VAGGEN ransomware uses cryptography to deny your access to filesRansomware proliferation methodsAvoiding potential damageRemoving VAGGEN ransomware
Like most other viruses of this kind, VAGGEN ransomware uses encryption in order to provide financial benefit to its developers. In this case, as stated in the desktop wallpaper, the user is urged to pay $80 in Bitcoin. Instructions on how to do this are provided in the AboutYourFiles.txt file. The file contains a straightforward message – if you want to regain access to your files, you need to pay the aforementioned amount of money to the 1LthWWSd82dKddmHwqhBv8XHiYyU BTC wallet address and then write an email to employer21@protonmail.com. This course of action will supposedly lead the user to receive a decryption tool – a piece of software that contains a unique key created to revert these changes. Unfortunately, there is no other third-party software that could revert the changes made to your files. Most of the ransomware developers use high-end cryptography algorithms that are basically impossible to crack manually. Having this in mind, it is not advisable to follow hackers’ instructions since they are not trustworthy. It is important to realize that the people behind this are completely profit-driven, which means that if they see another opportunity to extort you – they will use it. For this reason, there is a high chance of not getting any VAGGEN decryption tool even after you pay the ransom.
Ransomware proliferation methods
To put it simply – there is never a shortage of ways to distribute malware. You can get infected by downloading from untrustworthy sites and file-sharing platforms, by spam emails, trojans (chain infections), fake updaters, software bundling, and software activation (cracking) tools to mention a few. For example, you should always keep in mind that downloading from file-sharing platforms like Torrent, zMule and Mediafire is risky – you will never know whether the contents of the download contain malware or not. Some of these sites offer a supposed scanning option before the download is made (to prevent installing any unwanted software) but usually it is just a gimmick. The other commonly used way to distribute viruses is through malspam campaigns. Most people are acknowledged of spam – email sites use their algorithms to detect spam and prevent it from doing any harm to the users. However, there is a small percentage of people who still fall for this and the developers of crypto viral threats like VAGGEN tend to exploit this. To explain in short, this is a social-engineering scheme that has been used for ages – a large amount of deceitful emails is sent to random internet users. These emails contain various content that usually urges to either open a file attached to it or to follow the link provided. Once the user is tricked into it, a virus tries to intrude your system and if you do not have sufficient protection it might succeed.
Avoiding potential damage
Let us be real – nobody deliberately wants to get infected by viruses (except cybersecurity specialists who tend to do that for professional purposes). The developers of malware tend to exploit the main trait of internet users – the shortage of attention and carefulness. For this reason, you should always download only from official, verified sites. Do not open any suspicious-looking links or files attached to received emails. To avoid dealing with viruses like VAGGEN, you should also be cautious while casually surfing the internet – do not interact with intrusive ads. And most importantly – regularly create backups since it is the only way to keep personal data safe.
Removing VAGGEN ransomware
If you see any signs of being infected, you should take immediate action to remove VAGGEN ransomware from your PC. This is due to the fact, that it might do more extensive damage, especially if you plan on using a backup without dealing with the malware first. Even though removing the virus will not revert the changes made to your files, it is important that you follow this course of action to be able to use your system safely. We recommend you use robust and trustworthy antivirus software to deal with this situation. After the complete VAGGEN virus removal, you will be able to restore files from a backup. Also, dealing with damage that has been done to your system continues after the removal process – RESTORO is professional software that is designed for it. To remove the virus, follow the steps below. OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here.
Alternative software recommendations
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking
Before you try to remove the virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, see a video tutorial on how to do it: Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10 users Now, you can search for and remove VAGGEN ransomware virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable malware removal program. In addition, we suggest trying a combination of INTEGO Antivirus (removes malware and protects your PC in real-time) and RESTORO (repairs virus damage to Windows OS files).
Method 2. Use System Restore
In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10 users After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won’t be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future. Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.
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