{"id":403770,"date":"2026-08-19T18:28:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/?p=403770"},"modified":"2026-08-19T18:28:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:28:58","slug":"golden-woolf-ransomware-exposed-wolf-files-and-a-20-ton-telegram-bot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/golden-woolf-ransomware-exposed-wolf-files-and-a-20-ton-telegram-bot\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden Woolf Ransomware EXPOSED: .wolf Files and a 20 TON Telegram Bot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You open the folder you used yesterday. The vacation photo should be there. The invoice should be there. The tax spreadsheet should be there. The names are still familiar. Then you see the extra ending. <strong>vacation.jpg<\/strong> is now <strong>vacation.jpg.wolf<\/strong>. The PDF is <strong>invoice-2026.pdf.wolf<\/strong>. The sheet is <strong>taxes.xlsx.wolf<\/strong>. The video is <strong>family.mp4.wolf<\/strong>. The contract is <strong>contracts.docx.wolf<\/strong>. Windows may call the type a WOLF File and offer you a useless &#8220;choose an app&#8221; box.<\/p><div id=\"mwtad1872760550\" class=\"gas_fallback-ad_309684--placement_400588\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"3957935887\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then a window you did not open takes over the screen. That window is the ransom demand. Golden Woolf ransomware does not leave a text note in the folder. It does not drop a README on the desktop. It talks through a pop-up. The pop-up prints a unique ID that belongs to that machine. It starts a countdown of about 72 hours. It tells you to install Telegram, write to <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong>, and wait for payment instructions. The bill inside the lure is <strong>20 TON<\/strong>, paid in TON cryptocurrency. After you pay, the same bot wants the transaction ID, then a key you are supposed to type back into the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"mwtad3549044197\" class=\"mwtadp1 mwtadentity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 50px;margin-bottom: 50px;\"> \r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7312657698\"><\/ins>\r\n <\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This page is for the moment those names appear. It explains the <strong>.wolf<\/strong> stamp, the Telegram checkout, the printed 20 TON ask, the three-try key field, and why a &#8220;SYSTEM WILL SELF-DESTRUCT&#8221; line is intimidation rather than a fact you should test. It is not a tour of ransomware in general. It is about this strain, the one that writes <strong>.wolf<\/strong> on the end and then walks you into a bot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/golden-woolf-encrypted-files.png\" alt=\"Encrypted files after Golden Woolf. The .wolf names are the tell.\" class=\"wp-image-403769\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/golden-woolf-encrypted-files.png 1280w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/golden-woolf-encrypted-files-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/golden-woolf-encrypted-files-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Encrypted files after Golden Woolf. The .wolf names are the tell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"mwtad2812145385\" class=\"gas_fallback-ad_309747-ad_309691-placement_400589\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"9589536513\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first tell is the rename. Golden Woolf keeps the original name and the original extension, then appends <strong>.wolf<\/strong>. A file named <strong>1.jpg<\/strong> becomes <strong>1.jpg.wolf<\/strong>. A file named <strong>vacation.jpg<\/strong> becomes <strong>vacation.jpg.wolf<\/strong>. You can still read what the object used to be. You cannot open it. That is the point of a visible stamp. The folder still has one object per file. The shock lands harder because the photo still &#8220;looks&#8221; like it is there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second tell is the pop-up. After the files are locked, the demand appears on the screen. Most lockers drop a README or a decrypt text file next to the photos. Golden Woolf skips that paper trail. The pitch lives in a window. The window claims the files are encrypted. It prints an ID so the next step feels personal. It runs a clock of about 72 hours so the next step feels late. It names a Telegram bot. It names a coin and an amount. It leaves a box for a key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"mwtad4134698578\" class=\"gas_fallback-ad_309686-ad_309691-placement_400597\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"6935453015\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The third tell is the finished aisle. Look at that window the way you would look at a shop that already printed the price. There is a contact: <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong> on Telegram. There is a bill: <strong>20 TON<\/strong> in TON cryptocurrency. There is a checkout ritual: send the ID, pay, send the TXID, type the key. That complete path is the whole Overview. It is the fact that separates this strain from a locker that only screams, and from a locker that points at Telegram and then refuses to name a number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ransomware is malware that encrypts files so the system that relies on them becomes useless. Payment is common in many families. Golden Woolf makes the payment feel like a product. The bot looks like a clerk. The ID looks like a ticket. The 20 TON line looks like a sticker price. None of that makes the people on the other side a store. A printed amount is not a contract. A countdown is not a service-level agreement. A key field with three tries is not a safe unlock panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"mwtad68177703\" class=\"mwtadp3 mwtadentity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"5910219726\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People will want a cousin. A Telegram pop-up can look like Vitya. A window with no text file can look like Kreepr. An ending that says wolf can look like an older 2021 locker, or like a game archive that happens to use <strong>.wolf<\/strong>. This page will not mash those files together. Vitya talks through Telegram and does not print a TON amount. Kreepr talks through a pop-up and prints no contact at all. Golden Woolf prints both the bot and the 20 TON ask. That pair is the trap you are in if the files end in <strong>.wolf<\/strong> and the window names <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The .wolf name is the first warning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ransomware families pick an extension so you notice the change in seconds. Golden Woolf uses <strong>.wolf<\/strong> and leaves the rest of the filename alone. That choice is not kindness. It is a billboard. You can still read <strong>invoice-2026.pdf<\/strong> in front of the new ending. You can still see that the family video is the family video. The listing looks almost right, which is why the first instinct is to double-click.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Double-clicking does not bring the photo back. An app cannot talk ciphertext back into a JPEG. Taking <strong>.wolf<\/strong> off the name does not reverse the lock. You may get a file that Photos or Excel tries to open and then fails. You may also scramble a later trusted tool that expected the stamped name to stay put. The extra letters are a label. The lock is in the bytes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same stamp makes a later scam easier. Anyone who sees a pile of <strong>.wolf<\/strong> files can pretend they already &#8220;have your case.&#8221; They can quote the ending back to you. They can offer a paid unlock. They can invent a second inbox the original pop-up never printed. The extension is branding. It is not a hint that the file can be renamed back to normal, and it is not a ticket number for a recovery desk that exists.<\/p><div id=\"mwtad2821575927\" class=\"mwtadp4 mwtadentity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"5910219726\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do not bulk-rename the files to hide <strong>.wolf<\/strong>. Do not run a random &#8220;extension fixer&#8221; you found in an ad. Do not drag the locked copies into a cloud sync folder &#8220;so they upload clean.&#8221; Leave the locked copies as they are until you have a clean machine and a plan that does not start inside that pop-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One more naming trap sits next to this one. Some video games store data in archives that also end in <strong>.wolf<\/strong>. Tools built for those game files will not open <strong>vacation.jpg.wolf<\/strong>. A search for &#8220;wolf decryptor&#8221; can land on a hobby utility that has nothing to do with this ransom window. If the folder is Documents, the type column says WOLF File, and a pop-up is asking for 20 TON, you are not unpacking a game. You are in a locker incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The demand lives in a pop-up, not a text file<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most households learn ransomware from a note on the desktop. The note has a filename that sounds like a product. People print it. People photograph it. People search the exact words. Golden Woolf does not give you that file. The demand is a window. That is unusual enough that some victims waste the first hour hunting for a README that is not there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"mwtad1040383009\" class=\"mwtadp5 mwtadentity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8560433799\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pop-up talks like a help desk that already opened a ticket. It says the files are encrypted. It shows an ID. It shows a countdown. It lists steps as if you were installing a legitimate app: install Telegram, write the bot, wait, pay, send the TXID, type the key. This page will not paste a sample ID from a screenshot and call it yours. The window prints an ID. That ID belongs to the machine that was hit. It is not a public case number, and it is not a password you should post in a comment thread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A window is a better trap than a text file in one specific way. A text file can be closed. A window can sit on top of the work you are trying to do. It can