Mppq Ransomware - How to remove

Mppq is file-locking ransomware. It attacks PCs and encrypts their data, causing files to refuse to open and show “Mppq” as their new type. Once Mppq is done breaking files, it asks the victim to pay hundreds of dollars to get their data back.

Delete Mppq and check your settings. Restore your data from backups or, if you didn’t have backups, review your other options.

Mppq in short:

Threat type	Ransomware, trojan.
How Mppq encrypts data	It closes programs that might be using files, it quickly encrypts files and changes their names by adding a file extension “mppq”, it creates ransom notes in which it asks victims to pay money if they want to get their data back.
How ransomware spreads	Mppq comes with pirated programs, cracks, mods, cheating tools, fake installers, etc., it may be bundled with other malicious software.
How to get rid of Mppq	Restore the settings that Mppq broke, find and delete all malware with antivirus tools, such as Spyhunter, reset your passwords.

How Mppq ransomware works

Once Mppq is on a computer, it starts by messing with some settings and with your programs:

• it disables Task Manager,
• quits various programs that could be stopping files from being edited,
• blocks various websites,
• shows fake Windows Update pop-ups while it’s encrypting files.

Mppq is very fast in encrypting data. Here’s what you might see:

• files don’t open and have icons of blank pages,
• file names look different, they have a new extension appended,
• there are _readme.txt files placed in some folders.

Most Mppq-locked files can’t be opened. Those that can be opened may be missing some contents – or they may be completely filled with random noise.

These ransom notes include a message from Mppq’s developers: pay if you want to recover your files. In other words, the criminals responsible for Mppq are extorting their victims.

Can you get back your files?

If you have no backups, then Mppq might have destroyed your only copies of important files. Can you get them back?

Is decryption possible?

To break your data, Mppq ransomware encrypts it. There’s no way to break that encryption. Mppq is part of the Djvu family of ransomware together with Pahd, Pass, and others. Ransomware specialists have examined this ransomware quite thoroughly – if there was a way to crack Mppq, they’d know it.

As it is, to reverse Mppq’s encryption, it is needed to know the decryption key, which is unique to each Mppq’s victim – with some exceptions. Download the Emsisoft decryptor and use it to scan your Mppq’s encrypted files. It’ll tell you if your decryption key is unique or not. If it’s not, there’s hope that someone will get the key and you can use it.

That other person would have to pay the ransom, though. And paying the ransom is a bad idea: there’s no guarantee that the extortionists won’t just take your money and ignore you. However, if you must pay the ransom, then take care to hide your identity from the extortionists. Do not let them learn who you are so as to avoid being targeted by them again.

Other options

There’s also the option to repair your files. Whenever Mppq encrypts a relatively big file, it only corrupts it partially. For instance, you can open an Mppq-encrypted archive and some of the files should be okay. Some media files might also be partially recoverable thanks to repair software and manual efforts. Make a backup of the Mppq-encrypted files so that you can look into repair later.

Finally, there’s a chance that Mppq failed to encrypt some of your files. Carefully check all of your folders to see if some files remain untouched.

How to protect yourself from ransomware

Making data backups is the best way to protect your files from Mppq and all other ransomware. It also helps keep your files safe in cases of theft and hardware failure, so if you haven’t been backing up your data, now is the time to start. There are many options and the whole thing is pretty simple.

Another helpful habit is to use a good antivirus program, such as Spyhunter. You might already have one. Though Mppq ransomware does try to delete essential files of some antivirus products to stop them from working correctly, so you’ll probably need to reinstall your antivirus to get it working again.

Mppq ransomware likes to infect programs on pirate and torrent sites. Cracks, keygens, “free” versions of various commercial apps. Sometimes, users expect these pirated programs to cause their security software to nag them – so they disable their antivirus tools to pirate in peace. For Mppq, this only makes it easier to infect PC.

How to delete Mppq

Before you can use your computer normally again, it’s important to find and delete Mppq and all other malware. You can do this with antivirus apps.

It’s very possible that the scan finds more than just the Mppq. Spyware is a common traveling partner of Djvu ransomware. If there’s a chance that the spyware stole your passwords, use a clean device to reset them.

Besides deleting Mppq, there are a few things that you should do yourself. Check if Task Manager is running. If not, it might have been disabled by Mppq. Bring it back as described in this post.

However, even removing Mppq might leave behind a damaged system. You could format your drive and reinstall Windows. If you do this, you will have to also reinstall your programs, so keep that in mind.

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

 

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

Step 3. Restore Mppq 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 Mppq 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 Mppq 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.