.Serp Ransomware Removal (+File Recovery)

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Welcome to our .Serp Ransomware removal guide. The following instructions will aid you in removing the unwanted software from your PC for free.

A Ransomware virus is a malicious piece of software (malware) that targets the personal files of the infected computer and locks them with a sophisticated encryption code. Once all of the targeted files have been successfully locked by the malware, a notification is displayed on the user’s screen, in which a ransom payment is demanded along with instructions on how the transfer is to be carried out.

.Serp Ransomware Virus

Nowadays, such viruses are responsible for a huge amount of hacker attacks towards both regular users and big company conglomerates. The threat of having your computer attacked by Ransomware is growing with each day and also the viruses themselves are only getting more and more advanced. The topic of today’s article is Ransomware that has recently been reported. The name of this particular virus is .Serp and here, you will learn about its most important characteristics as well as how you can make your system is better protected against it. There’s a high chance that you are reading this article because you have already been attacked by .Serp and your data is currently locked by it. If that is the case, we can give you a removal and file restoration guide for .Serp attacks, but you need to bear in mind the fact that it is not guaranteed that the guide will be fully successful in your specific situation. One of the major problems with Ransomware is that even the best of methods might oftentimes prove to be less than effective. Still, we strongly believe that opting for the guide option as opposed to going for the ransom payment is much safer and will not cost you anything.

The problem with detection

Usually, when it comes to spotting and neutralizing malware threats, one valuable way to do that is by having an antivirus program. However, when it comes to Ransomware, you need to understand that most antiviruses totally fail at intercepting the virus. This has a lot to do with the specific method and approach adopted by this particular type of viruses. In contrast to other forms of malware, a typical Trojan such as .Serp is not trying to cause any direct damage to any of your system’s components. Surely, the files get locked, but they are usually left intact by the virus. Since there is no actual harm done to your computer or files during a Ransomware infection, your antivirus would probably fail to recognize the threat.

Another important factor that plays a big role when it comes to the ability of .Serp to remain hidden and undetected by most conventional security programs has to do with the encryption itself. On its own, an encryption process is not something harmful or malicious – what matters is the way that it is used. In the majority of cases, encryption processes are used as a form of data protection. However, when .Serp utilizes this method, the data gets protected from its owner (which is you). However, a typical antivirus is usually not able to make the distinction between a Ransomware encryption and one that is legitimate, which is why more often than not .Serp will not get detected until it is already too late.

Symptoms?

It is certainly not an easy task to manually detect a Ransomware attack. The symptoms are oftentimes very difficult to spot and the encryption process might happen so quickly that you won’t even get the chance to notice any of them. Still, it won’t hurt to be observant of your machine’s behavior and also know what some of the most common symptoms might be.

• Usually, during a malware attack, one of the most frequently encountered indications of the infection is increased usage of system resources, most notably CPU time and virtual memory.
• Another potential symptom is system instability, sudden crashes or slow-down of the PC’s productivity.
• A very typical sign of a Ransomware infection is when your computer seems to have less free hard-drive space than it normally should. This is caused by the encryption itself, because during the process, your files are getting copied and it is the copies that you end up with when the encryption is over. Those copies are the actual files that are locked. The original documents are deleted at the end of the encryption process.

System protection

There is no better method of handling a Ransomware threat than making sure that your system does not get infected by the virus in the first place. In this final paragraph, you are about to learn several essential rules that you must adhere to in order to keep your PC and data safe and secure.

• Customize your browser’s settings in order to make your online surfing more safe. If there is an option that allows files to be automatically downloaded, be sure to disable it.
• Always be on your guard when visiting new and unknown websites. If a web address seems shady and the contents of its pages look suspicious, stay away from it in order to avoid any unnecessary problems.
• Do not underestimate the danger that online spam might represent. Junkmail is very commonly used for spreading malicious software the likes of .Serp.
• Backing up your data is a great way of nullifying most potential harm that Ransomware can cause.
• Last, but certainly not least, it is important to understand that even though many antiviruses might fail to detect a Ransomware, having a reliable security program is still very important since it can keep your machine safe from Trojan horses and those are one of the most widely used methods of spreading Ransomware.

.Serp 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.