Doommageddon EXPOSED: .doomag Files, README_DECRYPT.txt, and a Blank Session Line
Written by: Lapain Epuran
Published on:
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.doomag. A small text file named README_DECRYPT.txt is sitting in the same folder, as if it has always belonged there.
That is the trap, not a glitch.
Encrypted files after Doommageddon. The .doomag names and README_DECRYPT.txt are the tell.
Overview
Doommageddon ransomware locks the files first. Then it keeps the old name and the old type, and hangs .doomag on the end. Then it drops README_DECRYPT.txt and talks like a recovery desk. The note is a storefront. It shouts that your files have been encrypted. It names RSA-2048. It says there is no decrypt without their private key. It tells you to contact them through the Session app from the official site. Then it leaves the Session ID blank. Then it leaves the unique ID blank. Then it leaves the Onion Link blank.
The first tell is the rename. In the sample used for this page, 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.doomag. vacation.jpg becomes vacation.jpg.doomag. invoice-2026.pdf becomes invoice-2026.pdf.doomag. taxes.xlsx becomes taxes.xlsx.doomag. family.mp4 becomes family.mp4.doomag. You can still read what the file used to be. You cannot open it. Windows may call the type a DOOMAG 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 README_DECRYPT.txt into the same folders. README sounds like documentation. DECRYPT sounds like a fix. 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 body of that sample is short on purpose. YOUR FILES HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED. All important files locked with RSA-2048. Attempting to decrypt without the private key will mean permanent data loss. To recover, contact them via the Session app, downloaded from the official site. Contact us with this ID: then a Session ID line that is empty. Provide your unique ID: then another empty line. A warning not to modify encrypted files. A warning not to use recovery tools, with a claim that those tools will destroy the files for good. Onion Link: then another empty line.
Those blanks are not a typing error in the published sample. They are empty on purpose. Do not invent a Session ID to finish the sentence. Do not invent a unique ID. Do not invent an onion URL. Do not open Session to see if a blank ID suddenly works. A missing checkout is still a checkout. It just waits for you, or for a later stranger, to fill it.
Separate from that empty Onion Link, the same crew runs a Tor leak site. That portal is not the blank line in README_DECRYPT.txt. It is a second stage. Listings move through labels such as upcoming, leaked, negotiating, DATA LEAKED, and DATA SECURED. Some rows show countdown clocks. This page will not invent victim names to decorate those rows. The labels are the pressure. The names are not yours to collect from a crime stall.
That is the whole costume. A locked folder of .doomag names. A README_DECRYPT.txt file that talks like a recovery brief. RSA-2048 as a scare word. Session as the door. Three blank fields where an ID, a ticket, and a hidden site should be. A leak portal somewhere else, with status tags and timers. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. There is no printed wallet. There is no printed ransom figure. There is no reason to open Session today because a text file told you to.
The .doomag name is the first warning
Most lockers pick an extension so you notice the change in seconds. Doommageddon uses .doomag. 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.doomag. 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 .doomag 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 Session.
The extra ending also does advertising. Anyone who sees vacation.jpg.doomag next to README_DECRYPT.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.
README_DECRYPT.txt is a sales floor, not a help file
The ransom note is a plain text file with a name that sounds like documentation. README_DECRYPT.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 file opens with a shout. YOUR FILES HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED. Then it names RSA-2048 as if a cipher label were a receipt. Then it says you cannot decrypt without the private key. Then it tells you the way back is Session, from the official site. Then it asks you to contact them with an ID, and leaves the ID blank. Then it asks you to provide your unique ID, and leaves that blank too. Then it warns you not to modify files and not to use recovery tools. Then it prints Onion Link and leaves the URL empty.
That order matters. Scare. Algorithm. Ban on self-help. Door. Blank ticket. Blank onion. There is no price on the page. There is no inbox. There is no filled chat ID. The missing checkout is part of the pressure, not a kindness. Keep the file on disk. Then close it. Do not treat it as a set of steps you should follow.
