Do you know what Deal Ransomware is?
You cannot make any deals with the cybercriminals behind Deal Ransomware, but they can try to convince you that they have a deal you cannot pass up. Their main message to you is that they can restore the files that they themselves encrypted. It goes without saying that trusting cybercriminals is like playing with matches on a dry and windy day. What if they are the only ones who can offer you a solution? Yes, at the time of research, it was not possible to decrypt files, but that does not mean that the solution offered by the attackers is the one you should stick to. According to our research team, if you decide to obey the attackers’ demands, you are likely to lose money and get nothing in return for it, and that is why we focus on deleting Deal Ransomware. So, are you interested in the removal of this threat?
Just like RSA Ransomware, VIRUS Ransomware, Asus Ransomware, and hundreds of other file-encryptors, Deal Ransomware comes from the Crysis-Dharma Ransomware group. However, it is most similar to the infamous Phobos Ransomware. While most infections from this family usually recycle the same ransom note with the slight modification in the contacts section, this infection has a unique ransom note. It is delivered in two ways. First of all, we have the “info.txt” file that is likely to be dropped to Desktop for easy access. Second, we have a window that is launched after encryption. A file named “Info.hta” is responsible for this window, and since it is added to the Startup, the window is supposed to launch every time the user restarts Windows. Both the text file and the window display the same message, according to which, a virus is responsible for “locking” your personal files, and now you need to email butters.felicio@aol.com (or ezequielanthon@aol.com) to get help.
Deal Ransomware screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
Do you know what would happen if you contacted the cybercriminals behind Deal Ransomware? They would immediately start pushing you to pay money in return for some kind of a tool that, allegedly, can restore files. Whether or not they push you into doing that, they could also expose you to new scams and new malicious infections. Needless to say, you do not want to expose yourself to cybercriminals, and so if you simply must contact them, create a new email account that you could later on abandon or remove. Of course, we do not recommend emailing the attackers at all because we do not see a point in that. Do you believe that you will be able to recover files after paying the ransom? We doubt that that would happen. Sure, the ransom note informs that third-party software cannot help you and that you could face scammers who might try to offer face services – all of which is true – but you cannot trust their promises. If you pay the ransom, the encrypted files with the “.id[unique number].[butters.felicio@aol.com].deal” extension attached to them are most likely to remain encrypted.
Did you know that Deal Ransomware is most likely to slither into your operating system when you open a corrupted spam email attachment or if your operating system is left vulnerable and unprotected? Needless to say, it is not enough to remove Deal Ransomware. Securing your system is just as important, and, luckily, both issues can be solved at once by implementing anti-malware software. This software would inspect your system, perform removal, and also reestablish full-time protection at the same time. If you are more interested in the manual removal of Deal Ransomware, we have a guide for you below, but remember that you need to perform the first step successfully if you want to perform complete removal.
Delete Deal Ransomware from Windows
- Find and Delete the {unknown name}.exe file that launched the threat. This file could be placed anywhere.
- Move to the Desktop.
- Delete the files named info.txt and Info.hta.
- Launch Explorer by tapping Win+E keys.
- Enter %HOMEDRIVE% into the field at the top.
- Delete the file named Info.hta.
- Delete the {unknown name}.exe file from these folders:
- %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
- %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
- %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
- %LOCALAPPDATA%
- Launch Run by tapping Win+R keys.
- Enter regedit into the box to access Registry Editor.
- Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
- Delete a value associated with the {unknown name}.exe file.
- Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
- Delete a value associated with the {unknown name}.exe file.
- Empty Recycle Bin and then employ a trusted malware scanner to check for leftovers.
In non-techie terms:
You have to deal with the malicious Deal Ransomware as soon as possible, but you have to be smart about it. If you just delete this malware and do nothing else, you will continue to be vulnerable to new attacks. At this point, it is not yet possible to decrypt files that are corrupted by this malware, and while we wait for a free decryptor to drop – which is not guaranteed to happen – we need to remove Deal Ransomware and also secure the entire operating system. If you install anti-malware software, the threat will be deleted automatically, and your system will be protected too. Without a doubt, we suggest taking this route. If you do not want to invest in your virtual security, you will need to erase the infection manually. Regardless of how you choose to erase the infection, if you have backups that can stand in as replacements for the encrypted files, we suggest that you perform removal first.