The .Moka Virus
We fully understand your frustration if a nasty cryptovirus named Moka has managed to take your personal data hostage. This is a new and highly advanced addition to the infamous Ransomware virus family and dealing with it can be a serious challenge to even more experienced users. Before we delve further into this article, we should tell you right away that you may not be able to restore all of your data regardless of what you attempt to do – it’s just the way Ransomware cryptoviruses, and especially newer ones like Moka, Seto, Peta, are. Those threats are very sophisticated pieces of malware, and the encryption that they use to make the targeted files inaccessible to their victims is a serious obstacle, the overcoming of which may not always be fully possible.
If Moka has your files under its encryption right now, you have more than likely been blackmailed to pay a ransom to the hackers behind this virus, and have been promised that if you comply, a decryption key would be sent to you in order to allow you to unlock your files. Any sensible person should see that, as tempting as this may sound, there is a huge problem with such a course of action, namely, the fact that you can’t get any guarantee that you will get that said key even if you do indeed make the demanded ransom transaction. Those are, after all, hackers, and trusting them is really not advisable, especially when there’s money at stake. Pretty much all security experts unanimously agree that paying the requested sum should, at the most, be seen as a last resort option. Going for the ransom is especially advised against if the locked files aren’t that important to you. And, if the files hold some personal or professional value to you, then you should very carefully consider your options before making your next move.
The .Moka file encryption
The first and most obvious one, as inadvisable as it is, is the payment of the ransom. We already covered it and told you why it isn’t the perfect course of action here. The other thing you can try is attempt to deal with this threat without “consulting” the hackers. In this case, the first thing you need to do is remove Moka. Our Moka removal guide present on this page and the removal program available in it should be enough to help our readers get rid of this virus. However, what’s the more difficult part is what comes next. After the malware is gone, you’d have to try different methods in order to restore as much of your locked data as possible. The first thing to do here is check your other devices, your cloud accounts and other online accounts for safe and accessible backup copies of your files. The perfect case scenario is if you have a full backup but most people don’t. If that’s you case as well, you can try some of the suggestions from our file-recovery section. Those suggestions, however, may not always work against all Ransomware attacks. Still, we strongly advise you to try them – they won’t cost you anything and you may still get to restore some of your files if you are lucky.
SUMMARY:
| Name | Moka |
| Type | Ransomware |
| Danger Level | High (Ransomware is by far the worst threat you can encounter) |
| Symptoms | Most Ransomware threats can’t be noticed without the help of security software before their job gets completed and the users’ files get locked. |
| Distribution Method | Spam messages that carry the malware in their attachments, misleading links, fake updates, pirated content and so on. |
Remove Moka Virus
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 Moka
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 Moka.
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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 Moka , 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 – Moka
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 Moka 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: Moka Decryption
The previous steps were all aimed at removing the Moka 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.