What is Gapo ransomware?
Gapo is a malicious program – that is to say, a virus – that extorts money out of its victims by encrypting their files and demanding payment to decrypt them. Viruses that generate money for the hacker in this manner are classified as ransomware.
Generally speaking, there are two types of ransomware attacks. There are carefully crafted viruses out there, made to attack one specific target (typically a large company); these can demand millions of dollars in ransom. The other kind are mass-produced viruses that target the general public and demand much less money.
Gapo is the latter kind of virus. It shares many similarities with other viruses, as it was made using a template. However, files encrypted by this virus have .gapo file extension, so it’s still possible to distinguish it from others.
As Gapo virus targets an average person, its demands aren’t astronomically high. The ransom note created by the virus, a text file called “_readme.txt”, states that each victim must pay $980 (or $490 if they pay quickly) to get their files back.
This, of course, is still pretty expensive, especially if you live in a developing country. But paying is not your only option. In the guide below, you can find a list of alternative ways to remove Gapo ransomware and decrypt .gapo files.