GTF Ransomware

It is definitely a nasty surprise when you a big YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED message appears on your screen. It means that you have been infected with GTF Ransomware, and now you will have to look for ways to restore your files.

Ransomware programs are extremely annoying because you cannot just remove them and get your files back. While it is possible to remove GTF Ransomware from your computer, if you do not have a file backup, it could be challenging to restore your data. Therefore, it is vital to prevent similar infections from entering your system.

How can I prevent a ransomware infection? In order to avoid a ransomware infection, you need to know how it spreads around. According to our research team, GTF Ransomware comes from the Crysis/Dharma Ransomware family. It means that this program probably employs the same distribution methods. If that’s the case, we would expect this infection to reach you via spam email and unsafe RDP configurations. At the same time, it also means that users initiate the malicious file download themselves. Of course, they are not aware of the fact that they download a malware installer. They wouldn’t do it if they knew.

So, how come GTF Ransomware and other ransomware infections manage to trick users into downloading and installing them? That is mostly due to the fact that the spam emails that distribute malware often look like legitimate notifications from reliable parties. Also, if you deal with multiple attachments every single day, you might not think much about yet another message from some business partner or an online retailer. However, the moment you download and open that file, you install the malicious program without even realizing it. If you think that the file might be important, but you don’t know if it’s legitimate, you can scan the file with a security tool of your choice. If the scanner doesn’t find anything suspicious, you can open the file.

On the other hand, most of the victims do not think that far in advance, and they get affected by GTF Ransomware. In a sense, this program works just like SySS Ransomware, Dever Ransomware, Bitx Ransomware, and a number of other infections that are based on the same malicious code. It is common for ransomware developers to take one code and edit it slightly to release new infections. Thus, we can often find ransomware programs that even share the same ransom notes and ransom note layouts.

In that aspect, GTF Ransomware looks slightly advanced because it comes with a new ransom note layout that is not common to other infections from the same group. Instead of the grey-purple color scheme, the ransom note displayed by GTF Ransomware is red-black, and the message looks a lot more threatening:

YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED

Don’t worry, you can return all your files!
If you want to restore them, follow this link: [email address] YOUR ID [infection id]
If you have not been answered via the link within 12 hours, write to us by e-mail [email address]

Of course, GTF Ransomware will also say that its developers are the only ones who can issue the decryption key. While it might be true (as long as the public decryption key is not available), it doesn’t mean that you have to pay the ransom at once. Let’s not forget that these criminals might just collect the payment and scram. Therefore, you should focus on removing GTF Ransomware from your computer.

You can remove this infection either manually or automatically. Manual removal requires some effort because the program drops its files all over your system. Automatic removal with a licensed security tool can help you delete GTF Ransomware without too much difficulty.

Nevertheless, please don’t forget that you may have to start building your file library anew if you do not have a file backup. At the same time, please invest in an external hard drive or a cloud drive where you could safely back up your files in the future. Just because you have survived one ransomware infection, it doesn’t mean that some dangerous program cannot reach you again. Do yourself a favor and invest in a powerful security tool right now.

How to Delete GTF Ransomware

1. Remove the most recent files from Desktop.
2. Delete the most recent files from the Downloads folder.
3. Delete the FILES ENCRYPTED.txt ransom note.
4. Access the following directories via Win+R:
   %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
   %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
   %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
   %WINDIR%\System32\
   %APPDATA%\
5. Remove the Info.hta file and the random EXE file from the directories above.
6. Press Win+R again and type regedit. Click OK.
7. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
8. On the right side, right-click the values related to the random EXE file and the Info.hta file.
9. Remove the values and close Registry Editor.
10. Run a full system scan with the SpyHunter free scanner.