Cephalus EXPOSED: .sss Files, recover.txt, and sadklajsdioqw@proton.me

You open Documents the way you did yesterday. The first photo should still be 1.jpg. The second image should still be 2.png. 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.sss. 2.png is now 2.png.sss. A small text file named recover.txt is sitting in the same folder, as if it has always belonged there.

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

Cephalus ransomware locks the files first. Then it keeps the old name and the old type, and hangs .sss on the end. Then it drops recover.txt and talks like a recovery desk and a leak desk at the same time. The note opens Dear admin. It says they are Cephalus, 100% financial motivated. It says the intranet has been compromised. It says confidential data has been stolen, including confidential clients and business contracts. It tells you to contact them immediately after you have seen the note. It says after that your data will be uploaded. It says competitors, partners, clients, authorities, a lawyer, and tax agencies would be able to access it. It says they will start mailing and calling your clients. It offers proof through the chat. It says the demand is bitcoin, with the details to be discussed later. It prints a Tox ID. It prints sadklajsdioqw@proton.me. It leaves Your ID as a dash. There is no printed wallet. There is no Session ID. There is no onion. There is no victim $ figure. This page will not invent those blanks.

If you are staring at a pile of .sss files and that text note, you are in a ransom incident, not a broken disk and not a Windows pop-up. The folder is the evidence. The note 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.sss. That is a documented sample. 2.png becomes 2.png.sss. That is a documented sample too. vacation.jpg becomes vacation.jpg.sss. invoice-2026.pdf becomes invoice-2026.pdf.sss. taxes.xlsx becomes taxes.xlsx.sss. family.mp4 becomes family.mp4.sss. You can still read what the file used to be. You cannot open it. Windows may call the type an SSS 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 recover.txt into the same folders. Recover sounds like a restore. TXT sounds like paperwork Windows already knows how to open. Put them together and the first English you can still read after the photos break is a sales flyer that also claims a leak. The flyer is meant to be opened. It is not meant to be trusted.

The body of that sample is a shop with a long script. Dear admin. We are Cephalus, 100% financial motivated. We are sorry to tell you that your intranet has been compromised by us, and we have stolen confidential data from your intranet, including your confidential clients and business contracts. You have to contact us immediately after you seen this, we have to reach an agreement as soon as possible. After that your data will be uploaded, your competitors, partners, clients, authorities, lawyer and tax agenesis would be able to access it. We will start mailing and calling your clients. If you want the proof, contact us, we do not want to embarass anyone for knowing their privacy and company status, it is safer to get the proof through the chat. As for our demand, we require bitcoin which is kind of cryptocurrency, we are sure you can handle this, the details we will discuss through the contact below. Our business depends on the reputation even more than many others. If we will take money and spread your information, we will have issues with payments in future. So, we will stick to our promises and reputation. That works in both ways: if we said that we will email all your staff and publicly spread all your data, we will. Here are a few ways to get in touch with me. 1. Tox: 91C24CC1586713CA606047297516AF534FE57EFA8C3EA2031B7DF8D116AC751B156869CB8838. Link to download Tox, a qTox installer. 2. Email: sadklajsdioqw@proton.me. Do not do any silly things, do not treat it lightly too. We got proofs that your data was kept with a number of data security violations of data breach laws. The penalty payments would be huge if we will anonymously sent our briefs and notes about your network structure to the regulators. Embrace it and pay us. After that your data will be erased from our systems, with proofs provided to you. Also you might request your network improvement report. Based on your position in the company call your management to speak. DO NOT try to speak speak instead of your superiors, based on our experience, that may lead to disaster. Your ID: -. Now you should contact us.

That is the whole costume. There is no printed wallet. There is no printed Session ID. There is no onion. There is no victim $ figure. The Your ID line is a dash. The bitcoin line is a currency name with the $ amount left for later, on purpose. A locked folder plus a Tox ID plus one inbox plus a leak story is already a shop. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. There is no reason to mail that inbox today because a text file told you to. There is no reason to add that Tox ID. There is no reason to pay a $ amount someone later invents.

