BL4CK SP1D3R EXPOSED: .bl4ck Files and BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt

You open Documents the way you did yesterday. The first photo should still be 1.jpg. The vacation shot should still be vacation.jpg. The invoice should still be invoice-2026.pdf. The tax sheet should still be taxes.xlsx. Instead every familiar name has a second ending tacked on. 1.jpg is now 1.jpg.bl4ck. A small text file named BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt is sitting in the same folder, as if it has always belonged there.

The desktop may not look like yours either. After the lock, this strain can change the wallpaper so the first thing you see is a threat, not your usual background. That is the trap, not a glitch.

This page is for the hour those names appear. It is not a miracle key. It is a map of the trap, so the note does not become your incident plan.

Overview

BL4CK SP1D3R ransomware locks the files first. Then it keeps the old name and the old type, and hangs .bl4ck on the end. Then it drops BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt and talks like a recovery desk. The note is a storefront. It claims each victim has a unique key. It claims the files were stolen as well as encrypted. It says the price rises the longer you wait. It tells you not to modify the locked copies, not to rename them, not to trust a third party, and not to reboot. Then it points you at one inbox: darkhelmet@onionmail.org.

The first tell is the rename. In the sample used for this page, 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.bl4ck. vacation.jpg becomes vacation.jpg.bl4ck. invoice-2026.pdf becomes invoice-2026.pdf.bl4ck. taxes.xlsx becomes taxes.xlsx.bl4ck. family.mp4 becomes family.mp4.bl4ck. You can still read what the file used to be. You cannot open it. Windows may call the type a BL4CK File and offer a useless “choose an app” box. An app cannot talk locked bytes back into a JPEG.

The second tell is the note. After the files are locked, the malware drops BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt into the same folders. README sounds like documentation. The brand in the filename sounds like a case. Put them together and the first English you can still read after the photos break is a sales flyer. The flyer is meant to be opened. It is not meant to be trusted.

The third tell is the wallpaper. The desktop can change so you cannot miss the event even if you never open Documents. That wallpaper tells victims to open R3ADM3.TXT in every folder. That name is not the note on disk. The file that actually landed is BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt. The mismatch is part of this strain. Do not hunt a second text file to finish a sentence the wallpaper started. Do not invent extra notes. Keep the file you actually have.

The published sample of the note also prints a Machine ID. In that sample the label is QRACKONERDY. Treat it as printed in that sample, not as a new ID, and not as every victim’s ID. The string on your disk is the one that belongs to that machine. Copy it into an incident record if you need to describe the lock. Do not send it to darkhelmet@onionmail.org to “activate” anything.

That is the whole costume. A locked folder of .bl4ck names. A BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt file that talks like a recovery brief. A wallpaper that points at R3ADM3.TXT instead. A sample Machine ID printed as QRACKONERDY. A unique-key claim. A stolen-and-encrypted claim. A price that supposedly rises while you wait. A leash that says do not modify, do not rename, do not use a third party, do not reboot. One onionmail inbox. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. There is no printed ransom figure. There is no reason to write that inbox today because a text file told you to.

The .bl4ck name is the first warning

Most lockers pick an extension so you notice the change in seconds. BL4CK SP1D3R uses .bl4ck. The extra cruelty is how readable the listing stays. You do not have to decode anything. You can still see 1.jpg inside 1.jpg.bl4ck. You can still see the invoice year. You can still see the word taxes. The familiar words are still in the folder. The files are not familiar anymore.

Do not treat that readable name as a fix. Do not strip .bl4ck off the end and expect Photos or Excel to open the file. Do not run a bulk “extension fixer” you found in an ad. The name is a label. The lock is in the content. Editing the label can make a later trusted tool have a harder time matching the file to what it was. Leave the locked copies as they are until you have a clean machine and a plan that does not start in a criminal inbox.

The extra ending also does advertising. Anyone who sees vacation.jpg.bl4ck next to BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt can pretend they already have your case. A later fake helper will quote the extension back to you as if that were expertise. The extension is public. It is sitting in the folder. Quoting it proves nothing except that they can read a listing.

BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt is a sales floor, not a help file

The ransom note is a plain text file with a name that sounds like documentation. BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt wants the first click after the panic. Plenty of real software drops a README. This one uses that habit against you. It is meant to be the first English you can still read when the photos will not open.

The filename is built to look like paperwork. BL4CK SP1D3R. README. A .txt ending Windows already trusts. A generic “read me” might make you pause. A note with the locker brand in the name feels like a case file. Paperwork is easier to obey than a threat.

