manage Add-ons” window, in “Add-on Types“, Select “Search Providers“. Chose a search engine and click “Set as default“. Select the unknown search engine and click “Remove and Close”.
4. Open the Tools menu, select “Internet Options”.
5. In the “General” tab, in “Home page”, enter your preferred page. Click “Apply” and “OK”.
Repair Windows Registry
1. Again type simultaneously the WIN Key + R key combination
2. In the box, write regedit and hit Enter
3. Type the CTRL+ F and then write the malicious name in the search type field to locate the malicious executable
4. In case you have discovered registry keys and values related to the name, you should delete them, but be careful not to delete legitimate keys
Click for more information about Windows Registry and further repair help
