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What is USA?
USA is one of the many ransomware-type programs. This one is a new variant of Dharma ransomware and was discovered by Jakub Kroustek. Like most computer infections of this type, USA is used to encrypt data and make ransom demands.
It renames encrypted files by adding a new extension (".USA"), which includes a unique victim ID and USA developer's email address. For example, "1.jpg" might become "1.jpg.id-1E857D00.[usacode@aol.com].USA".
USA also generates a "FILES ENCRYPTED.txt" file and displays a pop-up window. Updated variants of this ransomware use ".[mr.hacker@tutanota.com].USA" extension for encrypted files.
The pop-up window states that the computer was infected with USA ransomware, which encrypted all data stored. This infection apparently occurred due to a PC security problem.
To restore files (decrypt them), USA victim's are encouraged to contact the developers via the usacode@aol.com email address (also found in "FILES ENCRYPTED.txt"). Usually, ransomware victims must also purchase a decryption tool from the cyber criminals (in effect, pay a ransom).
In this case, the cost of the tool is unknown, however, this supposedly depends on how quickly USA victims contact its creators. Before purchasing, victims can send one file, which they will decrypt free of charge as a 'guarantee' that they can be trusted.
In any case, they demand a ransom payment using cryptocurrency (Bitcoins). Furthermore, cyber criminals urge victims not to rename any of the encrypted files or try to decrypt them using other tools or the help of third parties.
They state that this might cause permanent data loss, or the cost of decryption might be increased. Do not contact any ransomware developers, since they usually ignore victims once the cryptocurrency payment is transferred.
People who trust cyber criminals are often scammed. It is not known which cryptography algorithm (symmetric or asymmetric) is used to encrypt data in this case, however, most cyber criminals use cryptographies that generate unique decryption keys. No other keys/tools can be used. Furthermore, only developers have access to the tools required for specific ransomware decryption.
Therefore, the best (free) way to recover files is to use a data backup (if one has been created) and restore everything from there.
Screenshot of a message encouraging users to pay a ransom to decrypt their compromised data:
Most computer infections of this type are virtually identical: they encrypt data and cyber criminals make ransom demands to release the files. The only differences are usually cost of decryption tool (ransom size) and cryptography used to encrypt data.
Just some examples of other ransomware-type programs similar to USA are .Best, Xwx, and LoryEstside. Generally, it is impossible to decrypt data (retrieve files) without the involvement of specific ransomware developers.
Decryption is possible only in rare cases when the programs are not fully developed or have bugs/flaws. To avoid data loss caused by ransomware, maintain regular backups and store them on remote servers or unplugged storage devices.
How did ransomware infect my computer?
Cyber criminals often proliferate ransomware-type infections (or other malware) via spam campaigns (emails). They send emails that contain malicious attachments designed to download/install computer infections.
These attachments must first be opened. Some examples of files that cyber criminals use are Microsoft Office and PDF documents, archive files such as RAR, ZIP, executable files (.exe) and so on.
Infections also occur through a malicious program called a Trojan (which must first be installed). These programs cause change infections. Various untrustworthy/unofficial websites or sources such as freeware download websites, free file hosting websites, peer-to-peer networks such as torrent clients, eMule etc., are also used by cyber criminals who attempt to infect users' computers.
They use these tools to trick users into downloading and installing various infections. They present their infected files as legitimate. These programs are also spread through dubious, fake updaters, which download and install malicious software rather than updates.
Software cracking tools are often used to proliferate ransomware. These tools bypass activation of paid software, however, cyber criminals use them to infect systems.
| Name | USA virus |
| Threat Type | Ransomware, Crypto Virus, Files locker |
| Encrypted Files Extension | .USA or .usa (this ransomware also appends filenames with victim's unique ID and developers' email address) |
| Ransom Demanding Message | Pop-up window, FILES ENCRYPTED.txt text file |
| Cyber Criminal Contact | usacode@aol.com, madbad@foxmail.com |
| Detection Names (explorer.exe) | Avast (Win32:Malware-gen), BitDefender (Trojan.Ransom.Crysis.E), ESET-NOD32 (a variant of Win32/Filecoder.Crysis.P), Kaspersky (Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crusis.to), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Symptoms | Can't open files stored on your computer, previously functional files now have a different extension, for example my.docx.locked. A ransom demanding message is displayed on your desktop. Cyber criminals are asking to pay a ransom (usually in bitcoins) to unlock your files. |
| Distribution methods | Infected email attachments (macros), torrent websites, malicious ads. |
| Damage | All files are encrypted and cannot be opened without paying a ransom. Additional password stealing trojans and malware infections can be installed together with a ransomware infection. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) |
To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. Download Combo CleanerTo use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com. |
How to protect yourself from ransomware infections?