The .sss name is the first warning

Most lockers pick an extension so you notice the change in seconds. Cephalus uses .sss. 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.sss. You can still see 2.png inside 2.png.sss. 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 .sss 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 or a Tox chat.

The extra ending also does advertising. Anyone who sees 1.jpg.sss next to recover.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.

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

The ransom note is a plain text file with a name that sounds like a restore job. recover.txt wants the first click after the panic. Plenty of real software drops a recover file. 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.

Double-clicking it opens Notepad. That is why a panicked first click feels like opening the help page. It is not help. It is the demand, written so it looks official enough to follow. The filename is built to look like paperwork. Recover. A .txt ending Windows already trusts. Paperwork is easier to obey than a threat. Dear admin is easier to obey than a skull on the desktop.

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 recover” when you write the incident down. Copy recover.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 by mailing sadklajsdioqw@proton.me or by adding the Tox ID printed in the same file.

Dear admin is a costume, not a courtesy

The sample opens Dear admin. That greeting is not politeness. It is a way to make a locked share feel like an IT ticket. Admin sounds like the right person. Admin sounds like the person who can “handle this.” The rest of the flyer keeps that pose. Call your management. Do not speak instead of your superiors. Request a network improvement report. The language is office language. The goal is still a payment.

If the greeting is sitting in more than one folder, that is normal for this family. Lockers drop the same text in many places so you cannot miss it. Finding five copies is not five incidents. It is one incident with a loud flyer. Keep one clean copy as evidence. You do not need to open every copy. You do not need to compare them in mail to sadklajsdioqw@proton.me.

100% financial motivated is a pitch, not a promise

The note says they are Cephalus, 100% financial motivated. That 100% is a scare number dressed as honesty. It is meant to sound like a professional crew that only wants coin and will then go away. It is still attacker copy. Naming a percent is not the same as handing you a contract. It is also not a reason to start a Tox chat they own.

The same paragraph says they are sorry. Sorry is a costume too. A locker does not get to apologize its way into your incident plan. The next sentences steal the rest of the air: intranet compromised, confidential clients, business contracts, contact us immediately. The apology is there so the leak threat feels like a regrettable next step instead of the product.

The leak lines are a fuse, not a briefing

After the sorry comes the stick. Stolen clients and contracts. Data uploaded. Competitors, partners, clients, authorities, a lawyer, and tax agencies. Mailing and calling your clients. Proof through the chat. Briefs sent to regulators. Penalty payments that would be huge. Email all your staff. Publicly spread all your data. That list is meant to make a locked folder feel like a press event you can still cancel if you pay.

It is still a leak story they printed themselves. They do not attach the stolen files to recover.txt. They do not name a victim $ figure for the so-called penalty. They tell you the proof is waiting in the chat, which means the proof is behind the same Tox ID and the same inbox. That is not evidence. That is a door. Do not walk through it to “see if they really have something.”

Bitcoin without a $ figure is still a ransom

The note says they require bitcoin, which is kind of cryptocurrency, and that the details will be discussed through the contact below. That sentence is the price tag with the $ number ripped off. Other families print 0.5 BTC or a wallet string. This one keeps the $ blank on purpose so you have to ask. Asking is the product. A blank $ line is not a kindness. It is a funnel into Tox and into sadklajsdioqw@proton.me.

This page will not invent a Bitcoin address to finish that sentence. This page will not invent a victim $ figure to make the flyer look complete. A missing wallet in the copy you are reading is not a puzzle. It is a blank they left. If a later helper fills it, they are finishing a criminal sentence, not helping you. Do not type a string from a forum into an exchange “just to see the fee.”

The Tox ID is a door, not a help line

The sample prints a Tox ID in full: 91C24CC1586713CA606047297516AF534FE57EFA8C3EA2031B7DF8D116AC751B156869CB8838. Copy that string exactly when you write the incident down. Do not shorten it. Do not “fix” a character. Do not add it to a Tox client. The ID is an identifier for a responder. It is not a support queue. Adding it is how you start the checkout they designed.

