Parisher Ransomware - How to remove

Parisher ransomware is a variant of Mobef cryptomalware. It was released in the Summer of 2016 and have already infected almost 20,000 computers worldwide. The coders of this new version of Mobef target companies, that are computer networks, among the regular users – personal computers. Neither of the latter can feel safe. Parisher ransomware virus utilizes the never-dying asymmetric encryption algorithm to encrypt the certain files (will be specified later in the text). It leaves the victim the ransom note with multiple e-mails and asks for the incredible amount of ransom in bitcoins, which is around 3 thousand USD.

The Specifics of Parisher Ransomware

Parisher cryptomalware encrypts all archives, .doc, .xls, .pdf files with the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) cipher in combination with RSA (Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard Adleman) algorithm. This combination of keys is commonly known as asymmetric encryption. Images, having .jpg extension are not locked by this file-encrypting threat. Parisher virus does not append any additional file name extensions to the encrypted files unlike the majority of crypto-lockers. When the data files, having the previously mentioned extensions are encrypted, the ENCRYPT1ON.KEY123 file, containing the public encryption key, is created, and the ransom note, named 1NFORMAT1ONFOR.YOU, is dropped into the corrupted folders as a text file:

ID:7459374
PC:DC01
USER:administrator
=======
Hello there. I can decrypt your files.
Email me: [email protected]
In case you don’t get a reply, please email me here*:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

* check your junk/spam folder first though 🙂

These files have been encrypted (please, keep this .log): C:\Windows\7459374.log

The abundance of contact e-mails is observable in the note: [email protected] (the primary one), [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] – all are provided to contact the criminals. 5 BTC, which is about 3,231.13 USD at the precise moment, is the money the cyber crooks behind Parisher crypto-malware are willing to extort from their victims. Though this amount of money is not indicated in the ransom message, this size of the ransom payment has been reported to be demanded by these hackers. We do not have any information about the payments made by the affected users nor the transfers of the private key. In any case, it is a general advise not to deal with the coders of ransomware.

This is how the desktop of the PC looks like after the attack of Parisher crypto malware:

What to Do with the Locked Files After the Attack of Parisher Ransomware?

Parisher encoder is not decryptable yet. It is still under analysis. Anyway, copy the infected files/drives to take advantage of the decryptor, when it has been released. At the moment, make use of the backed up copies of the damaged data, check system restore. Employ data recovery tools. You can choose from a variety of professional software such as Recuva, products by Kaspersky, etc.

Why the Removal of Parisher Ransomware is Even More Important than Data Recovery?

Ransomware viruses can proceed with encrypting data. They can encrypt all the particular file containers on your device and even the new files you save on your computer upon every reboot, if the malicious program remains on the computer’s system. Thus, you need to remove it before you use your backup or download data recovery applications. Use professional software such as Spyhunter or Hitman to delete Parisher malware. Restart your PC into the Safe Mode with Networking and run one of the recommended malware removal programs. The manual removal instructions have been developed for advanced users. They can be found below the article.

How is Parisher Ransomware Spread and how to Avoid Future Ransomware Attacks?

Parisher encrypting malware is distributed via remote access software, namely, RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) and TeamViewer remote control tools. This is simple to implement, if the computer’s system is vulnerable. Users must not postpone software updates. The updates must be investigated prior to upgrading the system, since they can also bring malware on the device. Having a trustworthy security utility such as Malwarebytes, for instance, is also very important. Such professional tools have a real-time security feature embedded in, which blocks the malicious codes and do not allow them to be infiltrated into the computer’s system.

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

 

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

Step 3. Restore Parisher 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 Parisher 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 Parisher 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.