Remove GOBA Ransomware Virus (+DECRYPT .goba Files)

Goba malware is a type of computer virus that injects your PC, encrypts your files, and then asks to pay the money for file decryption. Besides these unwanted actions, that virus also changes some important settings and can even disable your antivirus program.

Goba malware – what is it?

Goba ransomware can correctly be described as a STOP/Djvu ransomware family. That sort of malware is aimed on single users. This feature supposes that Goba does not bring any type of additional viruses, which sometimes helps ransomware of various other families to take control of your computer. Since the majority people do not have anything valuable , there is no need to carry additional viruses that increases the risk of failure of the whole ransomware injection.

The usual signs of this ransomware activity is the emersion of .goba files in your folders, instead of the files you used to have. The photo.jpg turns into photo.jpg.goba, report.xlsx – into report.xlsx.goba and so on. You cannot to suspend this process, as well as can’t open these files – they are ciphered with quite strong cipher.

You can also see various other signs of ransomware activity. Abruptly disabled Microsoft Defender and inability to check the well-known anti-malware forums or web pages, where the ransomware removal and decryption guides are published. You will see how it is conducted in the paragraph below. The malware removal and decryption guide are also available – check below how to remove Goba ransomware and get the .goba files back.

How did Goba ransomware encrypt my files?

After the injection, the Goba virus establishes a connection with its command and control server. This server is controlled by malware maintainers – people who manage the spreading of this ransomware. Another activity which is performed by those crooks is answering the email messages of victims, who want to get their files back.

The files are ciphered with one of the strongest encryption algorithm – AES-256. The digit in the name of this algo means the power of two – 2^256 for this case. 78-digit number of possible password variations – it is unreal to brute force it. As cipher analysts say, it will need more time than the Earth can estimate to exist, even if you use the most powerful computer system. In each folder that contains the encrypted documents, Goba virus creates the _readme.txt file with the following contents:

ATTENTION!

Don't worry, you can return all your files!

All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.

What guarantees you have?

You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.

You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:

https://we.tl/t-WJa63R98Ku

Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that's price for you is $490.

Please note that you'll never restore your data without payment.

Check your e-mail "Spam" or "Junk" folder if you don't get answer more than 6 hours.

To get this software you need write on our e-mail:

support@fishmail.top

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:

datarestorehelp@airmail.cc

Your personal ID:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

However, you can still run some of your documents. The Goba ransomware ciphers only the initial 150 KB of each file, but the other piece of this document can be opened. Primarily, it works best with audio/video files, which are definitely bigger than 150 kilobytes. Not every media player can open these files – WinAmp is the best solution, since it is free and well-tested. First seconds of each song or video will be silent – this part is encrypted – but the rest of the video or music will be accessible like nothing happened.

Is Goba ransomware dangerous for my PC?

As it was mentioned several paragraphs above, ransomware is not only about encrypting the files. Goba ransomware makes the changes in your OS in order to prevent looking for the virus removal and file decryption guides. Goba virus does not create the software barrier – it just changes the system settings, primarily – networking and security configurations.

Among the networking settings, the most damaged item is the HOSTS configuration file. This text file has the DNS-address instructions, which are used by the browsers while sending a request to the website server. If you add a specific DNS-address for the certain web page, your browser will connect that page through this DNS next time. Ransomware edits that file, adding the non-existent DNS, so any of the web browsers will show you the “Unable to resolve the DNS-address” error.

Other changes done by the virus are targeted on prevention of operative spotting of itself, and also disabling the installation of the majority of antivirus programs. Goba ransomware implements some modifications in Group Policies – the system setting interface which allows to modify the abilities of each app. In such a way, the virus blocks the Microsoft Defender and different other anti-malware programs, as well as blocks the launch of anti-malware installation files.

How did I get infected?

Throughout the whole term while STOP/Djvu family is active, it was using dubious applications as the main way of ransomware injection. Under the term of questionable programs I mean programs that are already not supported by the maintainer and distributed through the third-party websites. These apps may be cracked, to make them usable without purchasing any license. Another example of such a program type is different hacking tools – cheat engines, keygens, Windows activation tools and so on.

This kind of software may be spread in many methods – through the website that offers a downloading link, or through the p2p networks – ThePirateBay, eMule and so on. All these sources are known as the most popular computer piracy websites. People use these pages to get various programs or games for free, even if they must be purchased. No one can stop the users who hack these apps from adding malware of some sort to the files of the hacked app. Hacktools, however, are created for outlaw actions, so their creators may easily add the ransomware under the guise of some program part.