keep a timer in your peripheral vision. It can make a restart feel like a dare. That is sales theater. A pop-up cannot unlock a file. Closing it cannot unlock a file. Typing into it cannot unlock a file unless the authors already gave you the matching key, which they will only pretend to sell after you fund their coin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you still have the window on screen, treat it as evidence, not as a control panel. A photograph of the pop-up can help a later technician identify the strain. Interacting with the fields is not identification. It is how the authors keep you in the chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 20 TON Telegram aisle is the tell<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Classic lockers finish the job with a storefront. Golden Woolf finishes it inside Telegram. The pop-up tells you to install the app if you do not have it. It names <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong>. It tells you to send the ID the window printed. Then it tells you to wait for payment instructions. Those instructions, in this lure, are not a mystery quote. The window already says <strong>pay 20 TON<\/strong>. The coin is TON. The amount is printed. This page will not invent a $ conversion for that number. The lure already did its job by naming a round figure you can hold in your head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"mwtad2146676085\" class=\"mwtadp6 mwtadentity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4034304343\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the payment, the same bot wants the TXID. That is the transaction identifier from the TON transfer. The story says the bot will then hand you a key. You are supposed to type that key into the pop-up. The window even counts your tries. Three wrong attempts, and the text claims the system will self-destruct. Sitting next to that line is another order: do not restart the PC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That path is easy to misread as a real shop. A named bot looks more official than a random inbox. A printed amount looks more honest than &#8220;write us for a price.&#8221; A TXID step looks like a receipt. None of those details make the people behind the bot a vendor you can sue. They make the costume tighter. The bot is the trap. The 20 TON is the bait. The key field is the last hook so you stay on the infected desktop instead of looking for a clean backup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Search results will try to fill the silence with cousins. Pages will mix this strain with Vitya because both mention Telegram. Pages will mix it with Kreepr because both use a pop-up instead of a text file. A later email from a person who only saw your screenshot will offer a second chat, a &#8220;faster bot,&#8221; or a $ quote in a different coin. None of that replaces the original lure. If the original window named <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong> and 20 TON, that is the shop you were shown. Do not help a stranger open a second one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The key box has three tries on purpose<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pop-up includes a text field for a key and a limited number of attempts. That pair is doing a job. It looks like a product. It looks like the authors expect you to type something carefully. It trains you to believe a key exists, is close, and will be taken away if you fumble. A scarce key is a powerful story when you are staring at <strong>taxes.xlsx.wolf<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The field is still a hostile input. People type family names. People type 1234. People paste a string from a forum. People run a &#8220;key generator&#8221; an ad promised would fill that box. People also type a password they use somewhere else, because a box that says KEY looks like a password box. Do not do that. A reused password typed into a ransom window is now a password you should retire from a clean device, not from this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do not type random keys into the three-attempt field. Do not let a child &#8220;try a few.&#8221; Do not paste a code a commenter called a universal Golden Woolf key. A wrong guess is not a harmless experiment. The pop-up itself threatens a self-destruct after three misses. That threat is attacker text. It is not a lab result published here. The safer reading is simple. The field is there to keep you playing. The threat is there to stop you from walking away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you already typed something before you found this page, stop there. Close the experiment. Do not keep guessing. The button is not a lottery. It is the last page of a checkout that starts in Telegram and ends with you still staring at <strong>.wolf<\/strong> names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The self-destruct line is attacker text<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pop-up claims that after three wrong key attempts, the system will self-destruct. It also tells you not to restart the PC. Those sentences are written to stop your hand. They are meant to keep you watching the window and to make a normal incident step feel like a punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Treat that claim as attacker intimidation, not as a behavior this page timed. The page is not a lab report of a wipe. It will not pretend the self-destruct was measured, and it will not pretend the self-destruct is fake. Criminals lie. Criminals also follow through. Either way, the purpose of the sentence is the same. It wants you making decisions from panic instead of from a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do not sit in front of the pop-up feeding it guesses so you can &#8220;see if it really blows up.&#8221; Do not reboot over and over to test the restart warning. Do not leave the machine online because you are afraid to touch the power button. Isolation is still the first job. Pulling a network cable is not the same thing as a reboot. A technician may still need to power the computer down. The pop-up does not get to write your incident plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If files later go missing, keep that fact for the report. Do not let a red warning in a hostile window become the reason you send 20 TON to a bot. A self-destruct line that lives only in attacker text is not a quote from a vendor. It is pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">This is not Vitya, not Kreepr, and not the old WOLF note<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two other current lockers use a pop-up instead of a desktop text file. Mixing them wastes the first hour. Vitya also points victims at Telegram. It does not print a TON amount in the lure the way Golden Woolf does. If your window names a Telegram handle and then refuses to name a coin total, you are not in this 20 TON story. Kreepr also talks through a window and also stamps a new ending on the original name. Kreepr prints no contact, no wallet, and no coin amount. If your window has a Decrypt box and nowhere to write, you are not in the <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong> shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An older 2021 locker used a wolf-themed name and a different stamp. That family wrote a long ending that included an onionmail address and then <strong>.WOLF<\/strong>. It asked people to write an email and pay in Bitcoin. It left a text file. Golden Woolf is not that note with a fresh coat of paint. The files here look like <strong>1.jpg.wolf<\/strong>, not like a mail address glued into the filename. The checkout here is a Telegram bot and 20 TON, not a 2021 inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another older file, GoldenWolf42, used a <strong>.GoldenWolf42<\/strong> ending and talked about Bitcoin and PayPal. That is a different costume. If your folder is full of <strong>.wolf<\/strong> names and a pop-up is sending you to <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong>, stay on this page. Do not follow a removal guide written for a different ending just because the word wolf appears in both titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">There is no public unlock sitting behind the bot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No public decryptor is known for this strain. That can change if a trusted project later recovers keys or finds a flaw. Until a tool appears on an official project such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nomoreransom.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">No More Ransom<\/a>, treat any site that says &#8220;we already have the Golden Woolf key&#8221; as a second sales pitch. This page will not claim the files were recovered. They were not handed back here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scanner names, when they appear, are often generic. A toast that says Trojan or ransomware confirms you are looking at a hostile file, not a harmless rename glitch. It is not a promise that a free unlock tool is sitting in the same folder as the detection. This page will not reprint a grab-bag of vendor labels as if they were a product key. A family bucket is not a decryptor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A detection can remove the active locker. It cannot roll back files that already grew <strong>.wolf<\/strong>. That is why a green scan after cleanup can still sit next to a dead photo folder. Cleanup and recovery are different jobs. Do the first so the second is not undone overnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"mwtad1313103772\" class=\"gas_fallback-ad_309748-ad_309691-placement_400590\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"3906789406\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How The Scam Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You do not need a build guide to understand what Golden Woolf does to a home or office PC. The victim-facing story is short. Something runs. Everyday files pick up <strong>.wolf<\/strong>. A pop-up appears instead of a text note. The pop-up prints an ID, starts a clock of about 72 hours, and sends you to Telegram. The bot is <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong>. The printed bill is 20 TON. You are told to pay, send the TXID, take a key, and type it into a field that only allows three misses. Then the window threatens a self-destruct and tells you not to