{ "id": "c6e9c79e-c7fa-4392-995b-1ab7ac3e4f70", "created_at": "2026-04-06T00:10:27.398105Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T03:22:01.752585Z", "deleted_at": null, "sha1_hash": "2a6203f20007d9d20997f4df392146051c255a33", "title": "The Velso Ransomware Being Manually Installed by Attackers", "llm_title": "", "authors": "", "file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_modification_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_size": 726132, "plain_text": "The Velso Ransomware Being Manually Installed by Attackers\r\nBy Lawrence Abrams\r\nPublished: 2018-01-26 · Archived: 2026-04-05 20:00:49 UTC\r\nA new ransomware is actively infecting victims called the Velso Ransomware. This ransomware appends the\r\n.velso extension to encrypted files and then drops a ransom note that contains an email address that a victim can use to\r\ncontact the developer.\r\nIn this article I will provide a brief summary of what we know about the velso ransomware and how you can protect yourself\r\nfrom it. You can also discuss or receive support for the Velso Ransomware in our dedicated Velso Ransomware Help \u0026\r\nSupport Topic.\r\nWhat we know about the Velso Ransomware\r\nThe Velso Ransomware was first discovered by Michael Gillespie when saw a submission to his ID-Ransomware site. After\r\ntweeting about the sample, another researcher named Martin Stopka was able to find a sample of the infection.\r\nWhile it is not 100% confirmed, it appears that the Velso Ransomware is installed manually by an attacker hacking into a\r\nvictim's computer via remote desktop services.  The attacker then manually executes the ransomware file. This causes it to\r\ndisplay the victim's ID and then the decryption key while it pauses waiting for the attacker to press a key on the keyboard.\r\nhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-velso-ransomware-being-manually-installed-by-attackers/\r\nPage 1 of 5\n\n0:00\r\nhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-velso-ransomware-being-manually-installed-by-attackers/\r\nPage 2 of 5\n\nVisit Advertiser websiteGO TO PAGE\r\nOnce the attacker has finished copying the two strings, they can press any key and start the process of encrypting the\r\ncomputer. You can see below what the ransomware looks like when it was executed by BleepingComputer.\r\nVelso Ransomware\r\nWhen encrypting files, it will modify the filename by appending the .velso extension to the encrypted file's name. For\r\nexample, a file named test.jpg would be encrypted and renamed to test.jpg.velso.\r\nFolder of Encrypted Velso Files\r\nA ransom note will also be created in every folder that a file is encrypted. This ransom note is named get_my_files.txt and\r\ncontains an email address that a victim can contact for payment instructions and the victim's unique ID. The current email\r\naddress is MerlinVelso@protonmail.com. \r\nhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-velso-ransomware-being-manually-installed-by-attackers/\r\nPage 3 of 5\n\nVelso Ransom Note\r\nThe get_my_files.txt will be copied in the Windows Startup folder so that it is automatically displayed when a user logs into\r\nthe computer.\r\nUnfortunately, at this time there are no known weaknesses that could allow a victim to recover their files for free. \r\nHow to protect yourself from the Velso Ransomware\r\nTo protect yourself from the Velso Ransomware, it is particularly important that you do not have any computers running\r\nremote desktop services connected directly to the Internet. Instead place computers running remote desktop behind VPNs so\r\nthat they are only accessible to those who have VPN accounts on your network.\r\nIn order to protect yourself from ransomware in general, it is important that you use good computing habits and security\r\nsoftware. First and foremost, you should always have a reliable and tested backup of your data that can be restored in the\r\ncase of an emergency, such as a ransomware attack.\r\nYou should also have security software that incorporates behavioral detections to combat ransomware and not just signature\r\ndetections or heuristics.  For example, Emsisoft Anti-Malware and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware both contain behavioral\r\ndetection that can prevent many, if not most, ransomware infections from encrypting a computer.\r\nLast, but not least, make sure you practice the following security habits, which in many cases are the most important steps of\r\nall:\r\nBackup, Backup, Backup!\r\nDo not open attachments if you do not know who sent them.\r\nDo not open attachments until you confirm that the person actually sent you them,\r\nScan attachments with tools like VirusTotal.\r\nMake sure all Windows updates are installed as soon as they come out! Also make sure you update all programs,\r\nespecially Java, Flash, and Adobe Reader. Older programs contain security vulnerabilities that are commonly\r\nexploited by malware distributors. Therefore it is important to keep them updated.\r\nMake sure you use have some sort of security software installed that uses behavioral detections or white list\r\ntechnology. White listing can be a pain to train, but if your willing to stock with it, could have the biggest payoffs.\r\nUse hard passwords and never reuse the same password at multiple sites.\r\nFor a complete guide on ransomware protection, you visit our How to Protect and Harden a Computer against\r\nRansomware article.\r\nIOCs\r\nServer Hashes:\r\nSHA256: 4c8cf7ce3836edceb540edeccae97ef182331f6ed93e678d2e33105d01e809bf\r\nFilenames associated with the Server Cryptomix Variant:\r\nget_my_files.txt\r\nServer Ransom Note Text:\r\nHello. If you want to return files, write me to e-mail MerlinVelso@protonmail.com\r\nYour userkey: obxIwowrpiP2AU13qWlHXj7wDvOFIBL4NlGRd/6r0IlZudy0QbygCw==\r\nEmails Associated with the Server Ransomware:\r\nhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-velso-ransomware-being-manually-installed-by-attackers/\r\nPage 4 of 5\n\nMerlinVelso@protonmail.com\r\nAutomated Pentesting Covers Only 1 of 6 Surfaces.\r\nAutomated pentesting proves the path exists. BAS proves whether your controls stop it. Most teams run one without the\r\nother.\r\nThis whitepaper maps six validation surfaces, shows where coverage ends, and provides practitioners with three diagnostic\r\nquestions for any tool evaluation.\r\nSource: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-velso-ransomware-being-manually-installed-by-attackers/\r\nhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-velso-ransomware-being-manually-installed-by-attackers/\r\nPage 5 of 5", "extraction_quality": 1, "language": "EN", "sources": [ "Malpedia" ], "references": [ "https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-velso-ransomware-being-manually-installed-by-attackers/" ], "report_names": [ "the-velso-ransomware-being-manually-installed-by-attackers" ], "threat_actors": [], "ts_created_at": 1775434227, "ts_updated_at": 1775791321, "ts_creation_date": 0, "ts_modification_date": 0, "files": { "pdf": "https://archive.orkl.eu/2a6203f20007d9d20997f4df392146051c255a33.pdf", "text": "https://archive.orkl.eu/2a6203f20007d9d20997f4df392146051c255a33.txt", "img": "https://archive.orkl.eu/2a6203f20007d9d20997f4df392146051c255a33.jpg" } }