Cadq Ransomware

The Cadq Ransomware is a variation of the STOP Ransomware, which was released in February 2021. Unfortunately, although having countless variants, the STOP Ransomware is not yet decryptable despite being the most active ransomware family over the past two years. The situation with the Cadq Ransomware is not any different, and its victims will not be able to rely on free decryption options. If the Cadq Ransomware has damaged your files, you are likely to see the '.cadq' extension added to many of your files, as well as the text filesreadme.txt' on your desktop. The latter file contains a message and explanation from the criminals, as well as their demands.

According to the ransom note, victims of the Cadq Ransomware are required to pay a $490 ransom fee via Bitcoin to obtain a decryptor. The criminals promise to provide free decryption for 1-2 small files if the victim sends them to helpteam@mail.ch or helpmanager@airmail.cc. They also threaten to double the ransom amount if the victim does not contact them within 72 hours, or they try to work with alternative data recovery tools.

You should not consider meeting the demands of Cadq Ransomware's creators, because there is a great chance they will try to tactic you if you end up paying them. The best thing to do if the Cadq Ransomware has taken over your files is to run a reputable anti-virus software suite, and then try out the best data recovery software available. Remember that the latter method may not end up getting all your files back – the only way to guarantee a full recovery is to restore from a recent backup.