Dodger Ransomware

Dodger Ransomware has nothing to do with baseball. Maybe the attacker who is behind this malware is a fan, but, in general, there is no link or connection. The thing is that there are thousands of file-encrypting infections, and coming up with original names is no longer an easy task. Of course, the attackers themselves do not care how the victims recognize the infections, but they do add some identifying markers. In this case, for example, the “.dodger” extension is added to the files that are encrypted, and this is where the name of the infection derives from. Some victims might also recognize it as omegax0@protonmail.com Ransomware, and that is, of course, associated with the email address that the attackers are using. In any case, this infection is extremely dangerous because the corrupted files cannot be restored. Files are doomed even if you successfully remove Dodger Ransomware.

As it turns out, Dodger Ransomware is not the most vicious infection out there, considering that there are threats that are capable of encrypting system files, as well as files across the entire operating system. This malware only encrypts files in Cookies, Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos folders that are located in the %USERPROFILE% directory. Whether or not many personal files are located in this directory depends on the victim. Obviously, if most of your personal files are located in these folders, Dodger Ransomware can be extremely damaging. However, if you do not keep personal files in these folders, you should have no reason to postpone deleting the threat. In fact, you should initiate removal as soon as possible. In both cases – whether or not personal files are encrypted – the attackers might intimidate victims using its message, which is represented via a window with a bright red background. The message reads: “Oh no! Looks like your files are screwed now... There is nothing much to do about it...It’s your own fault.” If you click the SUPPORT button at the bottom, you are introduced to an email address, omegax0@protonmail.com.

The window launched by Dodger Ransomware cannot be closed in a usually, normal way, but it can be disabled by terminating the infection’s process. The name of this process could be random, but its description should include the word “dodger.” Once you terminate it, the window will not reappear again, but, unfortunately, your files will remain encrypted. Since there are no instructions, victims might decide to email omegax0@protonmail.com, but if you decide to do it too, make sure you create a new email account for this communication only, and also be extra cautious about the messages you receive. Most likely, the attackers will ask you to pay money in return for a decryptor or decryption services, but they could also send you files and links, and interacting with those could be extremely dangerous. As our research team has discovered, it is very likely that you executed Dodger Ransomware yourself by opening a malicious spam email attachment. All in all, you have to decide what you want to do at this point. We, of course, recommend focusing on the removal of the infection.

Are your personal files safely backed up online or on hard drives? If they are, you do not need to worry about losing the encrypted files. All in all, whether or not you can recover your files, you must delete Dodger Ransomware. Can you do it manually? That depends on whether or not you can find the launcher file. Hopefully, you can find it via the running process that is controlling the window with the intimidating message and the email address. If you cannot remove Dodger Ransomware manually, do not panic. You have a better option still, and that is to employ an anti-malware program. It will quickly find and erase every single malicious file on your operating system. It will also ensure its protection. Once your operating system is clean and protected, you will be able to go back to normal activities, and you will be able to replace the corrupted files with existing backup copies. If you have any questions about the infection, feel free to contact us, which you can do using the comments section below.

Dodger Ransomware Removal

1. Tap Ctrl+Alt+Delete and click Task Manager.
2. Right-click the malicious process with a random name whose description includes dodger.
3. Select Open file location to, hopefully, find the malicious .exe file and then click End process.
4. Delete the [random name].exe file that launched the infection.
5. Empty Recycle Bin.
6. Run a thorough system scan using a reliable malware scanner.