CuteRansomware Virus - How to remove

CuteRansomware derives from a Chinese open-source program titled my-Little-Ransomware. It gives the feeling that these hackers are up to their eyeballs in Hello Kitty TV series. This freakishly named ransomware primarily aims at Chinese users but its battlefield is not confined to this giant country of East Asia. You do bear the chances to encounter this digital varmint on your PC as well. CuteRansomware virus have some peculiar features never exhibited before by any other ransomware viruses.

About CuteRansomware

CuteRansomware ransomware exploits Google Docs to store the victim’s data and the private decryption key. In the latter manner, Google Docs becomes the ransomware’s C$C (Command and Control) server. This feature is particularly frightening since such cloud storages as Google Docs use SSLs (Secure Sockets Layers) to communicate with the client, which means that the communication is encrypted, that is – protected. This communication can even bypass firewalls and some antivirus systems.

Despite the previously mentioned peculiarities, cuteRansomware cryptomalware seems to act similarly to ‘‘normal’’ ransomware viruses. It uses the asymmetric encryption algorithm to damage the victim’s data. ‘‘.encrypted’’ filename extension is appended to the filename extensions of each encrypted file. For instance, video.avi is turned into video.avi.encrypted. Just this extension and the ransom note that later covers the victim’s screen are both written in Chinese. This again indicates the origin of cuteRansomware. However, the size of the ransom demanded is still a great deal of cloak-and-dagger.

How is CuteRansomware Distributed?

It has been reported that cuteRansomware file-encrypting virus is mainly spread via suspicious downloads. Once the infected download is installed and opened, the malicious script of the program starts running on the victim computer’s system. Unfortunately, there is no particular apps specified, which carries the payload of this ransomware, at this particular point in time. Thus, users must take immediate measures to secure their devices. It is paramount to have powerful security software installed and updated. To know the exact security programs head to the following paragraph.

How to Decrypt Files Encrypted by CuteRansomware?

Unfortunately, no one can offer you the decryption key at the moment. But it is still recommended to make a copy of your damaged drive because it is just a matter of time when the decryptor is going to be released. CuteRansomware has created a great deal of fuss in the cyber community and security experts are currently analyzing the samples of this malware. As soon as they come up with their conclusions and solutions, we will present you with them. Now, you most probably cannot wait to hear how to get your data back. Read the last paragraph to know the possible ways to do that.

First and foremost, after having made a copy of your corrupted drive, remove cuteRansomware with Spyhunter or Hitman automatic malware removal tools. It is of key importance that no trace of this perilous threat will be left on your computer’s system. You can also follow our free manual removal instructions provided below this article. Then you can use your backup without any restrictions. If you do not have it, at least make sure to back your data up from now on. Check Shadow Volume Copies, if you had Shadow Volume Service running prior the infection hit your PC. If not, the only option left for you is the application of data recovery tools such as Recuva, PhotoRec, R-Studio, etc. Good luck and please do not forget to back your data up in some unmapped hard drive.

How to recover CuteRansomware Virus encrypted files and remove the virus

Step 1. Restore system into last known good state using system restore

1. Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt:

for Windows 7 / Vista/ XP

• Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
• Press F8 key repeatedly until Advanced Boot Options window appears.
• Choose Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

for Windows 8 / 10

• Press Power at Windows login screen. Then press and hold Shift key and click Restart.
• Choose Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Settings and click Restart.
• When it loads, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the list of Startup Settings.

 

2.Restore System files and settings.

• When Command Prompt mode loads, enter cd restore and press Enter.
• Then enter rstrui.exe and press Enter again.
• Click “Next” in the windows that appeared.
• Select one of the Restore Points that are available before CuteRansomware Ransomware has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of CuteRansomware Virus

After restoring your system, it is recommended to scan your computer with an anti-malware program, like Spyhunter and remove all malicious files related to CuteRansomware Ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore CuteRansomware Virus affected files using Shadow Volume Copies

If you do not use System Restore option on your operating system, there is a chance to use shadow copy snapshots. They store copies of your files that point of time when the system restore snapshot was created. Usually CuteRansomware Ransomware tries to delete all possible Shadow Volume Copies, so this methods may not work on all computers. However, it may fail to do so. Shadow Volume Copies are only available with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. There are two ways to retrieve your files via Shadow Volume Copy. You can do it using native Windows Previous Versions or via Shadow Explorer. a) Native Windows Previous Versions Right-click on an encrypted file and select Properties → Previous versions tab. Now you will see all available copies of that particular file and the time when it was stored in a Shadow Volume Copy. Choose the version of the file you want to retrieve and click Copy if you want to save it to some directory of your own, or Restore if you want to replace existing, encrypted file. If you want to see the content of file first, just click Open.

b) Shadow Explorer It is a program that can be found online for free. You can download either a full or a portable version of Shadow Explorer. Open the program. On the left top corner select the drive where the file you are looking for is a stored. You will see all folders on that drive. To retrieve a whole folder, right-click on it and select “Export”. Then choose where you want it to be stored.

Step 4. Use Data Recovery programs to recover CuteRansomware Virus encrypted files

There are several data recovery programs that might recover encrypted files as well. This does not work in all cases but you can try this:

• We suggest using another PC and connect the infected hard drive as slave. It is still possible to do this on infected PC though.
• Download a data recovery program.
• Install and scan for recently deleted files.

Note: In many cases it is impossible to restore data files affected by modern ransomware. Thus I recommend using decent cloud backup software as precaution. We recommend checking out Carbonite, BackBlaze, CrashPlan or Mozy Home.