Jope Ransomware - How to remove

Jope is the name of a ransomware infection. Jope encrypts files and adds a second file extension, “.jope”, to their names. Encrypted files can’t be opened and read, and though they’re decryptable in theory, it is not always possible. Jope ransomware needs to be removed, but whether the files it broke can be repaired depends on each case’s circumstances. The goal of Jope ransomware is to get the victims to send money (up to $980) to the criminals responsible for this infection.

Jope is a version of Djvu ransomware and is very similar to Mado, Npsk, Alka, and others.

About Jope ransomware:

Classification	Ransomware, trojan.
How it infects computers	Downloaded from pirating sites, installs together with an adware trojan, encrypts files and then asks for money to repair them.
How to repair Jope-encrypted files	Restore files from backups, recover deleted files, use the free decrypter, repair files manually, if possible.
How to remove Jope	Unblock security sites, use antivirus apps (like Spyhunter) to remove malware, set new passwords if there’s any risk of them having been stolen.

What is Jope ransomware

Jope ransomware gets downloaded with pirated files. It’s uploaded online and disguised as free installers, cracking tools, and unlocked programs. After downloading them but before opening them, it’s important to scan such files with an antivirus program. Pirated files are often infected with adware and other malware, though usually not as serious as Jope.

After the infected file is opened, it downloads and installs Jope. Jope then starts its scheme:

• deletes backups from the default backup folders,
• tries to delete antivirus updates,
• blocks various security blog sites by making changes to the victim’s hosts file,
• shows fake system pop-ups to trick the victim into thinking that an important update is being installed.

Jope goes through user files, encrypts their data – turns it into random noise, basically. Now, programs can’t read those files, they can’t open them or display them. It’s still possible to open those files, such as text files, but the contents would just be a bunch of random symbols. To make it easy to know which files are encrypted, Jope also changes their names by adding a second extension, “.jope”.

For example, mynote.txt becomes mynote.txt.jope.

Jope spreads with an adware trojan (Azorult), so victims may start seeing pop-up ads along with their files being broken. The trojan steals saved private data, can take screenshots, and can install adware that displays ads and opens random unwanted sites in the browser.

The Jope files aren’t dangerous, but the ransomware certainly is. It needs to be removed, along with the adware virus and the file that infected the computer in the first place. Meanwhile, the encrypted files should not be changed without making backups first. Decryption becomes impossible if the encrypted file is modified in some way.

Antivirus programs can be used to get rid of Jope and the other infection. Instructions can be found below.

How to fix Jope-encrypted files

Restoring the files encrypted by Jope is not easy. Meanwhile, scammers are trying to cheat people out of money by promising to fix their files for money. Victims of Jope should be very careful. It would be useful to make a backup of the files encrypted by Jope so that those files aren’t modified or lost while searching for a solution:

• Backups are the best for recovering lost files, but not everyone has them.
• Recovering deleted data might help, the results are best when the computer hasn’t been used since the files being lost.
• Repairing files is possible in some cases, but needs to be done with some technical knowledge. For example, here is a blog post about repairing JPEGs.
• Decrypting files is impossible without the decryption keys, which only the criminals responsible for Jope have.
• A free decrypter exists (released for free by Emsisoft) but it is useless without decryption keys. Only in limited circumstances (Jope fails to connect with the Command & Control server and uses the hardcoded offline encryption key, someone out there buys the offline decryption key and shares it with Emsisoft) might it be possible for a few people to recover Jope files for free. Victims of Jope should run this free decrypter on their files – they’ll get a conclusion about whether decryption is possible in the future.
• Without a decryption key, the decryption of Jope files is impossible. Djvu has been studied by professionals, so if there was a way to break it, they would know. Cryptography is so secure because there’s just not enough computing power to break it.

How to remove Jope ransomware

The easiest way to get rid of Jope is probably by letting an antivirus program do it. The files encrypted by Jope don’t need to be deleted, only the ransomware and other malware that arrived with it.

Afterward, it would be wise to set new passwords for online accounts, as adware trojans can steal data like usernames and passwords.

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

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Jope 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 Jope Ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Jope 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 Jope 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 Jope 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.