The body of that sample is a script. Unique key. Stolen and encrypted. Price rises the longer you wait. Do not modify. Do not rename. Do not trust a third party. Do not reboot. Write darkhelmet@onionmail.org. Each line has a job. The unique-key line is there so you feel outmatched. The stolen line is there so even a shop with backups still feels the squeeze. The rising-price line is the closer. The do-not list is a fence around the storefront. The inbox is checkout.

Keep the file on disk. Then close it. Do not treat it as a set of steps you should follow. Do not tidy the filename. Do not shorten it to “the readme” when you write the incident down. Copy BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt the way you would copy a serial off a stolen laptop. That string is how a responder matches this locker. It is not a coupon you redeem in onionmail.

The wallpaper points at R3ADM3.TXT, a name that is not the note

After the lock, the desktop can change. A new wallpaper is there so you cannot miss the event. It is a billboard. It tells victims to open R3ADM3.TXT in every folder. That instruction is part of the strain. It is also a mismatch. The file that actually sits next to 1.jpg.bl4ck is BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt.

The mismatch is useful to them. A wallpaper that names a file you cannot find makes you keep looking. You open every folder. You search the disk. You feel late. You feel that you missed the real instructions. You did not miss them. The note is the README with the locker brand in the name. The wallpaper is using a different costume of the same word so the desktop looks urgent even if you never sort Documents.

Do not invent a second note to satisfy the wallpaper. Do not create a blank R3ADM3.TXT so the folder “matches.” Do not download a file with that name from a comment, a forum, or a stranger who already knows the extension. Anyone can type R3ADM3.TXT after they see a screenshot of a desktop. Handing you that filename does not prove they can open 1.jpg.bl4ck.

Photograph the wallpaper for the report if it still shows the threat. Then leave cosmetics for a clean account later. A new background is a symptom that the machine was under someone else’s control. It is not a reason to stay logged in so you can “find the missing readme” in every folder.

QRACKONERDY is a sample Machine ID, not a key

The published sample of the note prints a Machine ID. In that sample the value is QRACKONERDY. Treat that string as printed in that sample, not as a new one, and not as every victim’s ID. If your copy of BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt shows a different label, keep the file. Do not tidy it. Do not swap in QRACKONERDY so the report looks like the published example. The code on your disk is the one that belongs to that machine.

A Machine ID is useful to the people who wrote the locker. It lets them keep your thread separate from the next victim. It lets a later fake helper say “send me your README” and look prepared. It lets them greet you by name so the first email feels like a ticket, not a threat. Copy the string for your own records if you need to describe the incident. Do not paste it into a stranger’s form. Do not read it out on a phone call that started with “we can decrypt .bl4ck files.”

This page will not invent a second Machine ID. QRACKONERDY is the published sample. If a later message quotes that exact string back to you and you never had it on disk, they read a public sample, not your folder. If your note actually contains QRACKONERDY, that still does not make the other side a help desk. It makes the flyer look personal. Personal is a costume.

Unique key and stolen plus encrypted is the squeeze

The note claims each victim has a unique key. That sentence is meant to end the argument in their favor. If the key is unique, then a public tool feels useless. If the key is unique, then a neighbor’s restore story feels irrelevant. If the key is unique, then the only adult move is to write darkhelmet@onionmail.org before the price they invented goes up.

A unique-key claim is still attacker copy. Naming uniqueness is not the same as handing you a proof. It does not prove they still have a key. It does not prove they will send one if you write. It does not prove a later trusted decryptor project cannot exist. It is there so you stop looking at backups, stop calling the person who handles incidents, and start looking for an inbox.

The stolen-and-encrypted line does a second job. Locking files bills a home user who wants photos back. Claiming the data already left the building bills a shop that can restore from last night. Together they cover both kinds of victim. That second squeeze is what CISA calls double extortion in the official StopRansomware Guide. A leak claim can be true. Crews do steal mail, payroll, and scans before they lock files. A leak claim can also be a bluff. You cannot tell which from a sentence in BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt. You should not try to settle it by writing onionmail.

Believe the risk enough to treat stolen data as possible. Tell counsel and your incident lead if this is a company. Do not believe the promise enough to buy a deletion you cannot verify. Paying does not ensure the files come back, does not ensure the systems are clean, and does not ensure the copies stay unpublished. CISA is blunt about that in the joint StopRansomware checklist. A unique-key line does not change those facts.

The price-rises line is a timer they own

The note says the price rises the longer you wait. There is no independent clock. There is no printed starting figure that can rise. There is no public ledger where you can watch a quote change. The timer starts when you read the file, which is exactly when you are least able to think.

A rising price with no starting number is a blank threat. They can name any figure in mail after you have already written. Waiting then feels like a mistake you made yourself. That is a sales sequence. It is not a service-level agreement. The files are already locked. Another night of panic will not change the bytes in vacation.jpg.bl4ck.

