As already stated, the ransom note will emphasize that MAAK ransomware has succeeded in encrypting the entire database of the compromised computer using a sophisticated encryption key.In order to restore files, a matching decryption key is needed, however, it can’t be easily guessed or brute-forced. Therefore, the only way out for the victim, if they hope to recover their files, will be to pay ransom to the cybercriminals. Also enclosed in the message are two email addresses (support@sysmail.ch and helpsupportmanager@airmail.cc) the victim will be expected to use in communicating with them. The note will also mention the specific amount to be paid by the victim as well as the terms of payment attached to it. In order to pressurize the victim to pay without delay, they will give a condition that if the victim could comply within 72 hours i.e. 3 days, they would be entitled to a 50% ransom fee slash, in other words, instead of having to pay $980, they would pay only $490. However, failure to pay within the given time means only the full amount will be acceptable. If the victim commences discussion with them, they will further instruct him that payment can only be made with cryptocurrency. The victim would have to purchase cryptocurrency that is worth the ransom fee and transfer it to their wallet address. They usually use such medium simply because of the anonymity it gives thus preventing any chance of being tracked down and arrested. To impress the victim about their expertise, they may suggest for an excerpt of the encrypted file to be sent to them for test decryption. Nevertheless, our in-house cybersecurity experts strongly advise against any form of ransom payment, no matter the pressure. Other reputable cybersecurity experts, including the FBI, also belong to this school of thought. There are different reasons why victims are cautioned against paying ransom to cybercriminals, and they include the following:

There is no guarantee you will recover your lost data even after paying ransom to the cybercriminals.The more victims pay the ransom, the more cybercriminals increase in numbers and attack even more people.There is a high chance you will be given fake decryption tools or totally ignored once you pay ransom to cybercriminals.

In addition, the malware equally releases Trojans such as VIDAR and AZORULT on the already compromised computer to covertly steal vital personal information like banking details, software account login details, browsing history, cryptocurrency wallets, and passwords, among others. Obtaining of such sensitive data may also be used for stealing or blackmail purposes. Victims of this STOP/DJVU variant should hasten up and remove MAAK ransomware virus as soon as possible. This can be done with the use of any strong and updated antivirus software. However, it is also important to use Safe Mode with Networking option because it will open up your computer system and enable the antivirus to detect and completely remove all trace of the virus. Our team recommends a well-reviewed software for malware removal and computer protection – INTEGO Antivirus. As an additional step, we advise downloading this tool – RESTORO to identify virus damage on Windows OS files. The full software version repairs damaged Windows OS files without the need to reinstall the operating system.

Ransomware Summary

REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE

Ransomware distribution techniques you need to know

In terms of numbers, the majority of computer users become victims of STOP/DJVU ransomware variants, including MAAK virus, after making downloads from malicious torrents. Cybercriminals make use of pirated software copies as bait in those online torrents platforms and those trying to download fake generators or “cracks” end up becoming victims. Data gathered over the years have shown that deceptive “cracks” and other fake license activation tools rank high among those often used. Listed below, in no particular order, are some of the cloned software copies cybercriminals often upload to online torrents platforms:

KMSPico (illegal Windows activation tool).Cubase;Tenorshare 4ukey;AutoCad;Opera browser;Corel Draw;VMware Workstation;Fifa 20;Adobe Illustrator;League of Legends;Internet Download Manager;Adobe Photoshop.

At this point, it has become quite clear that going to software torrents online for the purpose of downloading software is a dangerous activity. Some people find it attractive to search for free torrents online for software downloads because they feel it offers software content at very little or no costs, but doing so can be likened to stealing since you’re illegally obtaining copyrighted software content. Therefore, aside from the risks of becoming a victim of ransomware, you could also be prosecuted on the grounds of copyright infringement which is a punishable criminal offence. Instead of passing through such landmines, it is a lot more convenient and risk-free to visit the official platforms of original software developers or their endorsed third-party agents and pay the required fee to obtain it legally. The token you pay will help the industry to grow and it is nowhere near the outrageous ransom cybercriminals ask their victims to pay and neither will you lose your sensitive/vital data. Another popular ransomware distribution method computer users should avoid is malicious email attachments. In this method, cybercriminals would create highly believable messages and also attach well-designed documents using formats such as DOCX, PDF and XLS. They make use of these particular formats because they enable JavaScript and macro functions that could be released externally as payload on other computers. Victims of STOP/DJVU ransomware should be wary of any website claiming to offer decryption solutions because such rarely exist. Trying to use any of these fake STOP/DJVU decryptors can cause further damage like the spread of other ransomware variants such as ZORAB. Downloading them may lead to double encryption of your files.

