Absolute Domination EXPOSED: .domination Files and a Full-Screen Password Screen

You open Documents the way you did yesterday. The first photo should still be 1.jpg. The snapshot should still be 2.png. The vacation shot should still be vacation.jpg. The invoice should still be invoice-2026.pdf. Instead every familiar name has a second ending tacked on. 1.jpg is now 1.jpg.domination. 2.png is now 2.png.domination.

Then the listing disappears behind a screen you did not open. It is not a text file in the folder. It is not a small portal in a corner. It covers the glass. There is a password field. The machine looks like it is waiting for you to finish a login.

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 overlay does not become your incident plan.

Overview

Absolute Domination ransomware locks the files first. Then it keeps the old name and the old type, and hangs .domination on the end. Then it covers the desktop with a full-screen ransom note. There is no note filename in the folder. The overlay is the whole flyer. It is written in Russian. It tells you the system has been seized. It tells you not to turn the computer off and not to close the program. It tells you to type a password on the keyboard and press Enter. It tells you to contact @pwnedmethadone to unlock. It threatens that after more than 5 wrong password tries, the data will be destroyed. It claims every action is recorded and sent to a server.

If you are staring at a pile of .domination files and a password screen you did not ask for, you are in a ransom incident, not a broken disk and not a Windows login. The folder is the evidence. The overlay is a checkout. Stay with the folder, not with the script.

The first tell is the rename. In the sample used for this page, 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.domination. 2.png becomes 2.png.domination. vacation.jpg becomes vacation.jpg.domination. invoice-2026.pdf becomes invoice-2026.pdf.domination. taxes.xlsx becomes taxes.xlsx.domination. family.mp4 becomes family.mp4.domination. You can still read what the file used to be. You cannot open it. Windows may call the type a DOMINATION File and offer a useless “choose an app” box. An app cannot talk locked bytes back into a JPEG.

The second tell is the screen. After the files are locked, the malware takes the whole display. 100% of that glass is the demand. There is no README sitting next to 1.jpg.domination. There is no HTML page to double-click. The first words you can still read after the photos break are on an overlay that wants a password. The overlay is meant to be obeyed. It is not meant to be trusted.

The body of that overlay is short on purpose. ВАША СИСТЕМА ЗАХВАЧЕНА ABSOLUTE DOMINATION! Do not try to turn the computer off or close the program. Use the keyboard to enter a password and press Enter. For unlock, contact @pwnedmethadone. After more than 5 wrong tries, your data will be destroyed. Absolute Domination: all actions are recorded and sent to a server. That is the whole costume.

There is no printed $ figure. There is no Bitcoin wallet. There is no email address. There is no onion site. There is no Session ID. This page will not invent them. A missing price is not a puzzle you solve by messaging @pwnedmethadone. A password field is not a key sitting on your desk. The overlay already named the only steps it wants: stay in the chair, type guesses, then write the handle printed on the glass. Following those steps is the product.

That is the whole pitch. A locked folder of .domination names. A full-screen password overlay, not a file. A Russian shout that the system is seized. A warning not to power off. A password box. An attacker-claimed Telegram handle, @pwnedmethadone. A destroy threat after more than 5 wrong tries. A line that says you are being watched. There is no leak claim. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. There is no reason to message that handle today because a lock screen told you to.

The .domination name is the first warning

Most lockers pick an extension so you notice the change in seconds. This one uses .domination. 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.domination. You can still see 2.png inside 2.png.domination. 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 .domination 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 inside that overlay.

The extra ending also does advertising. Anyone who sees vacation.jpg.domination 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.

The demand is a full-screen, not a file

Plenty of lockers drop a text file or an HTML page next to the damaged files. This one does the talking on the glass. The overlay is the ransom note. That matters because there is no second document in the folder that you can save, print, or hand to a responder as a neat flyer. The screen is the flyer. The files are the proof.

