An infection with the dangerous Santa Encryptor virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove Santa Encryptor virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of Santa Encryptor virus
The Santa Encryptor 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 Santa Encryptor 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 labeled 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 Santa Encryptor virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the Santa Encryptor 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 Santa Encryptor 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 Santa Encryptor virus
Security analysts discovered a new dangerous malware threat called the Santa Encryptor virus. The security analysis shows that ransomware file processing occurs as well. The initial attack wave that was uncovered seems to target mainly English-speaking users. The initial code analysis shows that the captured samples are still under development.
One of the characteristics associated with the Santa Encryptor virus is the fact that it’s main engine at the moment contains only a few modules. This also means that future versions of the malware are going to be highly capable of inflicting more damage to the victims.
Possible additions incude an information gathering component that would give the attackers the ability to acquire sensitive information about the victims. Most of the advanced malware strains are able to extract the following types of data: hardware components information, installed applications and sensitive user data. In the case of browsers the criminals can acquire information such as any stored cookies, bookmarks, history, form data, passwords and account credentials.
In other cases a Trojan instance would allow them to spy on the victims in real time, as well as record the keystrokes and mouse movement. It also enables the Santa Encryptor virus operators to overtake control of the machines at any given moment.
Depending on the hackers configuration the Santa Encryptor virus can be directed into changing settings on the victim’s computer. As a result the users may experience performance issues, certain applications can fail and the virus engine itself may prevent manual removal methods from working.
Once all prerequisite conditions are met the actual encryption phase is started. It uses the XOR cipher process the victim data according to a list of target file type extensions: images, videos, music, documents, backup, archives and etc.
An application instance is instituted that displays the ransomware note using a lockscreen. It effectively blocks all computer interaction attempts until the Santa Encryptor virus has been completely removed. The displayed message reads the following:
Oop’s Your File’s Have Been Encrypted!
What Happened To Your PC?
Your Important File’s Have Been Encrypted
Many Of Your Documents, Photos, Databases And Other File’s Are No Longer Accessible.
Because They Have Been Encrypted Using AES-256
How Can I Decrypt My File’s?
Your Lucky Santa Is Here To Help You To Decrypt Your File’s
With the Power Of Christmas Spirit! Santa Needs You To Send $150 Worth Of Bitcoin To
The Given Bitcoin Address Below
How Do I Pay?
Their Are A Few Links For You To Buy The Bitcoin,
Send $150 Worth Of Bitcoin To The Given Address To Decrypt Your File’s
—
Send $150 Worth Of Bitcoin To This Address:
3GwQqxAy9EtRGxJAGyhuXEAgQCDNtSMovu [Copy] [Check Payment] [Decrypt]
Remove Santa Encryptor virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the Santa Encryptor 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
Santa Encryptor 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 Santa Encryptor 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 Santa Encryptor 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
