SamSam ransomware decryption and removal (Dec. 2018 upd.)

Remove and decrypt SamSam, a ransomware strain targeting major organizations and municipal services that has seen a spike in activity throughout 2018.

Most crypto ransomware families follow a proliferation logic where they blindly try to attack as many computers as possible by means of malicious spam or application exploits. The SamSam ransomware 2018 isn’t like that at all. It is distributed in a strictly targeted fashion. The operators of this campaign first choose an organization to compromise, do their homework by conducting thorough reconnaissance, and then strike the victim with a nearly 100% certainty that the incursion will pan out.

The entry point for every such raid is RDP. In plain words, the adversary literally hacks into a machine by taking advantage of a loophole in the Remote Desktop Protocol. Since the malefactors focus on hitting companies, healthcare institutions and local governments, the contaminated host is then leveraged to pass the harmful payload over to the other computers on the same network. As a result, the attack surface may increase exponentially, allowing the crooks to act from a position of strength in their ransom negotiations.

After such a straightforward intrusion via RDP brute-forcing, the SamSam ransomware 2018 rapidly intoxicates the entire enterprise IT infrastructure, with the number of infected workstations possibly being in the thousands. Then, the power of cryptography enables the offending program to render all popular types of data on these computers inaccessible. Specifically, the crypto parasite employs the RSA-2048 cipher, which is asymmetric and extremely hard – if not impossible – to crack. The names of hostage files tend to be appended with a new extension to make it clear what exactly has been locked down. For instance, the filename suffix concatenated by one of the latest SamSam 2018 variants is .weapologize. This doesn’t sound like a sincere apology, does it? The other extensions previously used by this culprit include .VforVendetta, .powerfulldecrypt, .noproblemwedecfiles, .otherinformation, .letmetrydecfiles, .encryptedyourfiles, .breeding123, .moments2900, .country82000, and .areyoulovemyrans.

A ransom note is one more inalienable element of the SamSam breach. It configures the plagued hosts to display a splash screen that explains what happened to the files and provides a walkthrough for data decryption. The most recent iteration drops and triggers a note named 0000-SORRY-FOR-FILES.html. A few others reported by victims include WE-MUST-DEC-FILES.html, 000-NO-PROBLEM-WE-DEC-FILES.html, 000-IF-YOU-WANT-DEC-FILES.html, LET-ME-TRY-DEC-FILES.html, and 001-READ-FOR-DECRYPT-FILES.html. When it comes to this campaign, there is no such thing as a static size of the ransom. It depends on how lucky the felons get and how many computers they manage to infect in one hit. The amount can reach a Bitcoin worth of tens of thousands of dollars for a major hacked organization. Overall, according to experts’ estimates, the perpetrators have made more than $6 million during the whole period of their disgusting activity.

As a side note, the SamSam blackmail virus is one of the oldest lineages on the ransomware battlefield. It has been in the wild since 2016, and it’s not until late 2018 that its authors have been apprehended and are currently facing charges in the United States for hacks and extortion that have caused the infected organizations hefty losses and unprecedented disruption. The devs turned out to be two Iranian cybercriminals. Over the years, they have reportedly compromised high-profile entities, including the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Port of San Diego, the City of Atlanta, Hancock Health, the Nebraska Orthopedic Hospital, and a number of other organizations most of which are based in the U.S.

At this point, it’s not clear if the whole gang has been arrested or whether someone else from the extortionist crew is still on the loose and will continue to go the well-trodden path of extortion. One way or another, if the SamSam ransomware 2018 has encrypted important data on a computer network, the following tips can make a good starting point for the recovery.

SamSam ransomware automated removal and data recovery

When faced with ransomware like SamSam, one of the best shortcuts in terms of removal is to use Combo Cleaner, a lightweight and incredibly effective application with PC security and optimization features under the hood. It detects and thoroughly deletes threats while giving you insights into the overall health of your computer.

This program’s protection power spans modules that forestall all known types of malware, including ransomware and browser hijackers, and take your online security to the next level by blocking phishing sites and other suspicious web pages. Follow these simple steps to eliminate the infection for good:

1. Download Combo Cleaner installer.

Download SamSam remover

^{Combo Cleaner scans your PC with no strings attached, but you’ll have to buy its fully functional version to remove the threats it detects. The disk optimization tools that find large files and duplicates are free to use.}

2. Open the CCSetup.exe file to get started. Several subsequent screens will allow you to make initial customizations so that the program works exactly as you need from the get-go.

3. The installation will be followed by an update of malware signatures. Once this process is through, click the Start Scan button in the left-hand sidebar.

4. Combo Cleaner will then check system locations that are most often polluted by Windows malware. The first scan can take a while to finish.

5. Combo Cleaner will display a system tray notification as soon as the scan is over. Click the Resolve found threats button to view the results.

6. The scan summary shows the names and types of the detected threats as well as their statuses and locations. Click the Remove all threats button and follow further on-screen prompts to get rid of these items.

Data recovery toolkit to the rescue

Some strains of ransomware are known to delete the original files after the encryption routine has been completed. As hostile as this activity appears, it can play into your hands. There are applications designed to revive the information that was obliterated because of malfunctioning hardware or due to accidental removal. The tool called Stellar Data Recovery features this type of a capability and therefore it can be applied in ransom attack scenarios to at least get the most important files back. So use the app to get an idea of what data can be restored and let it do the recovery job. Here is a step-by-step walkthrough:

1. Download and install Stellar Data Recovery.

Download Stellar Data Recovery

2. Open the application, select the types of recoverable files to look for, and click Next.

3. Choose the areas you want the tool to recover from and click the Scan button.

4. Having scanned the specified locations, the program will display a notification about the total amount of recoverable data. Close the dialog and click the Recover button. This will hopefully help you get some of your valuable files back.

SamSam ransomware manual removal and file recovery

Some ransomware strains terminate themselves after completing the encryption job on a computer, but some don’t. Furthermore, the SamSam virus may prevent victims from using popular antimalware tools in order to stay on board for as long as possible. Under the circumstances, it may be necessary to utilize the Safe Mode with Networking or System Restore functionality.

Be advised that even after the ransomware is removed, files will still be encrypted and inaccessible. The malicious code cleanup part, however, is important because it keeps a relapse of the infection from occurring further on and eliminates all opportunistic malware.

Ways of non-ransom recovery of files encrypted by SamSam ransomware 2018

Cracking the crypto used by this ransom Trojan is more of a science fiction thing rather than an attainable prospect for the masses. This is why the troubleshooting in predicaments of this sort is a matter of two approaches: one is to pay the ransom, which isn’t an option for many victims; and the other is to apply instruments that take advantage of the ransomware’s possible weaknesses. If the latter is your pick, the advice below is a must-try.

Ransomware Prevention Tips

To avoid SamSam ransomware and other file-encrypting infections in the future, follow several simple recommendations:

These techniques are certainly not a cure-all, but they will add an extra layer of ransomware protection to your security setup.

Revise your security status

Post-factum assessment of the accuracy component in malware removal scenarios is a great habit that prevents the comeback of harmful code or replication of its unattended fractions. Make sure you are good to go by running an additional safety checkup. Another benefit of using the antimalware tool is that it will keep ransomware threats from intruding on your computer further on.

Download SamSam removal tool