GandCrab 5 Ransomware

GandCrab 5 Ransomware is one malicious pest. It slithers in silently, and then it encrypts files using a complex algorithm that cannot be decoded. That means that once files are encrypted, there is nothing anyone can do. You are in a truly sticky situation if your files are not backed up. What if they are? If copies of your files are stored in cloud drives or external drives, you have little to worry about. Sure, your operating system is infected with a serious threat that must be deleted as soon as possible, and you need to rethink the protection of your operating system, but at least your files are fine. If backups do not exist, you might lose it all. Of course, the developer of the infection wants you to believe that you can recover all files by paying a ransom, but you should know better than to trust cyber criminals. If you think that all of their promises should be taken seriously, you are mistaken. All in all, whether or not backups exist, and you can restore files, you have to remove GandCrab 5 Ransomware, as well as secure your operating system to prevent malware from attacking again. We can help you with that.

The number “5” in the name of GandCrab 5 Ransomware indicates that it is the fifth version of the malicious infection. The predecessors include GandCrab Ransomware, Gandcrab2 Ransomware, Gandcrab 3 Ransomware, and GandCrab4 Ransomware (also known as Gandcrab V4). For the most part, they work the same, but minor differences can be observed. The distribution can be unique in every case, but our research team warns that several different methods can be applied. This malware can be distributed using software bundles, fake cracks, malvertising attacks, and, of course, spam. Another thing that these infections have in common is that they ALL require removal. When it comes to differences, if we compare GandCrab 5 Ransomware with the variant that came before it, we can see that the ransom note can be presented in the TXT format, instead of just the HTML format. This file is created as soon as the infection slithers in and encrypts all files. When files are encrypted, a unique combination of 5 letters is attached to the original names. The same combination of letters can also be seen in the name of the ransom note file. For example, if the extension is “.abcde,” the name of the ransom note file is “ABCDE-DECRYPT.txt.” The letters are capitalized.

You should delete the TXT file because it belongs to the ransomware, but you can do it when you start the removal process. Before that, you can open the file because it is not malicious. It’s what you do with the information in the file that really matters. According to the message inside the file, all files with the added extension are encrypted (which is true), and you can recover them only if you purchase a “unique private key.” At the time of research, the price of the said key was 800 USD, and it was supposed to be paid in DASH, which is a cryptocurrency. Although, at the time, no money had been transferred to the allocated crypto wallet, it might be a matter of time before the first victim is convinced to make a payment. You, of course, shouldn’t go along with this because you do not want to lose your money along with your files. Our warning is that you wouldn’t get the GandCrab 5 Ransomware decryptor if you paid for it.

It appears that GandCrab 5 Ransomware does not create other files besides the original launcher, the ransom note file, and a BMP file that changes the Desktop wallpaper (it contains a short message that you must pay for a decryptor). Although there aren’t many components that require removal, eliminating the existing ones can be complicated. Hopefully, you can find the launcher via the running processes; otherwise, you might want to delete GandCrab 5 Ransomware with the assistance of anti-malware software. What does this software do? First and foremost, it protects against malware, which means that it can stop file-encrypting threats against slithering in again. Second, it can automatically remove threats that already exist. If you put the two and two together, you should see that you can really benefit from installing and using this software.

GandCrab 5 Ransomware Removal

1. Simultaneously tap keys Ctrl+Shift+Esc to launch Task Manager.
2. Click the Processes tab and check for unfamiliar processes.
3. If you identify [unknown name] process that belongs to ransomware, right-click it.
4. Choose Open file location to find the launcher [unknown name].exe file.
5. Terminate the process and Delete the launcher file.
6. Delete the [unknown name].BMP file that replaced your Desktop wallpaper.
7. Delete the [5 random letters]-DECRYPT.txt file.
8. Empty Recycle Bin and then quickly download a legitimate malware scanner.
9. Perform a full system scan to check if you have successfully cleaned your system.