I contracted a virus and my files became infected with Gandcrab.
I contracted a virus and my files became infected with Gandcrab.
Last week I attempted to download a patch for the new 2019 Creative Cloud versions because the original version was removed. I accidentally infected my system with a virus, wiped the hard drive on my PC, and reinstalled Windows immediately. I left several external drives connected without realizing it. The following day I connected one of them to my Mac for photo editing and found that Finder showed half of my files were infected by Gandcrab version 5.0.4. I returned home and discovered the 4 terabyte external drive I had used was partially infected as well. I’m considering using a Gandcrab decrypter from Bitdefender once it’s released. My concerns are whether there are other methods that could help recover my files, and whether it’s feasible to decrypt them after completely erasing the drives on both PC and Mac. Additionally, if I reset everything again after getting the decrypted files, would those computers be fully virus-free and would the external drives remain safe to use?
I wouldn't trust your PC to be safe if you decrypt them, once they are decrypted, I'd defenitly do a virus scanner sweep and then reinstall your OS again. Decryption is pretty secure, so there is not much you can do to crack it. There are some decrypter tools that just try a bunch of passcodes, but I don't know what they are called.(Google it, but ask here before trying them, incase of Viruses)
Don't try to bypass copyright protections without understanding how. Searching for 'cracks' usually brings you to unsafe or fake content. The proper way is to purchase the official version, as legitimate copies are secure and reliable. Free alternatives are unlikely to work and could damage your system.
I’m not aiming to come across as rude, but I’d like to review the guidelines below. They should help you enjoy these forums more. Now, about your other issue—there’s already a method for decrypting those files. Here’s the link: https://labs.bitdefender.com/2018/10/gan...CqEALw_wcB.
Keep in mind you’ll need a solid plan to scan the drives and eliminate any remnants of the ransomware. In reality, it seems you might not have the documentation left, so you’re likely in a good position. If that’s the case, you should consider wiping the drives or storing them safely until a fix is available.