The same block prints a link to download Tox, a qTox installer. That is not a gift. It is a second payload sitting next to the first. You do not need their installer to keep recover.txt. You do not need a chat window to prove the files end in .sss. Do not run the installer because the note told you to. Do not add that Tox ID because a later message said the chat is “the only safe channel.”

sadklajsdioqw@proton.me is checkout, not support

The second contact is sadklajsdioqw@proton.me. Proton.me is attacker mail in this incident, not a company to smear. The local part looks like keyboard noise because it is supposed to look unique. Unique is not the same as safe. Mailing that inbox tells them a live person is reading recover.txt. That is useful for them. It is not useful for 1.jpg.sss.

Do not email sadklajsdioqw@proton.me “just to see.” Do not ask a friend to write them. Do not send a sample file, a screenshot, or a “we are the CEO” bluff. The note already told you not to speak instead of your superiors. That line is not legal advice. It is pressure. It is meant to make the first person who found the folder feel too small to pause. Pause anyway. Counsel and your incident lead can read a text file without mailing the people who wrote it.

How The Attack Works

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

Cephalus does not hide the original filename. It keeps 1.jpg and hangs .sss on the end. It keeps 2.png and hangs .sss on the end. That is how you know what you lost in one glance. It is also how you stay in the folder long enough to open recover.txt. A random string of locked names is confusing. A readable pile of almost-normal names is a trap that still looks like your disk.

The documented samples on this page are 1.jpg.sss and 2.png.sss. Leave them. Do not invent extra extensions to make a screenshot look more complete. Do not bulk-rename the pile back to the old types. The original name is already sitting in front of .sss. You do not need to edit it to know what you lost. Windows offering to pick an app is not a lead. Decline it.

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

After the lock, the malware drops recover.txt. The name is the first lie. Recover sounds like a restore job you already know how to do. TXT sounds like a readme from a real vendor. Together they turn a break-in into a ticket sitting on the desktop. The ticket has a greeting, a story, a threat, and two doors. That is a shop, not a help file.

Keep recover.txt with the locked files. Do not “clean up” every copy. Do not paste the whole flyer into a public comment so a copycat can harvest the Tox ID. The note is evidence. It is not a script you should perform. Close Notepad. Take the filename with you. Leave the bytes on disk.

3. Dear admin and 100% financial motivated set the costume

The opening is a pose. Dear admin. We are Cephalus. 100% financial motivated. Sorry. Intranet. Confidential clients. Business contracts. The words are chosen so a locked share feels like a business negotiation instead of a crime. The 100% is there to shut down the question “what else do they want.” The sorry is there to shut down the question “should I treat this as hostile.” Treat it as hostile anyway.

Office language is not a credential. Anyone can type Dear admin. Anyone can type 100%. Anyone can spell Cephalus at the top of a text file. Reciting those lines later does not mean a helper already called the crew. It means they can read recover.txt, the same way you can.

4. Stolen clients and contracts is a leak story

The sample says confidential data has been stolen from the intranet, including confidential clients and business contracts. That sentence is meant to move the panic from the locked JPEG to the company at large. A photo you cannot open is a local problem. A client list they claim to have is a story that wants a phone call to the operator. The story is not proof. The proof, they say, is in the chat.

Do not mail sadklajsdioqw@proton.me to request that proof. Do not add the Tox ID to see a screenshot they control. A screenshot in a chat they own is still their screenshot. A leak story is how this family sells speed. Speed is how they skip counsel. Slow down on purpose.

5. After that your data will be uploaded is the fuse

The note does not print a 24 hour clock. It prints a sequence. Contact us immediately. Reach an agreement as soon as possible. After that your data will be uploaded. Competitors, partners, clients, authorities, a lawyer, tax agencies. Mailing and calling your clients. Email all your staff. Publicly spread all your data. Briefs to regulators. Penalty payments that would be huge. That is a fuse written as a paragraph instead of a timer.