The wording on that screen is short. It does not need a long speech. It shouts ВАША СИСТЕМА ЗАХВАЧЕНА ABSOLUTE DOMINATION! It warns you not to turn the computer off and not to close the program. It tells you to enter a password with the keyboard and press Enter. It points unlock at @pwnedmethadone. It threatens destruction after more than 5 wrong tries. It claims every action is recorded and sent to a server.

Those are the lines on the overlay. There are no extra paragraphs hiding under them. There is no inbox under the password box. There is no wallet string. There is no onion link. The screen talks as if a password already exists somewhere, then never says where, except that you should write @pwnedmethadone to get it. That missing “somewhere else” is the hook.

Keep a photo of the overlay from a phone if you can do it without typing into the field. The wording is evidence. The Russian lines are evidence. The handle is evidence. Most later strangers will clean the language or switch it into English. That cleanup is a tell. The original overlay did not need a filename. You should not create one by copying the wording into a new document on the infected machine.

ВАША СИСТЕМА ЗАХВАЧЕНА is a shout, not a lab report

The first line of the overlay is not a diagnosis. It is a headline. ВАША СИСТЕМА ЗАХВАЧЕНА ABSOLUTE DOMINATION! does the same job a fake breaking-news banner does on a supplement page. In plain English it is saying your system has been seized by Absolute Domination. It names the disaster in capital letters so the rest of the flyer feels like the only adult in the room. You are supposed to stop thinking and start obeying.

The shout is also a brand. Later search ads will quote it. Later “helpers” will paste it so they sound close to your desktop. Anyone can copy a headline. Copying ВАША СИСТЕМА ЗАХВАЧЕНА does not mean they can reverse .domination. It means they read the same overlay you did, or they read a screenshot of it.

If the overlay comes back after you close a window, that is the point. A full-screen locker wants to feel like the operating system. Finding it on the glass again is not a second incident. It is one incident with a loud flyer that refuses to get out of the way. Photograph it once as evidence. You do not need to argue with it. You do not need to type into it to prove you are a real victim.

The password box is the trap

The overlay tells you to use the keyboard, enter a password, and press Enter. Read that again. A password provided by whom. Provided where. Provided in what chat, what mail, what envelope. The overlay never answers, except by pointing at @pwnedmethadone. It speaks as if you already received a string, and the only job left is to type it.

That empty field is not a Windows PIN. It is not BitLocker. It is not a forgotten login you can reset from another device. It is a slot. Slots exist so you will put something in them. Guessing your old Windows password is still a guess on their screen. Pasting a “universal Absolute Domination password” from a comment is still a guess. Each guess is a click they wanted.

There is 0% chance that box is a normal sign-in. A real Windows lock screen does not append .domination to 1.jpg and 2.png first. A real password reset does not threaten to destroy your data after more than 5 wrong tries. Leave the field empty. Close the panic, not the evidence. The files are already locked. Another try will not open vacation.jpg.domination.

More than 5 wrong tries is a destroy threat

The overlay is blunt. ПРИ ВВОДЕ БОЛЕЕ 5 НЕПРАВИЛЬНЫХ ПОПЫТОК ВАШИ ДАННЫЕ БУДУТ УНИЧТОЖЕНЫ! In plain English: if you enter more than 5 incorrect attempts, your data will be destroyed. That is not a PIN retry counter from Microsoft. It is a fuse drawn on the glass so you either type carefully, or you stop thinking and go write @pwnedmethadone.

Do not test the number. Do not “use four tries and save the last one.” Do not see what happens on try six. The screen already told you the sixth wrong password is the line they want you to fear. Whether they can actually wipe the disk from that box is not a puzzle you solve at the kitchen table. The files are already locked. Feeding the overlay guesses can only make a bad hour worse.

The count is also a sales tool. A person who would never pay a crew still thinks, maybe I can guess it. Five feels small. More than 5 feels like a last chance. Last chances are how a password field becomes a panic. Your job is not to beat the counter. Your job is to stop typing.

