Geek's Advice

KQGS ransomware is a hostile computer virus designed to encrypt all of your files

KQGS ransomware is an emergent but malicious file-encrypting virus that just came out of the STOP/DJVU ransomware group. Like the other versions before it, this virus functions by attacking and encrypting all files it can find in any computer it infects, and append .kqgs extension on all the files, respectively. E.g., a file that was formerly known as 1.jpg will be renamed 1.jpg.kqgs and the same format will be applied to all others. While the attack is ongoing, ransom notes known as _readme.txt will be dropped in all the folders. Contained in these notes are pieces of information sent by the cybercriminals behind the attack, explaining the situation and why the victim would have to pay in order to receive KQGS file decryption tool.

The cybercriminals will point out that KQGS ransomware virus was successful in encrypting all files contained in the infected computer, including documents, pictures, and every other data, with the use of very strong encryption key. Based on that, they will claim that the only way the victim could have their encrypted files back is by paying ransom to the cybercriminals. To open a communication channel with the victim, two email addresses (support@sysmail.ch, supportsys@airmail.cc) will be contained in the message which they hope the victim would respond with.

In addition to that, decryption service prices and terms of payment will also be included in the message. For instance, they will inform the victim that by paying without delay i.e., within 3 days/72 hours of being infected, they will be able to leverage their 50% discount on the initial ransom amount. In other words, instead of paying $980 ransom fee, they will only pay half of it, which amounts to $480. However, once the window period closes, only the full ransom fee would be acceptable to them.

Peradventure the victim reaches out to them with intent to pay the ransom fee; they will give further conditions on payment. The victim will be told that payment can only be made through the purchase of cryptocurrency worth the ransom amount and same would be transferred to a wallet address they will provide. The obvious reason why they use such medium of payment in receiving ransom is to cover their tracks and remain untraceable to law enforcement agents who may come after them. To convince the victim about their capability to restore the encrypted files to readable data, they may suggest that excerpts of it should be forwarded to them for test decryption but will equally warn that such excerpt must not contain data or information that may appear as vital to the victim.

Whatever be the situation, the general advice given by our in-house experts is that victims should NOT PAY RANSOM and this standpoint is in line with FBI’s guidelines regarding ransom demand/payment. Victims must understand that paying the ransom does not guarantee that their encrypted files will be restored by cybercriminals. Secondly, paying ransom to them would only encourage them to continue in their nefarious activities since they would find it profitable. Also, more funds being sent to them would enable them to build up their capacity, resulting in more computer users becoming victims of ransomware. That is why lots of people continue to fall victims globally but this can only stop or be reduced to its barest minimum when everyone refuses to pay ransom no matter what happens.

The virus equally releases certain types of Trojans like VIDAR or AZORULT which they use to steal important information such as banking details, browsing history, account login credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, saved passwords etc. By stealing such sensitive information, they could perpetrate more criminal acts like blackmail or theft.

Anyone whose PC has been infected with any variant of STOP/DJVU ransomware variant should endeavor to remove KQGS ransomware virus from the compromised computer as quickly as possible. You can get it done by setting up your computer in Safe Mode with Networking before scanning any reliable antivirus software on it. You should endeavor to use only antivirus software with proven efficacy in order to achieve effective result. If you’re not sure about which brand of antivirus to make use, then we recommend INTEGO Antivirus. On top of that, we highly recommend downloading this tool – RESTORO to repair damage inflicted on Windows OS files.

Ransomware Summary

REMOVE MALWARE & REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE

Ransomware distribution methods used by cybercriminals

The most common method used by cybercriminals in spreading STOP/DJVU ransomware variants including KQGS virus, is through malicious online torrents. Cybercriminals often embed malware on pirated software copies and when unsuspecting users download them, they end up infecting their system with dangerous viruses. Therefore, opening key generators or “cracks” is highly discouraged to avoid becoming a victim of ransomware. Over the years, cybercriminals often pirate certain popular software contents which they upload as bait on various online torrents libraries in order to get their victims, the most common ones are listed below:

• AutoCad;
• Adobe Photoshop;
• Tenorshare 4ukey;
• Fifa 20;
• Opera browser;
• Corel Draw;
• VMware Workstation;
• Cubase;
• Adobe Illustrator;
• League of Legends;
• Internet Download Manager;
• KMSPico (illegal Windows activation tool).

For those that have a tendency of visiting online torrents platforms with the aim of obtaining copyrighted software contents illegally, you’re hereby advised to desist from such risky habit. You’re not just at risk of becoming a victim to ransomware but also exposing yourself to lawsuit charges and criminal penalties. On the contrary, it is much better, safer and more convenient to go patronize genuine developers by obtaining such legitimately through the official channels. This is a better alternative in the long run since you won’t be at risk of cyber-attack or loss of important files.

