What is Ahegao Ransomware?
Ahegao Ransomware is the kind of infection that can slip into your unguarded Windows operating system and immediately encrypt your personal files without your notice. Once files are fully encrypted, the infection reveals itself using “Encrypted v2.40” window. This window displays a message that the attackers behind the infection have prepared for you. We discuss this message at length further in the report. Since you are reading this article, it is most likely that you have faced this dangerous infection already. The good news is that removing Ahegao Ransomware should not be difficult. The bad news is that if it has encrypted your personal files, it is likely that you will not be able to recover them. If you are currently looking into free third-party decryptors, please make sure that they are harmless before installing them because cybercriminals are well aware of the demand for such tools, and they could camouflage other threats as legitimate decryptors. If you have downloaded anything suspicious, you should delete it immediately.
How does Ahegao Ransomware work?
Our research team at Anti-Spyware-101.com has analyzed thousands of file-encryptors at this point, and we can tell you that Ahegao Ransomware is not special in any way. Just like Math Ransomware, Taargo Ransomware, or R44s Ransomware, this infection is most likely to exploit spam emails, downloaders, and remote access vulnerabilities to slither in. Needless to say, if the system is protected, and if its user is careful about what emails they interact with or what files they download, the infection should not stand a chance. So, if Ahegao Ransomware has invaded your operating system and encrypted your personal documents, photos, and other personal files, there is a good chance that you have been careless and that your operating system lacks protection. That is something to keep in mind even after you successfully remove the infection from your operating system. Before you do that, you might be mostly interested in getting the encrypted files restored. The ransomware attaches the “.ahegao” extension to the files it corrupts, and you should find that they all share the same blank page icon. This should help you see right away which files were encrypted.
After encryption, Ahegao Ransomware launches the “Encrypted v2.40” window. On the left, you can see a timer that gives you 72 hours. On the right, you can find the message from the attackers and some details that are necessary for the ransom payment. The attackers behind the infection expect you to pay a ransom of 50 USD in Bitcoin (~0.007 BTC). It must be transferred to the 3F3XAJE1j52bM9tWZ3zFBofbAHkHwTxnFQ Bitcoin Wallet, which, at the time of research, was still empty. We hope that it stays that way. Although $50 is not a lot – especially when compared to threats that demand tens of thousands of dollars – we do not recommend paying the ransom and then contacting the attackers (l33tsupp0rt1337@protonmail.com) to exchange it for a decryptor. We do not recommend it because we do not believe that the attackers would give you the decryptor. Basically, if you do as told, you will expose yourself to cybercriminals via email (they could send you more malicious emails), you will lose money, and most likely, your files will remain locked. This is why we want you to focus on deleting Ahegao Ransomware.
How to remove Ahegao Ransomware
You shouldn’t have any trouble deleting Ahegao Ransomware from your operating system because this infection only has one file. The launcher of the infection is responsible for encrypting files and also introducing you to the ransom demands. So, where is this file? If you know where it is, go ahead and delete it. That’s pretty much all you have to do. Of course, because there is always a possibility that other threats exist on your system without your knowledge, it is crucial that you also inspect your operating system with a trusted malware scanner. It might help you if you have trouble identifying the launcher file as well. Of course, we believe that all Windows users, regardless if or not they have faced Ahegao Ransomware already, should install anti-malware software. It is programmed to automatically remove malicious files and also reinforce Windows security to ensure that no other infection could get in again.
N.B. If you have copies of the corrupted files stored outside the computer, you should be able to use them as replacements after removing Ahegao Ransomware.
Removal Guide
- Delete all recently downloaded suspicious files.
- Install a trusted malware scanner to examine your system for leftovers and other threats.
- If malware is found, delete it immediately.
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