Ordinal ransomware - How to remove

Ordinal ransomware virus is assigned to the category of crypto-malware which is based on HiddenTear open source code. As you might have heard, this project is a widely exploited standard. We have investigated a bunch of comparable infections like Anoncrack and Balbaz.

Mostly all of these variants are using AES encoding to encrypt files and demand ransoms after they become fully unavailable. This algorithm is selected by a number of different ransomware infections like CryptoGod. After the encryption takes place, damaged digital data will feature .Ordinal extension. Main.exe is considered to be the payload of this ransomware virus and it is detected as malicious by 42 out of 67 scanners (VirusTotal scan).

Analysis of Ordinal crypto-malware

Some of the scanners detected this malicious file as Generic.Ransom.Hiddentear.A.F8C468CD, Troj.W32.Generic!c, Trojan.Ransom.Ordinal or MSIL/Filecoder.AK!tr. Surprisingly, this infection downloads a wallpaper from Imgur.com/Byn2W5h and sets it up as victims’ background, but the image does not contain any text. The entire ransom note is served through a READ Me To Get Your Files Back.txt.Ordinal. Then, victims will be informed that they only have 7 days to pay the fee for a decryption key. Otherwise, deletion key will be removed from hackers’ servers permanently. The same deadline is given by InfiniteTear ransomware.

Victims are required to pay 1 BTC which currently equals approximately 5653.99 USD. Each owner of an infected computer is marked with and identification code which is supposed to be sent to [email protected]. Hackers indicate that they will respond in 12-24 hours. However, hackers are known to disappear after they receive the necessary amount of bitcoins. Therefore, it is never recommended for victims to give away their money for a decryption software which might never come (Dont Pay That Ransom: Fighting Ransomware In A New Threat Landscape).

We are always more eager to suggest other options for file-recovery. Since hackers can never be trusted, we hope that you won’t be tricked into sending them the ransom they are demanding from you. If your digital files are encoded, we hope you will contact reliable security researchers who will be ready to assist you with alternative file-recovery options.

More about file decryption process

If you are thinking about paying the ransom, we hope you will change your mind after reading this article. Providing hackers with money is never the right decision because they might not keep their promises to provide you with file-recovery software. You should decide to proceed with different options. What are they? Scroll down to find alternative methods for file-decryption. The section includes the option for recovering Shadow Volume copies and using universal tools.

However, there is a chance that none of those alternatives are going to work. In that case, all victims can do is wait for security researchers to develop a free file-recovery tool. Of course, there is another option, but users would have had to store their important digital data in backup storages. If you have done this before becoming infected, then the option of file-recovery is rather clear. You should get rid of the ransomware infection fully and then proceed to retrieving files from a backup utility.

What are the ways for ransomware distribution?

One of the most popular ways for crypto-malware transmission is malspam. This means that hackers send email letters that feature payloads or downloaders of ransomware. Therefore, we hope you won’t feel eager to download attachments you received from unknown senders. It is very possible that your email address was obtained by hackers during a breach of a specific service.

If you begin to be targeted, your email account will be filled with all sorts of phishing scams or other deceptive email letters. The best solution is to avoid opening random email letters. Also, it is crucial not to follow URLs from those messages or open/download attachments. Even though a .doc file might seem as harmless, by enabling macros, you could be buying a one way ticket to a ransomware infection.If you wish to keep your operating system malware-free, we strongly suggest you to download and run regular scans with Spyhunter.

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

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Ordinal 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 Ordinal ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Ordinal 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 Ordinal 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 Ordinal 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.