Gate ([email protected]) Virus - How to remove

Gate is an iteration of the Dharma/Crysis ransomware that’s been around for a few years now. Gate is relatively new, though, and infects machines that are in some way vulnerable to th edistribution techniques that it uses.

Gate is recognized by the “.gate” extension that is appended to the locked files. All the files that are affected by Gate have their named changed to label them, and their new names include a unique id, an email address to contact the extortionists ([email protected]), and, lastly, the “gate” bit. This is not the dangerous part of Gate, though.

The original ransomware from 1989 only attacked file names, which is possible to recover from, though tedious. But if you rename the Gate files, it could make it difficult to decrypt your files later. Renaming them wouldn’t help, anyway — ransomware changes each file on the inside, using encryption.

How Gate locks the files

Gate uses cryptography to change the contents of the affected files to make them worthless while retaingn the possibility of decryption. The problem is that there is no real way at the moment to decrypt the files without the criminals’ help:

• You can’t guess your decryption key because it’s too complex.
• You can’t use other people’s decryption keys because each victim’s is unique.

Gate incorporates public-key encryption which means that only the extortionists know the decryption keys.

There is a decryptor for Dharma, unfortunately, it’s for older Dharma variants and won’t work on Gate files. It is possible that some way to restore the files will be found — maybe the extortionists will fall into the hands of law enforcement and ree decryption will be available for everyone. It’s also possible that the files can’t ever be fixed.

Ways that ransomware infects

To be able to avoid more ransomware infections, you need to know how Gate infected your system and what general tools ransomware uses. These include:

RDP access is likely to be used by Gate’s distributors. If you have Remote Desktop turned on (or some other remote access software) and exposed to the internet, that’s not any different than leaving your computer in public with the login screen on. Criminals can attempt to connect and they automate the process of brute-forcing passwords and usernames. Many people still use very simple passwords that can be found on common password lists, after all. Password-protected network shares can also be hacked by brute-forcing credentials — GetCrypt did that.

Malicious email spam is also likely to be used for Gate — it’s one of the most popular ransomware infection vectors overall. This type of spam isn’t much different from receiving a random social media message with a link — a link that usually leads to a scam. The emails come with an attachment and have text urging the recipient to open, unpack, read, review, or download the file urgently. Some emails have download links instead of the file itself. Most of the time these emails are generic, they don’t address the recipient in their name and appear generic. However, targeted phishing is also used and is extremely effective, and Gate is likely to use targeted attacks.

Fake and infected software. Sometimes fake tools are uploaded online on a neat and professional-looking website with attractive promotional material. Downloading and running these programs without scanning them first infects the computer. Malware is also downloaded when pirating, and the risk is even greater because pirates might disable their own antivirus protection to stop it from interfering. Since illegitimate software is not well regulated and reputable disitrbutors turn to the dark side when offered a good incentive, pirating is a very effective distirbution method for malware, used especially by DJVU ransomware.

Backdoors from earlier infections. They can be difficult to detect and remain on the infected computer for months. If your security software isn’t good enough to detect it, malware can be downloaded and installed in the background, without you being aware of it.

Finally, malicious sites and bad ads. One other way that cracked software is dangerous is when it’s taken advantage of by malicious websites. Outdated programs are full of known exploits which make them vulnerable to attacks. So, if you use software that’s missing security patches, malware might be able to infect your computer by exploiting those security flaws. One example is Matrix ransomware.

Remove the Gate virus and restore the files

Though removing Gate does not fix the files locked by it, it’s still necessary if you want to use the device normally again. Ransomware should not be trusted to completely delete itself — it can leave behind spyware components and backdoors for later infections. Scan your computer with a strong antivirus program, such as Spyhunter, to catch the malicious files and programs and delete or quarantine them. You might also want to change your passwords just in case they were stolen by Gate’s distirbutors.

Be careful if you decide to pay the ransom for your Gate files. Some versions of Dharma seem to be distributed by people not willing or able to restore the files after they receive their money. Some victims also resport being asked fo rmore money after they make the first payment. Don’t pay what you aren’t willing to lose because crypto extortionists can’t be trusted.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to recover Gate ([email protected]) Virus 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 Gate ([email protected]) Virus has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

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

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 Gate ([email protected]) Virus. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Gate ([email protected]) Virus 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 Gate ([email protected]) Virus 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 Gate ([email protected]) Virus 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.