How to remove Phobos-Faust Ransomware and decrypt .faust files

What is Phobos-Faust Ransomware

Faust is a new ransomware variant developed by the Phobos malware group. Its purpose is to encrypt potentially important pieces of data and make victims pay money for its decryption. Along with encryption, the virus also alters the way files appear – for instance, a file originally named 1.pdf will change to something like 1.pdf.id[9ECFA84E-3421].[gardex_recofast@zohomail.eu].faust and reset its original icon after encryption. This new string of characters that ransomware appends consists of a unique victim’s ID, cybercriminals’ email address, and the .faust extension. Following the successful completion of the encryption, Faust Ransomware generates a pop-up window (info.hta) and text file (info.txt) that contain decryption guidelines.

In general, it is said victims have to establish communication with cybercriminals by writing an email message and including their personal ID. Then, extortionists will supposedly give further instructions on how and where to pay the ransom in Bitcoins. Threat actors say the price for decryption depends on how fast victims write an email to them. In addition, the information inside “info.hta” says victims can send up to 5 files before paying (less than 4Mb in total, non-archived, and without valuable information) and get them decrypted for free. Many cybercriminals behind other ransomware infections employ such offers as a guarantee that they are able to unlock the encrypted data and also that they can be trusted. In fact, although developers claim they will send the necessary deception tools after the ransom is paid, some still fool their victims and do not keep their promises regarding decryption. Despite this, initial ransomware developers are usually the only figures able to fully decrypt the blocked data. Private keys generated by Faust Ransomware are stored online and have not yet been leaked. This means third-party software is less likely to be effective in running decryption. In our guide you will find suggestions about reputable third-party recovery/decryption tools, however, their effectiveness might not be enough due to the aforementioned. The only two ways victims can recover their data at the moment are either to pay the ransom or recover the files using backup copies. However, since collaboration with cybercriminals involves a certain risk and requested amounts can be unaffordable for many users, it is recommended to use backups instead. Backups are copies of files that were saved on external storage prior to the encryption. Please note that before attempting file recovery without the help of developers, it is crucial to prevent ransomware from running on your PC – in other words, delete it. Use our guide below to do so.

How Phobos-Faust Ransomware infected your computer

Ransomware infections (and other malware) are often distributed via e-mail spam letters, trojans, deceptive third-party downloads, fake software updates/installers, backdoors, keyloggers, botnets, system exploits, and some other proliferation channels as well. Most of these channels employ phishing techniques that are designed to fool inexperienced users into opening some malicious content (usually attachments or links). For instance, ransomware or trojans can be disguised as some legitimate file (.DOCX, .XLSX, .PDF, .EXE, .ZIP, .RAR, or .JS extensions) and attached to e-mail letters that mimic the names of legal companies/entities (e.g., delivery companies, tax authorities, banks, and so forth). In order to trick inexperienced users into executing the attached content, cybercriminals may name files in click-bait ways and claim doing so is of big “importance” or “urgency”. If the attached content ends up opened according to cybercriminals’ guidelines, the contained infection will be deployed for installation on the targeted system. Thus, it is highly advised to avoid interaction with such messages. In addition, you should beware of downloading software from landing pages and third-party websites that offer pirated torrents. Running installations of software that was obtained from unofficial resources is always a risk, which has to be taken into account. Cybercriminals tend to disguise malware as some popular software to increase the chance of its proliferation. Read our guide below to learn how one can protect himself//herslef against threats like ransomware (or other malware) in the future.

1. Download Phobos-Faust Ransomware Removal Tool
2. Get decryption tool for .faust files
3. Recover encrypted files with Stellar Data Recovery Professional
4. Restore encrypted files with Windows Previous Versions
5. Restore files with Shadow Explorer
6. How to protect from threats like Phobos-Faust Ransomware

Phobos-Faust Ransomware files:


info.hta
info.txt
{randomname}.exe


Phobos-Faust Ransomware registry keys:

no information

How to decrypt and restore .faust files

Use automated decryptors

Download Kaspersky RakhniDecryptor

Use following tool from Kaspersky called Rakhni Decryptor, that can decrypt .faust files. Download it here:

Download RakhniDecryptor

There is no purpose to pay the ransom because there is no guarantee you will receive the key, but you will put your bank credentials at risk.

Dr.Web Rescue Pack

Famous antivirus vendor Dr. Web provides free decryption service for the owners of its products: Dr.Web Security Space or Dr.Web Enterprise Security Suite. Other users can ask for help in the decryption of .faust files by uploading samples to Dr. Web Ransomware Decryption Service. Analyzing files will be performed free of charge and if files are decryptable, all you need to do is purchase a 2-year license of Dr.Web Security Space worth $120 or less. Otherwise, you don’t have to pay.

If you are infected with Phobos-Faust Ransomware and removed from your computer you can try to decrypt your files. Antivirus vendors and individuals create free decryptors for some crypto-lockers. To attempt to decrypt them manually you can do the following:

Use Stellar Data Recovery Professional to restore .faust files

1. Download Stellar Data Recovery Professional.
2. Click Recover Data button.
3. Select type of files you want to restore and click Next button.
4. Choose location where you would like to restore files from and click Scan button.
5. Preview found files, choose ones you will restore and click Recover.

Download Stellar Data Recovery Professional

Using Windows Previous Versions option:

1. Right-click on infected file and choose Properties.
2. Select Previous Versions tab.
3. Choose particular version of the file and click Copy.
4. To restore the selected file and replace the existing one, click on the Restore button.
5. In case there is no items in the list choose alternative method.

Using Shadow Explorer:

1. Download Shadow Explorer program.
2. Run it and you will see screen listing of all the drives and the dates that shadow copy was created.
3. Select the drive and date that you want to restore from.
4. Right-click on a folder name and select Export.
5. In case there are no other dates in the list, choose alternative method.

If you are using Dropbox:

1. Login to the DropBox website and go to the folder that contains encrypted files.
2. Right-click on the encrypted file and select Previous Versions.
3. Select the version of the file you wish to restore and click on the Restore button.

How to protect computer from viruses, like Phobos-Faust Ransomware , in future

1. Get special anti-ransomware software

Use ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware

Famous antivirus brand ZoneAlarm by Check Point released a comprehensive tool, that will help you with active anti-ransomware protection, as an additional shield to your current protection. The tool provides Zero-Day protection against ransomware and allows you to recover files. ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware is compatible with all other antiviruses, firewalls, and security software except ZoneAlarm Extreme (already shipped with ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware) or Check Point Endpoint products. The killer features of this application are: automatic file recovery, overwrite protection that instantly and automatically recovers any encrypted files, file protection that detects and blocks even unknown encryptors.

Download ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware

2. Back up your files

As an additional way to save your files, we recommend online backup. Local storage, such as hard drives, SSDs, flash drives, or remote network storage can be instantly infected by the virus once plugged in or connected to. Phobos-Faust Ransomware uses some techniques to exploit this. One of the best services and programs for easy automatic online backup is iDrive. It has the most profitable terms and a simple interface. You can read more about iDrive cloud backup and storage here.

3. Do not open spam e-mails and protect your mailbox

Malicious attachments to spam or phishing e-mails are the most popular method of ransomware distribution. Using spam filters and creating anti-spam rules is good practice. One of the world leaders in anti-spam protection is MailWasher Pro. It works with various desktop applications and provides a very high level of anti-spam protection.

Download MailWasher Pro