restart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This section stays on that story. It is not a list of switches, offsets, or sample hashes. If someone asks you how to &#8220;make a Golden Woolf&#8221; or how to pull a key out of a binary, the answer is no. The useful work is isolation, a clean scan, and a restore from a backup that was not sitting on the same disk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Something already ran<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the time you notice <strong>.wolf<\/strong>, the infection step is already behind you. Ransomware like this usually arrives the same ordinary ways other lockers do. A file from a chat. A cracked installer. A &#8220;codec&#8221; that was supposed to play one video. A remote-access leftover from last month&#8217;s &#8220;computer help&#8221; call. A document that asked you to enable something you should not have enabled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You do not need to reconstruct the exact click to start protecting the rest of the house. Unplug the network if you can do that without turning the story into a reboot test. Stop the machine from talking to shared folders, cloud sync, and other PCs. The pop-up wants you staring at its 72-hour clock. The first useful move is quieter. Cut the path it can still walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If other computers use the same NAS, the same USB disk, or the same cloud account that was mounted on this PC, assume those copies may be in danger too. A locker that has already finished one Documents folder can still be hungry. Do not plug the backup drive into the sick machine &#8220;just to check.&#8221; Check it from a clean computer after you know the infected one is contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Everyday files pick up .wolf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The visible work is a pass through the folders people actually use. Photos. PDFs. Spreadsheets. Videos. Word documents. The original name stays. The original extension stays. Then <strong>.wolf<\/strong> is glued on the end. <strong>1.jpg<\/strong> becomes <strong>1.jpg.wolf<\/strong>. <strong>vacation.jpg<\/strong> becomes <strong>vacation.jpg.wolf<\/strong>. <strong>invoice-2026.pdf<\/strong> becomes <strong>invoice-2026.pdf.wolf<\/strong>. <strong>taxes.xlsx<\/strong> becomes <strong>taxes.xlsx.wolf<\/strong>. <strong>family.mp4<\/strong> becomes <strong>family.mp4.wolf<\/strong>. <strong>contracts.docx<\/strong> becomes <strong>contracts.docx.wolf<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Windows may start calling each object a WOLF File. That is the operating system reading the new ending, not a new file format you can install an app for. There is no official Golden Woolf viewer. There is no store page that turns those bytes back into a vacation photo. &#8220;Open with&#8221; is a dead end. So is a bulk rename that tries to hide the stamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The listing can also show a tight cluster of modified times. A locker is a script with a job. It walks a tree and writes as it goes. A row of timestamps within a minute is a common look after an automated pass. It is a clue that the folder was processed, not a countdown you should try to beat by copying files while the machine is still infected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Copying locked files to another disk can still be wise later, from a clean environment, so you keep a copy of the ciphertext. Doing that copy while the pop-up is live, onto the only backup you own, is how a second folder dies. Preserve first. Experiment never.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. A window replaces the usual ransom note<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the rename, the demand is a pop-up. That is the costume change that throws people who have read about other families. They look for <strong>README.txt<\/strong>. They look for a decrypt HTML file. They look for a wallpaper with a wallet. Golden Woolf puts the speech on the glass instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The window is written to feel personal and inevitable. It wants you to believe the authors are in the room. It wants you to believe the next action has to happen inside that frame, or inside the Telegram chat the frame names. A frame is not a technician. A frame is not a court. A frame is not a bank. It is a message that happens to be drawn as a program window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because there is no text file, victims sometimes feel they have &#8220;less evidence.&#8221; You still have evidence. You have a folder of <strong>.wolf<\/strong> names. You have a screenshot of the pop-up if you can take one safely. You have the bot handle and the 20 TON line. Those things identify the incident. You do not need to start a chat so the paperwork feels normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. The window sells panic with an ID and a 72-hour clock<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pop-up prints a unique ID. That string is how the bot will pretend to recognize you. It is also how a later helper will pretend to recognize you. Photograph the window if you can do that without typing into it. Do not copy an ID you saw in someone else&#8217;s screenshot and send it as if it were yours. Do not paste your ID into a public forum. An ID is a handle for the people who locked the disk. It is not a coupon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next to the ID sits a countdown of about 72 hours. Urgency is the cheapest tool in this trade. Seventy-two hours sounds specific, so it feels real. It is specific the way a fake shipping countdown is specific. The people who set it can wait, raise the number, or vanish. Your job in those 72 hours is not to beat the clock. Your job is to stop the spread and to keep a clean copy of what you still have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The clock is aimed at the exact moment a normal person would do a normal thing. Call a relative. Search the extension. Look for a backup disk. The pop-up wants that moment to feel expensive. A printed timer is not a court date. It is a reason the authors hope you will open Telegram before you open a drawer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Telegram turns the pop-up into a checkout<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The listed contact is <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong>. The steps in the window are a script. Install Telegram. Send the ID. Wait for payment instructions. Pay 20 TON. Send the TXID. Take the key. Type the key into the pop-up. Each step feels smaller than the last, which is how a person who would never &#8220;pay a hacker&#8221; still ends up funding a bot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Telegram is a real app. That is part of the costume. Opening a well known messenger feels safer than visiting a Tor site you have never heard of. A bot feels more official than a stranger&#8217;s inbox. Official is the wrong word. The handle is an attacker channel. Writing it does two jobs for them. It confirms a live victim. It starts a conversation they control, on a platform where the transcript is easy for them and hard for you to take back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do not install Telegram on the infected PC just because the pop-up told you to. Do not send the ID &#8220;only to ask a question.&#8221; Do not send a sample photo so the bot can &#8220;prove the key.&#8221; A test unlock, when crews offer one, is an old line. Unlocking a junk file does not unlock the tax folder. It does not prove the rest of the key will arrive. It does give them more of your data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. The 20 TON ask is already in the lure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many notes hide the price so they can size you up. This one does not. The pop-up says pay 20 TON. The coin is TON cryptocurrency. That number is part of the lure, not a quote this page invented and not a $ figure converted on the way in. A round amount is easy to remember. It is easy to search. It is easy to repeat to a relative who is holding a phone and asking how bad it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A printed price is still not a contract. The people on the other end can take the 20 TON and disappear. They can send a string that fails in the key box. They can send a tool that only unlocks a few files. They can come back later and lock the same machine again. Paying does not close the hole that let the locker in. Official advice from projects such as No More Ransom and from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/stopransomware\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CISA StopRansomware<\/a> has been consistent for years. Payment does not ensure the files come back, does not ensure the system is clean, and does not ensure the same crew leaves you alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The TXID step is there to make the payment feel finished. You send proof. They send a key. That is how a shop works when both sides are bound by a receipt. This is not that shop. A TON transaction is public enough for them to see funds. It is not a refund window for you. Once the 20 TON leaves, the leverage sits with the bot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Three misses, a self-destruct threat, and a ban on restarting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The key field is limited on purpose. Three attempts. After that, the pop-up claims the system will self-destruct. Next to that claim is a second order: do not restart the PC. Together those lines try to own two of the most ordinary moves a scared person makes. Guess. Reboot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guessing is how people turn a bad hour into a worse one. A reused password typed into a hostile window is now a password you should retire. A &#8220;key&#8221; copied from a stranger is now a sample you invited onto the desktop. A helper app that claims it will press the button for you is a second infection wearing a lab coat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The restart ban is aimed at the exact moment a scanner, a relative, or your own habit would reboot the box. Sometimes a locker really does destroy more files when you interrupt it. Sometimes the sentence is only theater. You cannot tell from the wording. You can tell that the wording is trying to own your next click. A calm plan still beats a hostile warning. Disconnect the machine. Do not keep working in the same user session as if the pop-up were a dialog box in a real program. If a reboot is truly needed later, let that be a decision after isolation, not a reflex the window dared you into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. A second shop copies the bot and invents a better offer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a ransomware incident, search results and inbox ads fill up with companies that say they can decrypt Golden Woolf or &#8220;all .wolf files.