@pwnedmethadone is checkout, not support

The printed contact is @pwnedmethadone. Copy that string exactly. Do not tidy it. Do not add a space. Do not guess a different spelling. The overlay prints it as the unlock aisle. It is an attacker-claimed Telegram handle, not a verified help desk, not a company, and not a person you can leave a review for. This page will not pretend the account is real, exclusive, or still live. The glass claims it. That is all.

Do not open Telegram because the overlay said to. Do not send a test file to prove you are a real victim. Do not paste a folder listing into a new chat. Do not argue about a price that was never printed. Those handles belong to the people who locked the files, or to whoever is standing in that doorway today. Writing them is the product.

The handle is branding, the same way .domination is branding. Anyone can stand up a lookalike after a wave of locked folders. Writing the first message does not start a warranty. It starts a conversation you cannot enforce. A later stranger who says they “already talked to @pwnedmethadone” has read the same overlay you did. That is not a credential.

No printed $ price is not kindness

The overlay does not print a $ ransom. It does not print a bitcoin total. It does not print a wallet. It tells you to write @pwnedmethadone and figure the rest out in a chat they own. That missing number is not mercy. It lets whoever answers set a price after they see who you are. A family photo folder and a contractor laptop can get two different asks. Inventing a $ amount here would only help the costume.

The CISA StopRansomware Guide is blunt about this kind of squeeze. Paying does not ensure the files come back, does not ensure the systems are clean, and does not ensure anyone on the other side keeps a promise. A chat that starts with a lock screen is not a vendor. A handle printed in Russian on your desktop is not a checkout you should complete.

Do not convert a made-up $ figure in your head and decide it is “not that much.” The overlay never gave you one. Do not “test” a smaller amount to see if they answer. A test payment is still a payment. It still tells them this victim pays.

The “sent to a server” line is theater

The last shout on the overlay is ABSOLUTE DOMINATION: ВСЕ ДЕЙСТВИЯ ФИКСИРУЮТСЯ И ОТПРАВЛЯЮТСЯ НА СЕРВЕР. In plain English: all actions are recorded and sent to a server. That line is meant to make you feel watched while you sit in the chair. It is meant to make closing the program feel dangerous. It is meant to make a wrong password feel like a log they already have.

Treat it as attacker copy, not as a lab report. Naming a server does not prove a server. It does not prove they have a live feed of your keyboard. It does not prove they will unlock 1.jpg.domination if you behave. It is a scare that keeps you in their overlay instead of on a phone with someone who can help.

Do not try to “outsmart” the claim by typing dummy passwords. Do not try to “outsmart” it by leaving the overlay up all night so they see you are cooperating. You do not owe a lock screen a performance. Photograph it. Leave the field empty. Keep the .domination files as they are.

Absolute Domination is a locker name, not a game

Absolute Domination is two ordinary English words. Games, sports titles, mods, and random apps use domination language all the time. This page is not a smear of any of them. If a program you actually installed happens to share the phrase, that does not make it this locker. This locker is the one that appends .domination and covers the desktop with a Russian password screen pointing at @pwnedmethadone.

Do not hunt a game folder because the overlay used those words. Do not uninstall a title you like because a ransomware flyer stole the English. Do not mail a game studio as if they ran the lock. The brand on the glass is costume. The evidence is the extra ending on 1.jpg.domination and 2.png.domination, plus the overlay that has no filename.

A later helper will blur that line on purpose. They will say “Absolute Domination files” as if they were talking about a product you bought. They will ask you to install a “domination repair” that is just more malware. Stay with the extension. Stay with the overlay text. Stay with the handle printed on the glass. Those are the strain marks. A shared English phrase is not.

