Tips to prevent Gandcrab V5.3 Ransomware Virus Attack

Ransomware

Tips to Remove Gandcrab V5.3 Ransomware

Gandcrab was first discovered on 30 January, 2018. This notorious family of ransomware is a new threat to all the computer addicts. It took only a year for Gandcrab to become one of the devastating cyber infections in the world. There are numerous versions of Gandcrab ransomware like, Gandcrab V2, Gandcrab V3, Gandcrab V4, Gandcrab V4.1, Gandcrab V5, Gandcrab V5.3 and many more. Alike other ransomwares, this Gandcrab family behave in the same way- encrypting the data followed by making ransom demands to release them. Only dissimilarity is-the size of ransomware. Being the first ransomware to accept DASH coins, it imposes high cost to decrypt the victim’s data, presently equivalent to $1200.

GandCrab Ransomware

What is GandCrab V5.3 Ransomware?

One of the versions of this ransomware family, Gandcrab V5.3 has observed attacking the systems vastly in the world. It marches the system by infected email attachments and sometimes by hacking open Remote Desktop Service ports. The infection is notable as it uses AES-265 and RSA encryption method. The victim is left with no choice other than purchasing the private key.

Gandcrab ransomware detect the files with extensions .doc, .docx, .xls, .pdf, encrypt them and change their extensions so they are no longer accessible. In order to get rid of Gandcrab V5.3 ransomware from your system, Ransomware removal tools are of utmost importance, Malwarebytes and HitmanPro are well-known Gandcrab V5.3 removal software for these cryptoviruses in system.

Information Theft:

  1. IP Address
  2. Username
  3. Machine Name
  4. Machine Workgroup
  5. System Language
  6. OS version
  7. Current Windows Version
  8. Active drives and its Type

Threat Behaviors of Gandcrab V5.3 Ransomware:

The systems get infiltrated by Gandcrab V5.3 because of the carelessness of users. It exhibits multitude of pernicious traits such as:

  1. User sometimes lost important documents after the ransomware attack. Files having extensions – .doc, .docx, .pdf are identified and infected by Gandcrab V5.3. The extension of identified files will be changed.
  2. In order to decrypt the infected files, victim is forced to pay heavy ‘ransoms’. The private key to open the infected files can only be obtained after paying the demanded ransom.
  3. Spam e-mails with deleterious attachments are the root pathway of Gandcrab V5.3 ransomware in the system.

Gandcrab V5.3 Ransomware Note:

After encryption, ID-DECRYPT.txt or ID-DECRYPT.html files ransom note will be created by Gandcrab V5.3 Ransomware in each folder.

Threat Summary:

Name: GANDCRAB V5.3

Type: File Encryption Ransomware

Symptoms: User’s documents, images, videos and other files got encrypted and add a random file suffix.

Distribution Method: Spam E-mails with attachments, Executable files

How to Remove GandCrab  Ransomware from my System

STEP A: Remove the services installed by GandCrab Ransomware from the System using Safe mode with Command Prompt

Windows 7/ Vista/ XP

  1. Click on Windows icon present in the lower left corner of the computer screen.
  2. Select and click Restart.
  3. When the screen goes blank, keep tapping F8 key until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
  4. With the help of arrow keys on keyboard, Select Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the list and press the Enter Key. The system will then restart to Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
  5. Click on the username and enter the password (if any).

Windows 10 / Windows 8

  1. Press and hold the Shift Key and simultaneously click on the windows icon present in the lower left corner of your computer screen.
  2. While the Shift key is still pressed click on the Power button and then click on Restart.
  3. Now select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings.
  4. When the Startup Settings screen appears which is the first screen to appear after restart, select and click on Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt. The system will then restart to Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
  5. Click on the username and enter the password.

Restore your system files and settings

Method 1 using Control Panel

  1. Click on the ‘Start’ button on the taskbar. This will open the Start menu.
  2. Click on the ‘Control Panel’ button in the Start menu. This will open the control panel window.
  3. In the Control Panel window, click on the ‘View by:’ button on the top right. Select the Large Icon option
  4. In the control Panel window click on the ‘Recovery Icon’. This will open a window that will ask ‘Restore the computer to an earlier point in time’.
  5. Click on the ‘Open system restore’ button. This will open the ‘system restore ’window where you need to click on the Next Button.
  6.  Select the restore point that is prior the infiltration of Gandcrab V5.3 Ransomware After doing that, click Next.
  7. This will open the ‘Confirm your restore point’ dialog box. Click on Finish button. This will restore your system to a previous restore point before your system was infected by Gandcrab V5.3 Ransomware

OR

Method 2 using Command Prompt

  1. Type cmd in the search box and click on the command prompt to open the Command Prompt window. box and clicking on it.
  2. Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.(Ensure that you in the system32 directory of Windows folder in C Drive)
  3. Now type rstrui and press Enter again.
  4. When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of Gandcrab V5.3 Ransomware After doing that, click Next.
  5. This will open the ‘Confirm your restore point’ dialog box. Click on Finish button. This will restore your system to a previous restore point before your system was infected by Gandcrab V5.3 Ransomware

OR

  1. Type ‘Rstrui’ in the search box present on the task bar. This will open the System restore dialog box.

Continue to follow steps 4 & 5 of Method 2 to restore the System Files and settings.

Tips to prevent your computer system from getting infected –

  1. Keeping the Operating System Updated- In order to remain protected and avoid such infections, it is recommended to keep your Operating System updated by enabling the automatic update on your system. The systems with outdated or older versions of Operating System become an easy target for the attackers.
  2. Resist clicking on spam emails – One of the major techniques used for malware distribution is forwarding spam emails to the user. The system gets infected as soon as the user clicks on the attachment. These mails appear to be genuine, so be aware and resist falling for these tricks.
  3. Keep an eye on third party installations- It is quite important that you take due care while installing any third party applications for they are major source of such infections. Such malware programs come bundled with the free applications thereby requiring the user to remain cautious.
  4. Regular periodical backup- In order to keep your data and files safe, it is recommended to take regular back up of all your data and files either on an external drive or cloud.
  5. Use Anti-Virus Protection- We strongly recommend the use of antivirus protection/internet security in your PC like Malwarebytes and HitmanPro so that it remains safe.
  6. Enable the Ad Blocker/Popup Blocker in your browser- Enabling the popup blocker/ ad blocker in your chosen browser will help you to stay protected from annoying adware.
Virus Removal Guidelines