The line also primes the next warnings. If you already believe delay will make the bill worse, you are easier to steer away from honest help and toward their inbox. Respect the locked files. Do not worship the sentence. The people who wrote it already rewrote the bytes. They are not now your data-recovery vendor, and they do not get to set your clock.

darkhelmet@onionmail.org is checkout, not support

The printed inbox is darkhelmet@onionmail.org. Onionmail is a real mail service. That is why the line works. A made-up host would feel like a scam. A real mailbox on a privacy host feels like a procedure. The procedure is still theirs. The host is where mail lives. It is not a recovery desk for .bl4ck files.

Do not write that address because the note said to. Do not open a fresh throwaway mailbox “just to see.” Do not paste a folder listing into a new message to prove you are a victim. Do not send QRACKONERDY as a subject line. A mail thread is how a locked photo becomes a negotiation. Negotiation is how a demand appears. The note already told you the door. Walking through it is the product.

Keep that string as an identifier. Do not treat it as a help desk. If someone later greets you by darkhelmet@onionmail.org, they read the same note you did. That caller is not CISA. That inbox is not No More Ransom. A relative, an insurer, or an incident lead can still talk on a phone. The people who locked the files do not get a seat in that call.

Do not modify, rename, use a third party, or reboot is a leash

The warning section tells you not to modify the locked files, not to rename them, not to use a third party, and not to reboot. On its face that sounds like a warning about wrecking the lock. In the flyer it does extra work. It tells you to stay inside their story. It tells you a relative who wants to copy the files off the machine is a threat. It tells you a trusted incident desk is a threat. It tells you waiting for a public tool is a threat. It tells you turning the PC off is a threat.

There is a narrow truth hiding in that line, and it is not theirs. Do not run random decryptors from ads. Do not bulk-rename the pile. Do not feed 1.jpg.bl4ck into a website that promises to unlock it in the browser. Those steps can damage files. The note uses that risk as a leash. You can respect the files without obeying the people who locked them. Keep the copies. Do not follow BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt as a playbook.

The reboot ban is theater with a practical edge. Powering a machine down can help contain some malware. It can also interrupt a lock that is still running. Isolate first. Unplug extra disks. Do not plug in the backup drive “just to check.” Checking is how the backup gets the same .bl4ck ending. Then decide shutdown with a responder, not with a ransom note. The people who wrote “do not reboot” want the session to stay open so you can still write them.

How The Ransomware Works

The shop is simple once you stop reading it as a rescue. Lock the files. Brand the names with .bl4ck. Drop a README that talks like a help file. Change the wallpaper so it points at R3ADM3.TXT even though the file on disk is BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt. Print a Machine ID. Claim a unique key. Claim the data was stolen as well as encrypted. Say the price rises while you wait. Warn you not to modify, rename, trust a third party, or reboot. Point you at darkhelmet@onionmail.org. Then wait for someone else to sell the same inbox.

1. The lock keeps the old name so you recognize the loss

BL4CK SP1D3R encrypts the files it wants as leverage, then appends .bl4ck. That is why 1.jpg is still readable as 1.jpg.bl4ck. The operators want you to inventory the damage in seconds. They want you to see the vacation photo, the invoice, the tax sheet, and the family video in one glance. A coded filename can confuse you. A readable filename makes you feel the theft.

If only one folder looks wrong, do not assume the rest of the disk is safe. Ransomware walks trees. It hits Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Downloads, and any drive letter it can reach, including a USB stick you forgot was plugged in. Unplug extra disks. Do not plug in the backup drive to test a file. Testing is how the honest copy gets the same extra ending.

Double-clicking a renamed file does not bring the photo back. The thumbnail may already look broken. Excel may ask for a workbook that is still sitting in the same folder, only the bytes inside are no longer a workbook. That broken open is the first proof. The second proof is the extra ending. Together they are enough. You do not need onionmail to confirm what you are looking at.

2. BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt turns a break-in into a ticket

Once the names are branded, the malware needs a voice. BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt is that voice. It sits in the same folders as the locked files so the first sort puts help next to harm. On many machines a text file sorts near the top, especially with a name in capitals. You open it because it looks like the only thing that still speaks English.

The body is short enough to finish before a relative walks into the room. Unique key. Stolen and encrypted. Price rises. Do not modify. Do not rename. Do not use a third party. Do not reboot. Write the onionmail address. Each beat closes a door. The unique-key line closes “maybe a public tool already exists.” The stolen line closes “maybe last night’s copy is enough.” The rising-price line closes “maybe I can sleep on it.” The do-not list closes “maybe I should call someone else.” The inbox is what remains.

Notice what the note does not give you. It does not give you a company, a refund policy, or a way to prove the other side will ever send a key. It does not give you a wallet. It does not give you a printed ransom figure. It gives you a tone that says this is already decided. That tone is the product. Read the file as a sales flyer. Then close it. Keep it on disk.

