Welcome to our [email protected] Ransomware Virus Removal instructions. We would also suggest a method for file recovery.

There’s hardly a cyber threat out there that exceeds the devastating capabilities of ransomware. We’re guessing you’ve found this page in the hopes of finding help with just such an infection. The following article is dedicated to one of the latest ransomware variants called [email protected], which has been plaguing users and encrypting their files. At the end of the article you will also find a removal guide that will walk you through the steps you need to take in order to locate and remove all the [email protected] files. In addition to this, there are a few steps in the guide that will aim to restore at least some of the affected files.

Ransomware: the basics

A ransomware infection can be quite devastating and as a typical ransomware representative [email protected] shouldn’t be taken lightly. Though this virus type has rapidly been increasing in popularity only over the past several years, it’s actually been around for the better part of three decades. This is largely thanks to the birth of cyber currencies and in particular – bitcoins. Because bitcoins are notoriously difficult to trace, hackers have gotten accustomed to demanding the ransom be paid in that exact currency, which guarantees that they won’t be caught (or at least they won’t be caught easily) by the authorities. This is exactly why the IT community has been witnessing a growth in ransomware like nothing ever seen before, with insane profits being generated through this criminal scheme and thousands of people and enterprises being practically robbed of both their money and intellectual property.

You may be wondering how exactly [email protected] infected your computer and what you could have possibly done to either cause or prevent it. Well, there’s more than just one way that could have happened, from downloading an infected file from some obscure or even illegal website to opening a spam email sent by cyber criminals. The most effective method, determined by security experts, is through injecting online adverts with malicious scripts and leaving them out there in the open for people to click on. These ads are more commonly referred to as malvertisements and one click is often enough for the ransomware to be downloaded onto the victim’s PC. With spam emails there’s often an intermediary step, so to speak. It’s not uncommon that a Trojan horse will be sent within an attached file and once that file is opened that Trojan then proceeds to download the ransomware. Be very cautious around incoming mails, because they can be very elaborately disguised in order to fool you and get you to open the enclosed file.

Ransom and restoring your files

Before you make any decision as to whether or not you should give into the ransom demands, you should definitely remove [email protected] from your machine. As pointed out, there’s a removal guide designed specifically for that purpose and you will find it just below this article. From then on you can either transfer the requested amount to the hackers and hope that they will indeed keep their promise and send you the decryption key necessary for regaining access to your data or you can try alternative methods. One such method would be the additional steps in our guide – those will attempt to restore the deleted originals of the files that were encrypted, but we cannot guarantee that this will work for all files or even part of them. Nevertheless, it won’t cost you anything to try. Alternatively, there’s a list of decryptors that we regularly update and if there’s an existing one for [email protected] – you will be sure to find it here as well.

Whatever you choose to do, there’s no single right or wrong action. In conclusion we would like to offer some prevention tips that should minimize your chances of getting infected with this or similar malware again. For one, outdated software or an outdated OS are common weaknesses that viruses exploit and use as entry points into your machine. You would be wise to keep an eye out for updates and install them regularly. Also, provided the above distribution methods for ransomware and Trojans, being aware of those should lead you to adopting safer and more threat-conscious browsing habits: mind your download sources, avoid dangerous web locations and treat incoming emails with special caution. Also, it should go without saying that a good antivirus program is an absolute must-have, but an anti-malware tool may also greatly enhance your system’s security.

[email protected] 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

  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.
    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.
    ransomware-guide-2-pic-4
  • Make sure that the hidden files and folders on your PC are visible, else you might not be able to see everything.
  1. 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.
    ransomware-guide-2-pic-5
  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.
    ransomware-guide-2-pic-6
  5. Click on Next and for best results, enable the Deep Scan option (note that this might take some time).
    ransomware-guide-2-pic-7
  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.
    ransomware-guide-2-pic-8