Browse the web and download, install, and update software with care. Do not open attachments (or web links) presented in irrelevant emails received from unknown, suspicious email addresses.
Keep your software updated, but use implemented, official tools that are provided by software developers. Download software using official and trustworthy websites (or other official sources), and direct links. Do not use third party software downloaders (or other download tools) or unofficial, suspicious websites.
Do not use software cracking tools, since this is illegal (classed as cyber crime), and they are also used to infect computers rather than activating software. Have trustworthy (reputable) anti-spyware or anti-virus software installed and keep it enabled.
These tools can detect and remove various threats. If your computer is already infected with USA, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this ransomware.
Text presented in USA ransomware pop-up window:
All your files have been encrypted!
All your files have been encrypted due to a security problem with your PC. If you want to restore them, write us to the e-mail usacode@aol.com
Write this ID in the title of your message 1E857D00
In case of no answer in 24 hours write us to theese e-mails:usacode@aol.com
You have to pay for decryption in Bitcoins. The price depends on how fast you write to us. After payment we will send you the decryption tool that will decrypt all your files.
Free decryption as guarantee
Before paying you can send us up to 1 file for free decryption. The total size of files must be less than 1Mb (non archived), and files should not contain valuable information. (databases,backups, large excel sheets, etc.)
How to obtain Bitcoins
The easiest way to buy bitcoins is LocalBitcoins site. You have to register, click 'Buy bitcoins', and select the seller by payment method and price.
https://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins
Also you can find other places to buy Bitcoins and beginners guide here:
http://www.coindesk.com/information/how-can-i-buy-bitcoins/
Attention!
Do not rename encrypted files.
Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss.
Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.
Screenshot of USA text file ("FILES ENCRYPTED.txt"):
Screenshot of files encrypted by USA (".USA" extension with a victim ID and developer email address):
USA ransomware removal:
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If your files are encrypted with a new extension and a ransom note has appeared, you've been hit by ransomware. Don't pay. The procedure below works in order: contain the infection, identify the variant, remove the ransomware itself (so anything you restore doesn't get re-encrypted), and try to recover files using free decryption tools, Windows Volume Shadow Copies, or backups. Run a full system scan with Combo Cleaner to remove the infection - then move on to file recovery.
The ransomware reads each file, encrypts the contents with the attacker's public key, and writes the encrypted bytes back to disk. Most variants also rename the file by appending a new extension - A text or HTML file (usually named Many ransomware variants change the Windows wallpaper to a black or red image with the ransom message and instructions. The wallpaper is just a visual scare tactic - it doesn't add any actual capability and reverts to normal once the ransomware is removed. Photograph it before removal in case the contact details are useful for variant identification or for reporting to authorities. One of the first things modern ransomware does after launching is run Before encrypting, the ransomware tries to silence anything that could alert you or block it - Windows Defender real-time protection, third-party antivirus services, backup agents (Veeam, Acronis), and sometimes the Windows Event Log service. It often modifies Group Policy or registry keys to keep these off after reboot. Phase 3 step 9 explicitly turns Tamper Protection back on so the next ransomware attempt can't repeat the trick. Network-aware ransomware (LockBit, Conti, BlackCat, Akira families) doesn't stop at the first machine. It scans for SMB shares, mapped drives, and other PCs on the same network, then encrypts whatever it can reach. On Windows domains, a single compromised user with admin rights can lead to all-domain encryption. This is why Phase 1 step 2 disconnects the network as the very first action - it stops the spread immediately. Modern ransomware (LockBit, BlackCat / ALPHV, Akira, Cl0p, Royal) almost always exfiltrates data before encrypting. The attacker then runs a "double extortion" play: pay the ransom for decryption, plus pay again to prevent the stolen data from being leaked on the group's leak site. Paying the first ransom does not get the leaked data back - assume that anything the ransomware could read was uploaded. This is one more reason not to pay: the data is already out. Paying the ransom does not guarantee you'll get your files back. Major ransomware response studies consistently show that a meaningful percentage of paying victims either receive a non-working decryptor, only partial decryption, or no decryptor at all. Beyond that: The path below tries every legal, free recovery option first. Pay only as an absolute last resort, after consulting a lawyer and your country's cyber crime authority. Pull