What is PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware? And how does it carry out its attack?

PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware is a file-locking malware that was recently discovered by MalwareHunterTeam. This crypto-virus is designed to infiltrate a targeted PC and lock the important files in it. Once it is able to gain access to a targeted machine, it will drop several other malicious files and place them on system folders to help it carry out its nefarious attack. It might also create and modify some entries in the Windows Registry so the ransomware can run on every system boot. After that, it will start to encrypt files with the following extensions using a sophisticated encryption algorithm.
.3dm, .3g2, .3gp, .7zip, .aaf, .accdb, .aep, .aepx, .aet, .ai, .aif, .as, .as3, .asf, .asp, .asx, .avi, .bmp, .c, .class, .cpp, .cs, .csv, .dat, .db, .dbf, .doc, .docb, .docm, .docx, .dot, .dotm, .dotx, .dwg, .dxf, .efx, .eps, .fla, .flv, .gif, .h, .idml, .iff, .indb, .indd, .indl, .indt, .inx, .jar, .java, .jpeg, .jpg, .js, .m3u, .m3u8, .m4u, .max, .mdb, .mid, .mkv, .mov, .mp3, .mp4, .mpa, .mpeg, .mpg, .msg, .pdb, .pdf, .php, .plb, .pmd, .png, .pot, .potm, .potx, .ppam, .ppj, .pps, .ppsm, .ppsx, .ppt, .pptm, .pptx, .prel, .prproj, .ps, .psd, .py, .ra, .rar, .raw, .rb, .rtf, .sdf, .sdf, .ses, .sldm, .sldx, .sql, .svg, .swf, .tif, .txt, .vcf, .vob, .wav, .wma, .wmv, .wpd, .wps, .xla, .xlam, .xll, .xlm, .xls, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xlsx, .xlt, .xltm, .xltx, .xlw, .xml, .xqx, .xqx, .zip
Once data encryption is completed, PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware releases a file named “HOW TO DECRYPT FILES.txt” which contains this message:
“All your important files were BLOCKED on this computer.
Encryption was produced using unique KEY generated for this computer.
To decrypted files, you need to obtain the private key.
The single copy of the private key, with will allow you to decrypt the files, is located on a secret server on the internet;
The server will destroy the key within 24 hours after encryption completed.
REMEMBER YOU HAVE ONLY 24 HOURS TO PAY EVERYTHING IS AUTOMATICALLY!
To retrieve the private key, you need to pay 0.7 BTC
Bitcoins have to be sent to this address:
After you’ve sent the payment to send us an email to [email protected] with subject: ERROR-ID-63100606(0.7BTC)
If you are not familiar with bitcoin you can buy it from here:
SITE: www.localbitcoin.com
If you try to use the third party for help we will delete all your files
After we confirm the payment, we send the private key so you can decrypt your system.”
How does PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS proliferate?
PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware might arrive in your system in the form of a document with macro scripts. Such file is often distributed using malicious spam email campaigns – a method commonly employed by cyber crooks in spreading malicious files. So before you download any file from your emails, make sure to check its sender first and to scan the file before opening it to avoid the infiltration of crypto-malware threats like PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware.
Delete PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware from your system by following the removal guide below as well as the advanced steps that follow.
Step 1: Tap the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys to open a menu and then expand the Shutdown options which are right next to the power button.
Step 2: After that, tap and hold the Shift key and then click on Restart.
Step 3: And in the Troubleshoot menu that opens, click on the Advanced options and then go to the Startup settings.
Step 4: Click on Restart and tap F4 to select Safe Mode or tap F5 to select Safe Mode with Networking.
Step 5: After your PC has successfully rebooted, tap Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.

Step 6: Go to the Processes tab and look for any suspicious-looking processes that could be related to PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware and then end their processes.

Step 7: Exit the Task Manager and open Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.

Step 8: Look PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS Ransomware and then uninstall it.

Step 9: Close Control Panel and tap Win + E keys to open File Explorer.
Step 10: Navigate to the following locations and look for the malicious components created by PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware like HOW TO DECRYPT FILES.txt and make sure to delete them all.

  • %APPDATA%
  • %TEMP%
  • %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
  • %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
  • %USERPROFILE%\Desktop

Step 11: Close the File Explorer.
Before you proceed to the next steps below, make sure that you are tech savvy enough to the point where you know exactly how to use and navigate your computer’s Registry. Keep in mind that any changes you make will highly impact your computer. To save you the trouble and time, you can just use [product-name] this system tool is proven to be safe and excellent enough that hackers won’t be able to hack into it. But if you can manage Windows Registry well, then, by all means, go on to the next steps.
Step 12: Tap Win + R to open Run and then type in regedit in the field and tap enter to pull up Windows Registry.

Step 13: Navigate to the listed paths below and look for the registry keys and sub-keys created by PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware.

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\
  • HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

Step 14: Delete the registry keys and sub-keys created by PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware.
Step 15: Close the Registry Editor and empty your Recycle Bin.
Try to recover your encrypted files using the Shadow Volume copies
Restoring your encrypted files using Windows’ Previous Versions feature will only be effective if PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware hasn’t deleted the shadow copies of your files. But still, this is one of the best and free methods there is, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
To restore the encrypted file, right-click on it and select Properties, a new window will pop-up, then proceed to Previous Versions. It will load the file’s previous version before it was modified. After it loads, select any of the previous versions displayed on the list like the one in the illustration below. And then click the Restore button.

To ensure the removal of PAY_IN_MAXIM_24_HOURS ransomware from your system including the malicious components it has created on your system, follow the advanced steps below.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
  2. After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

  1. To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
  2. Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
  3. Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

  1. If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
  2. Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
  3. After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
  4. Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.

  1. After the scan is completed click the “Fix, Clean & Optimize Nowbutton.
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