RSA-2048 is a costume, not a receipt
The note claims the files were encrypted using RSA-2048. That string is meant to shut down argument. It sounds like a standard. It sounds like a lab. It sounds like something you cannot argue with at the kitchen table. It is still attacker copy. Naming a cipher is not the same as handing you a proof. It is also not a reason to start guessing keys into a messenger.
The private-key line does the same job in plainer words. You are told that decrypting without their key means permanent data loss. The sentence is there so you stop looking at backups, stop calling the person who handles incidents, and start looking for a chat. RSA-2048 is the costume. The private key is the leash. Neither one is a decryptor you can buy by opening Session.
People hear RSA-2048 and go looking for a matching “RSA-2048 decryptor” in ads. That search is the next trap. A tool that promises to reverse RSA-2048 because a ransom note printed the letters is selling the same fear in a different window. Leave the locked files alone. Do not feed them to a mystery app that asked for admin rights because a text file named a cipher.
The Session line is checkout, not support
The note tells you to contact the operators via the Session app, and to get that app from the official site. Session is a real messenger. That is why the line works. A made-up chat brand would feel like a scam. A real app with a real download page feels like a procedure. The procedure is still theirs. The official site is where the app lives. It is not a recovery desk for .doomag files.
Do not open Session because the note said to. Do not create a Session account “just to see.” Do not paste a folder listing into a new chat to prove you are a victim. A messenger 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.
If you already had Session installed for ordinary messages, that does not make this a support channel. Close the note. Stay out of a new conversation that starts from README_DECRYPT.txt. 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.
The blank Session ID is empty on purpose
The sample note says Contact us with this ID, then leaves the Session ID blank. That gap is the hook. A filled ID would look like a case number. An empty ID looks like a form you failed to complete. People try to complete forms. They hunt forums. They ask a stranger for “the real ID.” They type random strings. They wait for a later email that claims to hold the missing line.
This page will not invent a Session ID to put in that blank. If your copy of README_DECRYPT.txt is empty there, it is empty. Copy the file as evidence. Do not tidy it. Do not fill it in so it looks more professional. Do not accept a long hex string from a comment, a Telegram channel, or a “helper” who already knows the extension. Anyone can read .doomag off a screenshot. Handing you digits does not prove they can open 1.jpg.doomag.
A blank ID also gives copycats a job. They will sell the missing string. They will say the published sample was incomplete and they have the operator’s real handle. They will ask you to open Session first, then paste what they send. That is still the same shop, or a second shop standing in the same doorway. The original flyer left the field empty. Do not finish it for them.
The blank unique ID is a ticket they never filled
The next line says Provide your unique ID, and in the published sample that value is blank too. Two empty identifiers in a row is not sloppy paperwork. It is a costume of paperwork. Unique ID sounds like a claim ticket. Claim tickets make people wait in line. The line they want is a Session thread.
Do not invent a unique ID. Do not hash your computer name and send the hash. Do not type the filename README_DECRYPT.txt into a chat as if that were the ID. Do not use 1.jpg.doomag as a serial. Those strings identify the strain. They do not identify you to a rescue team, because there is no rescue team on the other side of that sentence.
If a later copy of the note on your disk actually contains a string on that line, keep the file. Do not send the string. Do not post it. An identifier in a ransom note is evidence for a responder and for a report. It is not a password you redeem in Session. The sample described here is blank. Treat a filled line, if you have one, as more evidence, not as a door.
The blank Onion Link is an empty door
The note prints Onion Link, then leaves the URL empty in the published sample. That line is there so you expect a hidden site. Hidden sites feel official in this trade. An empty hidden site feels like you arrived too early, or like you need a better copy of the note. You do not. The sample is empty. Do not invent an onion URL to finish the flyer.
