Makop-Oled Ransomware - How to remove

Makop-Oled is file-encrypting ransomware. A malicious program that uses cryptography to corrupt the data on the infected computer. The only way to fix the data is by receiving a unique decryption key from the people in control of Makop-Oled ransomware.

Makop-Oled is really a family of ransomware infections that includes Makop, Origami, Zbw, and possibly BKGHJ and other variants.

In short about Makop-Oled ransomware:

Classification	Ransomware.
How Makop-Oled infects computers	Hacked remote desktop protocol, malicious email spam, or infected software installers.
Can the data be recovered?	Restore from backups, use file recovery programs, no free decryptor nor a way to break the encryption yet exists.
How to remove Makop-Oled	Remove malware with antivirus tools (Spyhunter and others), make sure to use secure usernames and passwords for remote access.

How Makop-Oled ransomware works

How to recognize Makop-Oled ransomware

It’s been over a year since Makop ransomware and its siblings, including Oled, Origami, Zbw, Tomas, and Carlos ransomware have attacked the computers and servers of innocent users, encrypted their files, and left extortion demands behind.

Though ransomware viruses tend to target businesses and organizations, a ransomware infection that looks a lot like Makop-Oled, BKGHJ, affects personal computers, as well (Stackoverflow.com).

You can confirm which family the ransomware that attacked you belongs to on ID-Ransomware.

Makop-Oled encrypts the files that it finds on the infected computer – not all of them, but those that are the most likely to be user-created. It’s fast and secure and it uses a unique encryption key on each victim.

It also changes the names of these files to something like this:

file_name.txt.[ABC12345].[[email protected]].makop

Based on the file name, Makop-Oled looks a lot like Phobos or Dharma. Ziggy ransomware also uses a similar pattern.

And it leaves a bunch of ransom notes called “readme_warning.txt’. This note also includes the email address to contact the criminals, as well as an urging to not edit the encrypted files. Unfortunately, I must agree with the criminals here – don’t do anything to the encrypted files, don’t change their names before you make backups.

In addition to encrypting your data, the operators of Makop-Oled might steal some (not all) of your files. It’s increasingly common for ransomware to steal files.

How to get your files back

The operators of Makop-Oled want to make money. The ransom that the criminals ask might range from a few hundreds of dollars to a few thousand. Different victims have reported prices from $700 to $1200. Apparently, the extortion size also depends on the timing of your payment. The sooner you pay, the smaller the sum. And in cases of technical difficulties, the extortionists demand repeated payments.

In practice, this means that the whole thing is very risky. You, as the victim, are pushed to pay as quickly as possible, but the criminals have no reason to be diligent and respect their end of the bargain. Not to mention that technical issues, such as banned email accounts, can also get in the way.

Some victims reported all sorts of problems. Some were ignored after they paid – they just couldn’t get in contact with the criminals. Some couldn’t get the software sent by the criminals to work, which also means that they paid for nothing (other than a lot of wasted time).

It’s best to avoid paying the criminals.

You might want to avoid any and all services that cost hundreds of dollars without showing you results. There’s no way to decrypt the files locked by Makop-Oled for free, there’s no miracle solution. Still, there are those who might offer to fix all of your files:

• People who contact the operators of Makop-Oled. They pay the full ransom, charge you, and pocket the difference.
• Scammers – those who don’t even plan on helping you.

Luckily, there are real solutions out there, too. They’re just not going to be 100% effective.

You could look into file repair. It’s possible that some of the files that Makop-Oled encrypted might be partially fixable by a professional. Possibly.

Another option is file recovery software – programs that can restore deleted data.

How to avoid ransomware infections

Ransomware infections spread in a few ways:

• RDP and other remote desktop solutions.
• Attachments and links in malicious email spam.
• Infected installers, especially in pirated software.

Makop-Oled should get detected by antivirus programs. Old versions get flagged as Malware, Filecoder, Ransom, Cryptor, Trojan, and with other labels: Virustotal.com.

However, antivirus programs don’t always successfully thwart ransomware attacks. The important thing is to protect your data:

• Use offline backups or properly configured cloud backups (Ransomware Attackers Use Your Cloud Backups Against You).
• Use secure login credentials and 2-factor authentication

How to remove Makop-Oled ransomware

To remove the Makop-Oled ransomware infection and other malware, you can use an antivirus program, such as Spyhunter.

Automatic Malware removal tools

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

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Makop-Oled 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 Makop-Oled Ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Makop-Oled 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 Makop-Oled Ransomware 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 Makop-Oled 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.