CompuTips

What is Ofoq ransomware?

Ofoq is a malicious program classified as ransomware. Ransomware programs exist to illegally make money, a goal they try to accomplish by taking over a victim’s computer and encrypting (locking) all their files. The program then communicates its demands to the victim, usually via a simple text file. They generally consist of sending a large amount of money to the hacker who wrote it, promising that their files will be decrypted (unlocked) if they do this. It is worth noting that often, the hackers do not honor this promise; the victims who paid the hackers but did not receive their files back are not uncommon.
Ofoq in particular belongs to the STOP/Djvu ransomware family (this means that it’s similar to other programs in this family). It modifies the names of the files that it encrypts by adding .ofoq file extension, which is how it got its name. Its ransom note is called “_readme.txt”. You can read the full text on the image above, but the short version is, the hackers do not mention the price at all. The only information given is the hacker’s email and that the victim will have to pay in Bitcoin.
But this is not something you should do. It is possible to remove Ofoq ransomware completely on your own, for free. It is more difficult to decrypt .ofoq files, but there are free options for that too; this is still better than paying the criminals. The guide below will explain the specifics.