3. The wallpaper sends you hunting for R3ADM3.TXT

The desktop change is not a second locker. It is the same event, written larger. The wallpaper tells you to open R3ADM3.TXT in every folder. You will not find a file with that name sitting next to 1.jpg.bl4ck in the sample this page uses. You will find BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt. The hunt is the point. Hunting keeps you on the infected session. Hunting keeps you from unplugging the machine. Hunting keeps you from calling a person who would tell you to stop clicking.

If you already searched for R3ADM3.TXT and found nothing, that is not a failed install. That is the mismatch. Stop searching. Open the README you actually have, copy it as evidence, and close it. Do not keep walking the tree “in case the real note is in Pictures.” Lockers drop the same flyer in many places so you cannot miss it. Finding five copies of BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt is not five incidents. It is one incident with a loud flyer.

If a later stranger says they will send you “the real R3ADM3.TXT,” that is a second payload wearing the wallpaper’s name. Do not download it. Do not open an attachment with that name. The wallpaper already did its job if it made you look. You do not owe it a file that was never on the disk.

4. Unique key and stolen copies close the argument

After the shout, the note claims a unique key and says the files were stolen as well as encrypted. That pair is meant to end the conversation you have not even started. Uniqueness plus theft sounds like math you cannot beat at the kitchen table. It is still a sales paragraph. It is not a lab report. It is not a reason to skip backups that were never mounted. It is not a reason to skip a trusted decryptor project later if one appears.

The theft line also primes the next warnings. If you already believe copies left the building, you are easier to steer away from honest restore and toward their inbox. Respect the risk. Do not worship the sentence. The people who wrote it already rewrote the bytes. They are not now your deletion vendor. There is no named public leak site in the facts used for this page, and this page will not invent one. A missing leak blog is not proof the copies were never taken. It is also not a reason to start a thread.

5. QRACKONERDY is branding for one published sample

The Machine ID in the published sample is QRACKONERDY. It sits in the note so you will notice it, copy it, and feel already in a case file. That is the handle they want in the first mail. It is not a password. It is not a decryptor. It is not proof that a stranger on the other end can open family.mp4.bl4ck.

People try to invent a missing ticket when the ID looks like a word. They use a Windows product key. They use an email address. They use the last digits of a phone number. They use a folder path. Each of those gifts is extra data the crew did not have to steal a second time. Do not build them a second ID. Do not send hardware details to prove you are real. Real is already proven by the locked files on disk.

If your own note actually contains a different Machine ID, still do not write the inbox. Save the file. The string is an identifier for responders. It is not an invitation you are required to accept. A filled line does not make the other side a help desk. A published sample labeled QRACKONERDY does not make the other side kinder. Both versions want the same walk into onionmail.

6. The price rises so you skip the slow hour

The rising-price line is there so you skip backups, skip reporting, and skip the person who would tell you to leave the share alone until it is contained. A timer turns a weekend into a crisis. The correct first hour is slow on purpose. Write down what still works. Keep the locked copies. Call the people who handle incidents. That work does not get cheaper because a text file said waiting costs more.

People pay timers with attention first, then with money. If the note can own the next few hours, it does not need a printed figure. You will ask for the figure yourself. That is the design. Put the clock down. The files are already locked. Another afternoon of panic will not unlock them.

This page will not invent a ransom amount to put under that sentence. The published facts do not name one. A missing number is not mercy. It is a blank invoice. The first conversation is how they fill it in, after you have already written darkhelmet@onionmail.org.

7. The onionmail inbox is the door they want you to walk through

Everything in the note points to one action: make contact. The costume, the Machine ID, the unique-key claim, the theft claim, the rising price, and the do-not list all serve that action. Contact is how a locked folder becomes a negotiation. Negotiation is how a demand appears. Payment is how the next victim is funded. None of those steps restore a network you can trust.

Do not open a mail client for this incident if you do not already need one for work. Do not send a test file. Do not ask what they want. A price is how the rest of the script starts. Once you are in the thread, the Machine ID has something to attach to. Silence is not rude here. Silence is how you stay out of their queue.

If someone later says they will “talk to BL4CK SP1D3R for you” at that same address, that is a broker pitch. Brokers need you in the same funnel. You do not owe them a seat. Report the incident through official desks. Let counsel decide if contact is ever required for a specific legal reason. That decision is not yours to make from the Documents folder at midnight.

8. The do-not list is a monopoly, not advice

Do not modify. Do not rename. Do not use a third party. Do not reboot. Read that again as a sales line. If other tools are forbidden, their inbox is the only shop. If renaming is forbidden, the listing they branded has to stay as advertising. If reboot is forbidden, the infected session stays available for the next instruction. The warning is not a lab result. It is a fence around the storefront.

