How to remove AtomSilo Ransomware and recover files

Complete tips to delete AtomSilo Ransomware and decrypt files

AtomSilo Ransomware is a ransomware-type infection that is designed to encrypt stored files and then demand ransom payment for the decryption. During the encryption process, it appends filenames of each of the encrypted file with .ATOMSILO extension. For example, a file 1.jpg would appear as “1.jpg.ATOMSILO”, “2.jpg” as “2.jpg.ATOMSILO”, and so on. As its ransom note, AtomSilo creates “README-FILE-#COMPUTER-NAME#-#CREATION-TIME#.hta” file.

The ransom note informs the victims that their files have been encrypted and downloaded to a remote server controlled by the attackers. The only way to restore the files is to buy special decryption software from the people behind it. The price of the decryption tool, as stated, is 1000000 dollars, but the victims can purchase it only with 500000 dollars when they contact/ pay the crooks within 48 hours. The payment is accepted in Bitcoin.

The users are provided with only 5 days to decide to pay or not. Once the time elapsed, the decryption tool will no longer be available and all the files will be published online. Additionally, the note warns the users that if they forcibly shutdown or attempt to restore your files using third software, this will render the files completely inaccessible. Email address [email protected] belongs to the crooks provided in the ransom note for the contact.

The full text presented in AtomSilo Ransomware’s ransom note (“README-FILE-#COMPUTER-NAME#-#CREATION-TIME#.hta” file):

Atom Slio

Instructions

WARNING! YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED AND LEAKED!

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We are AtomSilo.Sorry to inform you that your files has been obtained and encrypted by us.

But don’t worry, your files are safe, provided that you are willing to pay the ransom.

Any forced shutdown or attempts to restore your files with the thrid-party software will be damage your files permanently!

The only way to decrypt your files safely is to buy the special decryption software from us.

The price of decryption software is 1000000 dollars.

If you pay within 48 hours, you only need to pay 500000 dollars. No price reduction is accepted.

We only accept Bitcoin payment,you can buy it from bitpay,coinbase,binance or others.

You have five days to decide whether to pay or not. After a week, we will no longer provide decryption tools and publish your files

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Time starts at 0:00 on September 11

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Survival time： 1 Day 14 Hour 26 Min 59 Sec

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You can contact us with the following email:

Email:[email protected]

If this email can’t be contacted, you can find the latest email address on the following website:

hxxp://mhdehvkomeabau7gsetnsrhkfign4jgnx3wajth5yb5h6kvzbd72wlqd.onion

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If you don’t know how to open this dark web site, please follow the steps below to installation and use TorBrowser:

run your Internet browser

enter or copy the address hxxps://www.torproject.org/download/download-easy.html.en into the address bar of your browser and press ENTER

wait for the site loading

on the site you will be offered to download TorBrowser; download and run it, follow the installation instructions, wait until the installation is completed

run TorBrowser

connect with the button “Connect” (if you use the English version)

a normal Internet browser window will be opened after the initialization

type or copy the address in this browser address bar and press ENTER

the site should be loaded; if for some reason the site is not loading wait for a moment and try again.

If you have any problems during installation or use of TorBrowser, please, visit hxxps://www.youtube.com and type request in the search bar “Install TorBrowser Windows” and you will find a lot of training videos about TorBrowser installation and use.

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Additional information:

You will find the instructions (“README-FILE-#COMPUTER#-#TIME#.hta”) for restoring your files in any folder with your encrypted files.

The instructions “README-FILE-#COMPUTER#-#TIME#.hta” in the folders with your encrypted files are not viruses! The instructions “README-FILE-#COMPUTER#-#TIME#.hta” will help you to decrypt your files.

Remember! The worst situation already happened and now the future of your files depends on your determination and speed of your actions.

It is impossible to decrypt the encrypted files by AtomSilo Ransomware without using a decryption tool that only the attackers have. Official decryption tool has yet to be released for this virus. However, this does not mean that you should contact/ pay to the crooks. These people are not reliable. They will never provide you the decryption tool even if you fulfill all their demands. Removing AtomSilo Ransomware is necessary, but this process even does not decrypt the files already encrypted.

In such a case, backups become so essential for the files recovery. If you have this available created before the files encryption and stored on some remote location during the time of system attack, you have nothing to worry. Simply use it after the ransomware removal and restore all the encrypted files. The problem arises when you lack of any such backup. But even in this case, you have at least two data recovery options available, namely Shadow Copies and data recovery tools –refer our data recovery section below the post to know more about them and  how to recover files using them.

How did ransomware infect my system?

One of the most popular ways to deliver ransomware type viruses is to send them through emails with malicious attachments or website links. Recipients are tricked into opening malicious files for example, Microsoft Office documents, PDF documents and etc. In other cases, users infect systems after installing Trojans. These malware are especially designed to install additional malware. Most of them look like legit programs.

Downloads from unofficial pages, third party downloaders and other sources of this kind can also be designed to install malware. Two more ways to distribute malware are through fake updaters and cracking tools. Fake software updaters install malware instead of updates for installed programs exploiting the bugs/ flaws. Software cracking tools are supposed to activate licensed software, although they often install malicious malware instead.

How to prevent ransomware infection?

Files and programs should have to be downloaded from official sites and not from unreliable sources. Attachments and links in any irrelevant emails sent from unknown, suspicious addresses should never be opened. Installed programs should have to be updated or activated using tools/ functions from legit developers. A computer should be scanned for threats on regular basis. This should be done using some reputable antivirus tool. Don’t forget to update the antivirus tool on time to time.

