Peet Ransomware - How to remove

Files with the extension “.peet” appear on computers that were infected with a version of Djvu ransomware, called Peet. Those files are made inaccessible and held for ransom by the people who created the virus. In Peet’s case, that ransom is either $490 or $980 – a sum too large for most of the victims of this ransomware. And though there are some ways to possibly restore some files that the Peet ransomware locked, there’s no guaranteed way to get all of them back.

Characteristics of Peet

The symptoms of the ransomware

First, files locked by Peet ransomware have their names changed to include “peet” as the extension. For example, “list.doc” becomes “list.doc.peet”. Windows will list the file type as PEET.

Another noticeable change is that Peet ransomware left files called “_readme.txt” in many folders. The files all contain the same message from Peet’s creators where they ask to be contacted to tell you how to send them money:

Attention!

Don’t worry, you can return all your files!
All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.
What guarantees you have?
You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.
…

Also, the infected computer can’t show some websites (like ours) thanks to Peet messing with the hosts file.

Dealing with a Peet infection isn’t as simple as just wiping and starting over. This ransomware is quite serious:

Peet identification	Files have “peet” in their names and most of them can’t be opened Some websites are blocked A Windows Update window was shown earlier
Very important notes	Online passwords need to be changed after a Peet ransomware attack Some of the encrypted files might be fixed by Emsisoft’s decrypter
Source of the infection	Torrent sites Modified software Unofficial download websites
Peet ransomware removal	Fix the hosts file Install security updates Use antivirus tools like SpyHunter to remove the infections

Peet distribution and infection

Peet is not the first ransomware of its type. It’s a new edition of Djvu, previous versions are Lokf, Mosk, Toec, and many others. Most of them are still out there, infecting new victims from time to time. Some people get attacked by multiple Djvu ransomware strains at once.

Peet ransomware is a risk to those looking for commercial software for free. The victims of different Djvu viruses noticed that they had something in common – they got infected by some sort of pirating or downloading free files from an unofficial source. Files and software that could carry Peet include key generators, software cracks, various unlocked commercial programs, free software, and even books. Were those files scanned before being run, the ransomware might have been caught.

When the infected file is run, Peet tries to mess with system settings, like breaking the installed security software and by blocking a bunch of websites that write about this ransomware. Then Peet starts work on corrupting your files and tries to throw off suspicion by displaying a fake Windows Update window with a loading bar. If you catch it early on, the safest thing to do is to immediately shut down the computer and to not boot it again until you have deleted the ransomware. Peet ransomware will run repeatedly and try to encrypt files every time you start your computer.

By the way, Peet ransomware doesn’t always come alone – Azorult spyware might be installed by it to steal passwords, crypto wallet credentials, and maybe download some malware later. Some victims of Djvu have had their crypto wallets robbed and their online accounts hacked.

How to restore Peet files

We’re used to hearing about encryption as this thing that protects our privacy. Encrypted messages can be safely sent over the internet while remaining secret because they’re scrambled by an algorithm and only the recipient’s key can unscramble them. You can make your files on a computer password-protected with encryption and no one but you will be able to read them.

Peet’s creators use file-encrypting malware to lock files and then try to extort the victims by promising them that they’ll send the decryption software and the key (unique to each attack) if they’re paid some money. That’s not a good idea because there’s no guarantee that the cybercriminals will help you get your files back – sometimes they do, other times they take the money and ignore the victim.

There are other methods worth trying that don’t require you to gamble with hundreds of dollars:

• Restoring files from a backup.
• Using the decrypter released by cybersecurity experts.
• Recovering data from archives and other big files.

The best way to go back to normal after removing Peet ransomware is to restore the lost files from a backup. Not restore points or shadow copies on the attacked computer because Peet tries to delete those (though in case Peet bugged out, it and other options are described in the last section and are still worth trying). Backups should have been created before the attack and kept on a separate device that wasn’t touched by Peet. Backups are where redundant copies of files are kept and they’re great for insuring yourself against ransomware, theft, or your drive simply breaking. Most people use the cloud or an external storage device and regularly put their files there.

If you didn’t have a backup, there’s still some hope. Peet is only the newest member of the Djvu ransomware family and researchers have had their eyes on this family for a while. Thanks to their hard work, Emsisoft released a free decrypter for Djvu ransomware. That’s half the puzzle – there’s the decryption software, now only the keys are needed. If you read the decrypter’s description, you’ll find that there’s a special case where files can be decrypted for some people that has to do with Peet being unable to talk to its server. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to everyone.

Finally, if you know how files work or have a friend who does, you might be able to recover some data with only a little loss. Peet doesn’t encrypt whole big files completely – it only locks important parts of them, like the beginning and the end. This is enough that the files can’t be opened, but some data remains untouched. For example, if you manage to open some archives locked by Peet (rar, zip, and similar files), some of the files extracted from them should work.

How to remove Peet

Make a backup of the encrypted system so that you can examine those .peet files later. If you hope to decrypt the files, you need to keep them unedited because even the smallest change can mess with decryption. Only edit a file locked by Peet ransomware if you have a copy saved somewhere. But first, Peet ransomware needs to be deleted – anti-malware scanners like SpyHunter can do that. After that, remember to change your passwords in case Azorult swiped them.

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

 

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

Step 3. Restore Peet 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 Peet 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 Peet 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.