Random “.bl4ck decryptor” ads are a real second scam, and you should not run those either. That does not make the criminals your IT department. A trusted restore path, when you have one, is not “a third party” they get to veto. An offline copy they never touched is not theirs to poison with a sentence. The note wants you to treat every option except darkhelmet@onionmail.org as sabotage. That is how a monopoly talks, not how a recovery team talks.

9. Third parties will sell the same onionmail conversation

After a ransomware incident, search results fill up with companies that say they can decrypt BL4CK SP1D3R or “all .bl4ck files.” Some of those shops are ordinary overpriced consultants. Plenty are a second scam. They will quote BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt so they sound close to the case. They will mention QRACKONERDY as if they already called the original crew. They will mention the wallpaper’s R3ADM3.TXT line so they sound closer still. They will ask for a sample file, a remote-access session, or a deposit.

A demo that “unlocks one file” is not proof they can unlock the vacation photo. Anyone can open one junk file they control. Anyone can send you a reply that makes a mail window appear. A mail window is not Photos opening vacation.jpg again. If a later message skips onionmail and asks for coin over ordinary email, that is still the same market, or a copycat standing in the same doorway. Do not answer. Do not help them set a price the original note left unprinted on purpose.

A real public decryptor, when one exists, shows up on an official project page that already existed before your incident. It does not need a deposit. It does not need darkhelmet@onionmail.org. It does not need a Machine ID you paste into a stranger’s form. If the pitch is “we can decrypt, pay us first,” you are still paying the lock. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain, and there is no honest way to claim the files came back through a paid inbox.

10. Payment and writing the inbox close nothing

Paying a stranger for a unique key is not a guarantee. The people who send the note can take the money and disappear. They can send a string that only makes a tool show an error. They can come back later and lock the same machine again. A private inbox makes that outcome easier, not harder. You cannot leave a review on darkhelmet@onionmail.org.

Writing the inbox is the free version of the same dead end. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. There is no printed ransom figure in the facts used here. Starting a thread does not rebuild a JPEG. It only keeps you in their story while the rest of the disk still needs a real plan.

The No More Ransom project puts the rule in plain language. Paying is not guaranteed to bring the files back, and you should not pay. That is the line on the official landing page run with Europol and the project partners. Use that page. Do not use BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt as a vendor.

If this is a company machine, tell counsel and your incident lead. If this is a home PC, tell the people whose files lived on it. Change passwords from a clean device. Watch bank and email alerts. Writing onionmail again is not useful work. It is the checkout, even when the checkout never printed a figure.

What To Do If Your Files End in .bl4ck

Do not write darkhelmet@onionmail.org. Do not hunt R3ADM3.TXT as if a second note were missing. Do not send QRACKONERDY, or any other Machine ID from your copy of the note, to that inbox. Do not send a sample file. Do not pay a rising price they name after you arrive. Do not invent a payment the note never printed. If you already sent a message before you found this page, stop there. Do not send a second file. Do not pay a deposit to “hold the price” after a demo.

• STEP 1: Use Rkill to terminate suspicious programs.
• STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove for Ransomware and Unwanted Programs
• STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to remove Trojans and other Malware
• STEP 4: Use AdwCleaner to remove Malicious Browser Extensions and Adware
• STEP 5: Perform a final check with ESET Online Scanner
• STEP 6: Restore the files encrypted by ransomware

STEP 1: Use Rkill to terminate suspicious programs.

In this first step, we will download and run Rkill to terminate suspicious programs that may be running on your computer.

RKill is a program that was developed at BleepingComputer.com that attempts to terminate known malware processes so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections. When RKill runs it will kill malware processes and then removes incorrect executable associations and fixes policies that stop us from using certain tools.

1. Download Rkill.

   You can download RKill to your computer from the below link. When at the download page, click on the Download Now button labeled iExplore.exe. We are downloading a renamed version of Rkill (iExplore.exe) because some malware will not allow processes to run unless they have a certain filename.

   

   RKILL DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Rkill)

2. Run RKill.

   After downloading, double-click the iExplore.exe icon to kill malicious processes. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   The program may take some time to search for and end various malware programs.

   

   When it is finished, the black window will close automatically and a log file will open. Do not restart your computer. Proceed to the next step in this guide.

STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove Ransomware and Unwanted Programs

In this second step, we will install Malwarebytes to scan and remove any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present on your computer.

Malwarebytes is one of the most popular and trusted anti-malware tools for Windows — and it’s completely free for removing infections. It catches threats that many antivirus programs miss, including adware, browser hijackers, and trojans. Follow the steps below to scan and clean your PC in just a few minutes.

