MafiaWare Ransomware Removal Guide

MafiaWare Ransomware is a dangerous malware infection that can show up on your system without your knowledge even if it is actually you who let it on board. This vicious program can encrypt all your documents and picture files and then, demand a certain amount of ransom fee for you to pay for the decryption key. We have discovered that this malware is indeed a new variant based on the famous Hidden Tear open-source ransomware just like Hidden-Peach Ransomware and HappyLocker Ransomware, which were among the most recent ones. It is possible that a free tool will appear on the web in the near future that will be able to restore your files, but right now it seems that there is no chance for you to save your encrypted files unless you have a backup copy on a portable drive. It can also save you if you use a cloud storage place; however, some ransomware programs can also log in to such an account and encrypt your backup files. This is why the best and most effective way to protect your files is to have an external hard disk that is only connected to your PC when you are saving files. We do not advise you to pay the ransom fee because it is tantamount to supporting cyber crime and it is also always risky since there is no guarantee that you will get anything for your money. If you want to recover your computer, we recommend that you act immediately and remove MafiaWare Ransomware from your system.

When it comes to ransomware infections, it is essential that you understand how such a major threat can enter your computer without your noticing it. Obviously, the best way to prevent such nightmarish attacks from happening is to have a professional anti-malware application, such as SpyHunter. But, if you are more cautious, you can also do a lot for the protection of your computer. This vicious infection was found to spread in spam e-mails. This is in fact the most widely used method for cyber criminals to spread ransomware infections. Such a mail usually contains a Trojan or the malicious executable disguised as an image or document attachment.

While it is possible that such an infection is dropped and activated directly after you simply click on the spam to open it, most of the time you need to click at least three times before that happens. In these cases, it is the last click that actually initiates this devastating attack when you run the downloaded attachment. How do criminals convince you to do so? Well, they use deception as a weapon and also count on your curiosity. This spam, for example, can seem to come from the police or any other authority that you would consider important or urgent to reply to but, most of all, authentic. The sender can also be any well-known company that would not raise doubts in you. Then, the subject matter is the other key element as this is what will really make you feel that you must see this mail and its attachment right away. This can be any matter that would have this effect for most people, including an unpaid fine, an unauthorized use of your credit cards, problems with a booking (hotel room or flight ticket), and so on. It is quite likely that you could not resist this kind of temptation and you would download and view the attached file. But you should remember that when you get to remove MafiaWare Ransomware, it means that it has revealed itself, i.e., the encryption of your files is done. This cannot be undone by deleting this malware infection.

Once you click to view the malicious executable file, which could seem to be an image of an invoice in question, this malicious attack is activated and all your picture and document files get encrypted. Our research indicates that this ransomware uses a combination of the AES and RSA algorithms to encrypt your files. The affected files get a ".locked-by-mafia" extension, which clearly shows that you are dealing with this ransomware. This infection drops a ransom note text file onto your desktop called "READ_ME.txt." This is a short notification that informs you about the attack and that you have to send $155 (0.18 BTC) to the provided Bitcoin wallet address. Once you are done with the transfer, you have to send the proof to "dompetpresiden@gmail.com" and you are supposed to get the decryption key; however, this is not discussed in this ransom note. Although this may not be a huge amount for you to pay for your files to be recovered, we need to tell you that there is little chance that you will get anything from these criminals. Since there have been tools emerging for other Hidden Tear variants that can restore files, it is also possible that such software will soon hit the web, although we cannot say this for sure. We believe that the best you can do now is delete MafiaWare Ransomware and recover your files from your backup, if you have any.

It is not too complicated to remove MafiaWare Ransomware from your computer no matter how dangerous this threat is. In fact, it is quite logical that once your files are encrypted, these criminals could not care less about what happens to their malicious program. We have found that deleting the downloaded malicious attachment can put an end to this nightmarish infection. Please use our guide below if you would like to do this manually. Of course, you can also choose to apply an automated solution such as an anti-malware program that will also safeguard your PC from future malware attacks. Hopefully, this was a good lesson and you see now how easy it is to infect your computer with such a vicious program and what kind of damage it can do to your files. If you want to secure your files, it is highly recommended that you keep a regular backup on an external drive.

How to remove MafiaWare Ransomware from Windows

1. Press Win+E.
2. Locate the malicious file you downloaded and launched. It could have a random name.
3. Delete the file.
4. Empty your Recycle Bin.
5. Restart your computer.