Remove KIANO Ransomware
Ransomware creators have ramped up their activity recently, and malware researchers have had to deal with dozens of new file-lockers since the start of June 2021. Unfortunately, the majority of these file-lockers use a flawless mechanism to encrypt data, and undoing the damage they do is an impossible task. One of the recent file-encryption Trojans to fall in this category is the KIANO Ransomware – it is based on the NEFILIM file-locker project, and it is not compatible with free decryptors.
The authors of the KIANO Ransomware may be spreading it through phishing emails with an attachment, fake downloads, pirated media and software, or game cracks. You should avoid downloading the aforementioned types of files, and you should be extra careful when reviewing random, unexpected email attachments – this is the most popular trick that malware developers rely on to reach potential victims.
The best security against the KIANO Ransomware is using an up-to-date anti-malware application at all times. In addition to this, users should consider maintaining backup or reserve copies of their important files – media, projects, databases, etc. This way, they will have the option to recover them in case the originals get damaged.
The KIANO Ransomware's attack marks filenames with the '.KIANO' extension, and drops the 'KIANO-HELP.txt' ransom note. The message says that victims can send two files for free, test decryption to the emails michaeldrumman1977@tutanota.com, jamescowworkingsa1988@tutanota.com, and michaeldrumman1977@protonmail.com. In addition to this, the criminals ask them to use the TOR browser to visit an '.onion' payment site.
Trying to strike a deal with KIANO Ransomware's creators is a bad idea, and you should not consider the offer of the criminals. They will ask for hundreds of dollars to be paid via Bitcoin, and you are very likely to end up getting scammed. Our advice to victims of the KIANO Ransomware is to run an up-to-date anti-malware tool, and then recover files from a backup, or to experiment with other data recovery options.
