.AESIR File Extension
Locky Ransomware Encrypted File
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What is a AESIR file?
A file with a .aesir extension is a file encrypted by the Locky trojan horse virus utilized by cybercriminals. It contains a user's file, such as an .AVI or .XLSX file, encrypted with the RSA algorithm and AES-128 ciphers. AESIR files became prevalent in 2016 as a Locky Virus variant and are nearly identical to .LOCKY and .ODIN files.
More Information
The Locky virus is malware, known as ransomware. The purpose of the virus is to take a victim's files hostage and force them to pay the perpetrator (by way of Bitcoin) to unlock their files.
How the Locky virus affects files
The Locky virus is a trojan horse that typically enters a victim's computer through a spam email attachment. For example, the cybercriminal may send an email disguised as a notice from the victim's ISP with a .ZIP file attachment (the attachment is likely named logs_[victim_name].zip).
Once the virus affects their computer, it scrambles, renames, and encrypts their files. The virus then generates three files on the user's computer desktop (and changes the desktop wallpaper):
- INSTRUCTION.bmp
- INSTRUCTION.html
- 1-INSTRUCTION.html
The files include messages informing the victim of the takeover and what they need to do to recover their files (typically by paying a Bitcoin ransom).
Common AESIR Filenames
[8 random characters]-[4 random characters]-[4 random characters]-[4 random characters]-[12 random characters].aesir - Encrypted files are renamed with a sequence of random characters followed by the .aesir file extension. For example, a example.mp4 file becomes RD435A7S-86O2-Y826-2IV7-2J84X3TM6N9E.aesir.
How to open a AESIR file
There is no program currently available to restore AESIR files to their original state. If you back up your files you can execute a full system restore.
Warning
FileInfo.com recommends you never pay a ransom to decrypt files encrypted by ransomware. Paying a ransom encourages ransomware distributors to continue their efforts, and there is no guarantee you will gain access to your files upon paying the ransom. Instead, you should restore your data from a recent backup created before the ransomware infected your computer.