1. Download Malwarebytes

   Click the button below to download the latest version of Malwarebytes for Windows from the official source. The free version is all you need — it will scan your computer and remove adware, browser hijackers, and other malicious software at no cost.

   

   DOWNLOAD MALWAREBYTES FOR WINDOWS (FREE)
   
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Install Malwarebytes

   When the download finishes, open your Downloads folder and double-click the MBSetup file. If Windows shows a User Account Control pop-up, click “Yes” to allow the installation.

   

3. Follow the On-Screen Prompts to Install Malwarebytes

   The setup wizard will walk you through a few quick screens:

   • Choose where you’re installing the program — “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer” — then click Next.

     

   • Malwarebytes will now install on your device. This usually takes under a minute.

     

   • When installation is complete, the “Welcome to Malwarebytes” screen will open automatically.

     

   • On the final screen, click Open Malwarebytes to launch the program.

     

4. Enable “Scan for Rootkits”

   Before scanning, turn on rootkit detection so Malwarebytes can find even the most hidden threats. Click the Settings gear icon on the left side of the screen.

   

   In the settings menu, find “Scan for rootkits” and click the toggle so it turns blue.

   

   Done? Click “Dashboard” in the left pane to return to the main screen.

5. Start the Scan

   Click the blue Scan button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its virus database and start checking your computer for malware.

   

6. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   The scan checks your entire system for browser hijackers and other malicious programs, so it can take several minutes. Feel free to do something else — just check back occasionally to see the progress.

   

7. Quarantine the Detected Threats

   When the scan is done, you’ll see a list of everything Malwarebytes found — malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs. Click the “Quarantine” button to remove all of them at once.

   

   Malwarebytes will now remove the malicious files and registry entries and move them safely into quarantine.

   

8. Restart Your Computer

   Some threats can only be fully removed after a reboot. If Malwarebytes asks you to restart, click Yes. Once you’re logged back in, your PC is clean and you can continue with the next steps in this guide.

   

STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to remove Rootkits and other Malware

In this third step, while the computer is in normal back, we will download and run a scan with HitmanPro to remove Trojans, rootkits, and other malicious programs.

HitmanPro is a second-opinion scanner — it’s designed to catch what your main antivirus might have missed. Instead of relying on a single detection engine, it checks the behavior of files in the locations where malware usually hides. Anything suspicious gets sent to the cloud, where it’s analyzed by two of the best antivirus engines available: Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Good news: scanning is completely free, with no limits. You only need a license when it’s time to remove what was found — and even then, you can activate a free one-time 30-day trial to clean your PC at no cost. (A full license is $24.95 per year for 1 PC.)

1. Download HitmanPro

   Click the button below to download HitmanPro. Remember — the scan is free, so you have nothing to lose by checking your PC.

   DOWNLOAD HITMANPRO (FREE SCAN)
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Install HitmanPro

   When the download finishes, open your Downloads folder and double-click the file: “hitmanpro.exe” on 32-bit Windows, or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” on 64-bit Windows.

   

   If a User Account Control pop-up asks whether HitmanPro can make changes to your device, click “Yes” to continue.

   

3. Follow the On-Screen Prompts

   On the HitmanPro start screen, click “Next” to begin the system scan. No lengthy setup required — it goes straight to work.

   

   

4. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   HitmanPro will now check your computer for malicious programs. This usually takes just a few minutes thanks to its cloud-based scanning.
   

5. Review the Results and Click “Next”

   When the scan is done, HitmanPro will show you everything it found. Click “Next” to remove the detected threats.

   

6. Click “Activate Free License”

   To remove the malicious files, click the “Activate free license” button. This starts your free 30-day trial — no payment details needed — and unlocks the full cleanup.
   

   When the removal is complete, HitmanPro will show a summary of everything it cleaned. Click Next, then click Reboot if prompted. If there’s no reboot prompt, just click Close — your PC is clean.

STEP 4: Use AdwCleaner to remove Malicious Browser Extensions and Adware

In this next step, we will use AdwCleaner to remove malicious browser policies and unwanted browser extensions from your computer.

AdwCleaner is a free on-demand scanner that specializes in adware, browser hijackers, and unwanted toolbars — the exact threats that mainstream antivirus programs often miss. It also includes tools that repair the damage malware leaves behind, like hijacked browser settings and malicious policies. It’s a quick scan that’s well worth running.

1. Download AdwCleaner

   Click the button below to download AdwCleaner — it’s free, portable, and requires no installation.

   

   DOWNLOAD ADWCLEANER (FREE)
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Run AdwCleaner

   Open your Downloads folder and double-click the file named “adwcleaner_x.x.x.exe“. There’s no installation — the program starts right away.
   

   If Windows asks whether you want to allow AdwCleaner to run, click “Yes“. When the license agreement appears, click I agree to continue.

