Ann Ransomware Removal Guide

Ann Ransomware is a malicious program that can be documented under a different name as well. Our research team says that this is just another name for AskHelp@protonmail.com Ransomware. If you are wondering why the same program has several names, it usually depends on the researchers who discover and document these infections. Ransomware programs seldom come with “official” names. So usually the researcher to discover the infection gives it the name. Hence, more than two titles for Ann Ransomware.

Either way, the removal process is still the same no matter which name you use to research the infection. The bottom line is that you have to delete this infection from your computer as soon as possible.

Based on what we know about this infection, Ann Ransomware is another version of Matrix Ransomware. It is very often that we find new versions of previously released infections. It used to be like that when rogue antispyware programs were all the rage, too. However, while we could use the same methods to destroy entire families of rogue antispyware applications, we cannot apply the same tactics to ransomware families because each infection is unique.

Therefore, if there is a public decryption tool available for any of the previously released Matrix family infections, it will not work on Ann Ransomware. Users need to rely on their own file backup (if they have one). Here, once again, we would like to emphasize the importance of saving copies of your files as you go. You can save them on an external hard drive or a virtual storage drive. The most important thing is that you should have access to healthy copies of your files if something happens to your computer.

Getting infected with Ann Ransomware can be a very challenging experience because this program blocks your access to your files. When it enters your computer, the program displays a console window where it shows the encryption progress. In other words, you literally watch real-time how you lose access to your files. During the encryption, this program adds a very long extension to the affected files, so you will see immediately that something has changed. Also, every affected directory will have a ransom note, too.

The ransom note looks like your regular notification one gets from such a program. It says that your files were “encrypted with AES-128+RSA-2048 crypto algorithms. There is no way to decrypt your files without unique decryption keys and special software. Your unique decryption key is securely stored on our server. For our safety, information about your server and your decryption key will be automatically DELETED AFTER 7 DAYS!”

As you can see, the infection gives you a week to contact these criminals and pay for the decryption key. However, it is more than obvious that paying is not an option because no one can guarantee that these criminals would issue the decryption key. And also, the malicious server might go down before you even try contacting them. Therefore, it is a lot better to remove Ann Ransomware from the system, and then look for other ways to decrypt or restore the affected files. In some cases, it might be necessary to start collecting your document library from scratch again.

How to Delete Ann Ransomware

1. Press Win+R and type %AppData%. Click OK.
2. Remove random-name .bmp, .vbs, and .bat files from the directory.
3. Delete unfamiliar log files from your Desktop.
4. Go to the Downloads folder.
5. Delete the most recently downloaded files.
6. Scan your computer with a security tool.