Guide To Remove Truke Ransomware

Truke is the name of the newly discovered Ransomware that belongs to the Djvu Ransomware Family. It is reported to have infected a large number of systems across the world so far. Infected e-mail attachments & torrent websites are the prime means using which Truke Ransomware propagates its infection.

Once the system is infected, Truke employs AES & RSA cryptography method to encrypt user & system files. It renames the files by appending “.truke” extension to the filenames & hence makes them inaccessible to the users.

Threat Summary

Threat Behavior of Truke Ransomware

Truke Ransomware is the recent menacing member of the giant Malware Family. It is a variant of the devious STOP (DJVU) Ransomware & has been detected to spread its infection at an alarming rate.

Truke Cryptovirus encrypts & locks the user & system data found on the impacted Hard-drive & even on the network-shared location. In order to make it arduous for the users to recover their files, Truke uses strong cryptographies such as AES & RAS. These highly-complex Encryption Algorithms require a complicated private key to decrypt the files.

The original files names are renamed by appending .truke extension to the filenames.

For example– The file name “image1.jpg” might be renamed as “image1.jpg.truke”.

The files targeted by the Truke Ransomware may include files with the extensions mentioned below-

• Document files (.docx, .doc, .odt, .rtf, .text, .pdf, .htm, .ppt)
• Audio Files (.mp3, .aif, .iff, .m3u, .m4u, .mid, .mpa, .wma, .ra, .avi, .mov, .mp4)
• Video Files (.3gp, .mpeg, .3g2, .asf, .asx, .flv, .mpg, .wmv, .vob)
• Images (.jpg, .jpeg, .raw, .tif, .gif, .png)
• Backup Files (.bck, .bckp, .tmp, .gho)

The primary purpose behind encrypting the files is to extort money by making the victims pay Ransom for the encrypted files.

Following the encryption, Truke Virus generates a ransom note in text format named as “_readme.txt”. A Copy of this ransom note is dropped in every existing folder.

The Ransom Note & Amount for Truke Ransomware

Truke Ransomware delivers a ransom-demanding note on the infected system which is in the text format & named as “_readme.txt”.

The note appears in the form of a program window & holds the title – “Attention”.

The Ransom Note for the Truke Ransomware states that the all the files are encrypted with a complex encryption method & a private key.

To purchase the decryption key, victims are required to pay a ransom amount of $980. In case, the victim contacts the hackers within 72 hours of encryption, they will receive 50% discount on the ransom amount, which is $490.

In addition to that, users are asked to contact the hackers on the e-mail address – gorentos@bitmessage.ch or ferast@firemail.cc.

The ransom note further prompts the users to send one encrypted file to the Truke’s developers, which will be restored for free & sent back to the victim as a guarantee that files can be actually decrypted.

Despite of such claims, victims are advised not to make any payment to the hackers. Research analysis has shown that the hackers usually avoid the victims once the ransom amount has been received.

It is evident that paying Ransom Amount yields no positive result; hence all the encouragements to pay ransom & contact the hackers should be ignored.

Users must ensure to regular back their data, be vigilant while visiting torrent websites & avoid clicking on the spam e-mail attachments.

Distribution Techniques of Truke Ransomware–

The hackers behind Truke Ransomware use various techniques to propagate its infection. These may include:

1). Spam E-mail campaigns & infected attachments

2). Unreliable Third-party software download sources

3). Unofficial download sources (free file-hosting sites, P2P networks)

4). Fake Software Cracks/updaters, freeware, shareware

5). Software Bundling can download Trojans, Ransomware & other malware.

6). By visiting questionable torrent websites & other malware-laden sites

How to Remove Truke Ransomware infection from the system

STEP A: Reboot your system using Safe Mode with Networking 

To restart the system to Safe Mode with Networking,  if already switched ON then follow the below steps:

STEP B:  Restore your system files and settings

STEP C: Check System Configuration Settings

1. Type “Msconfig” in search box / Run Box, select it and press Enter.
2. Click on “Services” Tab and click on “Hide all Microsoft services”.
3. Select Truke Ransomware from the list of remaining services and disable it by removing the tick mark from the checkbox and click on Apply button.

How to prevent Truke Ransomware from infecting your system

1. Keeping the Operating System Updated- In order to remain protected and avoid such infections, it is recommended to keep your Operating System updated by enabling the automatic update on your system. The systems with outdated or older versions of Operating System become an easy target for the attackers.
2. Resist clicking on spam emails – One of the major techniques used for malware distribution is forwarding spam emails to the user. The system gets infected as soon as the user clicks on the attachment. These mails appear to be genuine, so be aware and resist falling for these tricks.
3. Keep an eye on third party installations- It is quite important that you take due care while installing any third party applications for they are major source of such infections. Such malware programs come bundled with the free applications thereby requiring the user to remain cautious.
4. Regular periodical backup- In order to keep your data and files safe, it is recommended to take regular back up of all your data and files either on an external drive or cloud.
5. Use Anti-Virus Protection- We strongly recommend the use of antivirus protection/internet security in your PC like 360 Total Security, Kaspersky and Vipre so that it remains safe.
6. Enable the Ad Blocker/Popup Blocker in your browser- Enabling the popup blocker/ ad blocker in your chosen browser will help you to stay protected from annoying adware.

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