&#8221; Some of those shops are ordinary overpriced consultants. Plenty are a second scam. They will quote the extension back to you. They will mention Telegram so they sound close to the case. They will mention 20 TON as if the amount were a case number. They will ask for a sample file, a remote-access session, or a deposit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second scam has a friendly website and a case manager. It may even open one junk file, because anyone can decrypt a file they themselves just locked. Then the price rises, the chat dies, or the remote tool installs more malware. A screenshot of your pop-up in their sales copy does not make them a researcher. A promise to &#8220;talk to the bot for you&#8221; does not make them a middleman you should fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A real public decryptor, when one exists, shows up on an official project page that already existed before your incident. It does not need a deposit in cryptocurrency. It does not need you to &#8220;hold a slot.&#8221; It does not need a key guess in the original pop-up. If the pitch is &#8220;we can decrypt, pay us first,&#8221; you are still in the market the ransomware created, even if the new shop uses a different chat than <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Paying the bot, or a later helper, still closes nothing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even in families where a key sometimes arrives, payment is not a contract. Golden Woolf makes that warning concrete, because the lure already named the coin, the amount, the bot, and the key box. You can see the whole aisle. Seeing the aisle is not a reason to walk down it. The people who printed 20 TON are the people who locked <strong>vacation.jpg.wolf<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same access that delivered Golden Woolf the first time can still be open. A payment, a guessed key, or a remote &#8220;unlock session&#8221; does not close the hole. Isolate. Keep the locked files. Look for clean backups. Look for a trusted decryptor if one exists. Do not start a relationship with the people who locked the disk, and do not start one with a stranger who only appeared after you searched the extension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you need a place that already existed before this pop-up, use the official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/stopransomware\/ransomware-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CISA StopRansomware Guide<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nomoreransom.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">No More Ransom<\/a> project. In the United States you can report the incident to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center<\/a>. Those desks do not ask you to fund a Telegram bot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"mwtad3089078550\" class=\"gas_fallback-ad_309749-ad_309691-placement_400591\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"5354318971\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What To Do If Your Files End in .wolf<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do not type random keys into the three-attempt field. Do not pay 20 TON. Do not write to <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong>. The Telegram bot is the trap. If you already sent the ID or already typed a guess before you found this page, stop there. Do not keep experimenting inside that window, and do not send a TXID to finish a payment you now regret.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"stepsbox\">\n<li><a href=\"#rkill\"><strong>STEP 1<\/strong>: Use Rkill to terminate suspicious programs.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#malwarebytes\"><strong>STEP 2<\/strong>: Use Malwarebytes to remove for Ransomware and Unwanted Programs<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#hitmanpro\"><strong>STEP 3<\/strong>: Use HitmanPro to remove Trojans and other Malware<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#adwcleaner\"><strong>STEP 4<\/strong>: Use AdwCleaner to remove Malicious Browser Extensions and Adware<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#eset\"><strong>STEP 5<\/strong>: Perform a final check with ESET Online Scanner<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#restore\"><strong>STEP 6<\/strong>: Restore the files encrypted by ransomware<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 id=\"rkill\" class=\"mt_blue toch4\">STEP 1: Use Rkill to terminate suspicious programs.<\/h4>\n<p>In this first step, we will download and run Rkill to terminate suspicious programs that may be running on your computer.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Download Rkill.<\/p>\n<p>You can download RKill to your computer from the below link. When at the download page, click on the <em>Download Now<\/em> button labeled <strong>iExplore.exe<\/strong>. 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. <\/p>\n  \n<div class=\"mwt_download_box\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bleepingcomputer.com\/download\/rkill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-160643 mwt_product_icon_logo\" title=\"Malwarebytes Icon\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RKill-Icon.png\" alt=\"RKILL Logo\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\"\/><\/figure>\n<strong>RKILL DOWNLOAD LINK<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>(The above link will open a new page from where you can download Rkill)<\/em><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Run RKill.<\/p>\n<p>After downloading, double-click the <strong>iExplore.exe<\/strong> icon to kill malicious processes. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the&nbsp;<em>Downloads<\/em> folder.<br \/>The program may take some time to search for and end various malware programs.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-160644 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RKILL-2.jpg\" alt=\"RKILL Window\" width=\"800\" height=\"438\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RKILL-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RKILL-2-300x164.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<h4 id=\"malwarebytes\" class=\"mt_blue toch4\">STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove Ransomware and Unwanted Programs<\/h4>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Malwarebytes<\/strong> is one of the most popular and trusted anti-malware tools for Windows \u2014 and it&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Download Malwarebytes<\/p> <p>Click the button below to download the latest version of <strong>Malwarebytes for Windows<\/strong> from the official source. The free version is all you need \u2014 it will scan your computer and remove adware, browser hijackers, and other malicious software at no cost.<\/p> <div class=\"mwt_download_box\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Malwarebytes Icon\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-81150 mwt_product_icon_logo\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Malwarebytes-LOGO.png\" alt=\"Malwarebytes Logo\"\/><\/figure> <strong><a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/downloads\/MBSetup-076886.076886-consumer.exe\" onclick=\"window.open(&#039;https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/get\/malwarebytes-free&#039;);\">DOWNLOAD MALWAREBYTES FOR WINDOWS (FREE)<br \/>\n<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em class=\"small-text-disclaimer\">(The link opens in a new page where your download will start)<\/em><\/div><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li> <p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Install Malwarebytes<\/p>\n\n<p>When the download finishes, open your <strong>Downloads<\/strong> folder and <strong>double-click the MBSetup file<\/strong>. If Windows shows a <strong>User Account Control<\/strong> pop-up, click &#8220;<em>Yes<\/em>&#8221; to allow the installation.<\/p>\n\n \n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"975\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285934\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM1.jpg 975w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM1-300x154.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px\" \/><\/figure>\n \n\n \n  \n\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Follow the On-Screen Prompts to Install Malwarebytes<\/p> \n\n<p>The setup wizard will walk you through a few quick screens:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n \n  <li>\n    <p>Choose where you&#8217;re installing the program \u2014 &#8220;<strong>Personal Computer<\/strong>&#8221; or &#8220;<strong>Work Computer<\/strong>&#8221; \u2014 then click <strong>Next<\/strong>.<\/p>\n    \n    <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\n      <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"737\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM3-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285953\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM3-1.jpg 737w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM3-1-300x204.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 737px) 100vw, 737px\" \/>\n    <\/figure>\n    \n  <\/li>\n  <li>\n    <p>Malwarebytes will now install on your device. This usually takes under a minute.<\/p>\n    \n    <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\n      <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"759\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285937\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM4.jpg 759w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM4-300x198.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 759px) 100vw, 759px\" \/>\n    <\/figure>\n    \n  <\/li>\n  <li>\n    <p>When installation is complete, the &#8220;<strong>Welcome to Malwarebytes<\/strong>&#8221; screen will open automatically.