CASH ([email protected]) - How to remove

CASH ([email protected]) – a Dharma type ransomware infection. This virus can encrypt most user files, making them inaccessible and unusable even though the files are still on the infected computer. The makers of CASH hold the file decryption data for ransom and make money by extorting their victims.

CASH is very similar to PDF, NQIX, and other Dharma infections. This family of ransomware has been around since 2016.

Though CASH is now detected by the majority competent antivirus programs. CASH locks user files by encrypting them and, to label these files, it renames them to id-[random].[[email protected]].CASH, [random] being the personal id of each victim.

The ransomware also displays a ransom message – a document that tells users to buy Bitcoin and contact the extortionists if they want to get the files back. This is not advisable – the ransoms are big (thousands of dollars, often with repeated requests for payments) and contacting the criminals might reveal to them important information about the victim that can be used in future attacks.

CASH targets small businesses (though it can affect any Windows user with an email account) and can be deadly to some companies.

CASH needs to be removed before using the infected computers again:

Type of threat	Ransomware
Consequences of a CASH infection	Corrupted user files, possibly permanently Broken antivirus program
Remove CASH	Stop malicious processes Remove CASH using antivirus tools (SpyHunter Install security updates of all important software
Restore the files	Replace the locked files with data from a backup Use system restore, data recovery Wait for a free decrypter

The behavior of CASH ransomware

The ransomware is distributed in malicious spam emails. The downloader for CASH is in a file, often a document, that’s attached to the email. This infected file might start downloading CASH when it’s opened, or it might ask you to enable macros first. Ransomware like CASH that’s aimed at small businesses also uses RDP to get inside computers. These attacks might be targeted and done manually. Connections that don’t use VPN and that have a weak password are vulnerable to these attacks. There was also a story about one Dharma infection being mailed to people as the installer of a module of a known antivirus tool, like some sort of tech support scam-like deception.

After CASH gets on the system, it deletes backup files like restore points and shadow volume copies, like any competent ransomware infection. CASH also tries to uninstall the antivirus program that’s running on the infected computer.

After all this preparation to make CASH unstoppable and its damage – irreversible, the ransomware gets to work and starts corrupting user files. Only some important portions of the bigger files are encrypted, but that’s enough to make most of them unusable. Experts might be able to restore some data of some of the locked files, but that’s a very difficult process.

Encrypting only parts of the files means that CASH encrypts a lot of data very quickly. It seems to use hybrid encryption to make it as fast and secure as possible. Only the criminals have the decryption keys needed to unlock the files, so some security expert miraculously coming up with a solution is not going to happen. Maybe law enforcement might catch the culprits and release the master keys, so consider reporting the CASH ransomware attack – it’s definitely illegal and many victims have already lost thousands of dollars and their files.

How to restore the files and remove the virus

File backups are the best way to be safe against ransomware. If your backup remains connected to the computer, even if it’s protected with a password, some ransomware infections actually guess them, so it’s important to keep your backups separate somehow: offline, in the cloud, etc.

Some victims of ransomware hope for a free decryptor that works for all files, but this sort of thing isn’t common. There is no free decryptor for new Dharma infections, even though this ransomware is very well-known for cybersecurity experts. Waiting for a free solution will probably not bear fruit and, or it might take months or years. Still, it’s fine to keep the corrupted file as they’re not dangerous. Sites like nomoreransom.org document ransomware decryptors. And don’t listen to people who contact you saying that they’ll unlock your files, they’re probably scammers.

Paying the criminals isn’t guaranteed to fix the files, either, and might even cause problems later:

• Payers might be targeted again later, especially if they fail to upgrade their security.
• Statistically, those who pay for their files often don’t get them back anyway.
• CASH’s developers are free to take the money and ignore the victim.
• Scammers, that is, people who spread the ransomware with their own email addresses but have no way to decrypt the files, are common in Dharma.
• Technical difficulties are common and extortionist-created decryption tools are notoriously buggy and difficult to use.
• Paying the ransom rewards the criminal behavior of CASH’s developers.

The important things are to get rid of the malware (you can use a competent antivirus tool like SpyHunter, a malicious process killer, an emergency scanner to get rid of CASH’s malicious modifications) and, if there’s no backup, restore the files that can be restored (the following section of this article is about the general ways that can be done).

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to recover CASH ([email protected]) encrypted files and remove the virus

Step 1. Restore system into last known good state using system restore

1. Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt:

for Windows 7 / Vista/ XP

• Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
• Press F8 key repeatedly until Advanced Boot Options window appears.
• Choose Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

for Windows 8 / 10

• Press Power at Windows login screen. Then press and hold Shift key and click Restart.
• Choose Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Settings and click Restart.
• When it loads, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the list of Startup Settings.

 

2.Restore System files and settings.

• When Command Prompt mode loads, enter cd restore and press Enter.
• Then enter rstrui.exe and press Enter again.
• Click “Next” in the windows that appeared.
• Select one of the Restore Points that are available before CASH ([email protected]) has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of CASH ([email protected])

After restoring your system, it is recommended to scan your computer with an anti-malware program, like Spyhunter and remove all malicious files related to CASH ([email protected]). You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore CASH ([email protected]) affected files using Shadow Volume Copies

If you do not use System Restore option on your operating system, there is a chance to use shadow copy snapshots. They store copies of your files that point of time when the system restore snapshot was created. Usually CASH ([email protected]) tries to delete all possible Shadow Volume Copies, so this methods may not work on all computers. However, it may fail to do so. Shadow Volume Copies are only available with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. There are two ways to retrieve your files via Shadow Volume Copy. You can do it using native Windows Previous Versions or via Shadow Explorer. a) Native Windows Previous Versions Right-click on an encrypted file and select Properties → Previous versions tab. Now you will see all available copies of that particular file and the time when it was stored in a Shadow Volume Copy. Choose the version of the file you want to retrieve and click Copy if you want to save it to some directory of your own, or Restore if you want to replace existing, encrypted file. If you want to see the content of file first, just click Open.

b) Shadow Explorer It is a program that can be found online for free. You can download either a full or a portable version of Shadow Explorer. Open the program. On the left top corner select the drive where the file you are looking for is a stored. You will see all folders on that drive. To retrieve a whole folder, right-click on it and select “Export”. Then choose where you want it to be stored.

Step 4. Use Data Recovery programs to recover CASH ([email protected]) encrypted files

There are several data recovery programs that might recover encrypted files as well. This does not work in all cases but you can try this:

• We suggest using another PC and connect the infected hard drive as slave. It is still possible to do this on infected PC though.
• Download a data recovery program.
• Install and scan for recently deleted files.

Note: In many cases it is impossible to restore data files affected by modern ransomware. Thus I recommend using decent cloud backup software as precaution. We recommend checking out Carbonite, BackBlaze, CrashPlan or Mozy Home.