Karmen Ransomware

The malicious Karmen Ransomware is not playing games. When this dangerous threat slithers into the targeted operating system, it immediately encrypts the personal files found on it. The encryption is strong, and the victim cannot undo the damage themselves. If the ransomware is successful, it introduces the victims to demands that instruct paying a ransom. Have you encountered this malicious ransomware as well? If you have, your files should have the “.grt” extension attached to them. Luckily, the threat does not rename your files to confuse you, and it does not threaten to delete them if you do not pay the ransom. Regardless, this infection is extremely dangerous, and the files it encrypts might be unrecoverable. To learn more about the encryption process, please continue reading. You should also read if you want to learn how to remove Karmen Ransomware.

Karmen Ransomware comes from the Hidden Tear family, in which all threats were built using the same source code. Unfortunately, new infections from this family emerge nearly every day, and we do not know if this will stop. Ransomware infections have been proven to be extremely profitable, and so it is not surprising that cyber criminals are creating new ransomware all the time. Other “members” of the Hidden Tear family include Gc47 Ransomware, Enjey Crypter Ransomware, and Redants Ransomware. In most cases, these infections are spread via spam emails, but their launchers could also be represented by malicious installers. The infiltration of the malicious Karmen Ransomware is likely to be silent or unrecognizable, and you are likely to learn that this threat is active only after it reveals itself. Unfortunately, in this case, your files are already corrupted.

At the time of research, the malicious Karmen Ransomware was only capable of encrypting document files (e.g., .txt, .sql, or .doc), but it should be able to encrypt all kinds of personal files. As mentioned previously, the “.grt” extension should be attached to the files after their encryption, and that should make it easier to spot which ones were corrupted. No additional files are created, but the threat can open a window with more information using its main .exe file. According to the information presented via the window – by the way, you can choose the English or the German version – your files will be decrypted only if you pay a ransom. In our case, the malicious ransomware demanded a ransom of 0.25 Bitcoins, which is around 270 USD, but the sum might be personalized. Overall, the creator of the threat demands a lot of money in return of a decryption tool that we do not even know to exist.

Karmen Ransomware modifies the Windows Registry to ensure that its main .exe file is up and running as soon as you start your operating system. The file that the ransomware uses should be placed in the %TEMP% folder, and its name might be “decrypt.exe”. This is the file that you need to remove from your operating system right away. Notably, you cannot just close the window that the infection displays using the file. In order to close it you need to find and terminate the malicious process with the same name as the file first. Are you thinking about deleting Karmen Ransomware manually? If that is the case, you can move on to the guide below to get rid of this infection right away. Note that the initial launcher file might have a different name, and its location is unique. If you are not able to find and delete it yourself, use a legitimate and reliable anti-malware tool instead.

Although many users might be able to delete Karmen Ransomware manually, that is not the only or the best option. Our researchers strongly recommend using anti-malware software. Needless to say, it is important for the protection of your operating system, but it is also capable of automatically removing malicious components that are active on your PC right now. If you choose this option, make sure you acquire and employ software you can trust. Also, to keep your operating system guarded at all times, you need to keep up with the security updates. If you have any questions for our research team, post them in the comments section below, and we will try to assist you as soon as possible.

Karmen Ransomware Removal

1. Right-click and Delete the .exe file that has executed the ransomware.
2. Launch Task Manager by tapping Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
3. Move to the Processes tab, select the malicious process, and click End task/process.
4. Launch Explorer by tapping Win+E keys.
5. Enter %TEMP% into the bar at the top.
6. Right-click and Delete the malicious file called decrypt.exe (the name might be different).
7. Launch RUN by tapping Win+R and then enter regedit.exe to open Registry Editor.
8. Move to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run (or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run).
9. Right-click and Delete the value called DecryptFiles (the name might be different).
10. Immediately perform a full system scan to check for leftovers.