CTB-locker virus

[chicopee]

Alas, I fell victim to this virus which encrypted all my personal files. I don't know how it got in as I have Verizon Security Suite with presumably all protections developed by McAfee. Needless to say, I did not pay and their instructions on payment and how to remove the encryption program is no longer available.
Questions: 1)I have back up files made in the distant past, so if I remove all infected files would the replacement files become infected again from some hidden program?
2)If I go to a local technician to remove whatever is in my computer introduced by that bastard organization, should that technician be able to remove the encryption program?
3)Would a disk restore take care of any residual junk from the bastard organization?
4)If I paid CTB-Locker to restore my files, would that organization come back and ask for more money?
5)Any further comments on protective measures would be appreciated.

 

[drawoh]

chicopee,

I am not an expert, but...

The only way to be sure the virus is gone is to reformat your drives and re-install your OS and applications.

From what I have been reading on encrypt viruses, the developers keep their word and send you the key to decrypt your files. You get in trouble if you encounter their software again. There is a lot of stuff on this on CSO[ ]Online.

I do not like taking my computer, with all my personal stuff, to outside technicians. If they are honest and clever, they may be able to fix it.

--
JHG

 

[IRstuff]

1> as above, there may, or may not, be time-delay fuses set on the virus
2> given the symptoms, probably, but if it's really new, or a mutated virus, then possibly no
3> I would go with a full wipe, just to make sure there are no entries lurking in the registry that haven't been caught. Additionally, a fresh install will probably run a lot faster because a lot of baggage will have been removed
4> probably, it's a risk-benefit kind of situation
5> Make backups and make backups often; I tend to be no more than a couple of days out of sync, and have 3 synchronized copies of my work files. There are a bunch of freeware AV and anti-malware software that tend to be pretty good. Ad-aware was the only program that got rid of one malware infection that none of my mainstream AV programs even noticed.

TTFN
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[berkshire]

Run Microsoft' Malicious software removal tools from time to time. Do a full scan and sit on your fingers while it is running because it will take 3 or 4 hours. This will tell you where it is and what it is, it will not prevent it from coming back.
Sometimes you have to run different antivirus programs, because one will catch what another misses. An example of this was a virus that was lurking in my AutoCad print instruction files,and would keep popping up again after it was cleaned out, that Norton could not find but Avast did.
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

 

[IRstuff]

The converse is also true; most AV programs will flag stuff that aren't viruses

TTFN
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