When Kiratos Ransomware slithers into your operating system, it launches a window that is meant to trick you into thinking that Windows is updating. That is a huge red flag because the operating system does not update randomly. Unfortunately, even if you realize that something is out of the ordinary, it is unlikely that you will be able to stop the threat because once it starts the encryption process, it does not take long to complete it. This starts as soon as the threat is executed, which might happen when you open a file sent to you via spam email.l Security vulnerabilities, malicious downloaders, and even other clandestine threats could help the threat slither into your operating system. Unfortunately, once the encryption process is complete, it appears that nothing can be done. You cannot restore your files even if you delete Kiratos Ransomware. That being said, removing this malware is important, and that is why our research team has created this guide.
Although Kiratos Ransomware is a new infection, our research team informs that it belongs to the STOP Ransomware family. Other threats that belong to it include KEYPASS Ransomware, INFOWAIT Ransomware, and, of course, STOP Ransomware. They all act as file encryptors, and they always go after highly personal files, such as documents and photos. Such files cannot be replaced, which makes them highly valuable to files. Unfortunately, that is what makes them vulnerable too. If you want to make sure that your personal files are always safe, the simplest thing you can do is create backups. Use external drives or cloud storage to keep backup copies safe, and if anything happens to the original files, you will be able to replace them with backups. On the other hand, if backups do not exist, Kiratos Ransomware can be extremely damaging, and that is exactly what its creator expects. If you have no way of recovering files – and, at the time of research, there were no solutions to that – the attackers can demand a ransom.
According to the ransom note, which is delivered using the “_readme.txt” file, all encrypted files (the ones with the “.kiratos” extension appended to their original names) can be restored using special software. It is stated that a decryptor and a decryption key can resolve the issue. Unfortunately, there is no proof that this software exists, and there certainly is no proof that it would be provided to you if you paid the ransom. When it comes to paying the ransom, it is known that it is set at $490 and that the price doubles to $980 after 72 hours. When it comes to the method of payment, there is no information, and attackers want you to email them (vengisto@firemail.cc, vengisto@india.com) or send a message via Telegram (@datarestore). If you decide to do this, you need to understand that you could allow the attackers to send you malware and flood you with spam emails with corrupted attachments or links for years to come. This is a risk you do not want to take. Unfortunately, Kiratos Ransomware is very tricky, and it is unlikely that you can restore your files, but you can remove the infection, and we have a few removal-related tips.
If you know how Kiratos Ransomware was launched on your computer, you probably know where its launcher is. This is the most important file to delete. Of course, there are other components that cannot be forgotten, and you can find the full list in the removal guide below. Overall, removing Kiratos Ransomware manually should not be extremely difficult if you have a little bit of experience. If you do not, you can still delete the infection, and we suggest using anti-malware software. This software is designed to scan the operating system, find every single malicious file, and then perform automatic removal. Beyond that, this software is set up to protect the operating system against malicious threats, and so you want to keep it installed if you do not want to face other file-encryptors, Trojans, and other kinds of malicious threats again.
# | File Name | File Size (Bytes) | File Hash |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 17d0352df816637dcf96b4e9aba32e12f486787f731975b4fa7da0fc273f8c0f.exe | 398336 bytes | MD5: 8cebee5086592386fa86f3ee5bacc0d2 |
# | Process Name | Process Filename | Main module size |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 17d0352df816637dcf96b4e9aba32e12f486787f731975b4fa7da0fc273f8c0f.exe | 17d0352df816637dcf96b4e9aba32e12f486787f731975b4fa7da0fc273f8c0f.exe | 398336 bytes |