<\/p>\n    \n    <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\n      <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"705\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM6-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285951\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM6-1.jpg 705w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM6-1-300x213.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 705px) 100vw, 705px\" \/>\n    <\/figure>\n    \n  <\/li>\n  <li>\n    <p>On the final screen, click <strong>Open Malwarebytes<\/strong> to launch the program.<\/p>\n    \n    <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\n      <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"749\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM5-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285952\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM5-1.jpg 749w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM5-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 749px) 100vw, 749px\" \/>\n    <\/figure>\n    \n  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Enable &#8220;Scan for Rootkits&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Before scanning, turn on rootkit detection so Malwarebytes can find even the most hidden threats. Click the <strong>Settings<\/strong> gear icon on the left side of the screen.\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"842\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285942\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM8.jpg 842w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM8-300x214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 842px) 100vw, 842px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the settings menu, find &#8220;<strong>Scan for rootkits<\/strong>&#8221; and click the toggle so it turns blue.\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"841\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285943\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM9.jpg 841w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM9-300x214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px\" \/><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Done? Click &#8220;<strong>Dashboard<\/strong>&#8221; in the left pane to return to the main screen.\n\n <\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Start the Scan<\/p> <p>Click the blue <strong>Scan<\/strong> button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its virus database and start checking your computer for malware.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"849\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM10.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285941\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM10.jpg 849w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM10-300x212.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 849px) 100vw, 849px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Wait for the Scan to Finish<\/p>\n<p>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 \u2014 just check back occasionally to see the progress.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"842\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM11.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285944\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM11.jpg 842w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM11-300x214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 842px) 100vw, 842px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Quarantine the Detected Threats<\/p>\n<p>When the scan is done, you&#8217;ll see a list of everything Malwarebytes found \u2014 malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs. Click the &#8220;<strong>Quarantine<\/strong>&#8221; button to remove all of them at once.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"844\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM12.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285945\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM12.jpg 844w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM12-300x213.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 844px) 100vw, 844px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Malwarebytes will now remove the malicious files and registry entries and move them safely into quarantine.\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"842\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM13.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285946\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM13.jpg 842w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM13-300x214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 842px) 100vw, 842px\" \/><\/figure>\n <\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n  <p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Restart Your Computer<\/p>\n  <p>Some threats can only be fully removed after a reboot. If Malwarebytes asks you to restart, click <strong>Yes<\/strong>. Once you&#8217;re logged back in, your PC is clean and you can continue with the next steps in this guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"844\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM14.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-285947\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM14.jpg 844w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MBAM14-300x213.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 844px) 100vw, 844px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<h4 id=\"hitmanpro\" class=\"mt_blue toch4\">STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to remove Rootkits and other Malware<\/h4>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>HitmanPro<\/strong> is a second-opinion scanner \u2014 it&#8217;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&#8217;s analyzed by two of the best antivirus engines available: <strong>Bitdefender<\/strong> and <strong>Kaspersky<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Good news: <strong>scanning is completely free, with no limits<\/strong>. You only need a license when it&#8217;s time to remove what was found \u2014 and even then, you can activate a <strong>free one-time 30-day trial<\/strong> to clean your PC at no cost. (A full license is $24.95 per year for 1 PC.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Download HitmanPro<\/p>\n<p>Click the button below to download <strong>HitmanPro<\/strong>. Remember \u2014 the scan is free, so you have nothing to lose by checking your PC.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mwt_download_box\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-81147 alignleft mwt_product_icon_logo\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/icon-hitmanpro.png\" alt=\"HitmanPro Logo\" width=\"38\" height=\"38\" title=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/get\/hitmanpro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><strong>DOWNLOAD HITMANPRO (FREE SCAN)<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em class=\"small-text-disclaimer\">(The link opens in a new page where your download will start)<\/em><\/div>\n<\/li><li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Install HitmanPro<\/p>\n<p>When the download finishes, open your <em>Downloads<\/em> folder and double-click the file: <strong>&#8220;hitmanpro.exe&#8221;<\/strong> on 32-bit Windows, or <strong>&#8220;hitmanpro_x64.exe&#8221;<\/strong> on 64-bit Windows.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136909 alignnone\" title=\"Double-click on the HitmanPro setup file\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Download-HitmanPro.jpg\" alt=\"Double-click on the HitmanPro file\" width=\"800\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Download-HitmanPro.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Download-HitmanPro-300x158.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<p>If a <em>User Account Control<\/em>&nbsp;pop-up asks whether HitmanPro can make changes to your device, click &#8220;<em>Yes<\/em>&#8221; to continue.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136916 alignnone\" title=\"Windows asking for permissions to run the HitmanPro setup file\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-UAC.jpg\" alt=\"Windows asking for permissions to run the HitmanPro setup \" width=\"676\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-UAC.jpg 676w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-UAC-300x222.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/li><li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Follow the On-Screen Prompts<\/p>\n<p>On the HitmanPro start screen, click &#8220;<strong>Next<\/strong>&#8221; to begin the system scan. No lengthy setup required \u2014 it goes straight to work.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136913 alignnone\" title=\"Click Next to install HitmanPro on your computer\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Install.jpg\" alt=\"Click Next to install HitmanPro on your PC\" width=\"800\" height=\"639\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Install.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Install-300x240.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136912 alignnone\" title=\"Click Next to finish the HitmanPro install\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Install-2.jpg\" alt=\"HitmanPro final installer screen\" width=\"800\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Install-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Install-2-300x240.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/li><li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Wait for the Scan to Finish<\/p>\n<p>HitmanPro will now check your computer for malicious programs. This usually takes just a few minutes thanks to its cloud-based scanning.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136915 alignnone\" title=\"HitmanPro while scanning for malware\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Scanning.jpg\" alt=\"HitmanPro scans your computer for any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present\" width=\"800\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Scanning.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Scanning-300x240.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/li><li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Review the Results and Click &#8220;Next&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When the scan is done, HitmanPro will show you everything it found. Click &#8220;<strong>Next<\/strong>&#8221; to remove the detected threats.