The .Prandel virus ransom demands

Of course, the goal of the hackers behind a threat like Prandel, Kovasoh,Cosakos, is none other than making money via blackmailing their victims. Since the only surefire method of opening your encrypted files again is through the use of an access key that corresponds to the specific encryption code placed on your data by the Ransomware, the criminals behind the virus use this to harass and blackmail their victims. They offer you the said key in exchange for a money payment that must be made in some cryptocurrency (usually, in BitCoin). Supposedly, the blackmailers would send you the key the moment they receive your money. Needless to say, you can’t really trust the words of hackers like these. Sending them your money may or may not result in the liberation of your files. The only certain thing if you choose to pay the ransom is that the money you send to the online criminals would be gone for good, and there would be no way of refunding it even if you don’t get to unlock your files afterwards.

.Prandel file recovery – alternative options

The biggest problem with Ransomware is that there aren’t really any universal and always-working file-restoration options – as we already pointed out, not even paying the ransom could guarantee that you will get your files back. Still, this doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can try to bring back your data. However, if you are going for some of the alternative methods of data restoration (or even if you aren’t), you will need to first remove the infection. The good news is that, with the aid of the guide we’ve posted below and the advanced removal tool that you will find linked there, you should be able to eliminate the nasty piece of malware. After that, you are advised to visit the second section of the removal guide, where you will learn about several different techniques you can use in order to get some of your data back.

Prandel SUMMARY:

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Remove Prandel 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 Prandel

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 Prandel.

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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 Prandel , 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 – Prandel

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 Prandel 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: Prandel Decryption

The previous steps were all aimed at removing the Prandel 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.

The post Remove Prandel Virus Ransomware (+.Prandel File Recovery) appeared first on Malware Complaints.

 In this post, Lotej will be our main focus, and we will try to help its victims deal with the infection in the best way possible. Before we get any further, however, we need to mention that the full recovery of your data can’t be guaranteed if you are dealing with a threat like Lotej – oftentimes, there is simply no recovery method that is hundred percent effective. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to do anything – you can still minimize the consequences of the malware attack, and below, we will tell you what we consider to be the most advisable course of action.

Characteristics of the .Lotej virus

Knowing the main traits of a given form of malware can help you deal with the infection and also prevent future attacks from such threats. In the case of Lotej and other similar cryptoviruses, one particularly problematic factor is the lack of visible symptoms during infections with them. While some users may notice some increase in the CPU and RAM that are being used during the encryption process as well as a decrease in the free hard-drive space (which goes away after the encryption is finished), it’s generally unlikely for most people to detect a Ransomware in their computer. In addition, most antivirus programs aren’t properly suited to spot such threats, which is why it’s important to use an antivirus that has specialized protection features against Ransomware.

 Another problem with those viruses is the fact that the encryption on the files doesn’t go away when you remove the infection. Despite that, it is still important to remove the malware in order to make sure that no more data gets locked in the future – below this article, we can show you how to eliminate Lotej.

The .Lotej file encryption

As we said at the start of the post, the payment of the demanded ransom isn’t really the perfect option since it may not really get you back the access to your files. Therefore, we suggest that you remove the Ransomware and then look at the alternative options of file recovery that we have here, on this site. Though they may not be fully effective in all cases, it costs nothing to try them out, and if you are lucky and you manage to recover your important data, you would have saved quite a lot of money.

Lotej SUMMARY:

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Remove Lotej Ransomware Guide

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 Lotej

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 Lotej.

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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 Lotej , 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 – Lotej

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 Lotej 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: Lotej Decryption

The previous steps were all aimed at removing the Lotej 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.

The post Remove Lotej Virus Ransomware (+.Lotej File Recovery) appeared first on Malware Complaints.

The new .Kovasoh virus

 Kovasoh is a cryptovirus infection that works in this exact way – it uses its advanced data encryption to render the files of its targets inaccessible and then it shows a notification banner on the computer screen. Through the message in this banner, the user learns that their files have been locked by a Ransomware and that they would need to pay money to the hackers if they are to acquire the decryption key corresponding to the encryption code. Many users pay the demanded ransom immediately after they read the ransom message. However, a lot of people can’t afford to spend a couple of hundred, or even a couple of thousand dollars by sending them to some online criminals. Also, and this should go without saying, there isn’t any conceivable way of actually knowing whether or not the hackers would enable you to restore the access to your data by sending you the corresponding decryption key – for all you know, they may simply be lying to you. And of course, should you still send your money to the criminals behind an infection such as Kovasoh,  Cosakos, Nvetud you’d never get the chance to get that money back from the hackers. Even if you don’t get to unlock your files after the payment, there wouldn’t be a refund.

The .Kovasoh file encryption – options?

If you have decided that you will still pay despite the warnings we’ve just given you, it is your decision and you are the only one who knows your specific situation. However, if you choose to put aside the payment option and instead focus on some of the potential alternatives, we may have something for you here.

 No matter what happens with your files, it’s still important to remove Kovasoh, and the Kovasoh removal guide below will hopefully allow you to do exactly that. And after you are done eliminating the nasty Ransomware, you can try some of the potential file recovery options we have on our site. Sadly, we can’t guarantee that any of them will enable you to release all of your data from Kovasoh. Still, they are a good place to start and it won’t cost you a penny to give them a try.

Kovasoh SUMMARY:

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Remove Kovasoh 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 Kovasoh

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 Kovasoh.

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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 Kovasoh , 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 – Kovasoh

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 Kovasoh 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: Kovasoh Decryption

The previous steps were all aimed at removing the Kovasoh 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.

The post Remove Kovasoh Virus Ransomware (+.Kovasoh File Recovery) appeared first on Malware Complaints.