We understand how hopeless things may seem if a Ransomware cryptovirus like Coharos has managed to infiltrate your computer and lock up your files with its advanced file-encryption. However, panicking and doing something impulsive in a separate attempt to restore your files is something you should most definitely avoid, as it may lead to even more problems.
Normally, after the files get locked up by the Ransomware, the virus itself would revel its presence by presenting you with a big banner or a notepad file on your desktop, which contain a message from the hackers. The message tells you about the encryption on your files and about the ransom you are required to pay in order to receive the decryption key for them. Now, although this key is oftentimes the only truly effective way to restore the locked up data, paying the ransom isn’t really a very good option. The main reason for that is you may lost a lot of money and still not get what you have paid for – the decryption key. There is no way of knowing if the cyber crooks would actually send it to you or if the key they send you would really work on your files. In many cases, the online wallets to which the users are required to send the money are no longer being used by the criminals, meaning that you may simply be sending your money to no one. However, once you send the ransom money, it won’t matter if you restore your files or not – that money is gone and there is no way to get it back. Therefore, it is advisable to at least try some other way of dealing with this situation before you consider the more radical option of paying the ransom.
Removing the .Coharos virus
Regardless of what happens with your files, you will still need to get rid of Coharos. To help our readers who have this infection in their machines, we have added a removal guide at the bottom of this write-up. The instructions there, as well as the professional removal tool, should be enough to enable you to quickly and effectively eliminate the nefarious piece of malware from your computer.
Suggestions on handling the .Coharos file encryption
There are some things you can try in order to recover some of your files without paying the ransom. However, you will first need to eliminate the virus, so do not forget about that. Now, after you get rid of Coharos, Krusop, Masok you should take a look at your other devices and any cloud accounts you may use, or have used in the past. There, you may find some copies of your important files, and use them to copy back your data to your computer. If none such copies are found, you can also try the suggested methods form the recovery section of our guide. We must warn you, however, that those methods may not always do the job – it really depends on the specific circumstances of the infection. Still, we believe it’s worth to give them a try, so go ahead and do that!
Coharos SUMMARY:
| Name | Coharos |
| Type | Ransomware |
| Danger Level | High (Coharos Ransomware encrypts all types of files) |
| Symptoms | Coharos 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. |
Remove Coharos 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 Coharos
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 Coharos.
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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 Coharos , 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 – Coharos
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 Coharos 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: Coharos Decryption
The previous steps were all aimed at removing the Coharos 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.