A fuse with no number is still a fuse. You are supposed to feel that waiting is already a mistake. Do not add a clock they did not print. Do not start a personal countdown because a forum post said “they only wait two days.” Do not treat “immediately” as a deadline you must meet by mailing sadklajsdioqw@proton.me. Immediately is their word. It is not yours.

6. Bitcoin with details later keeps the $ blank

The demand is bitcoin. The $ amount is missing. The wallet is missing. The note says the details will be discussed through the contact below. That is not unfinished copy. That is the funnel. A printed 0.5 BTC is a price. A blank $ line is an invitation to ask, and asking is how they confirm a live victim.

This page will not invent a wallet. This page will not invent a Session ID. This page will not invent an onion. This page will not invent a victim $ figure. If your copy of recover.txt matches that blank, it matches. If a later message fills a $ number, that number is still a ransom. Do not pay it. Do not “hold the original price” for anyone who quotes the flyer.

7. The Tox ID is a door they want you to walk through

Contact one is Tox. The printed ID is 91C24CC1586713CA606047297516AF534FE57EFA8C3EA2031B7DF8D116AC751B156869CB8838. That string is long on purpose so it looks technical and official. Technical is not the same as safe. Official is not the same as a help desk. Adding that ID is how you walk into their shop with your real name, your real machine, and a folder full of .sss files behind you.

They also print a qTox installer link. Do not fetch it from the note. Do not run setup-qtox because a ransom file told you the chat is safer than mail. Safer for them is not safer for you. Keep the Tox ID as an identifier in the incident record. Do not add that Tox. Do not let a “negotiator” add it for you.

8. sadklajsdioqw@proton.me is the second door

Contact two is sadklajsdioqw@proton.me. Mail is the backup door for people who will not install a chat client. It is still the same shop. A Proton.me address does not make the operator a privacy ally. It makes the operator harder to take down, and it gives you a string that looks like a real mailbox so the first send feels normal.

Do not email sadklajsdioqw@proton.me. Do not CC them from the company domain “so they know we are serious.” Do not send a test file. Do not send a screenshot of 1.jpg.sss. Do not send a copy of recover.txt back to the people who dropped it. If you already sent a message before you found this page, stop there. A thread is not a decryptor.

9. Your ID: – is a blank they want you to fill

The sample leaves Your ID as a dash. That dash is not a missing digit you should hunt for. It is a blank they can fill after you write in. Other families print a long victim ID in the filename. This one keeps the ID line empty so the first mail or the first Tox message becomes the enrollment. Do not fill it. Do not copy a string from 1.jpg.sss into that dash. The documented files on this page do not carry a victim ID in the name. Leave that fact alone.

Helpers will try to complete the line for you. They will say every Cephalus victim has an ID and yours must have been deleted. They will offer to “look it up” if you send a sample. Sending a sample to a stranger is how a second shop opens on top of the first. Keep recover.txt and a .sss sample for a responder you already trust. Do not mail them to sadklajsdioqw@proton.me.

10. Third parties will sell a Cephalus conversation

After a ransomware incident, search results fill up with companies that say they can decrypt Cephalus or “all .sss files.” Some of those shops are ordinary overpriced consultants. Plenty are a second scam. They will quote recover.txt so they sound close to the case. They will mention 100% financial motivated. They will mention bitcoin with details later. They will mention the leak-and-call-your-clients line. They will mention sadklajsdioqw@proton.me and the Tox ID 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 photo. Anyone can open one junk file they control. Anyone can send you a chat ID that makes a window appear. A chat window is not Photos opening 1.jpg again. If a later message skips the original inbox 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 fill a wallet, a Session ID, an onion, or a victim $ figure the public copy left blank 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 Tox add. It does not need sadklajsdioqw@proton.me. 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 Cephalus key” as a second sales pitch.

11. Payment, mail, and adding that Tox close nothing

Paying a stranger for a private 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 decryptor show an error. They can come back later and lock the same machine again. A mail thread makes that outcome easier, not harder. A Tox chat makes it faster. You cannot leave a review on a criminal inbox. You cannot enforce a reputation speech they printed themselves.