   

3. Enable “Reset Chrome policies”

   This setting removes malicious browser policies — a trick malware uses to lock your browser settings so you can’t change them back. Click “Settings” on the left side of the window, then turn on “Reset Chrome policies“.

   

4. Start the Scan

   Click “Dashboard” on the left side of the window, then click the “Scan” button.

   

5. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   AdwCleaner will now check your computer for adware and other malware. This usually takes only a few minutes — it’s one of the fastest scanners around.

   

6. Quarantine the Detected Threats

   When the scan finishes, AdwCleaner will list everything it found. Click the “Quarantine” button to remove all the malicious items at once.

   

7. Click “Continue” to Finish the Cleanup

   Save any open work first — AdwCleaner needs to close your open programs before it can clean. When you’re ready, click the “Continue” button.
   

   AdwCleaner will now delete all detected malware from your computer. If it asks you to restart your PC, allow it — your computer will be clean when you log back in.

STEP 5: Perform a final check with ESET Online Scanner

This final step involves installing and running a scan with ESET Online Scanner to check for any additional malicious programs that may be installed on the computer..

ESET Online Scanner is a free second-opinion scanner that performs a deep, full-system check for viruses, trojans, rootkits, and other malware. We use it as the final step because it’s thorough — if anything slipped past the previous scans, ESET will find it. A clean result here means your computer is malware-free.

1. Download ESET Online Scanner

   Click the button below to download ESET Online Scanner.

   

   DOWNLOAD ESET ONLINE SCANNER (FREE)
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Run the Installer

   When the download finishes, open your Downloads folder and double-click “esetonlinescanner.exe“.
   

3. Install ESET Online Scanner

   On the start screen, select your language from the drop-down menu and click Get started.

   

   On the Terms of use screen, click Accept.
   

   Choose your preferences for the Customer Experience Improvement Program and the Detection feedback system (either choice is fine), then click Continue.
   

4. Start a Full Scan

   Click Full Scan — this checks your entire computer, not just the common hiding spots.

   

   Select Enable for Detection of Potentially Unwanted Applications — this lets ESET catch adware and bundled junk programs, not just viruses. Then click Start scan.

   

5. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   ESET will now check every file on your computer. Because it’s a full scan, this can take a while — often an hour or more, depending on how much data you have. Leave it running in the background and check on it from time to time.

   

6. Review the Results

   When the scan completes, the Found and resolved detections screen appears. Any threats found were automatically cleaned and quarantined — there’s nothing extra you need to do. Click View detailed results if you want to see exactly what was removed.
   

   If ESET found nothing — congratulations, your computer has passed the final check and is malware-free.

STEP 6: Restore the files encrypted by ransomware

Unfortunately, in most cases, it’s not possible to recover the files encrypted by this ransomware virus because the private key which is needed to unlock the encrypted files is only available through the attackers. However, below we’ve listed three options you can use to try and recover your files.

Option 1: Search a decryption tool for this ransomware

The cybersecurity community is constantly working to create ransomware decryption tools, so you can try to search these sites for updates:

• https://id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com/
• https://decrypter.emsisoft.com/
• https://noransom.kaspersky.com/
• https://www.avast.com/ransomware-decryption-tools

Option 2: Use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free to recover the encrypted files

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free can restore files and repair corrupted files with simple clicks. Its powerful scanning algorithms can identify and retrieve huge file type library, including all of the popular video files, audio files, photos, and document formats.
While the free version only allows you to recover 2 GB of data, this can be helpful to see if the recovery is possible and restore back the most important files from your computer.

1. Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free.

   You can download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free by clicking the link below.

   

   EASEUS DATA RECOVERY WIZARD FREE DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard)

2. Double-click on the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free setup file.

   When EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free has finished downloading, double-click on the setup file to install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   

   You may be presented with a User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow EaseUS to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free installation.

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.

   When the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard installation begins, click on the “Install Now” as seen in the image below.
   

   When your EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard installation completes, click the “Start Now” button to start the program.
   

4. Select a location to start recovering the encrypted files.

   Choose the drive or folder where you are the encrypted files that you want to recover and click “Scan“.
   

5. Wait for the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan to complete.

   EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will now scan your computer files that can be restored. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
   

6. Find the files you want to recover.

   When the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan is finished scanning it will show a screen that displays the files that can be recovered. This tool can recover a lot of data, use the “Filter” button to quickly filter specific file types and find the files that you want to recover.
   

   Click the “Preview” button or double-click on a file for a full preview.
   

7. Select your files and click “Recover”.

   Finally, select the the files you want to recover and click “Recover“.
   
   Choose a safe location to save all the files.
   
   The free version only allow you to recover 2 GB of data, however, this will allow you to recover the most important files and see if EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can correctly recover them.
   

