This page aims to help you remove .Grovat Virus Ransomware for free. Our instructions also cover how any .Grovat file can be recovered.

The Ransomware cryptoviruses are very dangerous computer infections capable of encrypting important user data such as business documents, videos, photos and other files. Once they do so, they begin to ask for a ransom payment that the users must pay if they want to decrypt their locked files and make them accessible again. Those threats can be used to blackmail the victims and make them fulfill the demands of the hackers who are in control of the infection. When you are infected with a representative of this malicious virus category, you may not be able to use your computer for anything related to use of data because every new file that you create or every device that you connect may get encrypted immediately. Such threats can also block your existing security software and make room for other threats by deactivating important system processes.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to detect and remove those nasty infections before they manage to complete their malicious task. Most Ransomware viruses try to hide their own processes, files and other related components in order to make their removal more difficult and prevent the users from locating them.

.Grovat, for instance, is a very stealthy cryptovirus that typically encrypts the victim’s important files and offers to send back a special decryption key after the payment of a specific ransom sum. The malware displays a message that threatens the users that these files will be lost forever if they don’t pay. Of course, the crooks behind the infection try to extort money from their victims as soon as possible in order not to give them time to look for alternatives. However, in the case of a Ransomware infection, it is not advisable to pay the ransom. There are many people who have lost their money in this exact way. Besides, trusting messages that claim you have to send money to some anonymous crooks won’t give you any guarantees about the future of your data and your computer. That’s why, if your system has been attacked by .Grovat, we suggest you focus on removing the hidden malware and the try some some file-recovery alternatives like the ones in the removal guide below.

guide

Infection techniques and methods of distribution

Most Ransomware infections, including .Grovat, can infect computers without the knowledge of the user. There are two main ways these threats can get in your system unnoticed:

• Trojan horses and other malware. Most Ransomware infections usually spread through Trojans backdoors. Those threats can secretly compromise the computer when the users click on files attached to emails or different fake ads, misleading links and unreliable web locations, and can create backdoors for threats like .Grovat and other viruses without the users’ knowledge.
• False pop-up notifications: Another common method for spreading Ransomware is through fake pop-up notifications that can easily be found on illegal sites. They mostly report available updates and discount offers, but they may also tell you that your system needs a scan that you can do for free if you click and install some given component. These ads are usually filled with good-looking content and so that they can trick even the most experienced user into clicking on them.
  

  .Grovat SUMMARY:

  Name	.Grovat
  Type	Ransomware
  Danger Level	High (.Grovat Ransomware encrypts all types of files)
  Symptoms	.Grovat Ransomware is hard to detect and aside from increased use of RAM and CPU, there would barely be any other visible red flags.
  Distribution Method	Most of the time, Trojans get distributed through spam e-mails and social network messages, malicious ads, shady and pirated downloads, questionable torrents and other similar methods.

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  Remove .Grovat File Virus Ransomware 

  1: Preparations

  Note: Before you go any further, we advise you to bookmark this page or have it open on a separate device such as your smartphone or another PC. Some of the steps might require you to exit your browser on this PC.

  2: Task Manager

  Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to enter the Task Manager. Go to the Tab labeled Processes (Details for Win 8/10). Carefully look through the list of processes that are currently active on you PC.

  If any of them seems shady, consumes too much RAM/CPU or has some strange description or no description at all, right-click on it, select Open File Location and delete everything there.
  
  

  Also, even if you do not delete the files, be sure to stop the process by right-clicking on it and selecting End Process.

  3: IP related to .Grovat

  Go to c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. Open the hosts file with notepad.

  Find where it says Localhost and take a look below that. 

  

  If you see any IP addresses there (below Localhost) send them to us here, in the comments since they might be coming from the .Grovat.

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  4: Disable Startup programs

  Re-open the Start Menu and type msconfig.

  Click on the first search result. In the next window, go to the Startup tab. If you are on Win 10,  it will send you to the Startup part of the task manager instead, as in the picture:

  

  If you see any sketchy/shady looking entries in the list with an unknown manufacturer or a manufacturer name that looks suspicious as there could be a link between them and .Grovat , disable those programs and select OK.

  5: Registry Editor

  Press Windows key + R and in the resulting window type regedit.

  Now, press Ctrl + F and type the name of the virus.

  Delete everything that gets found. If you are not sure about whether to delete something, do not hesitate to ask us in the comments. Keep in mind that if you delete the wrong thing, you might cause all sorts of issues to your PC.

  6: Deleting potentially malicious data – .Grovat

  Type each of the following locations in the Windows search box and hit enter to open the locations:

  %AppData%

  %LocalAppData%

  %ProgramData%

  %WinDir%

  %Temp%

  Delete everything you see in Temp linked to .Grovat Ransomware. About the other folders, sort their contents by date and delete only the most recent entries. As always, if you are not sure about something, write to us in the comment section.

  7: .Grovat Decryption

  The previous steps were all aimed at removing the .Grovat Ransomware from your PC. However, in order to regain access to your files, you will also need to decrypt them or restore them. For that, we have a separate article with detailed instructions on what you have to do in order to unlock your data. Here is a link to that guide.