The STOP/Djvu Ransomware Family Continues to Grow by Adding EEGF Ransomware to its Arsenal
Since 2018, the STOP/Djvu Ransomware family has released hundreds of new infection variants, quickly becoming one of the world’s most notable ransomware gangs. Now, EEGF Ransomware has been uncovered as yet another strain from the family. It is referred to as EEGF based on the .EEGF extension it uses to append infected files. The ransomware operates like its counterparts from the STOP/Djvu group and encrypts files before making a ransom demand.
Upon infection, EEGF Ransomware scans a victim’s computer to look for user-generated files. It then targets the files that may contain valuable information, including databases, spreadsheets, archives, pictures, and videos. Additionally, the hackers behind EEGF Ransomware deliver a ransom note that contains information about the infection and the hackers’ ransom demands.
Unfortunately, an online decryption tool that would unlock the files encrypted by EEGF Ransomware is not available at the moment, and the only reliable way to recover infected files is to restore them from a backup. You could also possibly use alternative data recovery options. However, there’s no guarantee that alternative data recovery tools will unlock the encrypted files.
The Ransom Demand Associated with EEGF Ransomware
EEGF Ransomware’s operators promise a decryption key to unlock the affected files for $980. However, they do offer a 50% discount if victims establish communication within 72 hours after encryption. The ransom note also instructs users to contact the criminals via restorealldata@firemail.cc, gorentos@bitmessage.ch, or their telegram account @datarestore. If contacted, EEGF Ransomware’s operators also offer to decrypt one file for free to display they can unlock all the affected files.
How Do I Deal with the EEGF Ransomware Attack?
Although cooperating with hackers seems like an easy way out of the situation, we strongly advise victims not to engage and employ a reputable malware remediation program to scan for and remove EEGF Ransomware. To prevent data loss in the case of another ransomware attack, please consider backing up your data on an external hard drive or virtual cloud storage.
