Do you know what '.twist File Extension' Ransomware is?
Our team of malware researchers has recently discovered a new ransomware infection. It has been named '.twist File Extension' Ransomware because it adds the .[twist@airmail.cc].twist extension to files it encrypts. Yes, this malicious application is one of those infections that enter users’ computers to lock their personal files. We do not know for sure whether it has been developed to obtain money from users, or it is used just, for example, for educational purposes, but we are 100% sure that you must erase this malicious application from your computer if you ever encounter it. You need to delete it as soon as possible no matter it demands money from your or not. Our specialists could not find evidence that '.twist File Extension' Ransomware is sophisticated malware, so its removal should not be something very difficult either. Of course, we still recommend reading this report till the end first before taking any further action.
Ransomware infections are such threats that illegally enter users’ computers, but, unlike some other harmful malicious applications, they do not perform their activities in the background, so users find out about their entrance soon. Without a doubt, they first find out that they can no longer open the majority of their files, and they all have a new extension .[twist@airmail.cc].twist. After successfully encrypting users’ personal files, '.twist File Extension' Ransomware might also drop How_Decrypt_Files.txt, specialists say. It is a file that contains a message for users. You might be told that the only way to decrypt files affected by the ransomware infection is to pay money for its developer, but you should ignore such a message completely and, instead, remove the ransomware infection from your computer right away. Never send money to cyber criminals no matter what kind of ransomware infection you encounter because you will not only encourage crooks to continue developing new threats, but there are also no guarantees that they will give you the tool to decrypt files once they get what they want from you. Keep in mind that malware will not be deleted from your system even if you pay money for cyber criminals.
If you see your files having a new extension .[twist@airmail.cc].twist, it means that they have already been locked by '.twist File Extension' Ransomware. Unfortunately, it will not be that easy to decrypt those files. To tell you the truth, it might be even impossible to do that because free decryption software is not available, and, on top of that, there are no guarantees that cyber criminals will give you the decryptor if you send money to them. The only thing you can do if you do not want to spend money on the decryption tool you might not even receive is restoring files from a backup. Needless to say, you could not do that if you have never backed up a single file.
'.twist File Extension' Ransomware has not affected many computers yet, so it is still hard to talk about the methods used to spread it; however, our specialists still have what to say about this. According to them, this ransomware infection should be spread via spam emails as well. Also, it might be possible to download it from the web. If you want to prevent this nasty infection from entering your system, do not open spam emails, especially if they contain attachments. In addition, download software only from those pages that are 100% trustworthy. Our security specialists also recommend installing security software so that even the sneakiest infections could not enter the system unnoticed.
You should be able to remove '.twist File Extension' Ransomware from your computer by deleting the file you have downloaded and launched recently, i.e. the malicious file; however, we suggest that you perform a system scan with an antimalware scanner as well so that you would not leave any traces of the ransomware infection on your computer.
How to remove '.twist File Extension' Ransomware
- Press Win+R.
- Type %USERPROFILE%\Downloads in the command line and click OK.
- Locate the malicious file that has launched '.twist File Extension' Ransomware on your system.
- Delete it.
- Remove the ransom note How_Decrypt_Files.txt from your Desktop (if it is there).
- Empty Recycle bin.
- Scan your system with an antimalware scanner.
In non-techie terms:
'.twist File Extension' Ransomware is a malicious application that might enter your system one day and mercilessly encrypt your files if you keep your PC unprotected. Ransomware infections are usually developed by cyber criminals for money extortion, but we cannot guarantee that it is the case with '.twist File Extension' Ransomware as well. In any event, it is a dangerous threat that will not miss an opportunity to lock files stored on victims’ computers, so if you have not encountered it yet, do whatever it takes to prevent it from entering your system.