Czech cybersecurity firm Avast released a free decryptor for the Akira ransomware to help victims to recover their data without paying a ransom.
Akira is a relatively new ransomware strain first spotted in March 2023. Before triggering Akira’s encryption process and posting a ransom demand, the operators behind the ransomware exfiltrate data from compromised machines. Then the hackers deploy Akira's payload.
The ransomware encrypts data, appends the “.akira” extension to the filenames of all affected files, and creates a ransom note. Upon execution, Akira runs a PowerShell command to delete Windows Shadow Volume Copies on the device.
The ransomware avoids certain folders, including Recycle Bin, System Volume Information, Boot, ProgramData, and Windows, as well as specific Windows system files with .exe, .lnk, .dll, .msi, and .sys extensions.
Last month, cybersecurity researchers spotted a Linux variant of the Akira ransomware targeting VMware ESXi virtual machines.