There is no leak line in this costume

Some lockers add a second squeeze. They claim they already copied mail, payroll, or photos, and they will publish the stash if you do not pay. This overlay does not. It does not name a leak site. It does not say a copy is sitting on a private server waiting to be sold. Do not invent that threat because other families use it. The published screen talks about a seized system, a password, a destroy-after-more-than-5 line, and @pwnedmethadone. That is enough theater. Leave the rest uninvented.

A missing leak claim is not proof they stole nothing. It is also not proof they stole everything. It is a missing sentence. A stranger who later adds a leak story, a countdown, or a $ sticker is rewriting the flyer so they can stand in the aisle. The original shop already named the contact. It already named the password box. It did not need a leak to get you to type.

How The Attack Works

The shop is simple once you stop reading it as a rescue. Lock the files. Brand the names with .domination. Cover the desktop so the listing disappears. Shout that the system is seized. Forbid power-off. Put a password field on the glass. Point unlock at @pwnedmethadone. Threaten destruction after more than 5 wrong tries. Claim the session is being recorded. Skip the $ figure. Skip the wallet. Skip the leak. Then wait for someone else to sell the missing password.

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

Absolute Domination encrypts the files it wants as leverage, then appends .domination. That is why 1.jpg is still readable as 1.jpg.domination, and why 2.png is still readable as 2.png.domination. 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. Do not plug in a copy “just to check.” Checking is how the extra copy gets the same .domination 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 to message @pwnedmethadone to confirm what you are looking at.

2. The full-screen takes the desktop

Once the names are branded, the malware needs a voice. Other families drop a how-to in the same folder. This one covers the glass. A full-screen overlay feels like the machine itself is talking. It feels like a login you must finish before you can do anything else. That is how a locked photo folder starts to feel like a checkout.

The overlay is also a hiding trick. While it is up, you cannot calmly sort 1.jpg.domination next to 2.png.domination. You cannot screenshot Explorer from the same session as easily. You cannot look for a note file that was never dropped. The demand is in your face. The evidence is underneath. Photograph the overlay from a phone. The files under it still matter more than the shout.

Notice what the overlay 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 $ price. It does not give you a test decrypt. It gives you a tone that says this is already decided. That tone is the product. Read the screen as a sales flyer. Then stop typing.

3. Do not turn off and do not close is how they keep you in the box

The overlay says НЕ ПЫТАЙТЕСЬ ВЫКЛЮЧИТЬ КОМПЬЮТЕР ИЛИ ЗАКРЫТЬ ПРОГРАММУ! In plain English: do not try to turn the computer off or close the program. That is not a support policy. That is how a locker keeps you in the chair with the password box still on the glass. A person who is afraid to power down is a person who will type. A person who is afraid to close the program is a person who will hunt @pwnedmethadone from the same machine.

Do not treat that line as a technician. Criminal shops love “do not reboot” warnings because reboot is how a lot of people try to get a stuck PC back. The warning also makes the overlay feel official, like a firmware screen you must not interrupt. It is still a flyer. It is still sitting on top of files that already end in .domination.

This page will not walk you through killing the overlay. It will tell you the overlay is not in charge of the incident. The people whose files lived on the machine still need a real plan. The lock screen does not get a vote.

4. The password field is the next click they want

ДЛЯ ВВОДА ПАРОЛЯ ИСПОЛЬЗУЙТЕ КЛАВИАТУРУ И НАЖМИТЕ ENTER. Use the keyboard, enter the password, press Enter. That sentence turns a locked folder into a typing test. You are supposed to feel that the only remaining step is a string. Strings feel solvable. Chats feel later. Enter feels like progress.

Progress is the trick. There is no password on the glass. There is no password in the folder. There is no password hiding in 1.jpg.domination if you open it in Notepad. The field exists so you will fill it. Filling it is how you accept the overlay as a login instead of as a ransom note.

Do not paste a string a comment sold as the Absolute Domination key. Do not try the old Windows password “just in case.” Do not let a remote helper dictate digits while they watch. Each of those is still a try on a screen that already threatened destruction after more than 5 wrong ones.