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136914 alignnone\" title=\"Click Next to remove the malware that HitmanPro has detected\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Quarantine-Malicious-Files.jpg\" alt=\"HitmanPro scan summary. Click Next to remove malware\" width=\"800\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Quarantine-Malicious-Files.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Quarantine-Malicious-Files-300x241.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/li><li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Click &#8220;Activate Free License&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To remove the malicious files, click the &#8220;<strong>Activate free license<\/strong>&#8221; button. This starts your <em>free 30-day trial<\/em> \u2014 no payment details needed \u2014 and unlocks the full cleanup.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136911 alignnone\" title=\"Click on the Activate free license button to remove malware\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Activate-License.jpg\" alt=\"Click on the Activate free license button\" width=\"800\" height=\"635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Activate-License.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/HitmanPro-Activate-License-300x238.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When the removal is complete, HitmanPro will show a summary of everything it cleaned. Click <strong>Next<\/strong>, then click <strong>Reboot<\/strong> if prompted. If there&#8217;s no reboot prompt, just click <strong>Close<\/strong> \u2014 your PC is clean.<\/p>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n<h4 id=\"adwcleaner\" class=\"mt_blue toch4\">STEP 4: Use AdwCleaner to remove Malicious Browser Extensions and Adware<\/h4>\n<p>In this next step, we will use AdwCleaner to remove malicious browser policies and unwanted browser extensions from your computer.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>AdwCleaner<\/strong> is a free on-demand scanner that specializes in adware, browser hijackers, and unwanted toolbars \u2014 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&#8217;s a quick scan that&#8217;s well worth running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Download AdwCleaner<\/p>\n<p>Click the button below to download <strong>AdwCleaner<\/strong> \u2014 it&#8217;s free, portable, and requires no installation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mwt_download_box\"><figure><\/figure> <a href=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/get\/adwcleaner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-84923 alignleft mwt_product_icon_logo\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/AdwCleaner-Icon.png\" alt=\"AdwCleaner Icon\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" title=\"\"><\/figure> <strong>DOWNLOAD ADWCLEANER (FREE)<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em class=\"small-text-disclaimer\">(The link opens in a new page where your download will start)<\/em><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Run AdwCleaner<\/p>\n<p>Open your <em>Downloads<\/em> folder and double-click the file named &#8220;<strong>adwcleaner_x.x.x.exe<\/strong>&#8220;. There&#8217;s no installation \u2014 the program starts right away.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136932 alignnone\" title=\"Double-click on the AdwCleaner setup file\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Download-AdwCleaner.jpg\" alt=\"Download AdwCleaner on your computer\" width=\"800\" height=\"424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Download-AdwCleaner.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Download-AdwCleaner-300x159.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If Windows asks whether you want to allow AdwCleaner to run, click &#8220;<strong>Yes<\/strong>&#8220;. When the license agreement appears, click <strong>I agree<\/strong> to continue.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136935 alignnone\" title=\"Click Yes to allow AdwCleaner to run\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Windows-asks-to-run-AdwCleaner.jpg\" alt=\"Windows ask if you want to run AdwCleaner\" width=\"585\" height=\"424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Windows-asks-to-run-AdwCleaner.jpg 585w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Windows-asks-to-run-AdwCleaner-300x217.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Enable &#8220;Reset Chrome policies&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This setting removes malicious browser policies \u2014 a trick malware uses to lock your browser settings so you can&#8217;t change them back. Click &#8220;<strong>Settings<\/strong>&#8221; on the left side of the window, then turn on &#8220;<strong>Reset Chrome policies<\/strong>&#8220;.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136933 alignnone\" title=\"Enable Reset Chrome policies to remove malware\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Reset-Chrome-Policies-AdwCleaner.jpg\" alt=\"Enable Reset Chrome policies to remove malicious browser policies\" width=\"800\" height=\"481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Reset-Chrome-Policies-AdwCleaner.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Reset-Chrome-Policies-AdwCleaner-300x180.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Start the Scan<\/p>\n<p>Click &#8220;<strong>Dashboard<\/strong>&#8221; on the left side of the window, then click the &#8220;<strong>Scan<\/strong>&#8221; button.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136934 alignnone\" title=\"Click on Scan to start a AdwCleaner scan\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Start-a-AdwCleaner-Scan.jpg\" alt=\"Click on Scan to start a AdwCleaner scan\" width=\"800\" height=\"479\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Start-a-AdwCleaner-Scan.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Start-a-AdwCleaner-Scan-300x180.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Wait for the Scan to Finish<\/p>\n<p>AdwCleaner will now check your computer for adware and other malware. This usually takes only a few minutes \u2014 it&#8217;s one of the fastest scanners around.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136931 alignnone\" title=\"AdwCleaner scanning for malware\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AdwCleaner-Scan.jpg\" alt=\"AdwCleaner scanning for adware and other malware\" width=\"800\" height=\"479\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AdwCleaner-Scan.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AdwCleaner-Scan-300x180.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Quarantine the Detected Threats<\/p>\n<p>When the scan finishes, AdwCleaner will list everything it found. Click the &#8220;<strong>Quarantine<\/strong>&#8221; button to remove all the malicious items at once.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136930 alignnone\" title=\"Click on Quarantine to remove malware\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AdwCleaner-Quarantine-Malicious-Files.jpg\" alt=\"Click on Quarantine to remove malware\" width=\"800\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AdwCleaner-Quarantine-Malicious-Files.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AdwCleaner-Quarantine-Malicious-Files-300x177.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li> <p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Click &#8220;Continue&#8221; to Finish the Cleanup<\/p> <p><strong>Save any open work first<\/strong> \u2014 AdwCleaner needs to close your open programs before it can clean. When you&#8217;re ready, click the &#8220;<strong>Continue<\/strong>&#8221; button.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Save your work and then click on the Continue button\" width=\"800\" height=\"477\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136929 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AdwCleaner-Confirm-Removal-Of-Malicious-Files.jpg\" alt=\"Click Continue to remove malicious files\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AdwCleaner-Confirm-Removal-Of-Malicious-Files.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/AdwCleaner-Confirm-Removal-Of-Malicious-Files-300x179.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p> <p>AdwCleaner will now delete all detected malware from your computer. If it asks you to restart your PC, allow it \u2014 your computer will be clean when you log back in.<\/p> <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<h4 id=\"eset\" class=\"mt_blue toch4\">STEP 5: Perform a final check with ESET Online Scanner <\/h4>\n<p>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..<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>ESET Online Scanner<\/strong> 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&#8217;s thorough \u2014 if anything slipped past the previous scans, ESET will find it. A clean result here means your computer is malware-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Download ESET Online Scanner<\/p>\n<p>Click the button below to download <strong>ESET Online Scanner<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mwt_download_box\"><a href=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/get\/esetonlinescanner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft mwt_product_icon_logo size-full wp-image-148927\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Eset-Logo.png\" alt=\"ESET logo\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" title=\"\"><\/figure><strong>DOWNLOAD ESET ONLINE SCANNER (FREE)<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>(The link opens in a new page where your download will start)<\/em><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Run the Installer<\/p>\n<p>When the download finishes, open your <em>Downloads<\/em> folder and double-click &#8220;<strong>esetonlinescanner.exe<\/strong>&#8220;.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-148926\" title=\"Double-click on the ESET Online Scanner setup file\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Installer.jpg\" alt=\"Image - Double-click on the ESET Online Scanner setup file\" width=\"800\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Installer.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Installer-300x155.