Vawe Ransomware - How to remove

Vawe is ransomware that encrypts files and marks them with the Vawe file extension. And it gets installed with some other malware, including spyware. The result of a Vawe infection is broken, unopenable files and lots of lost data. Whether the files broken by Vawe can be recovered depends on some circumstances that may be different for each victim. But Vawe definitely needs to be deleted before the infected computer can be used normally again.

About Vawe:

Classification	Ransomware.
How Vawe infects PCs	Downloaded from pirating sites, installed together with other malware, encrypts files and changes their names.
Recovering the files	Restore files from backups after Vawe is deleted, recover deleted data, try the free decryptor, repair the files.
Deleting Vawe	Use antivirus programs (like Spyhunter) to find and delete malware, secure your accounts so that stolen passwords can’t be used to hack them.

How Vawe works

Vawe is another ransomware virus in the Djvu family. This is a very widespread family that also contains Usam, Nypd, and dozens and dozens of other similar malicious programs.

Vawe infects PCs when it is downloaded from the internet. It often hides game cheats, cracked programs, and similar potentially unsafe files that can be found on unreliable websites. Vawe comes with other malware, usually Azorult, so don’t be surprised if random unfamiliar programs get installed and pop-up ads fill your screen. It is an issue related to Vawe but not directly caused by it.

Once Vawe runs, it looks for and deletes backups, tries to delete the updates of the default antivirus program, and disables the Task Manager. Then Vawe contacts its Command and Control server to download a unique encryption ID and uses it to encrypt the victim’s files. The unique ID does two things: asymmetrical encryption ensures that the decryption key is not ever stored on the victim’s computer, while it being unique ensures that each victim’s decryption key is also unique, meaning that each victim has to pay their own ransom to get their files back from Vawe.

Once Vawe has encrypted files and changed their names by appending the “Vawe” extension, it also creates a bunch of ransom notes called _readme:

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.

…

There are some things to note about dealing with Vawe:

• If you turned off your computer mid-encryption, don’t turn it on. Instead, scan the drives affected by Vawe from another computer after connecting them as removable media.
• In some cases, Vawe may fail to encrypt all the files. Don’t delete everything without first checking all of your folders.
• Sometimes, Vawe may fail to connect to the C&C server and download a unique encryption ID. In those cases, it uses a non-unique encryption ID. Meaning, if someone else pays for the corresponding decryption key, it works on the files encrypted with this key.

How to get your files back

After a Vawe attack, most files on the infected computer are broken. Some people didn’t have anything valuable there anyway, others are able to restore files from a backup. Some people didn’t have a backup but still want to get their files back. If that applies to you, here are a few things you can do:

• Try the free decryptor by Emsisoft in case Vawe used the non-unique ID.
• Restore deleted files with a data recovery program.
• Repair the files, just like described in this post by a repair tool developer. The trick is, Vawe does not fully encrypt large files (that would take too long). So, some amount of data (not all of it) remains untouched and can be recovered.

A few important notes:

• Make backups of the encrypted Vawe files. They are not dangerous and if you want to try and repair or decrypt them, then always have a backup.
• Ignore scammers. Some people promise to decrypt files for a fee. But they either just take the money and go silent, or they pay the ransom and pocket the difference.

How to remove Vawe

After you’ve decided how you’re going to deal with the files, time to get rid of the infection.

It is not just Vawe that needs to be removed, but also all the malware that came with it. You can use an antivirus application like Spyhunter. Here is an example of Vawe ransomware being scanned by antivirus programs – VirusTotal.

Consider also changing passwords and keeping a close eye on your credit card account. The spyware that came with Vawe has the ability to steal saved credentials and other data.

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

 

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

Step 3. Restore Vawe 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 Vawe 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 Vawe 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.