Avast has released a decryption utility to help TargetCompany ransomware victims recover their files for free.

Avast said that decryptor can only be used to restore encrypted files “under certain circumstances.”

Victims who want to recover their files using this decrypting tool should also be aware that this will likely be a resource-intensive and time-consuming process.

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How To Use The Avast Decryptor To Recover Files

To decrypt your files, please, follow these steps:

  1. Download the free Avast decryptor. Choose a build that corresponds with your Windows installation. The 64-bit version is significantly faster and most of today’s Windows installations are 64-bit.
  2. Simply run the executable file. It starts in the form of a wizard, which leads you through the configuration of the decryption process.
  3. On the initial page, you can read the license information, if you want, but you really only need to click “Next”
  1. On the next page, select the list of locations which you want to be searched and decrypted. By default, it contains a list of all local drives:
  1. On the third page, you need to enter the name of a file encrypted by the TargetCompany ransomware. In case you have an encryption password created by a previous run of the decryptor, you can select the “I know the password for decrypting files” option:
  1. The next page is where the password cracking process takes place. Click “Start” when you are ready to start the process. During password cracking, all your available processor cores will spend most of their computing power to find the decryption password. The cracking process may take a large amount of time, up to tens of hours. The decryptor periodically saves the progress and if you interrupt it and restart the decryptor later, it offers you an option to resume the previously started cracking process. Password cracking is only needed once per PC – no need to do it again for each file.
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  1. When the password is found, you can proceed to the decryption of files on your PC by clicking “Next”.
  1. On the final wizard page, you can opt-in whether you want to backup encrypted files. These backups may help if anything goes wrong during the decryption process. This option is turned on by default, which we recommend. After clicking “Decrypt”, the decryption process begins. Let the decryptor work and wait until it finishes.

Avast also released free decryptors for Babuk, AtomSilo, and LockFile ransomware in October 2021 to allow victims to recover their files without paying a ransom.