Having issues with some ransomware... Any advice/ideas?

So, I have no idea exactly how this happened, but when I was clearing my cookies a while ago, a .txt file and two .html files appeared on my desktop and the .txt file opened immediately afterwards. The contents in the file are in the following spoiler:

Spoiler

What happened to your files ?
All of your files were protected by a strong encryption with RSA-2048 using CryptoWall 2.0.
More information about the encryption keys using RSA-2048 can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSA_(cryptosystem)


What does this mean ?
This means that the structure and data within your files have been irrevocably changed, you will not be able to work with them, read them or see them,
it is the same thing as losing them forever, but with our help, you can restore them.


How did this happen ?
Especially for you, on our server was generated the secret key pair RSA-2048 - public and private.
All your files were encrypted with the public key, which has been transferred to your computer via the Internet.
Decrypting of your files is only possible with the help of the private key and decrypt program, which is on our secret server.


What do I do ?
Alas, if you do not take the necessary measures for the specified time then the conditions for obtaining the private key will be changed.
If you really value your data, then we suggest you do not waste valuable time searching for other solutions because they do not exist.


For more specific instructions, please visit your personal home page, there are a few different addresses pointing to your page below:
1.https://paytordmbdekmizq.tor4pay.com/ (code omitted until I deem it safe to post)
2.https://paytordmbdekmizq.pay2tor.com/1 (code omitted until I deem it safe to post)
3.https://paytordmbdekmizq.tor2pay.com/ (code omitted until I deem it safe to post)
4.https://paytordmbdekmizq.pay4tor.com/1 (code omitted until I deem it safe to post)

If for some reasons the addresses are not available, follow these steps:
1.Download and install tor-browser: http://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en
2.After a successful installation, run the browser and wait for initialization.
3.Type in the address bar: paytordmbdekmizq.onion/1(code omitted until I deem it safe to post)
4.Follow the instructions on the site.


IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Your personal page: https://paytordmbdekmizq.tor4pay.com/1 (code omitted until I deem it safe to post)
Your personal page (using TOR): paytordmbdekmizq.onion/ (code omitted until I deem it safe to post)
Your personal identification number (if you open the site (or TOR 's) directly): (code omitted until I deem it safe to post)

Worried, I decided to look into this, and according to this CryptoWall (previously known as CryptoDefense) is a type of ransomware that encrypts your files and requires you to pay a ransom before it will unencrypt them. Since I honestly can't afford to spend $500 to $1000 on something like this, I don't know what to do. I'm going to have my father look into this after I post this, but I might as well leave this here in hopes someone here has heard of this and has any advice on what to do (or have heard of cases where people haven't had to pay the ransom).
If it'll help any, there's a thread that I'm still going through here that discusses it.
(Now that I'm looking through a guide on CryptoWall, I'm having my doubts that avoiding the ransom will be possible, but it won't hurt to get help from others either)

 

report them to the fbi or something,

 

It appears this virus also tries to encrypt others on the network
You'd better be careful

Edit: Also, do you have any recent restore points (if they are accessible)?

 

That won't work, it will only restore stuff in the programs, not personal items and the like. It will still be unreadable. (Trust me, if it's in the docs or the like, it won't work)

 

It appears this virus also tries to encrypt others on the network
You'd better be careful

Edit: Also, do you have any recent restore points (if they are accessible)?

Well, one bit of information that I read on a guide on CryptoWall stated that after the encryption takes place and it launches the instructions the infecting bits of it are deleted since they're no longer needed.

Also an update on the situation: it seems as though it has only affected my account on our computer and not our other accounts, since the pictures on my dad's account are still intact. While this is good news in that our computer isn't ENTIRELY bricked, it still means that MY account is screwed. Oh, and the worst thing about this is that I suspect that my dad got this from a business .pdf that he opened on my account (since it was the one that was currently logged in). If anything, his should be the one to be encrypted (especially considering the fact that all of the pictures he has on his account are also located on mine).

 

I severely suggest taking this to the geek squad, maybe they can fix this.

 

I severely suggest taking this to the geek squad, maybe they can fix this.

Do people not understand what the definition of a "scam" is

 

I severely suggest taking this to the geek squad, maybe they can fix this.

Or don't because they literally do jack shit and charge you for it.

Like really, there are a million stories of this stuff happening online, I'm not surprised you don't know.

 

Only had one instance with geek squad, when I got my computer locked out because it changed the password via water, so there is no reason that I thought that they were bad then. Now I know the horrible truth...

 

Cuz we all know fixing computers from viruses is the /same/ as fixing computers from water.

 

I'm a dumb@$$, I know. That's what I get for being born as me.


Edit: just now realized that we're going off-topic on a serious topic here. we should be giving REAL solutions now. The King Of Off-Topicness has spoken

 

I've heard of this stuff surfacing many months earlier, and it definitely spooked me knowing that people actually ransom data for small time periods and high fees.

Only thing I can think of is restoring backups, but I know that many people (like myself) aren't that cautious to deal with storing ludicrous amounts of backups, so it's likely that's not an option.

The other thing that sucks with ransomware is that with normal viruses you can activate saftey modes and have antivirus programs go over things in the empty OS environment, but with this there really isn't any virus to remove as it already locked the files.

I can only say that I can understand how devastating this is to you. Sorry mate.

 

If all of your pictures are also on your father's account, and his account is okay, then you may want to seriously consider deleting your account and making another. There are undoubtedly things that are exclusive to your account, and those things may even be of a critical nature, but you should think long and hard on whether they're worth spending so much money. Don't kill anything just yet, as there may still be a chance that you can recover your things, but it's something you should keep in mind.

:< I'm very sorry...

 

Tell your dad to stop using your account, and if he doesn't know he's on there double check first in the future to prevent this happening to you for a reason that's not your fault.

And then I guess report this to the police or something. You may never get your data back, even if you pay the fee.

 

I have heard of this virus. I read about it a while back. It is impossible to unencrypt the files without paying the ransom. According to the website that I read about it on, they actually will give the key if you pay up. Did you back everything up to the cloud? Also, even if you remove the virus, the files stay encrypted.

Sorry, but there is no way to get the files back unless you pay.

Also, on some versions, the key is automatically destroyed after a certain amount of time.

 

Well, sorry about the ransom ware. also, NEVER Trust the geek squad. They are full of shit

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/best_buy_geek_squad.html