Do not paste the first .onion a search engine puts under the brand. Do not open a random hidden service because a comment said that is Doommageddon support. Do not type a guessed host into Tor “just to see the price.” There is no printed ransom figure to see. A blank Onion Link is not a puzzle. It is an unfinished sales page. Leave it unfinished.
Keep the distinction clear in your head. The Onion Link inside README_DECRYPT.txt is blank. A separate leak site on Tor still exists for this crew. Those are not the same object. Filling the blank with a leak address you found later is how a locked folder becomes a visit to a crime stall. You do not owe them that visit.
The separate leak site is the second squeeze
Doommageddon is not only a file locker. The same operation runs a dedicated leak portal on Tor. The portal is built to look like a status board. Rows sit in buckets such as upcoming, leaked, negotiating, DATA LEAKED, and DATA SECURED. Some rows carry countdown clocks. The board is there so a locked office feels like a public execution with a timer.
That second squeeze is what CISA calls double extortion in the official StopRansomware Guide. Files are locked. Stolen copies are threatened. Even a shop that can restore from backup still feels the leak sentence in the stomach. 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 dressed up with countdown graphics. You cannot tell which from a status label. You should not try to settle it by opening Session.
This page will not invent victim names from that board. Naming a company because a crime site put it in a row is how a rumor becomes a second injury. If your own firm is actually listed, that is a lawyer and incident-lead conversation, not a Session conversation. If you are a home user staring at 1.jpg.doomag, the leak board is still not a reason to write the crew. The board exists to make silence feel expensive. Silence is still the correct first move.
Do not modify files is a leash
The warning section tells you not to modify encrypted files and not to use recovery tools, claiming those steps will destroy the data. 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.
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.doomag into a website that promises to unlock RSA-2048 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 README_DECRYPT.txt as a playbook.
How The Ransomware Works
The shop is simple once you stop reading it as a rescue. Lock the files. Brand the names with .doomag. Drop a README that shouts ENCRYPT. Name RSA-2048. Point the scared person at Session. Leave the Session ID blank. Leave the unique ID blank. Leave the Onion Link blank. Warn them not to touch the files. Run a leak site with status tags and countdowns somewhere else. Then wait for someone else to sell the missing strings.
1. The lock keeps the old name so you recognize the loss
Doommageddon encrypts the files it wants as leverage, then appends .doomag. That is why 1.jpg is still readable as 1.jpg.doomag. 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 “just to check.” Checking is how the backup gets the same .doomag 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 Session to confirm what you are looking at.
2. README_DECRYPT.txt turns a break-in into a ticket
Once the names are branded, the malware needs a voice. README_DECRYPT.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. Encrypted. RSA-2048. Private key required. Contact via Session from the official site. Contact ID blank. Unique ID blank. Do not modify. Do not use recovery tools. Onion Link blank. Each beat closes a door. The shout closes “maybe Windows just glitched.” The cipher closes “maybe it is a simple rename.” The Session line closes “maybe there is a local tool.” The blanks close “maybe I can finish this myself tonight” by handing you unfinished homework.
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 mail address. It does not give you a filled chat ID. 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. YOUR FILES HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED is the opening shout
The first line of the sample is not a diagnosis. It is a headline. YOUR FILES HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED does the same job a fake breaking-news banner does on a supplement page. 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 folder. Anyone can copy a headline. Copying YOUR FILES HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED does not mean they can reverse .doomag. It means they read the same note you did, or they read a screenshot of it.
If the shout 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 Session.
4. RSA-2048 and the private key close the argument
After the shout, the note names RSA-2048 and says attempting to decrypt without the private key will cause permanent data loss. That pair is meant to end the conversation you have not even started. Cipher plus private key 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 permanent-loss line also primes the next warnings. If you already believe one wrong click will ruin everything, you are easier to steer away from honest help and toward their messenger. 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.
