Shark Ransomware Removal

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In this article we are going to try and help you remove Shark Ransomware. Our instructions cover all Windows versions.

We stuff our PCs with all sorts of important and interesting data – valuable work ideas, projects, music collections, pictures from vacations, parties, and what not. Surely nobody wants to even think of losing the “treasures” that they keep on their computer. But what a frustration it is when suddenly all of these files are locked and impossible to access! If this is something that just happened to you, you have probably been infected with a virus. Not just any virus, but a very dangerous cryptovirus called Shark Ransomware. This threat comes from the infamous Ransomware family and is really one of the nastiest ones. Do not panic tough, because on this page you will find an effective solution to completely remove this nasty infection. Below you will find a removal guide that is specially created to help you deal with Shark Ransomware and manually delete its malicious files from your system. There are a few things you could do about your encrypted files as well. But to do that, you will need to better understand how this ransomware operates and what your options are when you face it.

Shark Ransomware – designed to lock your files and blackmail you.

Keeping someone’s valuable data hostage is not a new practice. And since everything becomes digital, so does this old criminal scheme. Some hackers with malicious intentions have created a specific type of software, which is programmed to lock all sorts of data that could be found on a PC and ask its owners to pay a fat sum as ransom in case they want to get access to it again. This is exactly what Ransomware like Shark Ransomware does once it gets inside the victim’s machine. Unfortunately, this scheme has quickly turned into very profitable criminal activity, because many users who don’t know how to deal with this threat, just submit to the hackers’ demands and pay. This way, not only do they help the crooks become richer and their malware – evolve, but in most cases, these victims only burn out their money. The hackers promise to send a decryption key, which eventually could unlock the encrypted files, if the victims pay a certain amount of money. Usually, the payment is required in Bitcoins that are impossible to trace and help the criminals remain undetected by the police. The amount of the ransom, however, could be quite high and many people prefer to seek other solutions for getting rid of the infection instead of paying the crooks.

The infection happens with just a click and no visible symptoms.

With the constant evolution of ransomware threats, more and more sophisticated methods are used to delude and infect users with this malware. Usually, the victims won’t suspect anything because Shark Ransomware is very well masked like a harmless application, a picture, a link, email attachment or web page. Users are tricked to click on them because they appear legitimate and it is very hard to detect them without proper antivirus software. The infection very often happens with the help of a Trojan horse, which creates a backdoor for the malware. Once the Trojan is on your PC, Shark Ransomware immediately starts to infiltrate the compromised computer and apply a complex encryption algorithm to all the commonly used files. The ransomware changes the file extensions of the encrypted data and converts it into files that can’t be recognized or opened by any program. If victims try to access them, they would simply get an error message.

Once the encryption is completed, the crooks inform you with a note on the screen.

When Shark Ransomware is done with its dirty job, a notification appears on the victim’s screen. It usually contains a message from the crooks, written in a manner that aims to panic them. Sometimes the hackers may pretend to be some legal authorities that claim you have broken the law and that led to the encryption of your files. They may ask you to pay a “fine” but don’t get deluded! This is a common manipulative scheme and you can easily reveal it when they ask you to pay in Bitcoins – an untraceable online currency that helps the hackers remain undetected by the real authorities.

Don’t trust a promise from a cyber criminal!

If the hackers promise to send you the decryption key right after you make the payment, don’t trust them! Usually, there is nothing that could really make them keep their word and there is a great chance you will never hear from them again once they get your money. The bitter experience of many victims, who have been tricked this way, proves that this is what is most likely to happen. Unfortunately, there are many who keep paying with the hope of getting their files decrypted and this way they only help this threat become more popular. If you don’t want to risk becoming the next tricked victim, we suggest you follow the steps in the removal guide below. It will help you manually delete the Shark Ransomware infection from your system. From there on, you can try to restore your files from system backups, external drives or a cloud and ensure a better antivirus protection of your PC. For more details on how to do that, please check the descriptions below.

Shark Ransomware Removal

# 1

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Enter Windows Safe mode.

• Win 7 Users: Restart your PC –> keep on clicking F8 –> In the subsequent Menu select Safe Mode with Networking.
• Win 8 Users: Start Button –> Control Panel –> System and Security –> Administrative Tools –> System Configuration –> In the subsequent Menu select Safe Boot –>
• Win 10 users: Start Menu –> Power Options Menu –> Hold down the SHIFT button while clicking on Restart –> Troubleshoot –> Advanced Options –> Startup Settings –> Restart –> In the subsequent Menu select Safe Mode with Networking.

# 2

Open Task Manager and locate any processes associated with Shark Ransomware.

• Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC keys simultaneously –> Processes Tab –> Select a suspicious process (use Google or ask us in the comments if you are not sure about a process) –> Right Click and Open File Location –> End the suspicious process in Task Manager –> Delete the Folders containing the suspicious files.

# 3

Open the Registry Editor and search for Shark Ransomware.

• Win 7 Users: Click Start and type regedit –> Enter –> Press CTRL + F buttons –> Type Cryp1 Virus in the search field.
• Win 8/10 users: Start Button –> Choose Run –> type regedit –> Enter Press CTRL + F buttons –> Type Shark Ransomware in the search field.

# 4

Try to recover your files. First you will need System Restore.

• Win 7 Users: Start button –> Type Windows System Restore –> Enter –> Open System Restore –> Select a Restore Point and revert to it.
• Win 8 Users: Hold down the Windows key + Q –> Type Recovery –> Settings –> Choose the Recovery icon –> Open System Restore –> Select a Restore Point.
• Win 10 Users: Start Menu –> Power Options Menu –> Hold down the SHIFT button while clicking on Restart –> Troubleshoot –> Advanced Options –> System Restore –> Select a Restore Point and apply it.

Secondly use program that can access your Shadow Copies.

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• Use Google to find the official website of such a program and download it.
• Use the program to select the file types and the hard drive locations you want the program to scan for.
• Start the scan and keep in mind that it might take a while.
• Once the scan has been completed just select the files you want to be recovered.

If you have questions or suggestions feel free to use our comments section!