Malware

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What is ransomware

Bot ransomware will attempt to encrypt your files, and that’s why contamination is something you must avoid. File encrypting malware is commonly known as ransomware, which is a term you ought to be more accustomed to hearing. There is a high likelihood that you recently opened an infected attachment or downloaded from malicious sources, and that’s how the threat got in. We’ll discuss these methods in more details and provide tips on how to avoid a possible threat in the future. If you’re worried about the damage a ransomware infection might bring about, familiarize yourself with with its distribution ways. It can be particularly shocking to find your files locked if it’s your first time hearing about ransomware, and you have little idea about what type of infection it is. Soon after you notice that something is wrong, a ransom note will pop-up, which will explain that so as to unlock the files, you need to pay the ransom. Do keep in mind that you’re dealing with crooks and they’re unlikely to feel any responsibility to assist you. We really doubt criminals will aid you in file recovery, them just ignoring you is much more probable. You’d also be financing more malware projects and the people behind them by paying. Sometimes, malicious software specialists are able to crack the ransomware, and may release a free decryption software. Look into that before you make any decisions. If you were careful enough to set up a backup, just remove Bot ransomware and proceed to data recovery.

Download Removal Toolto remove Bot ransomware

How to prevent a ransomware infection

In this section, we will discuss how your computer could have gotten contaminated in the first place. Ransomware likes to to employ somewhat simple ways for contamination but a more sophisticated method isn’t out of the question. Sending spam emails and hosting their malicious software on different download platforms are what we mean when we say simple, as little skill is required, thus low-level ransomware authors/spreaders can use them. It’s possible that you got your computer contaminated when you opened an email attachment that was infected. The file contaminated with ransomware is added to a kind of legitimate email, and sent to potential victims, whose email addresses crooks were given by other crooks. If it’s your first time running into such a spam campaign, you may not see it for what it is, although if you know the signs, it would be rather obvious. You have to look out for particular signs, such as mistakes in the text and email addresses that look entirely fake. We ought to also mention that crooks use legitimate company names to not cause suspicion for people. Even if you think you’re familiar with the sender, always check the email address to make sure it belongs to the company. Lack of your name in the greeting may also signal what you’re dealing with. If a company with whom you have had business before emails you, they’ll know your name, therefore greetings like Member/User won’t be used. As an example, if you’re a user of eBay, your name will be automatically put into any email you are sent.

If you want the short version, always check sender’s identity before you open an attachment. We also do not suggest clicking on ads hosted on websites with dubious reputation. By pressing on an infected advert, you may end up authorizing ransomware to slither into your system. It is best to ignore those adverts, no matter how tempting they might be, because they are always never trustworthy. Refrain from downloading from untrustworthy sources because you may easily pick up malware from there. Downloads through torrents and such, could be dangerous, thus at least read the comments to ensure that what you’re downloading is not dangerous. Ransomware, or other malware, could also employ vulnerabilities in programs to enter. For this reason your software ought to always be up-to-date. Software vendors release vulnerability fixes regularly, all you need to do is allow them to install.

How does ransomware act

When you open a ransomware infected file, the infection will scan for certain file types. You can expect that your documents and media files will be encrypted since file encoding malicious program needs to have leverage over you. The file-encrypting malware will use a powerful encryption algorithm for file encryption once they have been located. If you aren’t sure which files have been affected, check the file extensions, if you see weird ones, they have been encrypted. You ought to then find a ransom message, with info about what happened to your files and how much you have to pay to get a  decryption tool. How much the decryption utility costs varies from ransomware to ransomware, you might be demanded $20 or a $1000. It is your decision to make whether you wish to pay the ransom, but do think about why this option is not advised. It is probable there are other ways to recover files, so look into them beforehand. Maybe a free decryptor was made by people trained in malware research. Or maybe you’ve created copies of your files a short while ago but simply do not recall doing so. And if the ransomware did not erase the Shadow copies of your files, you may still restore them with the program Shadow Explorer. If you don’t wish this situation to reoccur, we really hope you have invested money into backup to keep your files safe. In case you do have backup, first delete Bot ransomware and then restore files.