Technical details about the virus

Some victims have wondered about the extent of damage that may have occurred to their computer during the MAAK ransomware attack, and this section will explain it in detail. The first thing a malware does after infecting a computer system is to establish [4 random-characters].exe, build.exe or build2.exe executables and would follow it up by setting up winupdate.exe i.e. the prompt that displays dummy Windows update screen. It then makes a connection with https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json and saves the result in geo.json file. After that, it will commence information gathering on every detail concerning your computer, including its time zone, geolocation, zip code, longitude and latitude and other relevant data. All these details would be sent to their database. The image below is a good example of geo.json file. The malware also takes a snapshot of victim’s desktop, and creates information.txt file which comprises computer’s hardware details, installed software list and active processes. Both files will be sent to the attackers’ Command&Control server. You can see a screenshot of this file down below. By making use of the computer’s geo-location, the ransomware will profile it against their own list of selected encryption-exempted countries (Belarus, Russia, Syria, Kazachstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Armenia). If it indicates positive to any of these countries, the ransomware will immediately stop any further action. However, if it shows negative, it means the coast is clear for a ransomware attack, and it will fully commence it by fetching an online encryption key from their central server and would compile it with the victim’s ID before eventually sending them to bowsakkdestx.txt file and also to PersonalID.txt file for safekeeping. The screenshot below depicts an example of these files. If by any chance the malware fails to extract an online encryption ID, it will automatically resort to the use of an offline encryption ID. The difference between the two is that while online encryption ID is unique/distinct for every victim, offline encryption ID on the other hand, is a one-size-fits-all given to every victim of a particular ransomware variant. The implication is that unlike online encryption ID, an offline encryption ID increases the chance of a successful decryption of .maak files from now on. To detect if an offline key was used in encrypting your data, check to see if there are t1 characters appearing at the end of the personal ID created for you. More information about this is provided below the article or in this detailed guide. The ransomware will at this point commence full data encryption by scanning all folders and encrypting them with Salsa20 before using RSA-2048 key to lock the encryption. While this is ongoing, it will mark the files with additional extension which distinguishes this specific malware variant. The image below shows a screenshot of _readme.txt ransom note the virus leaves in all the folders. The next thing it does is to delete Volume Shadow Copies using the Command Prompt task as shown here: vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet In completing the circle, the virus will compile names of some domains and will forward them to the Windows HOSTS file and attach them to the localhost IP. It takes this step in order to effectively prevent the victim from having access to those blacklisted sites where they could get help online. Any attempt made to reach them will bring up a DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error message.

Remove MAAK Ransomware Virus and Recover Your Files

We advise victims of ransomware attack to remove MAAK ransomware from their computer as quickly as possible and also report the incident to the local office of any government law enforcement agency responsible for taking care of such issues. For a more detailed approach, please consider taking the steps outlined below:

Initiate MAAK ransomware virus removal without delay using strong antivirus software.Reach out to the relevant government law enforcement agency nearest to you and report the situation.Make use of your back device to restore lost data.Change all passwords that were directly or remotely used on the compromised computer.Consider going for tutorials to understand if/how STOP/DJVU variants affected data can be decrypted or repaired.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here.

Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking

Before you try to remove MAAK Ransomware Virus virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, if you prefer a video version of the tutorial, check our guide How to Start Windows in Safe Mode on Youtube. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users Now, you can search for and remove MAAK Ransomware Virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable security program such as INTEGO Antivirus. For virus damage repair, consider using RESTORO.

Method 2. Use System Restore

In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won’t be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future.

Alternative software recommendations

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense If you’re looking for an all-in-one system maintenance suite that has 7 core components providing powerful real-time protection, on-demand malware removal, system optimization, data recovery, password manager, online privacy protection and secure driver wiping technology. Therefore, due to its wide-range of capabilities, System Mechanic Ultimate Defense deserves Geek’s Advice approval. Get it now for 50% off. You may also be interested in its full review.

Disclaimer. This site includes affiliate links. We may earn a small commission by recommending certain products, at no additional cost for you. We only choose quality software and services to recommend.

Decrypt MAAK files

Fix and open large MAAK files easily:

It is reported that STOP/DJVU ransomware versions encrypt only the beginning 150 KB of each file to ensure that the virus manages to affect all files on the system. In some cases, the malicious program might skip some files at all. That said, we recommend testing this method on several big (>1GB) files first.

STOP/DJVU decryption tool usage guide

STOP/DJVU ransomware versions are grouped into old and new variants. MAAK Ransomware Virus is considered the new STOP/DJVU variant, just like BPTO, ISWR, ISZA, BPSM, ZOUU, MBTF, ZNSM (find full list here). This means full data decryption is now possible only if you have been affected by offline encryption key. To decrypt your files, you will have to download Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP DJVU, a tool created and maintained by a genius security researcher Michael Gillespie. Note! Please do not spam the security researcher with questions whether he can recover your files encrypted with online key - it is not possible. In order to test the tool and see if it can decrypt MAAK files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The MAAK decryption tool might display several different messages after failed attempt to restore your files. You might receive one of the following messages: Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [example ID] This message typically means that there is no corresponding decryption key in the decryptor’s database. No key for New Variant online ID: [example ID]Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible This message informs that your files were encrypted with online key, meaning no one else has the same encryption/decryption key pair, therefore data recovery without paying the criminals is impossible. Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future. If you were informed that an offline key was used, but files could not be restored, it means that the offline decryption key isn’t available yet. However, receiving this message is extremely good news, meaning that it might be possible to restore your MAAK extension files in the future. It can take a few months until the decryption key gets found and uploaded to the decryptor. We recommend you to follow updates regarding the decryptable DJVU versions here. We strongly recommend backing up your encrypted data and waiting.

Victims of MAAK Ransomware Virus should report the Internet crime incident to the official government fraud and scam website according to their country:

In the United States, go to the On Guard Online website.In Australia, go to the SCAMwatch website.In Germany, go to the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik website.In Ireland, go to the An Garda Síochána website.In New Zealand, go to the Consumer Affairs Scams website.In the United Kingdom, go to the Action Fraud website.In Canada, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.In India, go to Indian National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.In France, go to the Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information.

If you can’t find an authority corresponding to your location on this list, we recommend using any search engine to look up “[your country name] report cyber crime”. This should lead you to the right authority website. We also recommend staying away from third-party crime report services that are often paid. It costs nothing to report Internet crime to official authorities. Another recommendation is to contact your country’s or region’s federal police or communications authority.