the Ethernet cable and turn off Wi-Fi on the affected PC. If multiple computers share the network, do the same on every machine you suspect could be affected, including any servers and NAS units. Then sign out of cloud storage clients (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud) from their app settings. If you can, pause the sync. Some ransomware uses the running sync client to push encrypted versions over your clean cloud copies. Modern ransomware spreads laterally across SMB shares, mapped drives, RDP, and reachable network neighbors. Disconnecting stops the spread the moment you do it. Logging out of cloud sync clients prevents the ransomware from encrypting the cloud copies of your files via the sync API. Safely eject any external drives, USB sticks, SD cards, and network-attached storage shares - then unplug them. If a drive was connected when the ransomware ran, the files on it may already be encrypted, but unplugging stops further damage. Critically: don't reconnect any drive (including your most recent backup) to this PC until the ransomware is removed in Phase 3. Reconnecting an external backup to an actively-infected PC is the most common way that backup gets encrypted too. Copy the ransom note and one small encrypted file (under 1 MB) to a USB stick, or photograph the note with your phone. You'll need both for the variant identification step. The ransom note is usually one of: Don't delete the note. Variant identification depends on its exact wording, the contact email, and the bitcoin wallet address. The note is also evidence if you report to authorities. From a clean device (your phone is fine, or another PC that wasn't on the affected network), visit id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com. Upload the ransom note and the sample encrypted file. The site identifies the variant family and tells you whether a free decryptor exists. ID Ransomware is run by the Malware Hunter Team. Files you upload are kept private - they're used for analysis, not published. If you're concerned about uploading data anyway, you can paste the contact email and bitcoin wallet from the note - those are often enough for identification. The ransomware itself must be removed before any file recovery. If it's still active, anything you restore in Phase 4 gets re-encrypted within minutes. Safe Mode loads only the minimal Windows drivers, which prevents most ransomware from auto-running while you set up the scanners. Windows 11: open , click Restart now next to Advanced startup. After the restart, click , then press 5 or F5. Windows 10: click the Windows logo, hold Shift, click the Power icon and choose Restart. From the Choose-an-option screen, click , then press F5. Once Safe Mode has loaded, turn Wi-Fi back on and download Combo Cleaner (used in step 8) and Microsoft Safety Scanner (used in step 9). Save both installers to your Desktop, then disconnect Wi-Fi again before scanning. Reboot to normal Windows. Open . Select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now. The PC restarts into a stripped-down environment and scans the disk before Windows fully loads. Some ransomware variants drop bootkit components or kernel hooks that hide from any scanner running on the same Windows session that's already infected. A pre-boot offline scan sees the disk before the malware can load itself. VB100 certified. Includes anti-trojan, registry/persistence scanning, and anti-spyware in one pass. The 7-day free trial is available. Run the installer you downloaded in step 6 and start a full system scan (not the quick scan). Let it complete, review what it detected, and apply the recommended actions. Combo Cleaner quarantines the ransomware executable and the registry / scheduled-task entries that re-launch it on reboot. Run Microsoft Safety Scanner (MSERT.exe) as a second-opinion full scan. The binary expires every 10 days so the copy you downloaded has the latest signatures. Once it finishes, open and confirm Real-time protection, Cloud-delivered protection, and Tamper Protection are all on. Many ransomware variants disable Defender during the attack - this is where you switch it back on so the next attempt can't repeat the trick. Different scanning engines catch different threats. Running an additional Microsoft scan after Combo Cleaner is the most underused verification step in malware removal - and free. Try the steps in order. The first decryptor that works ends the recovery process - no need to do all four. Visit nomoreransom.org and search the Decryption Tools list for the variant name returned by ID Ransomware. The project is run by Europol, the Dutch Police, and security vendors - everything listed is legitimate and free. If a decryptor exists, download it onto a clean PC, copy it across, and follow its instructions exactly. Decryptors usually want you to point them at a sample encrypted file plus its known unencrypted version (sometimes any image you previously had a backup of works). Free decryptors exist for parts of the STOP/Djvu, GandCrab, REvil, Avaddon, Conti and Hive families, among others. Most modern variants don't have public decryptors - if yours isn't listed, that's expected; move to the next step. Windows automatically creates Volume Shadow Copies of files when System Restore points are made or scheduled backups run. Most ransomware tries to wipe these ( First, check what's there. