Mespinoza Ransomware

Mespinoza Ransomware is a malicious application that might spread among employees of various organizations. What makes us believe that the malware could be targeted at work computers is a particular question and answer provided in the threat’s ransom note. This message should be displayed as soon as the malicious application finishes encrypting data located in specific directories. As a result, affected files should become unusable. There is only one way to restore them, which is decrypt them with special decryption tools. Sadly, such tools are hard to come by as the hackers behind this malware might be the only ones who could provide them. However, we believe they may ask for a ransom in return. If you want to learn more about this threat and what you could do if you receive it, we invite you to read our full article. Also, if you want your system to be malware-free again, you may wish to use our provided removal instructions that show how to erase Mespinoza Ransomware manually.

Our researchers think that the malicious application in question could be received with any recently downloaded or obtained file. Since many hackers distribute their threats via Spam emails and unreliable file-sharing websites, the Mespinoza Ransomware's installer could be spread through such channels too. Because of this, we advise being extra cautious with data received via email. If you were not expecting to receive an attachment, you should scan it with a reliable antimalware tool to make sure it is not harmful. Also, it is recommendable to keep away from file-sharing websites that spread torrents, pirated software, and material alike if you do not want to download malware accidentally.

If Mespinoza Ransomware appears on a system, it should start looking for data it could encrypt in the %USERPROFILE%, %APPDATA%, %HOMEDRIVE%, and %PROGRAMFILES% directories. According to our specialists, the malicious application encrypts all files, except ones that have the following extensions: .sys, .exe, and .dll. After it encrypts a data, it should mark it with the .locked extension, for example, document.pdf.locked. A bit later, the malware should drop files containing the same ransom notes in every directory that has encrypted data. The hacker’s message should start with: “Hi Company, Every byte on any types of your devices was encrypted.” The couple sentences displayed after this quote should say that it is impossible to restore files from backups. Also, it is supposed to say that users who wish to restore encrypted data should email hackers to alanson_street8@protonmail.com or lambchristoffer@protonmail.com.

We mentioned that our researchers believe the malware could be spread among various organizations. That is not only because the Mespinoza Ransomware’s ransom note starts with “Hi, Company,” but also because its FAQ section contains the following question: “What to tell my boss?” no doubt, if a work computer gets infected with this threat, a lot of documents and other valuable or sensitive files could get encrypted and become unusable. Even so, we advise not to rush to contact the threat’s developers. It is likely that they will ask to pay a ransom as money extortion is, usually, the primary purpose of creating and spreading ransomware. Moreover, the price could be huge, and since there are no guarantees, the needed decryption tools will be delivered, the money you pay could be lost for nothing.

If you decide that paying a ransom could be too risky, we advise deleting Mespinoza Ransomware along with its ransom notes. After the system is clean again, encrypted files could be replaced with copies from removable media devices, cloud storage, etc. To erase the malware manually, you could follow the instructions available below. If you think the process is complicated or want to remove Mespinoza Ransomware with a security tool, we recommend getting a reputable antimalware tool. Scan your computer with it, and as soon as the scan is over, you should be able to delete the malicious application and other possible threats by pressing your chosen tool’s provided deletion button.

Eliminate Mespinoza Ransomware

1. Click Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
2. Choose Task Manager and select Processes.
3. Find a process belonging to the threat.
4. Mark it and click End Task.
5. Exit Task Manager.
6. Click Win+E.
7. Find these paths:
   %TEMP%
   %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
   %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
8. Find the malicious application’s launcher (suspicious file downloaded before your computer became infected).
9. Right-click it and select Delete.
10. Locate the malware’s ransom notes, right-click them, and press Delete.
11. Exit File Explorer.
12. Empty Recycle Bin.
13. Restart the computer.