3301 Ransomware

3301 Ransomware can show up on your computer without your noticing it and encode your files in order to extort money from you for the decryption key. Unfortunately, without this unique key there is no chance for you to restore your files unless you have a backup stored in a safe place like a removable hard disk. It is probably one of the most dangerous and devastating attacks to get infected by such a ransomware. It is even more worrisome to know that it is usually actually the victim who lets this threat on board and activates it. This malicious program can encrypt all your photos, videos, audios, documents, and archives. The problem is that even if you remove 3301 Ransomware, this will not recover your encrypted files and you may lose them forever. This can be a real painful experience, but you should learn from it if you want to protect your PC from similar attacks in the future.

Cyber criminals are quite creative when it comes to spreading such threats. You may infect your computer, for example by opening a spam e-mail and trying to check its attachment. This attached file could appear to be something very important, such as containing vital information regarding an urgent matter. Therefore, this file may show up as an image of an unpaid fine or invoice, details about a wrongly made online booking, or any other issue that could be of interest to anyone really. The problem is that once you click to view this attachment, this malicious attack will start up and there will be no way back from encrypting your files even if you manage to delete 3301 Ransomware in the end. You should never fully trust your spam filter because it may let such spam mails pass and put them in your spam folder. However, from time to time, even legitimate mails can end up in this folder; therefore, you may check this folder for such mistakenly placed mails. Be more cautious and always double-check with the sender in case you are in doubt.

It is also possible that your attackers use the remote desktop protocol to gain access to your system. You may have remote desktop software on your computer that is weakly configured and these criminals may be able to break your password. You will never see this attack coming as crooks launch it manually behind your back. The only way to avoid such an attack is to configure such software properly and to use strong passwords. Another type of attack involves the application of Exploit Kits (e.g., RIG). You can land on malicious pages rigged with such “deadly” kits after your get redirected by your browser or malware infection on your system. It is possible that you click on a corrupt link or third-part ad on a modified search results page presented by a browser hijacker or any other shady website. These kits can only harm you actually when your browsers and drivers are not updated, which makes it quite clear how you can prevent the next such attack from happening. In any case, we recommend that you remove 3301 Ransomware right away.

Our research shows that this ransomware infection uses the usual AES-256 algorithm and targets all your important files for encryption. The affected files get a “.3301” extension showing the sinister footprints of this threat quite visibly. This malicious program drops three files in the folders where files have been touched: DECRYPT_MY_FILES.HTML, DECRYPT_MY_FILES.vbs, and ID.TXT. The first two files are obviously the ransom notes; the second being an audio ransom note file that reads out laud the demands and instructions of these crooks. The last file contains your personal ID that is needed for you to be able to access further information about the payment.

You have to download the Tor browser in order for you to be able to log in to a website for additional instructions. The ransom note is available in 8 languages, which is quite rare for ransomware infections. These criminals strangely demand an insanely low fee, 0.00036711 BTC, which is around 1.5 US dollars, for you to pay in 7 days. If you fail to do so, your decryption key gets deleted from the remote server and you will lose them forever. Still, we do not encourage you to pay even this little money because you could open new doors for these criminals who could either attack you with more serious threats or go on attacking others. The only legal and important thing for you to do in this case is to remove 3301 Ransomware as fast as you can even if you may lose most of your files. Of course, it is all up to you how you decide.

If you want to manually clean this dangerous program from your system, you can use our guide below as a reference. It is not too complicated to eliminate this threat even if you are not too experienced. Please note that this infection may not be the only one on your system; although, it could be the most severe threat. Still, it is important that you weed out all possible threat sources before you start transferring your clean files from your backup if you have any. For better protection of your PC, we suggest that you install a trustworthy malware removal tool like SpyHunter.

How to remove 3301 Ransomware from Windows

1. Tap Win+E to open File Explorer.
2. Locate the downloaded random-named malicious .exe file and delete it.
3. Bin the DECRYPT_MY_FILES.HTML, DECRYPT_MY_FILES.vbs, and ID.TXT from all affected folders.
4. Search for a file named “iekaewe.exe” in your “%APPDATA%” folder and delete it.
5. Empty your Recycle Bin.
6. Reboot your system.