MoonCrypter ransomware - How to remove

MoonCrypter ransomware is an alarming computer virus that can cause you great trouble regarding cyber security and overall state of your computer. Ransomware is perhaps one of the most dangerous type of computer virus and we have already informed our users how to protect themselves against it – ultimate security guide against ransomware.

It was discovered on 17th of August by cyber security researcher Karsten Hahn and announced on Twitter Twitter. Once again, this ransomware is based on open-source ransomware project called Hidden Tear and we have already seen quite a few viruses based on this project – Diamond Computer Encryption, OXAR ransomware and many others.

After the infection, MoonCrypter will place several new files on your desktop, i.e.  “_readmyransom.txt” and  “ReadIt.txt”. In addition to that,  “_readmyransom.txt” will be placed on every single flder on your computer, so it is just impossible not to notice it. Both of these files contains the same message that is considered to be a ransom note – information about your encrypted files and what actions you should take in order to retrieve them. Original text of the message:

All your files are LOST FOR EVER IN THIS DIRECTORY!!!!!
Excepted if you want to pay  : follow this link :
http://10.10.3.1/panel/decipher.php
L’UUID est : FE69CC44
Le mot de passe encrypté RSA est : –

As you can see, you are suggested to visite a particular website on the dar web and pay the ransom. If your computer is infected with MoonCrypter ransomware, most of the files stored on it will be encrypted using extremely strong RSA and AES cryptography. Cyber criminals have a hold of the unique decryption key which is needed in order to unlock files. Usually those keys are stored on a cloud or a remote server and only the ones who actually pay the ransom can access them. However, sometimes paying the ransom is not the right answer as well – there have been numerous cases where victims have paid the ransom and ended up not getting the decryptor.

It is not clear how much MoonCrypter is asking to pay, but usually it is something around 500 and 1500 USD. The ransom is expected to be paid in Bitcoins, since this method is more difficult to track the receiver.

Unfortunately, there is no way to decrypt those files locked by MoonCrypter, unless you have a backup of your system which was made before the date of infection. This way you could simply restore all of your files from there. Cyber security experts are constantly working on a new ways to decrypt files that are encrypted by various viruses, thus we will let you know as soon as the solution is out.

As for now, you should make sure to remove MoonCrypter from your computer, regardless the fact that this won’t help you to unlock encrypted files. As it can be seen on the detailed VirusTotal Report, 45 out of 64 Anti-Malware programes are capable of detecting MoonCrypter as a possible threat to your security, so basically any AM program should do the job. However, we recommend to use Spyhunter since it is one of the strongest players in the market – it will immediately detect and remove this ransomware automatically. In addition to that, it will protect your computer from similar infections in the future, so it’s a good idea to keep it installed.

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

 

Step 2. Complete removal of MoonCrypter 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 MoonCrypter ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore MoonCrypter 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 MoonCrypter 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 MoonCrypter 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