Mailing sadklajsdioqw@proton.me is the free version of the same dead end. Adding 91C24CC1586713CA606047297516AF534FE57EFA8C3EA2031B7DF8D116AC751B156869CB8838 is the chat version. 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. Paying a $ amount they never printed in the original note is still a payment to the people who locked 2.png.sss. It still funds the next copy of the same locker. It still does not produce a warranty.

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 inbox again is not useful work. Adding that Tox is not useful work. It is the checkout, even when the Your ID line is a dash and the $ line is still blank.

What To Do

Do not email sadklajsdioqw@proton.me. Do not add that Tox ID. Do not run the qTox installer the note advertises. Do not invent a wallet, a Session ID, an onion, or a victim $ figure to finish recover.txt. Do not pay. If you already sent a message before you found this page, stop there. Do not pay a deposit to “hold the original price” for anyone who quotes the flyer. Do not treat “contact us immediately” as a clock you must meet.

• 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 .sss name exactly as it is. Do not bulk-rename 1.jpg.sss back to 1.jpg, or 2.png.sss back to 2.png, or invoice-2026.pdf.sss back to a normal PDF, or vacation.jpg.sss back to a photo, or taxes.xlsx.sss back to a spreadsheet, or family.mp4.sss 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 .sss. You do not need to edit it to know what you lost. The documented samples on this page are 1.jpg.sss and 2.png.sss. Leave whatever names you actually have. Do not “correct” them to match a writeup.

Keep recover.txt with the locked files, and keep at least one .sss sample next to it. Do not “clean up” every copy of the note. Do not fill a wallet so the flyer looks complete. Do not invent a Session ID or an onion. Do not fill the Your ID dash. The blanks, or the extra text on your disk, are part of how you prove this was this strain and not a different locker that only sounds similar. Keep the contact marks as identifiers: sadklajsdioqw@proton.me, Tox ID 91C24CC1586713CA606047297516AF534FE57EFA8C3EA2031B7DF8D116AC751B156869CB8838, the Dear admin line, the 100% financial motivated line, the bitcoin-with-details-later line, the leak-and-call-your-clients threat, and the blank Your ID. Those artifacts are evidence. They are not instructions you should carry out.

Do not email sadklajsdioqw@proton.me. Do not add that Tox. Do not ask a friend to write them “just to see.” A calm address is still the people who locked the files. A long Tox ID is still the same shop. If a later message quotes recover.txt and offers “the real ID,” that is still the same shop. If a later message skips the original inbox 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. Do not send a test file. Do not run their installer. If someone claims they can already decrypt Cephalus files for a fee because they can recite 100% financial motivated and sadklajsdioqw@proton.me, they are selling a report, not a key. If they mention the Tox ID as proof they “already called the crew,” they read the same note 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 .sss type, decline it. There is no player for that ending.

The Bottom Line

Cephalus ransomware is a locker with a readable filename, a recover note that talks like a business ticket, and a checkout that names one inbox and one Tox ID while leaving the $ line blank. It keeps the old name and appends .sss. In the sample used for this page, 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.sss and 2.png becomes 2.png.sss. The note is recover.txt. It opens Dear admin, claims 100% financial motivated, claims a stolen intranet with clients and contracts, threatens an upload, mailing and calling clients, and briefs to regulators, asks for bitcoin with details later, prints Tox ID 91C24CC1586713CA606047297516AF534FE57EFA8C3EA2031B7DF8D116AC751B156869CB8838, and points you at sadklajsdioqw@proton.me. The sample leaves Your ID as a dash. This page will not invent a wallet, a Session ID, an onion, or a victim $ figure. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. proton.me is attacker mail, not a company to smear.

Do not email sadklajsdioqw@proton.me. Do not add that Tox. Do not pay. Do not rename the pile in bulk. Keep recover.txt and a .sss sample. If you take one sentence with you, take this. A folder of names ending in .sss, plus recover.txt with that inbox and that Tox ID, is ransomware on the first sighting. Treat it that way before anyone offers to fill the blank $ line.