Bot ransomware removal

Unless you are actually sure about what you’re doing, manual removal isn’t encouraged. You might end up severely harming your machine if you make an error. It would be better if you used an anti-malware utility for erasing such infections. There should not be any issues as those tools are developed to eliminate Bot ransomware and similar threats. Your files will stay encrypted after ransomware elimination, as the utility is not capable of helping you in that regard. File restoring will need to be done by you.

Download Removal Toolto remove Bot ransomware

Learn how to remove Bot ransomware from your computer

Step 1. Remove Bot ransomware using Safe Mode with Networking.

a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking.

For Windows 7/Vista/XP
  1. Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK. win-xp-restart Erase Bot ransomware
  2. Press and keep pressing F8 until Advanced Boot Options appears.
  3. Choose Safe Mode with Networking win-xp-safe-mode Erase Bot ransomware
For Windows 8/10 users
  1. Press the power button that appears at the Windows login screen. Press and hold Shift. Click Restart. win-10-restart Erase Bot ransomware
  2. Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart. win-10-options Erase Bot ransomware
  3. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Networking. win-10-boot-menu Erase Bot ransomware

b) Step 2. Remove Bot ransomware.

You will now need to open your browser and download some kind of anti-malware software. Choose a trustworthy one, install it and have it scan your computer for malicious threats. When the ransomware is found, remove it. If, for some reason, you can't access Safe Mode with Networking, go with another option.

Step 2. Remove Bot ransomware using System Restore

a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

For Windows 7/Vista/XP
  1. Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK. win-xp-restart Erase Bot ransomware
  2. Press and keep pressing F8 until Advanced Boot Options appears.
  3. Select Safe Mode with Command Prompt. win-xp-safe-mode Erase Bot ransomware
For Windows 8/10 users
  1. Press the power button that appears at the Windows login screen. Press and hold Shift. Click Restart. win-10-restart Erase Bot ransomware
  2. Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart. win-10-options Erase Bot ransomware
  3. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt. win-10-boot-menu Erase Bot ransomware

b) Step 2. Restore files and settings.

  1. You will need to type in cd restore in the window that appears. Press Enter.
  2. Type in rstrui.exe and again, press Enter. command-promt-restore Erase Bot ransomware
  3. A window will pop-up and you should press Next. Choose a restore point and press Next again. windows-restore-point Erase Bot ransomware
  4. Press Yes.
While this should have taken care of the ransomware, you might want to download anti-malware just to be sure no other threats are lurking.  

Step 3. Recover your data

While backup is essential, there is still quite a few users who do not have it. If you are one of them, you can try the below provided methods and you just might be able to recover files.

a) Using Data Recovery Pro to recover encrypted files.

  1. Download Data Recovery Pro, preferably from a trustworthy website.
  2. Scan your device for recoverable files. data-recovery-pro Erase Bot ransomware
  3. Recover them.

b) Restore files through Windows Previous Versions

If you had System Restore enabled, you can recover files through Windows Previous Versions.
  1. Find a file you want to recover.
  2. Right-click on it.
  3. Select Properties and then Previous versions. windows-previous-version Erase Bot ransomware
  4. Pick the version of the file you want to recover and press Restore.

c) Using Shadow Explorer to recover files

If you are lucky, the ransomware did not delete your shadow copies. They are made by your system automatically for when system crashes.
  1. Go to the official website (shadowexplorer.com) and acquire the Shadow Explorer application.
  2. Set up and open it.
  3. Press on the drop down menu and pick the disk you want. shadow-explorer Erase Bot ransomware
  4. If folders are recoverable, they will appear there. Press on the folder and then Export.

* SpyHunter scanner, published on this site, is intended to be used only as a detection tool. More info on SpyHunter. To use the removal functionality, you will need to purchase the full version of SpyHunter. If you wish to uninstall SpyHunter, click here.

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