What is Uigd ransomware

Uigd ransomware is a generic file-encrypting malware from the notorious Djvu/STOP ransomware family. Because it encrypts files and demands money for their recovery, Uigd ransomware is considered a serious malware infection. It can be recognised by the .uigd extension added to encrypted files. You will be unable to open any files with this extension. If you have backup, file recovery should not be a problem for you. All you need to do is remove Uigd ransomware and then access your backup to start the file recovery process. Unfortunately, for users who do not have a backup, waiting for a free decryptor to become available might be the only option.

 

 

This ransomware is essentially identical to all other ransomware that come from this malware family. The cybercriminals operating this malware family have released hundreds of ransomware versions already. They all target personal files including photos, images, videos, documents, etc. Encrypted files can be recognised by the extensions added to them. For example, this ransomware adds .uigd, hence why it’s known as Uigd ransomware. An encrypted text.txt file would become text.txt.uigd. You’ll be unable to open any of these files unless you first put them through a decryptor. However, acquiring the decryptor is not going to be easy because the only people who have it are the cyber criminals operating this ransomware.

How you can acquire the decryption tool will be explained in the _readme.txt ransom note that gets dropped once files are done being encrypted. The note is essentially identical to all of the other notes dropped by this ransomware family. However, the note does explain that in order to get the Uigd ransomware decryptor, you need to pay the ransom. Currently, according to the note, the price is $980. However, for victims who make contact within the first 72 hours, there will be a 50% discount. Whether that is actually true or not is not certain, and paying the ransom, in general, comes with many risks. However, that is your decision to make. The biggest risk is that you are not guaranteed a decryptor even if you pay. Keep in mind that you are dealing with cybercriminals, and there’s no guarantees that they will feel any obligation to help you. Countless users in the past have not received their decryptors even after paying. Furthermore, the reason ransomware is so prevalent is that victims keep paying the ransom. As long as this happens, ransomware will continue to be a serious issue.

If you have copies of your files in a backup, you should have no issue with file recovery. However, you do need to make sure the ransomware is fully gone before you access your backup. If the ransomware is still present, your backed-up files would become encrypted as well. We strongly recommend that you use anti-malware software to remove the ransomware. Manual Uigd ransomware removal could potentially lead to additional damage. It’s also much easier to use an anti-virus program than to do everything by yourself.

If you do not have a backup, your only option may be to wait for a free Uigd ransomware decryptor to become available. However, it is not certain whether it will be released or not. Developing free decryptors is often very difficult for researchers. In this particular case, because this ransomware uses online encryption keys to encrypt files, the keys are unique to each user. Unless those keys are released, malware researchers may not be able to develop a working free decryptor. However, all is not lost because it is not impossible that the keys will be released eventually. It has happened in the past.

How is ransomware distributed?

Cybercriminals often use malicious attachments to distribute malware because it’s a rather low-effort method for them. All they need to do is purchase victims’ email addresses from various hacker forums and then send them emails with malicious attachments. Fortunately for users, these emails are generally very easy to recognise. For whatever reason, they are often full of grammar and spelling mistakes. If, for example, you receive an email from a parcel delivery service that asks you to open an attachment but the email itself is full of grammar mistakes, you should be cautious because it’s likely a malicious email. No legitimate company will ever leave spelling or grammar mistakes in their official correspondence emails. Another sign that could indicate a malicious email is if an email addresses you in generic terms like User, Member, Customer, etc. If you receive an email from a company who should know your name but the email addresses you with generic terms, you are likely dealing with a malicious email. Generally, these emails are harmless as long as you do not interact with them. However, the moment you open the attached malicious file, the malware will be able to initiate. Some emails may be more sophisticated than others. This is why it’s a good idea to scan all unsolicited email attachments with an antivirus program or service like VirusTotal.

Another common malware distribution method is torrents. You are likely already aware of this but torrent websites are often poorly regulated which allows malicious criminals to easily upload malicious content disguised as torrents for popular movies, TV shows, video games, software etc. It’s particularly common for long-awaited content torrents to have malware in them. So if you use torrents to download copyrighted content for free, you are not only stealing, but are also putting your computer and data in danger.

Uigd ransomware removal

We do not recommend that you try to remove Uigd ransomware manually because you could end up causing additional damage. Furthermore, the malware may not be removed fully. If you access your backup while the malware is still present, your backed-up files would become encrypted as well. Thus, we strongly recommend the use of anti-malware software to delete Uigd ransomware. Once the ransomware is fully gone from your computer, you can start your file recovery process by accessing your backup.