.IGAMI Ransomware - How to remove

If you found your files locked with the strange .iGAMI suffix appended to their names, you are a victim of ransomware. .iGAMI is a new incarnation of GlobeImposter 2.0, a file-encrypting virus that itself was upgraded from GlobeImposter after a free universal decryptor was developed for it. So far, GlobeImposter 2.0 does not have a decryptor — and it’s unlikely that it ever will. Still, there are ways to try and restore the files lost to .IGAMI  — you can take a look at the guide below this article.

.IGAMI encrypts the files it finds and marks them with the “.IGAMI” extension. It also creates a file with a message from the developers of .IGAME, named how_to_back_files.html. Here’s what it says:

☠ Your files are encrypted! ☠

All your important data has been encrypted.

To recover data you need decryptor.

To get the decryptor you should:

Send 1 test image or text file [email protected] or [email protected].

In the letter include your personal ID (look at the beginning of this document).

We will give you the decrypted file and assign the price for decryption all files

After we send you instruction how to pay for decrypt and after payment you will receive a decryptor and instructions We can decrypt one file in quality the evidence that we have the decoder.

Attention!

• Only [email protected] and [email protected] can decrypt your files
• Do not trust anyone [email protected]
• Do not attempt to remove the program or run the anti-virus tools
• Attempts to self-decrypting files will result in the loss of your data
• Decoders other users are not compatible with your data, because each user’s unique encryption key

Overall, .IGAMI is similar to the other GlobeImposter 2.0 viruses, like Ppam, Healforyou, and KBK.

Be ready for ransomware

It’s very important to maintain an up-to-date backup of your files and to store it somewhere separate from your computer. If the backup disk is connected to the PC while .IGAMI is performing the encryption, the backups will be encrypted, too.

If you actually catch the encryption while it’s happening, it’s probably best to shut down your computer and not boot the OS up again, until you have dealt with IGAMI.

Hacking a network or a computer through Remote Desktop can be very effective for online criminals. If your login credentials are simple or have been leaked, then IGAMI developers could access your computer easily, then install whatever malware they want to. Spam emails are also widely used in distributing ransomware, so it’s important to keep an updated antivirus program which would catch all the suspicious files, as well as just be aware of all the social engineering techniques used in malicious spam emails.

How dangerous is .IGAMI?

If .IGAMI is successful, files on your personal computer or your network storage will be locked by it — encrypted and unusable. The only way to decrypt them right now would be to get the decryption key from the crooks behind .IGAMI. Unsurprisingly, this is unlikely to work.

Prices that the developers of .IGAMI give the people who want to have their files decoded varies, but if the extortionists suspect that you can afford it, they’ll charge you a lot. Thousands of dollars for one computer. And if you make the first payment, it’s very likely that even more money will be demanded. And, because the payments are made in Bitcoin, there is no way to get your money back, which is one reason why cryptocurrencies are so useful in online crime.

Most cryptoviruses use hybrid encryption, which is secure and fast. Each victim of .IGAMI would require a unique decryption key, so any one person getting the decryptor from .IGAMI developers does not help any of the other victims of this ransomware.

How to remove IGAMI and rescue the files

Unless something went wrong, IGAMI must have deleted Shadow Copies, but it might be worth checking if they’re really gone. File recovery applications that can look at the deleted files might help recover some of the lost files, too.

Before that, though, scan your computer for malware. It’s likely that some trojans or other viruses were left on the system by IGAMI and they need to be removed before they can do harm. Spyhunter or another antivirus program should be able to detect malicious intruders which you can then remove.

How to recover .IGAMI Ransomware 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 IGAMI has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of .IGAMI Ransomware

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 IGAMI. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore .IGAMI Ransomware 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 IGAMI 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 .IGAMI Ransomware 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.