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run: If you see entries listed, shadow copies survived. To restore from them: Shadow Copies recover the original files exactly, with no risk of decryption errors. If they survived, this is faster and cleaner than running a decryptor on the encrypted set. If you have a backup that pre-dates the infection, this is the cleanest recovery available. Important precautions: Recuva is a long shot, not a primary recovery tool. Most modern ransomware encrypts files in place - it reads the original, encrypts the data, and writes the encrypted bytes back to the same disk location. In that case, the original isn't deleted, just rewritten - and Recuva has nothing to find. But for older or simpler variants that deleted originals before creating encrypted copies (rather than encrypting in place), Recuva can sometimes pull the originals from unallocated disk space. Worth trying as a last resort, especially before you use the disk much further. If you try it: Don't skip the steps above expecting Recuva to bail you out. It works in maybe 5-20% of cases, depending on the variant and how soon you try. Even if your files aren't recovered, your report helps authorities track variants, attribute groups, and warn future victims. In some jurisdictions (especially the US and UK) early reporting can sometimes help recall a wired ransom payment via banking partners. Save the report number - banks, insurers, and credit bureaus will ask for it. If you operate a business, you may also have legal disclosure obligations (GDPR in the EU, state breach laws in the US) that run on a 72-hour clock. The single best defense against ransomware is a tested backup. Use the 3-2-1 rule: Recommended cadence: Test the backup at least once. Open a few files from it, check sizes match, restore one to a different folder. An untested backup isn't a backup - it's a hope. Most reinfections happen via the same vector that worked the first time. Until you've patched the entry point, watch for: Common entry vectors and what to do about each: Run a Combo Cleaner scan weekly for the first month. Update Windows, browsers, and applications aggressively. Important: Removing a ransomware infection requires a full system scan, not a manual file delete. If you're not confident with the manual procedure, run an automated scan with Combo Cleaner and Windows Defender and stop there - that combination removes the vast majority of consumer ransomware variants. Then move to Phase 4 for file recovery, or to Phase 5 if your files are unrecoverable and you need to start fresh from a clean Windows install.Removal and file recovery procedure
Common ransomware behaviors
VisibleEncrypts your files and renames them
.net, .locked, .crypt, .lockbit, .djvu, etc. Without the matching private key, the encrypted files cannot be opened normally. Recovery depends on a free decryption tool, a recoverable Volume Shadow Copy, or a clean backup.
VisibleDrops a ransom note in every encrypted folder
HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt, README.txt, _readme.txt, or similar) is placed in every folder that contains encrypted files. The note explains the situation, lists a payment amount in cryptocurrency, gives a deadline, and provides a contact email or .onion site. Save the note - don't delete it. Its exact wording, the email address, and the bitcoin wallet are how you identify the variant in the next phase.
VisibleReplaces the desktop wallpaper
HiddenDeletes Volume Shadow Copies
vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet to wipe Windows' built-in Volume Shadow Copies - the snapshots that Previous Versions and System Restore rely on. Some ransomware doesn't fully succeed (especially on systems where the user lacks full admin rights), leaving partial shadow copies recoverable. Phase 4 step 11 covers how to check what survived.
HiddenDisables Windows Defender and other security tools
HiddenSpreads laterally to other PCs on the network
HiddenSteals data before encrypting (double extortion)
Don't pay the ransom
Disconnect from the network and log out of cloud storage
Unplug external drives and USB storage
Save the ransom note and a sample encrypted file
.txt file in every encrypted folder (typically HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt, README.txt, or _readme.txt).html file with the same purposeIdentify the variant with ID Ransomware
Boot to Safe Mode with Networking and download the scanners
Run Microsoft Defender Offline
Run a full Combo Cleaner scan
Run Microsoft Safety Scanner and re-enable Defender
Check the No More Ransom Project for a free decryptor
Try Windows Volume Shadow Copies
vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet), but the deletion sometimes fails partially - especially if the running user doesn't have full admin rights. When it does fail, snapshots survive that contain pre-encryption versions of your files.vssadmin list shadows
Restore from cloud or external backup
Try Recuva as a last-resort recovery
Report the attack to authorities
Plan 3-2-1 backups going forward
Patch the entry point and monitor for 30 days
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Tomas Meskauskas
Expert security researcher, professional malware analyst
I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats.
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