These hacked apps, regardless of their source, are one of the most often sources for various viruses, and definitely the most popular one for Goba malware. It is better to avoid making use of it, and not only because of virus spreading risks. Avoiding the license buying is an outlaw action, and both hackers and folks who use cracked apps fall under the charge of piracy.

How do I remove Goba malware?

The Goba virus is really hard to remove manually. Really, because of the number of changes it makes into your PC, it is almost impossible to detect them all and fix. The best option is to use anti-malware programs. But which one to choose?

You can read the advices to use Microsoft Defender, which is already in your Windows. Nonetheless, as it was mentioned before, most of STOP/Djvu ransomware examples block it even before the ciphering process. Making use of the third-party tool is the only possible solution – and I can offer you the GridinSoft Anti-Malware as an option for this case. It has perfect detection abilities, so the Goba ransomware will not be missed. It is also capable of system repairing, that is heavily demanded after the Goba virus attack.

To remove Goba malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software.

After the ransomware removal, you can go to file decryption. Virus removal is needed to prevent the repeating ciphering of your files: while Goba ransomware is active, it will not pass any unencrypted file.

How to decrypt the .goba files?

There are two ways to recover your files after a Goba ransomware attack. First one and the most popular is file decryption. It is conducted with a special tool, designed by Emsisoft, and called Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP/Djvu. This program is absolutely free. Analysts update its decryption keys databases as often as possible, so you will surely get your files back, sooner or later.

Another option to get your files back is to try to recover them from your disk drives. Since Goba virus deletes them and substitutes with an encrypted copy, the residue of the documents are still stored on the disk. After the removal, the information about them is removed from the file system, but not from a disk. Special tools, like PhotoRec, are able to recover these files. It is free, too, and may also be used for file recovery in case when you have deleted a thing unintentionally.

Decrypting the .goba files with Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu

Download and install Emsisoft Decrypter tool. Agree with its EULA and continue to the interface.

The interface of this program is extremely easy. All you have to do is to select the folder where the encrypted files are stored, and wait. If the program has the decryption key which corresponds to your ransomware case – it will decrypt it.

During the use of Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu, you may observe various error messages. Don’t worry, that does not mean that you did something wrong or a program does not work properly. Each of these errors refer to a specific case. Here is the explanation:

Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [your ID]

The program does not have a corresponding key for your case. You need to wait for some time until the key database will be updated.

No key for new variant online ID: [your ID]

Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible.

This error means that your files are encrypted with an online key. In such a case, the decryption key is unique and stored on the remote server, controlled by crooks. Unfortunately, the decryption is impossible.

Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]

This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future.

Ransomware uses the offline key to encrypt your files. This key is not unique, so you likely have it in common with another victim. Since offline keys must be collected, too, it is important to keep calm and wait until the analysts team finds one which will fit your case.

Remote name could not be resolved

This error indicates that the program has problems with DNS on your computer. That’s a clear sign of malicious alterations in your HOSTS file. Reset it using the official Microsoft guide.

Recovering the .goba files with PhotoRec tool

PhotoRec is an open-source tool, which is created to recover the deleted or lost files from the disk. It checks each disk sector for the residues of deleted files, and then tries to recover them. That app is able to recover the files of more than 400 different formats. Because of the described feature of ransomware encryption mechanism, it is possible to use this tool to get the original, unencrypted files back.

Download PhotoRec from the official website. It is absolutely free, however, its developer warns that he does not guarantee that this program will be 100% effective for file recovery purposes. Moreover, even paid apps can barely give you such a guarantee, because of the chain of random factors that can make the file recovery harder.

Unzip the downloaded archive to the folder you like. Don’t worry because of its name – TestDisk – this is the name of the utility developed by the same company. They decided to spread it together since PhotoRec and TestDisk are often used together. Among the unzipped files, search for qphotorec_win.exe file. Run this executable file.

Before you can start the recovery process, you need to specify several settings. In the drop-down list, choose the logic disk where the files were stored before the encryption.

Then, you need to specify the file formats you need to recover. It may be difficult to scroll all 400+ formats, luckily, they are sorted by alphabetical order.

Finally, name the folder you want to use as a container for recovered files. The program will likely dig out a lot of useless files, which were deleted intentionally, so desktop is a bad solution. The best option is to use the USB-drive.

After these easy manipulations, you may just press the “Search” button (it turns active if you specified all required parameters). The recovery process may take several hours, so keep patient. It is recommended not to use the computer during this term, since you may overwrite some files you are intending to recover.

Frequently Asked Questions