Option 3: Try to restore your files with ShadowExplorer

This ransomware will attempt to delete all shadow copies when you first start any executable on your computer after becoming infected. Thankfully, the infection is not always able to remove the shadow copies, so you should continue to try restoring your files using this method.

1. Download ShadowExplorer.

   You can download ShadowExplorer from the below link.

   SHADOW EXPLORER DOWNLOAD LINK
   (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “ShadowExplorer”)

2. Install ShadowExplorer.

   Double-click on the ShadowExplorer-x.x-setup file to start the installation process, then follow the on-screen promts to install this program.
   

3. Select snapshot date.

   Open ShadowExplorer and then from the top bar select the drive where the files that you want to save are located, then select from the snapshot available one previous to this infection.

   

4. Export the files that you want to recover.

   Once you have found a copy of the original file or folder, right-click on it and the select “Export”. A window will prompt you where you want to save the file or folder.
   

Then stay with this strain. The generic steps above are the floor. The extra work below is how you keep BL4CK SP1D3R from turning into a second loss.

1. Keep every .bl4ck name exactly as it is. Do not bulk-rename 1.jpg.bl4ck back to 1.jpg, or vacation.jpg.bl4ck back to vacation.jpg, or invoice-2026.pdf.bl4ck back to a normal PDF, or taxes.xlsx.bl4ck back to a spreadsheet, or family.mp4.bl4ck back to a video. Stripping the extra ending is not a repair. It can make a later trusted tool worse, not better. The original name is already sitting in front of .bl4ck. You do not need to edit it to know what you lost.
2. Keep BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt with the locked files. Do not “clean up” every copy of the note. Do not invent a second note named R3ADM3.TXT so the wallpaper feels complete. The mismatch is part of how you prove this was this strain. The wallpaper can tell you to open R3ADM3.TXT in every folder. The file on disk is still the README. Those artifacts are evidence. They are not instructions you should carry out.
3. Copy the Machine ID only into the incident record. In the published sample that label is QRACKONERDY. If your note shows a different string, copy that string instead. Do not swap in the sample so the report looks tidier. Do not paste the ID into a stranger’s form. Do not put it in the subject line of a message to darkhelmet@onionmail.org.
4. Do not treat the wallpaper as a separate emergency. Photograph it for the report if it still shows the threat, then leave cosmetics for a clean account later. A new background is a symptom that the machine was under someone else’s control. It is not a reason to stay logged in so you can “make the rising-price window.”
5. Do not write darkhelmet@onionmail.org. Do not ask a friend to write them “just to see.” An onionmail address is still the people who locked the files. If a later message quotes BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt and offers “the real inbox,” that is still the same shop. If a later message skips onionmail and asks for coin over ordinary email, that is still the same shop, or a copycat standing in the same doorway.
6. If someone claims they can already decrypt .bl4ck files for a fee because they can recite the unique-key line, the stolen-and-encrypted line, or the rising-price line, they are selling a report, not a key. If they mention QRACKONERDY or R3ADM3.TXT as proof they “already called the crew,” they read the same flyer you did. Do not answer. Do not complete their checkout.
7. If Windows still offers to pick an app for the .bl4ck type, decline it. There is no player for that ending.
8. A rising price in the note is not a reason to skip the CISA ransomware reporting page or a report at the FBI IC3 desk. The clock is theirs. The files are already locked. Another night of panic will not change the bytes in vacation.jpg.bl4ck.

The Bottom Line

BL4CK SP1D3R ransomware is a locker with a readable filename, a README that wants a private mail, and a wallpaper that points at the wrong note name. It keeps the old name and appends .bl4ck. 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.bl4ck. vacation.jpg becomes vacation.jpg.bl4ck. invoice-2026.pdf becomes invoice-2026.pdf.bl4ck. taxes.xlsx becomes taxes.xlsx.bl4ck. family.mp4 becomes family.mp4.bl4ck. The note is BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt. The wallpaper tells victims to open R3ADM3.TXT in every folder. That mismatch is part of the strain.

The published sample prints a Machine ID labeled QRACKONERDY. The note claims a unique key. It claims the files were stolen as well as encrypted. It says the price rises the longer you wait. It tells you not to modify the locked copies, not to rename them, not to trust a third party, and not to reboot. Contact is darkhelmet@onionmail.org. There is no printed ransom figure. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain.

Do not write that inbox. Do not hunt a second note to match the wallpaper. Do not rename the pile in bulk. If you take one sentence with you, take this. A folder of names ending in .bl4ck, plus BL4CK_SP1D3R_README.txt pointing at an onionmail address, is ransomware on the first sighting. Treat it that way before anyone in that inbox asks you to prove you waited too long.