5. Session is the door they want you to walk through
The recovery steps in the sample start with Session. Download it from the official site, the note says. It is free and secure, the note wants you to believe. Free and secure is advertising language. The app can be real and the conversation can still be a crime. Official download pages exist so ordinary people can chat in private. This flyer wants that privacy for the operators, not for you.
Do not open Session. Do not install it for this incident if you do not already use it. Do not send a test file through it. Do not ask what they want. A price is how the rest of the script starts. Once you are in the thread, the blank ID fields have 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 Doommageddon for you” inside Session, 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.
6. Contact us with this ID is a blank line
Step two in the note is Contact us with this ID. In the published sample the ID is not printed. The line is a slot. Slots invite completion. Completion is how a scared person becomes a customer. You are supposed to feel that a professional handle exists, then feel that you are not on it yet.
That gap is where copycats work. Someone will publish a long string and call it the Doommageddon Session ID. Someone will sell a “connector” that is just more malware. Someone will ask you to run a command so they can “reach the operator on your behalf.” None of that is in the sample. The sample never named an ID. Do not invent one to finish their sentence.
If your own note actually contains a Session ID, still do not open Session. 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. An empty line does not make the other side kinder. Both versions want the same walk into the app.
7. Provide your unique ID is a second blank
Step three asks for your unique ID and, in the published sample, does not give you one to provide. That is a closed loop dressed as a form. They ask you to bring an identifier they never issued. The feeling is that you missed a page. You did not miss a page. The sample is the page.
People try to invent the missing ticket. 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 unique ID. Do not send hardware details to prove you are real. Real is already proven by the locked files on disk.
8. The Onion Link is printed empty
The last contact line in the sample is Onion Link, with no URL. It sits there so you expect a hidden help site. Hidden help sites in this business are payment stalls and leak stalls. An empty link still does that advertising. It says a stall exists. It just refuses to give you the address in this copy of the flyer.
Do not hunt one. Do not reuse an onion string from a different ransomware family. Do not assume the leak portal and this blank line are the same door. The leak site is separate. The note’s Onion Link is empty. Mixing them is how a home folder turns into a visit you cannot take back. Leave both alone unless a hired responder, on a clean machine, has a written reason to look.
9. A separate leak site sells the second threat
Away from the text file, the crew keeps a Tor portal that lists victims as if they were shipments. Upcoming. Leaked. Negotiating. DATA LEAKED. DATA SECURED. Countdown clocks on some rows. Those words are the second bill. They arrive whether or not the Onion Link in your README is filled in. The board is public theater. It is built so managers feel watched, and so home users feel like they wandered into a corporate crisis.
Believe the risk enough to treat stolen data as possible. Tell counsel and your incident lead if this is a company. Do not believe a status tag 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 countdown on a crime site does not change those facts.
Do not scrape the board for names. Do not forward a listing to a journalist to “confirm” your own incident. Do not log into anything the portal offers. Status labels are enough to understand the squeeze. Victim names are not required for that understanding, and they will not be invented here.
10. Third parties will sell a Session conversation
After a ransomware incident, search results fill up with companies that say they can decrypt Doommageddon or “all .doomag files.” Some of those shops are ordinary overpriced consultants. Plenty are a second scam. They will quote README_DECRYPT.txt so they sound close to the case. They will ask for a sample file, a remote-access session, or a deposit. They may even tell you to open Session and paste a string, because the note already prepared you to do that.
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 Session ID that makes a chat window appear. A chat window is not Photos opening vacation.jpg again. If a later message skips Session 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.
If someone claims they found the real onion and can broker a conversation, that is still the same shop. The published sample never printed one. A broker for an unpublished door is selling access they cannot show. Report that message. Do not test it with a file from your Documents folder.
11. Payment and opening Session 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 Session show an error. They can come back later and lock the same machine again. Empty ID fields make that outcome easier, not harder. You cannot leave a review on a blank line.
