Remove AtomSilo Ransomware
File-encryption Trojans often ask for a few thousand dollars in exchange for a decryption tool. Needless to say, sending such an amount of money to cybercriminals is never a good idea. Of course, there are also greedier crooks – for example, the creators of the new AtomSilo Ransomware. This file-locker appears to extort its victims for up to $1,000,000. It is not yet clear whether this is a joke or not – it is highly unlikely that anyone would agree to pay so much money to ransomware operators.
There is no clear information about the way that the AtomSilo Ransomware spreads. However, it is more than likely that its authors are not experimenting with any new methods. Instead, they are probably relying on the classic techniques such as:
- Misleading ads promoting fake downloads.
- Content in torrent trackers.
- Malicious email attachments, usually delivered through phishing emails.
- Fake updates for popular apps.
AtomSilo Ransomware Asks for a Million Dollars
Once running, the AtomSilo Ransomware encrypts data by using a strong file-locking algorithm. The only way to undo this is to use a specialized decryption key that the AtomSilo Ransomware generates for each new victim. Of course, this piece of data is not easy to retrieve – the criminals store it on their servers. All files that the AtomSilo Ransomware locks will have the '.ATOMSILO' extension next to their name. Another change that this file-locker brings is creating the ransom message 'README-FILE-#COMPUTER-NAME#-#CREATION-TIME#.hta.'
The criminals urge their victim to message them at arvato@atomsilo.com. They also offer a 'discount' - $500,000 for the decryptor in the next 72 hours. As we already mentioned, no one would accept to pay such a ludicrous ransom amount. If you are a victim of the AtomSilo Ransomware, you should run an antivirus tool to terminate the threat, preventing it from causing damage. After this, try out alternative data recovery options. Preferably, restore your files from a backup.