Antimalware Details And User Guide

Click Here For Windows

Click Here For Mac

Step 1: Remove AtomSilo Ransomware through “Safe Mode with Networking”

Step 2: Delete AtomSilo Ransomware using “System Restore”

Step 1: Remove AtomSilo Ransomware through “Safe Mode with Networking”

For Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Boot the PC in “Safe Mode”. Click on “Start” option and continuously press on F8 during the start process until the “Windows Advanced Option” menu appears on the screen. Choose “Safe Mode with Networking” from the list.

Now, a windows homescreen appears on the desktop and work-station is now working on “Safe mode with networking”.

For Windows 8 Users: Go to the “Start Screen”. In the search results select settings, type “Advanced”. In the “General PC Settings” option, choose “Advanced startup” option. Again, click on the “Restart Now” option. The work-station boots to “Advanced Startup Option Menu”. Press on “Troubleshoot” and then “Advanced options” button.  In the “Advanced Option Screen”, press on “Startup Settings”. Again, click on “Restart” button. The work-station will now restart in to the “Startup Setting” screen. Next is to press F5 to boot in Safe Mode in Networking.

For Windows 10 Users: Press on Windows logo and on the “Power” icon. In the newly opened menu, choose “Restart” while continuously holding “Shift” button on the keyboard. In the new open “Choose an option” window, click on “Troubleshoot” and then on the “Advanced Options”. Select “Startup Settings” and press on “Restart”. In the next window, click on “F5” button on the key-board.

Step 2: Delete AtomSilo Ransomware using “System Restore”

Log-in to the account infected with AtomSilo Ransomware. Open the browser and download a legitimate anti-malware tool. Do a full System scanning. Remove all the malicious detected entries.

In case if you cannot start the PC in “Safe Mode with Networking”, Try using “System Restore”

• During the “Startup”, continuously press on F8 key until the “Advanced Option” menu appears. From the list, choose “Safe Mode with Command Prompt” and then press “Enter”

• In the new opened command prompt, enter “cd restore” and then press “Enter”.

• Type: rstrui.exe and Press “ENTER”

• Click “Next” on the new windows

• Choose any of the “Restore Points” and click on “Next”. (This step will restore the work-station to its earlier time and date prior to AtomSilo Ransomware infiltration in the PC.

• In the newly opened windows, press on “Yes”.

Once your PC gets restored to its previous date and time, download the recommended anti-malware tool and perform a deep scanning in order to remove AtomSilo Ransomware files if they left in the work-station.

In order to restore the each (separate) file by this ransomware, use “Windows Previous Version” feature. This method is effective when “System Restore Function” is enabled in the work-station.

Important Note: Some variants of AtomSilo Ransomware delete the “Shadow Volume Copies” as well hence this feature may not work all the time and is applicable for selective computers only.

How to Restore Individual Encrypted File:

In order to restore a single file, right click on it and go to “Properties”. Select “Previous Version” tab. Select a “Restore Point” and click on “Restore” option.

In order to access the files encrypted by AtomSilo Ransomware, you can also try using “Shadow Explorer”. In order to get more information on this application, press here.

Important: Data Encryption Ransomware are highly dangerous and it is always better that you take precautions to avoid its attack on your work-station. It is advised to use a powerful anti-malware tool in order to get protection in real-time. With this help of “SpyHunter”, “group policy objects” are implanted in the registries in order to block harmful infections like AtomSilo Ransomware.

Also, In Windows 10, you get a very unique feature called “Fall Creators Update” that offer “Controlled Folder Access” feature in order to block any kind of encryption to the files. With the help of this feature, any files stored in the locations such as “Documents”, “Pictures”, “Music”, “Videos”, “Favorites” and “Desktop” folders are safe by default.

It is very important that you install this “Windows 10 Fall Creators Update” in your PC to protect your important files and data from ransomware encryption. The more information on how to get this update and add an additional protection form rnasomware attack has been discussed here.

How to Recover the Files Encrypted by AtomSilo Ransomware?

Till now, you would have understood that what had happed to your personal files that got encrypted and how you can remove the scripts and payloads associated with AtomSilo Ransomware in order to protect your personal files that has not been damaged or encrypted until now. In order to retrieve the locked files, the depth information related to “System Restore” and “Shadow Volume Copies” has already been discussed earlier. However, in case if you are still unable to access the encrypted files then you can try using a data recovery tool.

Use of Data Recovery Tool

This step is for all those victims who have already tries all the above mentioned process but didn’t find any solution. Also it is important that you are able to access the PC and can install any software. The data recovery tool works on the basis of System scanning and recovery algorithm. It searches the System partitions in order to locate the original files which were deleted, corrupted or damaged by the malware. Remember that you must not re-install the Windows OS otherwise the “previous” copies will get deleted permanently. You have to clean the work-station at first and remove AtomSilo Ransomware infection. Leave the locked files as it is and follow the steps mentioned below.

Step1: Download the software in the work-station by clicking on the “Download” button below.

Step2: Execute the installer by clicking on downloaded files.

Step3: A license agreement page appears on the screen. Click on “Accept” to agree with its terms and use. Follow the on-screen instruction as mentioned and click on “Finish” button.

Step4: Once the installation gets completed, the program gets executed automatically. In the newly opened interface, select the file types that you want to recover and click on “Next”.

Step5: You can select the “Drives” on which you want the software to run and execute the recovery process. Next is to click on the “Scan” button.

Step6: Based on drive you select for scanning, the restore process begins. The whole process may take time depending on the volume of the selected drive and number of files. Once the process gets completed, a data explorer appears on the screen with preview of that data that is to be recovered. Select the files that you want to restore.

Step7. Next is to locate the location where you want to saver the recovered files.