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Install ESET Online Scanner<\/p>\n<p>On the start screen, select your language from the drop-down menu and click <strong>Get started<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-148858\" title=\"Click Get Started to install ESET Online Scanner\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-1.jpg\" alt=\"Image - Click Get Started to install ESET Online Scanner\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<p>On the <em>Terms of use<\/em> screen, click <strong>Accept<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-148863\" title=\"Accept Terms to Install ESET Online Scanner\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"Image - Accept Terms to Install ESET Online Scanner\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-2-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-2-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Choose your preferences for the <em>Customer Experience Improvement Program<\/em> and the <em>Detection feedback system<\/em> (either choice is fine), then click <strong>Continue<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-148859\" title=\"Follow the on-screen prompts to install ESET Online Scanner\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-3.jpg\" alt=\"Image - Follow the on-screen prompts\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-3.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-3-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Start a Full Scan<\/p>\n<p>Click <strong>Full Scan<\/strong> \u2014 this checks your entire computer, not just the common hiding spots.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-148860\" title=\"Start a Full Scan with ESET Online Scanner\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-4.jpg\" alt=\"Start a Full Scan with ESET Online Scanner\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-4.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-4-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<p>Select <strong>Enable<\/strong> for <em>Detection of Potentially Unwanted Applications<\/em> \u2014 this lets ESET catch adware and bundled junk programs, not just viruses. Then click <strong>Start scan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-148929\" title=\"Enable PUA Detection and Start Scan\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-Step-5.jpg\" alt=\"Image - Enable PUA Detection and Start Scan\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-Step-5.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-Step-5-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Wait for the Scan to Finish<\/p>\n<p>ESET will now check every file on your computer. Because it&#8217;s a full scan, this can take a while \u2014 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.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-148930\" title=\"Wait for the ESET Online Scanner scan to finish\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-6-1.jpg\" alt=\"Image- Wait for the ESET Online Scanner scan to finish\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-6-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Scan-6-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Review the Results<\/p>\n<p>When the scan completes, the <em>Found and resolved detections<\/em> screen appears. Any threats found were <strong>automatically cleaned and quarantined<\/strong> \u2014 there&#8217;s nothing extra you need to do. Click <strong>View detailed results<\/strong> if you want to see exactly what was removed.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-148933\" title=\"ESET Online Scanner malware removal\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Step-7.jpg\" alt=\"Image - ESET Online Scanner malware removal\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Step-7.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ESET-Step-7-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If ESET found nothing \u2014 congratulations, your computer has passed the final check and is malware-free.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<h4 id=\"restore\" class=\"mt_blue toch4\">STEP 6: Restore the files encrypted by ransomware<\/h4>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately, in most cases, it\u2019s 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&#8217;ve listed three options you can use to try and recover your files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"mt_noter\">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 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/downloads-emsisoft-emergency-kit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Emsisoft Emergency Kit<\/a><\/strong>.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Option 1: Search a decryption tool for this ransomware<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cybersecurity community is constantly working to create ransomware decryption tools, so you can try to search these sites for updates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/decrypter.emsisoft.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/decrypter.emsisoft.com\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/noransom.kaspersky.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/noransom.kaspersky.com\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.avast.com\/ransomware-decryption-tools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.avast.com\/ransomware-decryption-tools<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Option 2: Use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free to recover the encrypted files<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<br \/>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free.<\/p>\n<p>You can download <strong>EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free<\/strong>&nbsp;by clicking the link below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mwt_download_box\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/get-easeus-data-recovery-wizard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-150416 mwt_product_icon_logo\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-Logo.png\" alt=\"EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Logo\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" title=\"\"><\/figure> EASEUS DATA RECOVERY WIZARD FREE DOWNLOAD LINK<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em class=\"small-text-disclaimer\">(The above link will open a new page from where you can download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard)<\/em><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Double-click on the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free setup file.<\/p>\n<p>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 <em>Downloads<\/em> folder.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-150415\" title=\"EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Installer\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-0.jpg\" alt=\"Image: EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Installer\" width=\"800\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-0-300x155.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<p>You may be presented with a <em>User Account Control<\/em>&nbsp;pop-up asking if you want to allow EaseUS to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click \u201c<em>Yes<\/em>\u201d to continue with the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free installation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Follow the on-screen prompts to install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.<\/p>\n<p>When the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard installation begins, click on the &#8220;Install Now&#8221; as seen in the image below.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-150403\" title=\"EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Install Now\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-1.jpg\" alt=\"EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Install Now\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-1-300x188.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When your EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard installation completes, click the &#8220;<strong>Start Now<\/strong>&#8221; button to start the program.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-150404\" title=\"Click Start Now\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-2.jpg\" alt=\"Image: Click Start Now\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-2-300x188.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Select a location to start recovering the encrypted files.<\/p>\n<p>Choose the drive or folder where you are the encrypted files that you want to recover and click &#8220;<strong>Scan<\/strong>&#8220;.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-150405\" title=\"Select a location to start recovering the encrypted files\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-3.jpg\" alt=\"Select a location to start recovering the encrypted files\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-3.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-3-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Wait for the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan to complete.<\/p>\n<p>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.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-150414\" title=\"Wait for the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan to complete.\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-4A.jpg\" alt=\"Image: Wait for the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan to complete.\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-4A.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-4A-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Find the files you want to recover.<\/p>\n<p>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 &#8220;<strong>Filter<\/strong>&#8221; button to quickly filter specific file types and find the files that you want to recover.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-150421\" title=\"Filter the Files by Type\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-8.jpg\" alt=\"Filter the Files by Type\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-8.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-8-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Click the &#8220;<strong>Preview<\/strong>&#8221; button or double-click on a file for a full preview.