UnblockUPC Ransomware - How to remove

UnblockUPC ransomware was detected last week. This particular ransomware virus initially attacked Poland users. Later, Belgian users have reported to have been assaulted as well. UnblockUPC virus does not append any additional filename extension to the encrypted files, unlike many other crypto viruses, which use the extension as their brand. This crypto malware has also been reported to having infected more than one drive on a single user’s computer.

The Basic Features of UnblockUPC Ransomware

UnblockUPC ransomware utilizes the asymmetric AES-128-bit cipher, encrypting and decrypting data in pieces of 128 bits using the cryptographic key of 128 bits. The data is encrypted with 16-character password. The files targeted encompass BMP, GIF, JPG, TXT, DOC, XLS, PDF files, as well as audio and video files; except for the executables, which are left to rest in piece. The aimed at documents, which belong to the previous file types, are marked with the file marker ENC following their successful encryption. For instance,  the Document.doc file is converted into the DocumentENC.doc file. The affected user can have not all the DOC files encrypted, for example, if he (she) shut down the computer in the process of encryption. Files_encrypted.txt file is to be found in folders of encrypted data. This text file contains the following message:

You used to download illegal
files from the internet.
Now all of your private files
has been locked and encrypted!
To unblock them visit one
of these websites:
http://unblockupc.xyz
http://unblockupc.in
http://moscovravir.ru
http://213.167.243.215
http://185.45.192.17
http://unblockupc.club
Your UID (unique identifier):

Your desktop wallpaper and is replaced with the following ransom note:

According to this note, the size of the ransom is 0.18 BTC, which is 109.04USD or 96.99 EUR at the moment. The sites, which have to be visited to pay the ransom payment, are provided in the text message. The affected users have reported that some of them may be down or inactive. There is no news about victims who would have transferred the payment and received the decryption key. The hackers of UnblockUPC crypto-malware blow out of proportion the capacity of the virus by threatening you that it is capable of accessing your e-mail, Facebook, even bank accounts. This is not true. This ransomware has access only to your personal files and only until you haven’t deleted it.

The files associated with UnblockUPC file-encrypting virus:

einfo.exe
uid.txt
decryptor.exe
encfiles.log
encinfor.jpg
[random_characters].dat

How Has UnblockUPC Ransomware Infected Your Computer?

UnblockUPC ransomware is downloaded along with IGG-Games, namely, Prison Architect or RPG Maker. Neither this file-encoding virus is being sent by infected spam e-mails nor it is being downloaded by exploit kits – malicious program codes running on hacked or illegitimate websites. UnblockUPC malware is atypical ransomware virus, as it is being distributed by questionable downloads. We have specified the particular ones above, but it is still an open question whether this cryptomalware is spread through other suspicious downloads.

How to Decrypt Files Encrypted by UnblockUPC Ransomware?

UnblockUPC’s installer is still awaiting being examined. So there is still no free decryption tool available at the moment. As a consequence, the affected users are advised to employ alternative means for retrieving the data they were robbed of. But, first of all, the infected drives must be copied and the malware removed. Apply Spyhunter or Malwarebytes software to remove UnblockUPC ransomware, especially, if you have little knowledge in the area. These tools are automatic, meaning you will only need to hit the Scan button to have the ransomware detected and removed. In addition to this, the entire system will be scanned and any other malware applications will be eliminated. The manual removal instructions for the removal of UnblockUPC ransomware are to be found below. Now, that you have erased the virus, you can use your backup, if it wasn’t plugged in at the time of the infection or after it, before the removal of the ransomware. If you haven’t got any, try professional data recovery tools such as Recuva, etc.

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

 

Step 2. Complete removal of UnblockUPC 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 UnblockUPC Ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore UnblockUPC 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 UnblockUPC 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 UnblockUPC 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.