Do you know what Santa Encryptor ransomware is?
Santa Encryptor is a deceptive infection that is aimed at encrypting victims' files stored in various directories. If you have the Santa Encryptor ransomware on the computer, do not follow its requirements to pay a ransom because this malware is still in development, and it is not capable of encrypting files. The malware is supposed to scare you into thinking that you cannot access your files, including video files, pictures, documents, etc. The encryption is said to be carried out using AES-256 encryption, but, according to the latest research, the ransomware is attempting to use XOR encryption. The Santa Encryptor ransomware should be removed from the computer without delay. On top of that, the system should be shielded from malware and ransomware attacks. The fact that you are dealing with this ransomware implies that your PC is not properly protected against computer threats. If you are eager to remove Santa Encrytor, move down to the very bottom for our removal guide.
Once on the computer, the Santa Encryptor threat, which is coded using the .NET framework, attempts to encrypt files and eventually fails. The code of the infection has shown that someone behind the infection has target files such as .txt, .doc .odt, .pages, to mention just a few. If Santa Encryptor was capable of encrypting all your files, you would not be able to open your photos, Excel and Word documents, video files, etc. In any case, it is important not to panic. Ransomware creators seek to scare their victims into thinking that they have to take immediate actions, that is to pay the ransom, to regain their access to their data. So far, a lot of businesses have spent considerable amounts of money on ransoms hoping to regain their lost data. However, little do cyber criminals care about their victims. Paying up is highly inadvisable, because there are no guarantees that the encrypted files will be restored back to normal.
Santa Encryptor Ransomware screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
According to the ransom warning of the Santa Encryptor ransomware, in order to have all the encrypted files restored, it is necessary to pay a fee of $150 in Bitcoin. This digital currency has become the currency of cyber criminals because of anonymous and barely traceable money transactions. Bitcoin is a currency that belongs to everyone and is not governed by anyone. The fact that the currency is decentralized is very appealing to cyber fraudsters, who have earned substantial revenues over the last years. In some ransomware attackers, cyber crooks provides victims with instructions how to purchase Bitcoins. Additionally, the address of the digital wallet, or account, to which the release fee has to be paid is given in the warning. The victims of the Santa Encryptor ransomware are given the account 3GwQqxAy9EtRGxJAGyhuXEAgQCDNtSMovu. Since the Santa Encryptor ransomware does not encode your files, you should not worry about decryption. All that you should focus on is the removal of this threat, and the sooner you take action, the better. Moreover, you should not keep the operating system unprotected so that it does not get infected again with a new threat.
It is possible to minimize the risk of getting the computer infected by taking some preventative measures. Ransomware can be spread in several ways. For example, very often people get caught by deceptive emails, also called phishing emails, that seem to be sent by some service provider. It is crucial to ignore questionable emails and their content, including links and file attachments. Additionally, it is important to use only trusted software from reliable source. You should also keep in mind that the system needs to be updated whenever a new patch is released so as not to make yourself an easy target for malware. On top of that, it is also essential to keep the system protected by powerful antimalware. Malware gets onto computer stealthily, and you may not suspect that some PC threat is running in the background.
To have the Santa Encryptor malware removed, you should implement our recommended security program, which identifies threats of different types, including adware, browser hijackers, spyware programs, and many others. It is possible to remove Santa Encryptor manually, which you can achieve by removing the executable of the threat. However, if you do not implement any security tool after removing the Santa Encrytor ransomware, you risk your valuable data.
How to remove Santa Encryptor Ransomware
- Close the program window of Santa Encryptor.
- Check the desktop for malicious files and delete questionable files.
- Check the Downloads folder for malicious files.
In non-techie terms:
Santa Encryptor is a ransomware infection that accesses your PC without your knowledge to encrypt files and hold them hostage. In reality, the Santa Encryptor ransomware fails to encrypt files. The threat displays a ransom warning asking for a release fee of $150 in Bitcoin, but instead of paying up, remove the infection and make sure to back up your files on a regular basis.