GandCrab 5 LOADER Removal Guide

GandCrab 5 LOADER is a vessel for the malicious GandCrab Ransomware to attack your operating system. The loader executes the infection on the infected system silently, and then it can start encrypting files, after which, a huge ransom is introduced to victims. One important thing to note is that this is not a specific name of a loader, and, in fact, many different loaders could be employed for the execution of the infection. A loader is a Trojan client with extremely basic functionality that, basically, allows the threat to download and execute malware. In most cases, loaders belong to third parties who sell them or their services to execute malicious infections. That means that the same loader can be used to execute a ton of different threats. Unfortunately, deleting GandCrab 5 LOADER is not so easy because it is likely to stay off the radar. That being said, you must remove it before the ransomware is executed. If that has already happened, you also need to remove the ransomware.

If you are not familiar with GandCrab Ransomware, let us introduce you to this malicious infection. It is a file-encryptor, and that means that it modifies the data of the files it targets to make them unreadable. To reverse the situation, a special decryption key is required, and only the creator of the encryptor can do it. This is what is used to terrorize victims and demand a huge ransom from them. Although there are several different versions of the ransomware, it appears that its creators always initially request $800 to be transferred in DASH straight into the pocket of attackers. DASH is a crypto-currency comparable to Bitcoin or Monero. If the victim does not pay right away, the ransom goes up to $1,600. Whether you pay the initial price or the double one, you will not get the decryptor. Third-party tools cannot help. Decrypting files manually is not an option either. Basically, if your files are encrypted, you are in big trouble, and that is why you want to remove GandCrab 5 LOADER before it executes.

According to our research team, GandCrab Ransomware can use vulnerabilities (e.g., within Jboss and WebLogic server), exploits (e.g., Struts, Rig, and Grandsoft), weak password protocols, and spam email with corrupted file attachments or links to slither in. Since GandCrab is RaaS (ransomware-as-a-service), any number of variants could exist, and different parties controlling these variants could use different points of entry. Different versions of GandCrab 5 LOADER could be used too. At the time of research, it was not possible to find a loader that actually executed the infection; however, evidence points to the Ascentor Loader. It did not carry the ransomware at the time of research (at least not in our region), but we show you how to remove it just in case. If this is not the GandCrab 5 LOADER you need to remove, consider employing an anti-malware program to help you with detection and elimination.

If you want to learn how to remove GandCrab 5 LOADER, the first thing you need to do is figure out which loader has invaded your vulnerable operating system. We suggest doing that with the help of a trusted anti-malware scanner if you cannot do it yourself. The guide below shows how to delete the Ascentor Loader. After you take care of that, delete GandCrab Ransomware, which is easiest to do using an anti-malware program. If you want to do that manually, use the guide that is available on our site (click the hyperlink above). Finally, secure your system. If you do not take care of that, you are bound to face malicious threats again and again. Once more, we advise utilizing anti-malware software for that. If you have any questions about the loader, the ransomware, the removal process, or the security of your operating system, do not hesitate to contact us.

How to delete GandCrab 5 LOADER (Ascentor)

1. Right-click the Taskbar and click Start Task Manager.
2. Go to the Processes tab, find the malicious process, and right-click it.
3. Click Open file location to find the malicious .exe file (%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\[5 random characters].exe could be it).
4. Go back to the Task Manager, select the malicious process, and click End process.
5. Go to the malicious .exe file, right-click it, and click Delete.
6. Exit Task Manager and then launch RUN (tap Win+R keys).
7. Enter regedit.exe and click OK to launch Registry Editor.
8. Navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
9. Right-click and Delete the malicious value linked to the malicious .exe file.
10. Exit the Registry Editor, then Empty Recycle Bin, and, finally, run a full system scan to check for leftovers.