Sspq Ransomware - How to remove

Sspq is a malicious program – file-encrypting ransomware. It’s part of the Djvu family along with Qscx, Mppq, Pahd, and other variants. Sspq infects Windows computers and locks files, then asks for money in exchange for unlocking them.

After Sspq’s infection, it’s needed to remove all malware and consider your options of recovering the encrypted files. Unless they had backups, there’s no simple way to fix the data for most victims. But there are a few helpful options.

About Sspq:

Threat type	Ransomware, trojan.
Sspq infection symptoms	Files have new double extensions ending with “sspq”, those files won’t open and they seem to be corrupted.
Options to restore your data	Restore data from backups, scan your files with the free decryptor, repair data or use file recovery tools.
How to delete Sspq and other malware	Find and delete malware with antivirus tools (Spyhunter, others), reset your passwords.

How Sspq ransomware works

Sspq is downloaded from the internet

Sspq ransomware is likely downloaded from the internet. It might have been shared on a torrent site, uploaded on a software pirating site, hidden in a game cheat, etc.

Antivirus scanners should detect Sspq as malware with names like Trojan, Ransom, Filecoder, or simply Malware. Sspq tries to fight this by killing the processes of common security tools. Also, some users intentionally disable their antivirus when downloading pirated content, which can make things easier for Sspq ransomware.

The ransomware disables Task Manager and may disable the Registry Editor. It deletes shadow volume copies and restore points. Then, it starts encrypting.

It encrypts files

Sspq goes through the files on the infected computer and encrypts them. It’s similar to how you can password protect your files, except that Sspq hides your password – the decryption key – and holds it for ransom.

To mark which files are encrypted, Sspq changes their names by appending “.sspq”. If you don’t see this, then configure your Windows to show file extensions.

And to demand the ransom payment, Sspq creates notes called _readme.txt. In these notes is a message from the cybercriminals who operate the Sspq infection. They want from $490 to $980 to be sent to them in exchange for the decryption key to unlock your files.

Can you recover your files?

Backups are the best way to protect yourself against ransomware. If you had backups of your files, such as external drives or cloud backups, you can restore your data once Sspq is removed.

Sspq may have failed to encrypt some of your files, so comb through your data and see if there are any folders left untouched by the attack.

Paying the ransom is an option. But it is risky:

• The cybercriminals might not keep their end of the bargain – they might take your money and ignore you, there might be technical issues with the decryption tools.
• In some countries, there might be legal issues with paying the ransom, at least by ransomware consultant firms.
• If you pay the Sspq ransom and reveal your identity, the extortionists might come after you again at a later time with a more targeted attack.

There are some other options.

If someone else paid the ransom and you happen to share their decryption key (it’s rare, but it happens), the Emsisoft decryptor might help you.

You could also look into file repair and data recovery. Your results will not be perfect, though.

Be careful of anyone who promises to recover your files in exchange for money as they could be scammers. Ransomware specialists have turned Sspq’s family, Djvu, inside out – and the Emsisoft decryptor is the best that’s out there.

How to delete Sspq

Sspq is a malicious program, it needs to be deleted or your drive needs to be reformatted.

With Sspq, other malicious programs were likely also installed. The spyware AZORult was known to spread with Djvu ransomware, as well as adware infections. Those need to be deleted, too.

In case spyware stole your information, it’s good to reset your passwords and make sure to use strong ones. That way, if any of your credentials were stolen, they won’t be usable.

It’s also important to remember how Sspq got on your computer in the first place. Pirated content, software downloaded from unofficial sites, etc. If you know how Sspq spreads, you can avoid this sort of malware in the future.

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/).

{{block:automatic_removal_tools}

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

 

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

Step 3. Restore Sspq 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 Sspq 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 Sspq 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.