Epor Virus - How to remove

Epor is a malicious and very dangerous program that basically destroys the files on the computer by encrypting them. In addition, other malicious programs may be installed alongside Epor.

It spreads in pirating sites and other file sharing sites. It acts fast and encrypts hundreds of Gigabytes in only a few minutes. It may also break your Task Manager, block a few websites, and introduce other annoyances.

Removing Epor does not fix the broken files. Most likely, your file recovery options are very limited.

About Epor ransomware:

Classification	Ransomware.
Problems caused by Epor ransomware	Additional malware installed, data encrypted and lost.
How ransomware spreads	Downloaded from pirating sites, embedded in other files.
How to remove Epor	If needed, make backups of the encrypted files, remove Epor and other malware (Spyhunter, etc.), protect your personal information.

How Epor ransomware infects computers

It installs with other malware

When Epor is downloaded, it doesn’t delay: it begins by deleting backups, deleting antivirus updates, and then gets to work encrypting files, after which it creates ransom notes in which it asks you to send money or else lose your files forever. Epor is file-locking ransomware, a very serious threat.

Meanwhile, a password-stealing trojan and likely some adware infections get installed alongside it. The stealer finds the credentials saved in ou

It locks files

Epor is known by this name from the file type extension that this ransomware gives to the files that it encrypts: epor.

Here’s what you might notice after Epor has rampaged through your PC:

• Many files (though not all of them) have the blank sheet icon and the EPOR file type.
• The files do not open.
• Removing the epor extension from the names of these files does not fix them – most of them still don’t open.
• If you do open the files, they appear to have random contents (for example, random symbols in a text file).

Cryptography is pretty serious: it protects your online banking, it keeps your WhatsApp messages private, it makes cryptocurrencies tick, and, sadly, it is used by cybercriminals to destroy data.

After Epor cryptographically ruined your files, the only way to fix them is with the unique decryption key that is only known to the criminals who made it. We know that Epor can’t be cracked because it’s been tried already by the best ransomware experts. It’s not the first ransomware of its kind – it’s preceded by hundreds of variants, including Vvoa and Agho.

How to avoid ransomware

Regularly make data backups

Deleting Epor with an antivirus tool will prevent it from encrypting any more files, but it doesn’t bring your broken data back.

Recovering lost data is hard – though there are options, like data recovery programs (they bring back deleted files if they are still stored on your drives), file repair professionals (Epor leaves parts of big files unencrypted and that data may be salvaged), and, if you’re really really lucky, decryption for free (Emsisoft.com).

So, always have a backup of your files. You can use a cloud platform, an external drive, or another technology.

Avoid pirating sites

Epor spreads on pirating sites. So do other Djvu ransomware infections. As well as many other malicious programs. Pirating is just too risky.

If you’re just looking for free stuff, try to stick to open-source software and other free software, if possible.

If you haven’t already, you should find a community where you can ask for advice and get warnings about unexpected events.

And always scan the files that you download from file sharing sites. Use a good antivirus tool and remember to keep it and your operating system up-to-date.

How to remove Epor from your device

Fix your hosts file, repair your antivirus program or download a new one, perform a scan, and quarantine all the malware that is found. Spyhunter or another reputable antivirus tool can be helpful.

After this, reset all your passwords. Remember the stealer that came with Epor – the information that it took mustn’t be allowed to be abused.

Important -- edit the hosts file to unblock security websites

TL DR : The hosts file is edited to block security sites Before the virus can be removed, it's necessary to fix the hosts file (the file which controls which addresses connect to which IPs). That is the reason the majority of security websites is inaccessible when infected with this particular parasite. This infection edits this file to stop certain websites, including anti-malware download sites, from being accessed from the infected computer, making browsers return the "This site can't be reached" error. Luckily, it's trivial to fix the file and remove the edits that were made to it.

Find and edit the hosts file

The hosts file can be found on C:/Windows/System32/Drivers/etc/hosts. If you don't see it, change the settings to see hidden files.

1. In the Start Menu, search for Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel, find Appearance and Personalization.
3. Select Folder Options.
4. Open the View tab.
5. Open Advanced settings.
6. Select "Show hidden files...".
7. Select OK.

Open this file with administrator privileges.

1. Open the Start Menu and enter "notepad".
2. When Notepad shows up in the result, right-click on it.
3. In the menu, choose "Run as administrator"
4. File->Open and browse for the hosts file.

The hosts file should look like this: Delete additional lines that they connect various domain names to the wrong IP address. Save the file.

Download and run the antivirus program

After that, download antivirus programs and use them to remove the ransomware, the trojan, and other malware. Spyhunter (https://www.2-viruses.com/reviews/spyhunter/dwnld/).

Automatic Malware removal tools

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

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Epor 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 Epor Virus. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Epor 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 Epor Virus 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 Epor 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.