Opening Session is the free version of the same dead end. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. There is no printed Session ID in the sample. There is no printed unique ID. There is no printed onion. There is no printed ransom figure. Starting a chat 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 Session again is not useful work. It is the checkout, even when the checkout is blank.
What To Do If Your Files End in .doomag
Do not open Session. Do not install Session for this. Do not invent a Session ID, a unique ID, or an onion URL to finish README_DECRYPT.txt. Do not paste a blank line into a new chat to see what happens. The empty fields are not keys waiting for you. If you already opened the note before you stopped, close it. Do not send a sample file to a stranger who offered to fill the blanks.
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.
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)
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.
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.
(The link opens in a new page where your download will start)
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.
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.
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.
Start the Scan
Click the blue Scan button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its virus database and start checking your computer for malware.
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.
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.
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.)
Download HitmanPro
Click the button below to download HitmanPro. Remember — the scan is free, so you have nothing to lose by checking your PC.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Download AdwCleaner
Click the button below to download AdwCleaner — it’s free, portable, and requires no installation.
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.
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“.
Start the Scan
Click “Dashboard” on the left side of the window, then click the “Scan” button.
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.
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.
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.
Download ESET Online Scanner
Click the button below to download ESET Online Scanner.
When the download finishes, open your Downloads folder and double-click “esetonlinescanner.exe“.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Make sure you remove the malware from your computer first, otherwise, it will repeatedly lock your system or encrypt files. If you suspect that your computer is still infected with malware, you can run a free scan with Emsisoft Emergency Kit.
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:
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.
Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free.
You can download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free by clicking the link below.
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.
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.
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“.
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.
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.
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.
Download ShadowExplorer.
You can download ShadowExplorer from the below link.
Double-click on the ShadowExplorer-x.x-setup file to start the installation process, then follow the on-screen promts to install this program.
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.
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 .doomag name exactly as it is. Do not bulk-rename 1.jpg.doomag back to 1.jpg, or vacation.jpg.doomag back to vacation.jpg, or invoice-2026.pdf.doomag back to a normal PDF. 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 .doomag.
Keep README_DECRYPT.txt with the locked files. Do not “clean up” every copy of the note. Do not fill in the Session ID, the unique ID, or the Onion Link so the flyer looks complete. The blanks are part of how you prove this was this strain and not a different locker that only sounds similar. The note is evidence. It is not a set of steps you should carry out.
Treat the Session line as a door, not a help desk. Do not download the app for this incident. Do not create an account. Do not paste a “universal ID” from a comment. Do not pay anyone to dictate digits into Session. Do not run a third-party decryptor you found in an ad, a YouTube description, or a chat “recovery” channel because it promised to talk to the operators. Leave the locked copies alone until a trusted project publishes a tool for this family. None is public now.
Do not invent an onion address. Do not follow a hidden service a stranger labels as the Doommageddon panel. The published sample never printed one. The leak site is a separate Tor stall with status tags such as upcoming, leaked, negotiating, DATA LEAKED, and DATA SECURED, plus countdown clocks. Do not visit it to confirm a rumor. Do not invent victim names from it. If a later message quotes your folder and offers “the real onion,” that is still the same shop.
A blank Session line is not a reason to skip a report. File the incident through the CISA ransomware reporting page or the FBI IC3 desk if those are the right doors for you. The clock on a leak site is theirs. The files are already locked. Another night of staring at empty ID lines will not change the bytes.
The Bottom Line
Doommageddon ransomware is a locker with a readable filename, a README that shouts ENCRYPT, and a contact sheet that leaves the important lines empty. It keeps the old name and appends .doomag. 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.doomag. The note is README_DECRYPT.txt. It claims RSA-2048, says there is no decrypt without the private key, points you at the Session app from the official site, and then leaves the Session ID blank, the unique ID blank, and the Onion Link blank. It warns you not to modify files and not to use recovery tools. A separate Tor leak site exists, with statuses such as upcoming, leaked, negotiating, DATA LEAKED, and DATA SECURED, and with countdown clocks. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain.
