Remove Ckae ransomware

Ckae ransomware is a generic ransomware infection, one of the more recent releases by the notorious Djvu/STOP ransomware gang. These cybercriminals release ransomware on a regular basis, though they are all more or less similar to one another. You can identify which ransomware you are dealing with by the extensions added to files. Once the ransomware is done encrypting files, it will add .ckae to them. The extension allows you to identify which files have been affected as well. Unfortunately, once files have been encrypted by this ransomware, you will not be able to open them until you use a decryptor on them. But getting a working decryptor will be difficult because the only people who have it are the cybercriminals operating this ransomware. And they will not give it to you for free.

 

 

Ckae ransomware is mostly identical to Eucy, Qqqr, Ccps, and Avyu, as well as hundreds of other ransomware because they all belong to the same Djvu/STOP ransomware family. Like all ransomware, Ckae ransomware targets personal files, mostly photos, images, documents, videos, etc. Once these files have been encrypted, they will have .ckae added to them. For example, image.jpg would become image.jpg.ckae. Unfortunately, you will not be able to open any of the files with this extension because they’ve been encrypted. To restore them, you’d need to use a special decryptor. There currently is no free decryptor but the cybercriminals will offer you one for a price. However, before you rush into paying the ransom, know that paying the ransom comes with serious risks.

While the ransomware is encrypting files, there will be a fake Windows update window on your screen. Once the ransomware is done, it will drop a _readme.txt ransom note in all folders containing encrypted files. The note is very generic but it does have an explanation for how to get the decryptor. Unsurprisingly, cybercriminals demand that you pay a ransom. According to the note, the regular price for the decryptor is $980 but a 50% discount is given to users who contact them within the first 72 hours. Whether that is actually true is doubtful and generally, paying the ransom is not recommended. The main issue with paying the ransom is that you would be trusting cyber criminals to keep their end of the deal and send you the decryptor. And since they cannot be trusted, you would be risking losing your money. Unfortunately, many users have not received decryptors in the past despite paying. Before you make a decision, you need to familiarize yourself with the risks that come with paying the ransom.

Make sure to use anti-malware software to delete Ckae ransomware. Do not attempt to do it manually yourself because you could cause additional damage. Once the ransomware is completely gone from your computer, you can access your backup to start recovering files. If you do not have a backup, your options are very limited. The only thing you can do is wait for a free decryptor to be released but that may be a while. This ransomware uses online keys for file encryption so the keys are unique to each user. Unless those keys are released, it will be difficult for malware researchers to release a universal decryptor. You can try Emsisoft’s free Djvu/STOP decryptor, though it’s unlikely to work. Nonetheless, we would recommend backing up all encrypted files and waiting for a decryptor to be released.

How is ransomware distributed?

Malware distributors use many different methods to spread their malware. That includes emails, torrents, advertisements, etc. This is why it’s essential that you have good online habits. That includes not opening unsolicited email attachments, not pirating using torrents, and not clicking on ads while browsing unsafe sites.

One of the most common ways users pick up ransomware is via email attachments. Those distributing malware buy email addresses from hacker forums, attach a malicious email attachment to an email, and proceed to send it to potential victims with expectations they will open them. All users need to do is open the malicious file and the malware can initiate. Evidently, it’s quite a low-effort method but still rather effective. But whether it’s done on purpose or not, emails carrying malware are often very obvious. As long as you know the signs, you should be able to recognize malicious spam without issue. The emails are usually full of grammar/spelling mistakes despite senders claiming to be from legitimate companies whose services users use. Obviously, if you were to receive an official email from a legitimate company, it would not have any mistakes. Another sign of a malicious email is the sender addressing you with generic terms like User, Customer, Member, etc. when they should be using your name. For example, if a government agency was to send you an official email, you would be addressed by your name. But while most malicious emails are very obvious, you can encounter more sophisticated attempts. Thus, we would recommend scanning all unsolicited email attachments with anti-virus software or VirusTotal before opening them.

If you pirate copyrighted content using torrents, you are not only essentially stealing content but also endangering your device/data. Torrent sites are often badly regulated and not only is it easy to upload malicious torrents, but they also stay up for a long time. We strongly recommend you avoid pirating, especially via torrents.

Ckae ransomware removal

Make sure to use anti-malware software to delete Ckae ransomware from your computer. If you try to do it yourself, you may cause additional damage or not eliminate the ransomware fully. If the ransomware is able to recover, and you connect to your backup while it’s still present, your backed-up files would become encrypted as well. And if that were to happen, you would be out of options. So be very careful to only access your backup when the ransomware is no longer present.

If you do not have copies of your files, back up encrypted files and wait for a free decryptor. NoMoreRansom is a good place to check as it has many free ransomware decryptors.