Another method of distribution used by cybercriminals is the use of malicious email attachments. In this case, they would compose “real looking” messages that would be accompanied with documents crafted with the use of XLS, DOCX or PDF. They make use of these formats because they enable macro functions and JavaScript which can be used to transport and trigger payloads in diverse computers.

It is worrisome to note that trying to decipher which random email that lands in your inbox is genuine or sent by cybercriminals can be quite difficult. The reason for this is because cybercriminals have perfected strategies they use in deceiving their target victims by either impersonating as loved ones and acquaintances or as popular brands such as Amazon, eBay, DHL, FedEx etc. reaching out to them. They would also attach files with compelling tags such as Tracking Details, Invoice, and Order Summary among others. Alternatively, they may even decide to email address spoofing methods to obfuscate their actual sender’s address. In such a situation, we advise that you trust your intuition and avoid opening emails you believe are odd in nature.

Finally, all victims of STOP/DJVU ransomware virus should avoid certain websites that claim to provide decryption solutions because such rarely ever exist. At the moment, the only ones who have proven beyond doubt to offer decryption tools that actually work are Emsisoft and DiskTuna.

More information concerning the infection

For those that may want to know more about the extent to which their computer was affected during KQGS ransomware virus attack, this section would come handy as it covers the topic. First of all, what the malware does is to set up build.exe or build2.exe executables as well as winupdate.exe i.e. the prompt that shows fake Windows update.

Afterwards, the virus will connect to https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json and save the result in geo.json file. The malware then gathers every useful detail about your PC concerning its geolocation, latitude, and longitude, zip code, time zone etc. and would save them in geolocation related database. Shown below are some examples of geo.json file.

It will also drop another file that will contain hardware details, software list installed in the PC and active processes which would be processed in the information.txt.

The virus will then compare the geolocation of the computer with their own list of encryption-exempted countries, which include Russian Federation, Ukraine, Syria, Armenia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazachstan, and Belarus. Once it detects that the computer is domiciled in any of the aforementioned countries, it will immediately cease its operation but if on the contrary, it will then begin to fetch online encryption key from their central server and would merge it with the victim’s ID before sending them to bowsakkdestx.txt file and to PersonalID.txt file for safekeeping. In the screenshot below are examples of these files.

In situations where it fails to obtain an online encryption key, it will resort for the use of a hardcoded offline one as an alternative. The striking difference between the two is that while the online key is peculiar to each victim, the offline key, on the other hand, is applicable to all victims of the same malware variant. The appearance of t1 characters suffixed to the personal ID of a victim is an indication that an offline key was used and it improves the chances of the victim to ever recover their files.

The ransomware would now begin total data encryption process by scanning the entire folders and encrypting them with Salsa20 before using RSA-2048 to lock the encryption key. While this is ongoing, a file-marking extension will be added to the original filename.

Here is a picture of the _readme.txt ransom note that is usually dropped in all the folders.

In completing the entire process, the virus will add certain domains to the Windows HOSTS file before sticking them to the local host IP, thereby effectively preempting any possible attempt by the victim to seek for help in any of the blacklisted websites. Any attempt to browse them may bring up a DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error message on the screen.

Remove KQGS Ransomware Virus and Restore Your Files

For those whose files were encrypted by this malware variant, you’re advised to remove KQGS ransomware virus as quickly as possible. Thereafter, you follow the steps highlighted below to boot your PC in Safe Mode with Networking; from there, run an up-to-date antivirus solution to automatically detect and erase malicious files. Our team trusts INTEGO Antivirus for this matter to be the best. In addition, tools like RESTORO (secure download link) can be used to repair virus-damaged OS files.

Now that KQGS virus removal is completed, it is time to follow these recommendations as put forward by our team:

• Quickly inform relevant local authorities about the cyber-attack.
• Make use of backup devices to restore lost data, but ensure that no trace of the malware is left before plugging any external storage device.
• Learn possible ways encrypted files could be decrypted or repaired.
• Replace all passwords that were used in the compromised computer without further delay.

In summary, always remember that the best way to prevent ransomware attacks is to avoid habits that could put you at risk, such as visiting online torrents platforms and also being proactive enough to avoid opening unsolicited emails sent to you.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND

Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system:

STEP 1. REMOVE AUTOMATICALLY WITH ROBUST ANTIVIRUS

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Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7.. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs.

Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer.

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STEP 2. REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER

DOWNLOAD RESTORO

RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically.

RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them.

Read full review here.

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Norbert Webb

Norbert Webb is the head of Geek’s Advice team. He is the chief editor of the website who controls the quality of content published. The man also loves reading cybersecurity news, testing new software and sharing his insights on them. Norbert says that following his passion for information technology was one of the best decisions he has ever made. “I don’t feel like working while I’m doing something I love.” However, the geek has other interests, such as snowboarding and traveling.