Do not pay. Do not open Session. Do not invent an ID or an onion URL. Do not rename the pile in bulk. If you take one sentence with you, take this. A folder of names ending in .doomag, plus README_DECRYPT.txt with blank Session and onion lines, is ransomware on the first sighting. Treat it that way before anyone offers to fill the blanks.
10 Rules to Avoid Online Scams
Here are 10 practical safety rules to help you avoid malware, online shopping scams, crypto scams, and other online fraud. Each tip includes a quick “if you already got hit” action.
Stop and verify before you click, log in, download, or pay.
Most scams win by creating urgency. Verify using a trusted method: type the website address yourself, use the official app, or call a known number (not the one in the message).
If you already clicked: close the page, do not enter passwords, and run a malware scan.
Keep your operating system, browser, and apps updated.
Updates patch security holes used by malware and malicious ads. Turn on automatic updates where possible.
If you saw a scary “update now” pop-up: close it and update only through your device settings or the official app store.
Use layered protection: antivirus plus an ad blocker.
Antivirus helps block malware. An ad blocker reduces scam redirects, phishing pages, and malvertising.
If your browser is acting weird: remove unknown extensions, reset the browser, then run a full scan.
Install apps, software, and extensions only from official sources.
Avoid cracked software, “keygens,” and random downloads. During installs, choose Custom/Advanced and decline bundled offers you do not recognize.
If you already installed something suspicious: uninstall it, restart, and scan again.
Treat links and attachments as untrusted by default.
Phishing often impersonates delivery services, banks, and popular brands. If it is unexpected, do not open attachments or log in through the message.
If you entered credentials: change the password immediately and enable 2FA.
Shop safely: research the store, then pay with protection.
Be cautious with brand-new stores, “closing sale” stories, and prices that make no sense. Prefer credit cards or PayPal for dispute options. Avoid wire transfers, gift cards, and crypto payments.
If you already paid: contact your card issuer or PayPal quickly to dispute the transaction.
Crypto rule: never pay a “fee” to withdraw or recover money.
Common patterns include fake profits, then “tax,” “gas,” or “verification” fees. Another is a “recovery agent” who demands upfront crypto.
If you already sent crypto: stop paying, save evidence (wallet addresses, TXIDs, chats), and report the scam to the platform used.
Secure your accounts with unique passwords and 2FA (start with email).
Use a password manager and unique passwords for every account. Enable 2FA using an authenticator app when possible.
If you suspect an account takeover: change passwords, sign out of all devices, and review recent logins and recovery settings.
Back up important files and keep one backup offline.
Backups protect you from ransomware and device failure. Keep at least one backup on an external drive that is not always connected.
If you suspect infection: do not connect backup drives until the system is clean.
If you think you are a victim: stop losses, document evidence, and escalate fast.
Move quickly. Speed matters for disputes, account recovery, and limiting damage.
Stop payments and contact: do not send more money or respond to the scammer.
Call your bank or card issuer: block transactions, replace the card if needed, and start a dispute or chargeback.
Secure your email first: change the email password, enable 2FA, and remove unfamiliar recovery options.
Secure other accounts: change passwords, enable 2FA, and log out of all sessions.
Scan your device: remove suspicious apps or extensions, then run a full malware scan.
Save evidence: screenshots, emails, order pages, tracking pages, wallet addresses, TXIDs, and chat logs.
Report it: to the payment provider, marketplace, social platform, exchange, or wallet service involved.
These rules are intentionally simple. Most online losses happen when decisions are rushed. Slow down, verify independently, and use payment methods and account controls that give you recourse.
Hello! I'm Lapain Epuran, your go-to source for detailed and honest product reviews. From tech gadgets to miracle cures, I provide insights to help you make informed choices. Join me as we discover what's truly worth your time and money.
