What is Ransomware virus and how to remove it from your system

Let's discuss, What is ransomware virus Ransomware is a type of malware from cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim's personal data or perpetually block access to it unless a ransom is paid. While some simple ransomware may lock the system without damaging any files, more advanced malware uses a technique called cryptoviral extortion. It encrypts the victim's files, making them inaccessible, and demands a ransom payment to decrypt them.

In a properly implemented cryptoviral extortion attack, recovering the files without the decryption key is an intractable problem – and difficult to trace digital currencies such as paysafecard or Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are used for the ransoms, making tracing and prosecuting the perpetrators difficult.

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Ransomware attacks are typically carried out using a Trojan disguised as a legitimate file that the user is tricked into downloading or opening when it arrives as an email attachment. However, one high-profile example, the WannaCry worm, traveled automatically between computers without user interaction.

Starting as early as 1989 with the first documented ransomware known as the AIDS trojan, the use of ransomware scams has grown internationally.[6][7][8] There were 181.5 million ransomware attacks in the first six months of 2018. This record marks a 229% increase over this same time frame in 2017.[9] In June 2014, vendor McAfee released data showing that it had collected more than double the number of ransomware samples that quarter than it had in the same quarter of the previous year.

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Detecting ransomware How do you know if your computer is infected? Here are some ways to detect a ransomware attack: ¤ Anti-virus scanner sounds an alarm – if the device has a virus scanner, it can detect ransomware infection early, unless it has been bypassed. ¤ Check file extension – for example, the normal extension of an image file is ".jpg". If this extension has changed to an unfamiliar combination of letters, there may be a ransomware infection. ¤ Name change – do files have different names than those you gave them? The malicious program often changes the file name when it encrypts data. This could therefore be a clue. ¤ Increased CPU and disk activity – increased disk or main processor activity may indicate that ransomware is working in the background. ¤ Dubious network communication – software interacting with the cybercriminal or with the attacker's server may result in suspicious network communication. ¤ Encrypted files – a late sign of ransomware activity is that files can’t be opened.

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how to remove ransomware from your system Step 1: Disconnect from the internet First, remove all connections, both virtual and physical. These include wireless and wired devices, external hard drives, any storage media and cloud accounts. This can prevent the spread of ransomware within the network. If you suspect that other areas have been affected, carry out the following backup steps for these areas as well. Step 2: Conduct an investigation with your internet security software Perform a virus scan using the internet security software you have installed. This helps you identify the threats. If dangerous files are found, you can either delete or quarantine them. You can delete malicious files manually or automatically using the antivirus software. Manual removal of the malware is only recommended for computer-savvy users. Step 3: Use a ransomware decryption tool If your computer is infected with ransomware that encrypts your data, you will need an appropriate decryption tool to regain access. At Kaspersky, we are constantly investigating the latest types of ransomware so that we can provide the appropriate decryption tools to counter these attacks. Step 4: Restore your backup If you have backed up your data externally or in cloud storage, create a backup of your data that has not yet been encrypted by ransomware. If you don't have any backups, cleaning and restoring your computer is a lot more difficult. To avoid this situation, it is recommended that you regularly create backups. If you tend to forget about such things, use automatic cloud backup services or set alerts in your calendar to remind you.

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How to remove screen-locking ransomware In the case of screen-locking ransomware, the victim is first faced with the challenge of actually getting to the security software. By starting the computer in Safe Mode, there is a possibility that the screen-locking action will not load and the victim can use their antivirus program to combat the malware.