What is a .RCRYPTED file?
An .RCRYPTED file is a type of file that has been changed and locked by a harmful computer program called Ryuk ransomware. This bad software is made and spread by people who want to steal money. The .RCRYPTED file used to be a normal file, like a letter or a table, but now it's locked, and you can't open it like before. Sometimes, these locked files end with .RYK instead of .RCRYPTED.
To try and open these files, you might use something called System Restore, but it's not a simple task.
More Details: Ryuk ransomware first became known in 2018. It's different from other harmful software because it doesn't lock every file on your computer. Instead, it goes after big organizations, like hospitals, and locks very important files that have very important information. Big organizations are targeted because they have more ways for the ransomware to get in and they have more money to possibly pay the ransom.
How did Ryuk get on my computer? Mostly, Ryuk gets into computers through tricky emails that look like they're from Microsoft. These emails have files attached, like a .DOCX or .XLSX file. When someone downloads and opens the file, they accidentally let the ransomware into their computer.
In early 2021, a new kind of Ryuk was found that could spread by itself to other computers that are connected in the same network. This means even if you didn't download anything suspicious, your computer could still get infected.
How did Ryuk lock my files? Once Ryuk is on a computer, it locks important files by changing their names and adding .rcrypted or .ryk at the end. For example, a file named example.xls would be changed to example.xls.rcrypted or example.xls.ryk.
Then, Ryuk tries to get rid of any backup files or ways to undo the changes, like System Restore points. This makes it very hard to get your files back without paying the ransom. The bad people behind Ryuk will then ask for money, usually in Bitcoin, to unlock your files. However, paying them is not recommended because it doesn't guarantee your files will be unlocked.
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