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Welcome to our Wannacrypt Ransomware removal guide. The following instructions will aid you in removing the unwanted software from your PC for free.
Ransomware viruses such as Wannacrypt Ransomware are nasty and extremely problematic. If Wannacrypt Ransomware makes it inside your PC, then know that your files are to be encrypted and rendered inaccessible and would remain that way until you pay a certain amount to the hacker who has attacked your machine. There are potential ways to unlock the files without actually making the money transfer but when it comes to Ransomware, one should keep in mind that there’s no guarantee for success. Here, we have prepared a removal guide for Wannacrypt Ransomware that also contains instructions on how you might regain access over the files without agreeing to the hacker’s terms. However, as we already said, the success of our access restoration method is not guaranteed for all instances of Ransomware attacks. Still, it is without a doubt preferable to first try our guide before opting for anything else, since it won’t cost you anything. Besides, even if you try to make the ransom payment, you might still be left with no access code to your data since, after all, it is a criminal that you are dealing with and they might or might not send you the encryption key that you need.
More information about Ransomware
Currently, this particular category of malware is one of the greatest software threats out there. Hackers that use Ransomware tend to attack not only the computers of regular users but also the PC networks of big companies, hospitals, banks, etc. Viruses like Wannacrypt Ransomware are a global issue and currently there is no truly effective method to handle them. One thing that we should mention is that there are in fact several different types of Ransomware.
- The least advanced Ransomware viruses do not go after the user’s files. Instead, they simply generate a big banner or image that gets displayed on the user’s screen and covers everything, which effectively blocks the user’s access to their own PC since no matter where the user clicks, it will always be the banner they are clicking upon. The reason why this type is less advanced than other kinds of Ransomware is because as soon as the malware is eliminate, everything would be back to normal.
- The same cannot be said about cryptoviruses that use encryption to lock the user’s documents one by one. If you currently have Wannacrypt Ransomware on your PC, that means that you are dealing with a cryptovirus. The issue here is that once the files have been locked, it doesn’t matter whether the virus is removed or not, the access to the documents will still be blocked unless the user has the necessary key to unlock them.
- Another variation of Ransomware is what is known as Leakware. Here, instead of your files getting locked, the virus would actually threaten that if you do not pay the ransom, the data would be made public by getting uploaded on some shady and illegal website. This, however, would only work if the user actually has sensitive data on their PC, which is why attacks by Leakware are less common.
Problems with detecting Ransomware
The majority of Ransomware viruses like Wannacrypt Ransomware are very good at remaining unseen right up until their task has been finished. Most antivirus programs would not get triggered by Ransomware since the malicious program would normally not cause any actual damage to the PC or user data. Due to this fact, most users fail to realize that their machine has been invaded by such a virus. In addition to that, the process of encryption is actually a commonly used data protection technique which is why it doesn’t normally get spotted as a potential threat even if it is being run by Ransomware.
In addition to that, you must know that it is quite a challenging task to try and spot the infection manually, by paying attention to the possible symptoms that the Ransomware might cause. While there are certain potential signs that one might notice such as RAM and CPU spikes or increased usage of hard-disk memory, oftentimes the encryption doesn’t continue for more than a couple moments which leaves little to no time for the user to actually counteract. Anyhow, if you still manage to spot a Ransomware infection on your machine, turn off the PC immediately and contact professional support ASAP.
Ways to fend off Ransomware
Many different techniques are being employed as a way for further spreading Ransomware and if you want to ensure that such malware does not invade your computer in the future, you will need to adhere to the following security tips and rules.
- Be cautious every time you go on the Internet. Keep away from websites that appear shady and obscure and avoid clicking onto anything that does not look safe (ads, banners, sketchy online offers or browser warnings).
- Avoid opening new e-mails or interacting with the contents of new messages send to any of your social network accounts if the new e-mail/message looks like it might be spam. Junkmail is one of the most commonly used techniques for Ransomware distribution.
- Though antivirus programs might have hard time stopping Ransomware, it is still crucial that you have a high-quality security tool on your PC since it will provide greater protection against Trojans which are oftentimes used to infect PC’s with Ransomware.
- Lastly, do not forget to back-up your valuable and important files that are stored on your PC hard-drive. This can greatly reduce the impact that a Ransomware attack might have should all other precautions fail to keep your data safe.
Wannacrypt Ransomware Virus 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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- 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.
- Open the Start Menu and in the search field type Task Manager.
- Open the first result and in the Processes tab, carefully look through the list of Processes.
- 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.
- 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
- Go to the ID Ransomware website. Here is a direct link.
- Follow there in order to identify the specific virus you are dealing with.
IV – Decrypt your files
- Once you have identified the virus that has encrypted your files, you must acquire the respective tool to unlock your data.
- Open your browser and search for how to decrypt ransomware, look for the name of the one that has infected your system.
- 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
- Download the Recuva tool. This will help you restore your original files so that you won’t need to actually decrypt the locked ones.
- Once you’ve downloaded the program, open it and select Next.
- Now choose the type of files you are seeking to restore and continue to the next page.
- 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.
- Click on Next and for best results, enable the Deep Scan option (note that this might take some time).
- 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.
