WannaCryptor ransomware - How to remove

Last days of March in 2017 are definitely being noted for a frequent detection of crypto-viruses. WannaCryptor, a.k.a WannaCry, ransomware infection, first surfaced in the very end of this month, approximately in 26th of March. It was possible to trace another product of those hackers that designed this virus. Wcry was the first one to create a background for WannaCryptor. Both of these are fairly recent (Wcry emerged in February of 2017) and their primary objective is clear: to use dishonorable tactics for the sake of depriving people of money. Interestingly, WannaCryptor virus leaves a dropbox.com link which is the source of a decryptor. Of course, not everything is that easy. If users download the executable, it will launch a “Wanna” table, indicating that 300$ is the fee to make this file-recovery software functional. The sum is about 0.28798 BTC which is the currency that hackers are demanding.

Analysis WannaCryptor ransomware

WannaCryptor ransomware combines AES and RSA ciphers, differently from its ancestor Wcry which only exploited AES. It appears that hackers attempted to step up and produce a more sophisticated ransomware which would be even more terrifying. Its ransom note, called !Please the Read Me.txt! Provides a brief explanation of the situation and offers people to download the software for decryption of files. No more information is listed in the ransom note, so, naturally, there has to be more details.

Obviously, the Wanna Decryptor software stands as a more informative source. In the window that launches after victims download a file from dropbox, they will notice that the decryptor does not work. As soon as you run the file-recovery tool, a clock will start ticking backwards. After a certain amount of time ends, the price of decryption will be raised. Users can also choose from different sections “About bitcoin”, “How to buy bitcoins?”, “Contact Us”. The last one will presumably provide an address of some sort which will help people get in touch with authors of WannaCryptor virus.

Additionally, the software features a bitcoin wallet which is supposed to receive the demanded amount of bitcoins. If victim pays, he/she has to click “Check Payment” which will determine whether your payment reached its destination. However, we can not reassure that the hackers will to their end of the bargain. The decryptor might not be functional enough to restore all of the data that the ransomware corrupts. For this reason, you will spend 300 dollars or more completely for nothing. There are no reports about an extension that would be added to the encrypted data.

Assistance in data recovery: WannaCryptor ransomware edition

We do not recommend paying for the decryption tool that authors of WannaCryptor virus have designed. It might not even be functional and your money will not change that. Additionally, hackers usually have very little interest in keeping their activity genuine. For this reason, they do not intend to care about their victims, only about money. If you are a victim of WannaCryptor ransomware, you will not be able to launch a solid amount of your files, but before panicking, you should try to recover your data free-of-charge. You should read the following sections and become acquainted with Shadow Volume Copies and universal file-recovery tools. However, there is no need to sweat it backup storages are filled with your valuable data. Then, remove WannaCryptor virus and move onto decryption of remaining files.

How does WannaCryptor ransomware invade devices?

Two of the most popular strategies for ransomware distribution are the transmission of malicious email letters and infections through exploit kits. Your email inbox can be targeted by ransomware creators and they will send rogue letters to your account. It is very possible that you will notice bizarre emails that will allegedly inform you about one-time-deals or encourage you to claim a solid prize. However, do not follow links that are found in such letters. In addition to that, various attachments can be only imposing as harmless files. In reality, they will be concealing a payload of a ransomware.

Victims should deal with ransomware extremely carefully. Manually removing this infection is possible, but it might take a while. Anti-malware tools likeSpyhunter or Malwarebytes will provide users with a faster solution to their problems. Of course, they won’t assist in file-recovery process, but they will eliminate every trace of WannaCryptor virus so it would no longer be present.

Update of the 15th of May, 2017. You might have already heard of the news about WannaCry that spread like wildfire. Users all over the globe got infected and that, naturally, triggered a lot of attention from the media all over the world. Even business corporations were involved in this astonishingly unexpected and massive ransomware outburst. WannaCry managed to infect a lot of computers with Windows operating systems in a very short period of time. Thankfully, the infection was prevented from happening even further, but users and security researchers are recommending that people would take heed. Also, multiple copycats of WannaCry were discovered today, some of them still in development. The best way to secure yourself is to take advantage of critical updates that Microsoft has published. Additionally, store your digital data in backup storages.

Update of the 28th of February, 2018. WannaCry virus was spotted in the wild after quite a long break. This time, Connecticut’s state agencies were targeted by this ransomware infection. In total, the malware invaded over 100 computers, but specialists claimed that no huge damage was done to the files or devices. In addition to this, the state agencies continue to operate as they use to.

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

 

Step 2. Complete removal of WanaCrypt0r

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 WannaCry virus. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore WannaCry 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 WannaCryptor 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 WannaCrypt virus 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.