5. More than 5 wrong tries is the fuse

After the password instruction, the overlay lights a fuse. More than 5 incorrect attempts, and it says your data will be destroyed. Other families use 48-hour clocks and rising $ figures. This one uses a retry counter. The feeling is the same. Wait, and something worse happens. Guess, and something worse happens. Write @pwnedmethadone, and maybe the worse thing stays off.

Do not add a clock the overlay never printed. Do not start a personal countdown because a forum post said “they only wait two days.” Do not send a small file because a later message offered a test decrypt the original screen never printed. The published flyer did not print a $ price and did not print a demo. Leave those uninvented.

Silence is not rude here. Silence is how you stay out of their queue. 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.

6. @pwnedmethadone is the door they want you to walk through

The recovery step on the overlay is a handle. ДЛЯ РАЗБЛОКИРОВКИ ОБРАЩАЙТЕСЬ К @pwnedmethadone. For unlock, contact @pwnedmethadone. That is the whole door. It looks like support because support uses chat. Criminal shops use chat too, because a thread is where a missing $ figure becomes a negotiation and a locked photo becomes a sample they asked you to attach.

Do not write that handle. Do not create a throwaway Telegram account “just to see.” Do not send a screenshot of Explorer to prove the lock. They already chose the extension. They already chose the overlay text. A photo of 1.jpg.domination sitting next to 2.png.domination does not make you a verified customer. It makes you a person still following the flyer.

If someone later says they will “talk to Absolute Domination for you” through that same handle, 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 password box at midnight.

7. All actions are recorded is a scare line

The overlay closes with a surveillance shout. All actions are recorded and sent to a server. That pair is meant to end the conversation you have not even started. Being watched plus private control sounds like you cannot beat this at the kitchen table. It is still a sales paragraph. It is not a reason to skip copies that were never mounted. It is not a reason to skip a trusted decryptor project later if one appears.

You do not need to argue logging with a lock screen. You need to stop treating the screen as a technician. Leave 1.jpg.domination named as it is. Leave 2.png.domination named as it is. The server line printed on that overlay is part of the pitch. It is not a recovery procedure.

8. No $ figure, no wallet, no inbox, no onion

Plenty of lockers print a price and a wallet so you can pay without talking. This one skips both. There is no $ sticker. There is no bitcoin address. There is no email. There is no onion door. The only printed aisle is @pwnedmethadone. That absence is not a puzzle. It is how they force a conversation.

This page will not invent a wallet to finish their sentence. It will not invent a Session ID. It will not invent an .onion link. It will not invent an inbox. If a later screenshot shows extra lines, treat those extras as a different flyer or as a rewrite. The overlay used for this page names a password, a destroy threat after more than 5 wrong tries, and @pwnedmethadone. Do not complete a checkout they left off the glass.

A missing wallet also gives copycats a job. They will sell the missing string. They will say they have the operator’s real address. They will ask you to message @pwnedmethadone first, then paste what they send. That is still the same shop, or a second shop standing in the same doorway. The public flyer left the field empty. Do not finish it for them.

9. Third parties will sell an Absolute Domination conversation

After a ransomware incident, search results fill up with companies that say they can decrypt Absolute Domination or “all .domination files.” Some of those shops are ordinary overpriced consultants. Plenty are a second scam. They will quote the Russian shout so they sound close to the case. They will mention the password box. They will mention more than 5 wrong tries. They will mention @pwnedmethadone as if they already called the original crew. 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 password that makes the overlay accept a string. An accepted string is not Photos opening vacation.jpg again. If a later message skips the original handle and asks for coin over ordinary mail, that is still the same market, or a copycat standing in the same doorway. Do not answer. Do not help them set a wallet the overlay never printed.

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 $ send. It does not need @pwnedmethadone. If the pitch is “we can decrypt, pay us first,” you are still in the market the ransomware created. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. Until a trusted project publishes one, treat any site that says “we already have the Absolute Domination key” as a second sales pitch.

