Vurten Ransomware

Posted by Lisa Blanc on April 9, 2018

What is Vurten Ransomware?

Vurten Ransomware is a malicious computer infection that will encrypt your files with the intention to swindle you out of your money. It follows many other ransomware programs out there that have been all the rage for a few years now. You will have to remove Vurten Ransomware from your system, knowing that it might not be possible to retrieve your files.

However, ransomware programs seldom issue decryption keys even if users end up transferring the ransomware. Unless they are world-wide infections that get media coverage, it is very likely that they end up “dying” pretty soon. As a result, users would lose money for nothing.

Where does Vurten Ransomware come from?

Unfortunately, we cannot point out the exact distribution source or a hacker team who would be responsible for infecting people with Vurten Ransomware. Such infections usually occur anonymously, and eventually, users are left confused as to how this program managed to enter their computer.

Our team says that there could be several ways for this infection to reach its targets. The most common ransomware distribution method is spam email messages. There are spam email campaigns that send out a lot of messages with the ransomware installers attached, and some of those blindly sent message reach their targets. Although the infection rate using this method is not that high, the method itself is arguably the cheapest, and that is why a lot of cyber criminals prefer using it to spread their malware.

For the most part, it should be possible to avoid getting infected with ransomware if users were careful about the attachments they download. If you did not expect to receive a certain invoice, or if you do not know what the document you are about to open is about, perhaps you should scan the file with a security tool. Please remember that reputable companies seldom ask you to download documents these days. They are usually embedded in the email message, and you can see all the important information immediately.

Aside from spam email attachments, Vurten Ransomware could be distributed directly via corrupted Remote Desktop Protocol. This is relevant if you are always connected to other systems via some Remote Desktop Client application. When malware distributors make use of this method, the infection rate is usually very small, and it tends to be quite local. Nevertheless, it still requires users to launch the infection file themselves, so please be very careful whenever you receive any new document file.

What does Vurten Ransomware do?

The ransomware program itself does not differ much from other infections in this category we have discussed before. Once the program is launched, it starts encrypting all the user’s files that are in the default user file directories. Our research shows that it does not encrypt the main system directories like %WinDir% and %ProgramFiles%. Interestingly, the program also does not affect any Kaspersky Lab product.

When the encryption is complete, the program will append the “.improves” extension to every single filename. It also drops a ransom note under the filename “UNCRYPT.README.txt.” The ransom note says the following:

Your entire network sensetive data was encrypted with our strong algorithm.
To recover your data send $10000 to the bitcoin address: 1Ln9RxSRuDqqFhCTuqBPBKRMeyhVhRaUG4
If you do not send money within 7 days, payment will be increased double.
After payment you will receive decryption software.
Contact email: vurten_knyert@protonmail.com

It goes without saying that there will not be that many users who would be willing to pay this much to retrieve their files. Not to mention that there is no guarantee the criminals would issue the decryption key in the first place. Also, there is a possibility that you would not be able to establish the contact with these crooks via the given email address, too. Therefore, the thing you need to focus on is removing Vurten Ransomware from your system.

How do I remove Vurten Ransomware?

This program does not drop any additional file upon the installation, so you only need to remove the initial installer file that you will probably find in your Downloads folder (or anywhere else where you save the downloaded files). After that, you will have to scan your computer with a licensed antispyware tool to check for other potential threats. Finally, look for copies of your data saved on your external hard drive, virtual cloud drive or even your mobile device. You probably have your files stored here and there, and you can retrieve a lot more than you think. Should you have further questions, please refer to a professional.