Enigma Ransomware - How to remove

Enigma Ransomware was designed to infect primarily Windows OS, in fact, all versions of it. This ransomware aims at Russian speaking users. It was discovered by Jakub Kroustek, a reverse engineer and malware expert for AVG, in April this year. It is important to highlight that this ransomware is in no way related to any companies that have word ‘‘Enigma’’ in their titles.

About Enigma Ransomware

Enigma ransomware employs AES 128 encryption algorithm to encrypt the data. It replaces the first block of bytes of the encrypted file with its malicious code. The file that initiates the encryption is named 3b788cd6389faa6a3d14c17153f5ce86.exe. It is placed in %UserProfile%\Downloads\ folder. This file encryptor appends .enigma extension to the filename extensions of every encrypted file. For instance, letter.doc is turned into letter.doc.enigma. When the encryption is over, the %UserProfile%\Desktop\enigma.hta file is executed and the ransom note is displayed. The note is written in Russian and contains a link to the TOR payment website. These hackers make an offer to decrypt one file to prove you that they have the working decryptor. The developers of this cryptomalware demand for 0.4291 BTC which sums up to 248.77 USD at the present moment.

How is Enigma Ransomware Dispersed?

Enigma virus trojan utilizes a HTML/JS (JavaScript) based installer in which the virus executable is embedded. Once these HTML attachments are opened, they launch the browser and execute the embedded JavaScript. A standalone JS file is created, named Свидетельство о регистрации частного предприятия.js which translates as The certificate of registration of private predpriyatiya.js. Then, it creates an executable 3b788cd6389faa6a3d14c17153f5ce86.exe, which is dropped on the hard drive, then, it begins to encrypt the data.

How to Decrypt Files Encrypted by Enigma Ransomware?

There is good news for Windows Vista and Windows 7 users. These versions of Windows OS has a feature ‘‘Previous Versions’’. However, restoration point should have been saved or System Protection should have been enabled before Enigma ransomware infected the computer. Another silver lining in somber skies brought by Enigma encoder is that sometimes it fails to delete Shadow Volume Copies. So in these cases Volume Shadow Copy Service can be used.

The other side of the matter, which is not so joyful, is that we cannot offer you any decryptors yet. But security experts are working on that and we hope to be able to provide you with the decryption key as soon as possible. For now, you can apply R-Studio, PhotoRec or other reputable data recovery tools if, however, your Shadow Volume Copies have been deleted. To remove Enigma ransomware and any possible accompanying threats use automatic anti-virus such as Spyhunter, Hitman or Malwarebytes. Instructions for manual removal of this ransomware virus are provided below.

How to recover Enigma Ransomware 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 Enigma Ransomware has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Enigma Ransomware

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 Enigma Ransomware . You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Enigma Ransomware 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 Enigma 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 Enigma Ransomware 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.

Manual removal