10. Payment and messaging that handle close nothing

Paying a stranger for a private key is not a guarantee. The people who show the overlay can take the money and disappear. They can send a string that only makes a decryptor show an error. They can come back later and lock the same machine again. A chat thread makes that outcome easier, not harder. You cannot leave a review on an attacker-claimed Telegram handle.

Messaging @pwnedmethadone is the free version of the same dead end. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. 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.

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. Opening that overlay again is not useful work. Typing into the password box is not useful work. It is the checkout, even when the glass never printed a $ figure.

What To Do If Your Files End in .domination

Do not pay. Do not message @pwnedmethadone. Do not type passwords on that screen. Do not burn more than 5 wrong tries to see what the overlay does. Do not invent a Bitcoin address, an inbox, a Session ID, or an onion link to finish the flyer. Do not send a test file. If you already sent a message before you found this page, stop there. Do not pay a deposit to “hold the original deal” for anyone who quotes the overlay.

• 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.
   

Keep every .domination name exactly as it is. Keep at least one locked sample. Do not bulk-rename 1.jpg.domination back to 1.jpg, or 2.png.domination back to 2.png, or vacation.jpg.domination back to a normal JPEG, or invoice-2026.pdf.domination back to a normal PDF, or taxes.xlsx.domination back to a spreadsheet, or family.mp4.domination 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 .domination. You do not need to edit it to know what you lost.

Keep a photo of the full-screen note if you have one. There is no note filename in the folder to “clean up.” Do not create one on the infected machine. The Russian shout, the password instruction, the more-than-5 destroy line, and @pwnedmethadone are how you prove this was this strain and not a different locker that only sounds similar. Those marks are evidence. They are not instructions you should carry out.

Do not type into that password field. Do not press Enter “just to see.” The overlay threatens that after more than 5 wrong tries, the data will be destroyed. One guess is already too many. A comment that sells a “working Absolute Domination password” is still a guess. A helper who wants to dictate digits while they watch is still a guess. Leave the field empty.

Do not message @pwnedmethadone. Do not ask a friend to write them “just to see.” An attacker-claimed Telegram handle is still the people who locked the files, or whoever is answering that name today. If a later message quotes the overlay and offers “the real wallet,” that is still the same shop. If a later message skips the original handle and asks for coin over a different address, that is still the same shop, or a copycat standing in the same doorway.

Do not pay. There is no printed $ figure to “match.” A calm chat is still a ransom. If someone claims they can already decrypt .domination files for a fee because they can recite the Russian headline and the five-try warning, they are selling a report, not a key. If they mention @pwnedmethadone as proof they “already called the crew,” they read the same overlay you did. Do not answer. Do not complete their checkout. Do not help them fix the flyer.

If Windows still offers to pick an app for the .domination type, decline it. There is no player for that ending.

The Bottom Line

Absolute Domination ransomware is a locker with a readable filename and a full-screen password overlay. It keeps the old name and appends .domination. 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.domination. 2.png becomes 2.png.domination. The note is not a text file in the folder. It is a full-screen ransom note. It shouts ВАША СИСТЕМА ЗАХВАЧЕНА ABSOLUTE DOMINATION! It tells you not to power off and not to close the program. It tells you to type a password and press Enter. It points unlock at @pwnedmethadone, an attacker-claimed Telegram handle. It threatens destruction after more than 5 wrong tries. It claims actions are recorded and sent to a server. It prints no $ figure, no wallet, no email, no onion, and no leak claim. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain.

Do not pay. Do not message that handle. Do not type passwords on that screen. Do not rename the pile in bulk. Keep a .domination sample. If you take one sentence with you, take this. A folder of names ending in .domination, plus a full-screen password overlay that prints @pwnedmethadone and a more-than-5 destroy threat, is ransomware on the first sighting. Treat it that way before anyone offers to fill the password box the overlay only pretended you already had.