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Desperate help needed from PC experts



G

GingerBeerMan

3-0
Dec 29, 2011
8,024
Sorry for double post, I've been doing some Googling. This is a well known problem and there was actually no cure. It's called Cryptolocker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CryptoLocker) and has affected lots of people. Luckily now there is a site you can unlock for free. It's worth a try, upload one of your locked documents to this site and they should send you a link with the serial to unlock your documents:
https://www.decryptcryptolocker.com/

This might not work, but it's worth a shot. The company who made the website are very reputable so nothing to lose.

Edit: Or it may be a copycat, in which case the above won't work.
 






Creaky

Creaky

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2013
3,842
Hookwood - Nr Horley
Found this on a tech forum - sounds like you may be lucky

All 500,000 victims of Cryptolocker can now recover files encrypted by the malware without paying a ransom.

The malicious program encrypted files on Windows computers and demanded a substantial fee before handing over the key to the scrambled files.

Thanks to security experts, an online portal has been created where victims can get the key for free.

The portal was created after security researchers grabbed a copy of Cryptolocker's database of victims.

"This time we basically got lucky," said Michael Sandee, principal analyst at Fox-IT - one of the security firms which helped tackle the cyber-crime group behind Cryptolocker.

Now, security firms Fox-IT and FireEye - which aided the effort to shut down the Gameover Zeus group - have created a portal, called Decrypt Cryptolocker, via which any of the 500,000 victims can find out the key to unlock their files.

"All they have to do is submit a file that's been encrypted from that we can figure out which encryption key was used," said Greg Day, chief technology officer at FireEye.

Mr Day said people wishing to use the portal - http://www.decryptcryptolocker.com/ - should submit a file that did not contain sensitive information to help it verify which key they needed.


http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28661463
Click to expand...
 








Wilko

Wilko

LUZZING chairs about
Sep 19, 2003
9,922
BN1
Creaky said:
Found this on a tech forum - sounds like you may be lucky
Click to expand...

Tried this but if I test a file on it, it says that that it is not encrypted. :(

Thank you for your help on this though, it is appreciated.
 


C

Cian

Well-known member
Jul 16, 2003
14,262
Dublin, Ireland
Dick Head said:
If you can get hold of and boot into a Linux live CD (I would recommend Puppy Linux) you should be able to save all your files to a flash drive/external drive.
Click to expand...

Won't do anything, they've been encrypted.

Ditto System Restore - it doesn't restore files, just application and system data.

Assuming no backups, realistically your options are
1: Pay up
2: Wait for a security firm to figure out their encryption system, as has happened for some of the older scams
3: Lose the data
 


Wilko

Wilko

LUZZING chairs about
Sep 19, 2003
9,922
BN1
Cian said:
Won't do anything, they've been encrypted.

Ditto System Restore - it doesn't restore files, just application and system data.

Assuming no backups, realistically your options are
1: Pay up
2: Wait for a security firm to figure out their encryption system, as has happened for some of the older scams
3: Lose the data
Click to expand...

How do you know that if you pay up that they really will sort the problem??
 




Tom Hark Preston Park

Tom Hark Preston Park

Will Post For Cash
Jul 6, 2003
70,151
Wilko said:
How do you know that if you pay up that they really will sort the problem??
Click to expand...

General consensus from NSC EXPERTS seems to be that your problem has been identified as Cryptolocker. As such, as has been suggested above, there may well be solutions readily available on tinternet. At least give that option a spin on a sample file. Do NOT be daft and pay these people. How do you know they won't come back for 'seconds'?

If all else fails, try turning it off and on again.
 


Wilko

Wilko

LUZZING chairs about
Sep 19, 2003
9,922
BN1
Tom Hark said:
General consensus from NSC EXPERTS seems to be that your problem has been identified as Cryptolocker. As such, as has been suggested above, there may well be solutions readily available on tinternet. At least give that option a spin on a sample file. Do NOT be daft and pay these people. How do you know they won't come back for 'seconds'?

If all else fails, try turning it off and on again.
Click to expand...

No way do I want to part with my hard earned for these corrupt bast**rds. Did a test on the sample file and that does not work anyway!!
 








T

TomandJerry

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2013
11,450
Cian said:
They actually generally do, or else word would get out that its not worth paying and the income would dry up.



Russian criminals are going to be really scared with a threat of civil action in the UK...
Click to expand...

I thought they would be American since they are asking for usd?
 


C

Cian

Well-known member
Jul 16, 2003
14,262
Dublin, Ireland
TomandJerry said:
I thought they would be American since they are asking for usd?
Click to expand...

Why would a Russian ask a foreigner to give them collapsing in value local currency?

They're Russian, not American. There is nothing legal threats will do and nothing local law enforcement can do either.
 






Wilko

Wilko

LUZZING chairs about
Sep 19, 2003
9,922
BN1
Tom Hark said:
General consensus from NSC EXPERTS seems to be that your problem has been identified as Cryptolocker. As such, as has been suggested above, there may well be solutions readily available on tinternet. At least give that option a spin on a sample file. Do NOT be daft and pay these people. How do you know they won't come back for 'seconds'?

If all else fails, try turning it off and on again.
Click to expand...

No way do I want to part with my hard earned for these corrupt bast**rds. Did a test on the sample file and that does not work anyway!!
 


Tom Hark Preston Park

Tom Hark Preston Park

Will Post For Cash
Jul 6, 2003
70,151
Wilko said:
No way do I want to part with my hard earned for these corrupt bast**rds. Did a test on the sample file and that does not work anyway!!
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're going through the correct process. Though would strongly recommend you do NOT pay them a penny ever. Apart from anything else, if they're smart enough to encrypt your files and try to charge you for un-encrypting them, then they're almost certainly smart enough to capture your bank details if you're daft enough to pay them off. Losing the files would appear to be the far lesser of two evils no?
 


T

ThePompousPaladin

New member
Apr 7, 2013
1,025
Triggaaar said:
Do you have a backup of these documents? You should, and if you haven't, try and learn from this and make sure you get one from now on (you need a backup for when your hard drive fails, not just for viruses). That doesn't mean you can't fix the problem though.
Click to expand...

Just to add to this, the hard disk is a machine and *will* fail at some point, also there is the consideration of fire and theft. It's good practice to have a backup onsite and offsite.
Easiest is a portable hard drive at home (relatively cheap), you can get some software to do this automatically for you and also some cloud storage (again free or cheap).

Best of luck to the OP, i think a solution to this will be found.

If the OP is still struggling i have a contact with licenses to a forensic software package - encase. Used by the police etc...
https://www.guidancesoftware.com/

He *might* be able to retrieve some of your files or parts of from the 'free space' on your disk. It will be time consuming and he will charge though, message me if you need this service.
 




Westdene Seagull

Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,003
The arse end of Hangleton
TomandJerry said:
I thought they would be American since they are asking for usd?
Click to expand...

And you don't think Russian mobsters would want USD ? This encryption scam has been around in various guises for a while. I'd be interested where you suggest [MENTION=1022]Wilko[/MENTION] sends the court papers ?
 


happypig

happypig

Staring at the rude boys
May 23, 2009
7,959
Eastbourne
[MENTION=1022]Wilko[/MENTION], If you want to send me a corrupted file, I'll have a look at it and see what's in it etc (no charge). PM me if you want me to help.
 


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