.Merry File Virus Ransomware Removal (File Recovery Methods)

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Welcome to our .Merry File Virus Ransomware removal guide. The following instructions will aid you in removing the unwanted software from your PC.

Online hazards are lurking everywhere on the web and, unfortunately, no matter how careful you are, there is still a chance you may end up with a nasty threat like .Merry File Virus Ransomware. This is a new Ransomware version, which has some very sophisticated methods of infection and file encryption. At present, this makes it the most harmful and dangerous online threat and in the next lines, you will understand exactly why. In this article we are going to explain you how .Merry can infect you and what you can do to effectively deal with this nasty Ransomware in case that you have been compromised. There is a removal guide below, which contains very detailed instructions that will show you how to remove the infection and possibly restore some of your files. All you need to do is to read the information that follows closely and follow up with the guide.

Why is .Merry such a fearful threat?

In case that you have had a close encounter with .Merry, then we won’t lie you – you have all the reasons to be worried. This threat is a very harmful cryptovirus from the Ransomware family, which follows a specific mechanism of file encryption. Its encryption is used by the hackers who have created it to blackmail the infected users for ransom (usually requested in Bitcoins), which the victims need to pay if they want to get their encrypted data back. Ransomware is a form of cyber-crime, which causes huge data and financial losses to hundreds of people and businesses all around the world. Unfortunately, in the past years, this form of cyber-crime has gained huge popularity among criminal circles and they frequently come up with newer and more sophisticated versions like .Merry, just in order to extort more money from the unsuspecting online users.

Here is how the criminal scheme of Ransomware usually works:

• The first task of the malware is to find its way to the users’ computer. That usually happens through different distribution channels that the criminals use to infect their victims. A threat like .Merry usually hides in spam emails with malicious attachments, fake ads and notifications, misleading links, torrents or compromised websites. It usually finds its way to the computer thanks to a drive-by download, exploit kits or some system vulnerability, which is usually created by a Trojan horse inside the computer. It is very hard to detect when and how you have been infected with the threat, since it hides well and tries to remain undetected until it does its dirty job.
• Once inside the system, the Ransomware will silently encrypt all the commonly used files, found on the hard drive. A very complex algorithm of symbols will turn all the pics, music, movies, documents, projects and all the other files into completely unreadable, and this way, prevent all your attempts to access your data. Unfortunately, the malicious encryption process happens without many visible symptoms, so in most of the cases, it is impossible to stop the Ransomware before it has encrypted all the files on the infected computer.
• Once the encryption is completed, .Merry will not remain hidden anymore and will reveal itself clearly on the victim’s screen with the help of a ransom note. That note usually contains a message from the hackers with deadlines and details on how the ransom payment should be made.

What should you do when you get the ransom note on your screen?

Being greeted by a threatening ransom notification from the screen is surely a shocking experience. More so if you really need to access your data but you are prevented from reaching it, because it is being held hostage by some cyber criminals. Paying the ransom and getting your precious files decrypted as soon as possible may seem like the quickest option to deal with the nasty malware, however, we need to warn you that this is not a wise solution at all. Here is what you should have in mind when dealing with .Merry and the crooks behind it:

• Paying the ransom only encourages the criminals to continue with their criminal practice and threaten and blackmail you for more money.
• In most of the cases, the Ransomware victims are left without any decryption solution for their data, despite having paid huge amounts in ransom to the crooks. Usually, the hackers disappear the moment they get the money and the victims never hear back from them, let alone to receive a decryption key to unlock their encrypted files.
• The Ransomware infection is a tricky one to delete and its encryption is extremely difficult to be broken without the proper decryption key. Not many options can help in retrieving the locked files, but there are still a few things that the users can try.

An alternative solution of paying the ransom is to contact a security specialist that can help you clean your system. That, however, may remove the malware but may not guarantee that your files will get decrypted. You can always say bye-bye to all of your data and install your OS anew, but that’s the most extreme solution. Something you can try is to follow the instructions in the removal guide below. They will help you find and remove the Ransomware from your machine. There are also a few things that may help you extract some of the encrypted files from your machine and even though they may not work on 100%, you will lose nothing if you give them a try.

.Merry File Virus Ransomware Removal

 Here is what you need to do in order to remove a Ransomware virus from you computer.

I – Reveal Hidden files and folders and utilize the task manager

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1. Use the Folder Options in order to reveal the hidden files and folders on your PC. If you do not know how to do that, follow this link.
2. Open the Start Menu and in the search field type Task Manager.
   
3. Open the first result and in the Processes tab, carefully look through the list of Processes.
4. If you notice with the virus name or any other suspicious-looking or that seems to consume large amounts of memory, right-click on it and open its file location. Delete everything in there.
   

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• Make sure that the hidden files and folders on your PC are visible, else you might not be able to see everything.

5. Go back to the Task Manager and end the shady process.

II – Boot to Safe Mode

• Boot your PC into Safe Mode. If you do not know how to do it, use this guide/linked/.

III – Identify the threat

1. Go to the ID Ransomware website. Here is a direct link.
2. Follow there in order to identify the specific virus you are dealing with.

IV – Decrypt your files

1. Once you have identified the virus that has encrypted your files, you must acquire the respective tool to unlock your data.
2. Open your browser and search for how to decrypt ransomware, look for the name of the one that has infected your system.
3. With any luck, you’d be able to find a decryptor tool for your ransomware. If that doesn’t happen try Step V as a last ditch effort to save your files.

V – Use Recuva to restore files deleted by the virus

1. Download the Recuva tool. This will help you restore your original files so that you won’t need to actually decrypt the locked ones.
2. Once you’ve downloaded the program, open it and select Next.
   
3. Now choose the type of files you are seeking to restore and continue to the next page.
4. When asked where your files were, before they got deleted, either use the option In a specific location and provide that location or choose the opt for the I am not sure alternative – this will make the program look everywhere on your PC.
   
5. Click on Next and for best results, enable the Deep Scan option (note that this might take some time).
   
6. Wait for the search to finish and then select which of the listed files you want to restore.

• Keep in mind it is possible that not all files might be fully recovered. You can check in what condition the files are from the State column in the list of deleted files.