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-150423\" title=\"Click Preview to view the file\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-9.jpg\" alt=\"Image: Click Preview to view the file\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-9.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-9-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Select your files and click &#8220;Recover&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, select the the files you want to recover and click &#8220;<strong>Recover<\/strong>&#8220;.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-150407\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-5.jpg\" alt=\"Select your files and click Recover\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-5.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-5-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><br \/>Choose a safe location to save all the files.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-150408\" title=\"Select a safe location\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-6.jpg\" alt=\"Select a safe location\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-6.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-6-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><br \/>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.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-150409\" title=\"View Recovered Files\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-7.jpg\" alt=\"Image: View Recovered Files\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-7.jpg 800w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EaseUS-Data-Recovery-Wizard-Free-7-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Option 3: Try to restore your files with ShadowExplorer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Download ShadowExplorer.<\/p>\n<p>You can download <strong>ShadowExplorer<\/strong> from the below link.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mwt_download_box\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shadowexplorer.com\/downloads.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> <strong>SHADOW EXPLORER DOWNLOAD LINK<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>(This link will open a new web page from where you can download &#8220;ShadowExplorer&#8221;)<\/em><\/div>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Install ShadowExplorer.<\/p>\n<p>Double-click on the <strong>ShadowExplorer-x.x-setup<\/strong> file to start the installation process, then follow the on-screen promts to install this program.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-115405\" title=\"Install Shadow Defender\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Install-Shadow-Defender.jpg\" alt=\"Install Shadow Defender\" width=\"590\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Install-Shadow-Defender.jpg 590w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Install-Shadow-Defender-300x237.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Select snapshot date.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-115411\" title=\"Select drive and snapshot date\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Select-date.jpg\" alt=\"Select drive and date to recover the files encrypted by this ransomware \" width=\"1180\" height=\"895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Select-date.jpg 1180w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Select-date-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Select-date-1024x777.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1180px) 100vw, 1180px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\n<p class=\"mwt_quick_overview\">Export the files that you want to recover.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have found a copy of the original file or folder, right-click on it and the select &#8220;Export&#8221;. A window will prompt you where you want to save the file or folder.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-115403\" title=\"Find copy then click on Export\" src=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Export-files-ransomware.jpg\" alt=\"Find copy then click on Expor to recover the files encrypted by this ransomware \" width=\"590\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Export-files-ransomware.jpg 590w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Export-files-ransomware-300x228.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keep every <strong>.wolf<\/strong> name exactly as it is. Do not bulk-rename <strong>vacation.jpg.wolf<\/strong>, <strong>invoice-2026.pdf.wolf<\/strong>, <strong>taxes.xlsx.wolf<\/strong>, <strong>family.mp4.wolf<\/strong>, or <strong>contracts.docx.wolf<\/strong> back to the old endings. Taking the stamp off is not a repair. It can make a later trusted tool worse, not better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keep a screenshot of the pop-up if you already have one. That window is how you prove this was Golden Woolf and not Vitya, Kreepr, or an older wolf-themed locker. It is evidence. It is not a control panel. Do not keep feeding the key field. Do not enter a password you use for email or banking. Do not paste a string a commenter called a universal key. You have three tries on the screen. That limit is part of the squeeze. It is not a reason to spend them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read the self-destruct claim the same way. The pop-up says three wrong keys will destroy the system. It says you must not restart the PC. That is attacker intimidation, not a stopwatch published here. It is not a reason to stay online. It is not a reason to reboot as a test. It is not a reason to pay 20 TON so a bot can &#8220;stop the clock.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do not open Telegram on the infected PC because the lure told you to. Do not send the printed ID to <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong>. Do not send the TXID. Do not type a key the bot later claims it generated. The bot is the checkout. Walking into it is how the 20 TON ask becomes a transfer. If a later message, a later wallpaper, or a later phone call offers a different chat because &#8220;the first bot is busy,&#8221; that is a new shop, not a repair of the old one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If a later pitch names a $ figure, a second coin, or a &#8220;discount if you pay today,&#8221; that is still a ransom on top of the 20 TON already printed in the original window. Do not answer. Do not help them finish the flyer. Do not send a sample photo so they can &#8220;prove the key.&#8221; There is no public decryptor known for this strain, and this page is not going to pretend one was verified against these files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"mwtad1070191934\" class=\"gas_fallback-ad_309750-ad_309691-placement_400592\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"4041237300\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Bottom Line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Golden Woolf ransomware is a locker with a visible stamp and a pop-up that finishes the sale in Telegram. It appends <strong>.wolf<\/strong> to the original name. <strong>1.jpg<\/strong> becomes <strong>1.jpg.wolf<\/strong>. <strong>vacation.jpg<\/strong> becomes <strong>vacation.jpg.wolf<\/strong>. <strong>invoice-2026.pdf<\/strong> becomes <strong>invoice-2026.pdf.wolf<\/strong>. <strong>taxes.xlsx<\/strong> becomes <strong>taxes.xlsx.wolf<\/strong>. <strong>family.mp4<\/strong> becomes <strong>family.mp4.wolf<\/strong>. <strong>contracts.docx<\/strong> becomes <strong>contracts.docx.wolf<\/strong>. The demand is a window, not a text note. The window prints an ID, a countdown of about 72 hours, a Telegram bot, and a bill of 20 TON.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The contact in the lure is <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong>. The ritual is send the ID, pay 20 TON in TON cryptocurrency, send the TXID, type the key. The key field allows three attempts. After three misses, the pop-up claims the system will self-destruct. It also says you must not restart the PC. Those destruction lines are attacker intimidation, not a behavior verified here. There is no public decryptor known for this strain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is not Vitya. Vitya can talk through Telegram and still withhold a TON amount. This is not Kreepr. Kreepr uses a pop-up and then prints no contact at all. This is not the 2021 wolf-themed locker that glued an email address into the filename and asked for Bitcoin. If the files end in <strong>.wolf<\/strong> and the window names the bot and the 20 TON, you are in this shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you take one sentence with you, take this. A folder of names ending in <strong>.wolf<\/strong>, plus a ransom pop-up that sends you to <strong>@GetYourHash_bot<\/strong> for 20 TON, is ransomware on the first sighting. Do not type guesses into the three-attempt field. Do not pay the 20 TON. The Telegram bot is the trap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"mwtad2083570736\" class=\"gas_fallback-ad_176819-ad_309691-placement_400595\" style=\"margin-top: 50px;margin-bottom: 50px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"8386082122\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You open the folder you used yesterday. The vacation photo should be there. The invoice should be there. The tax spreadsheet should be there. The names are still familiar. Then you see the extra ending. &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Golden Woolf Ransomware EXPOSED: .wolf Files and a 20 TON Telegram Bot\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/golden-woolf-ransomware-exposed-wolf-files-and-a-20-ton-telegram-bot\/#more-403770\" aria-label=\"Read more about Golden Woolf Ransomware EXPOSED: .wolf Files and a 20 TON Telegram Bot\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":403769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2836,2727],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-403770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-malware-removal-and-popup-scam-alerts","category-ransomware","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403770"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":403806,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403770\/revisions\/403806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/403769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}