Erase Donut ransomware

Is this a serious infection

Donut ransomware ransomware is dangerous malicious program since if your device gets contaminated with it, you could be facing serious issues. If you have never encountered this type of malware until now, you are in for a shock. Strong encryption algorithms are used by ransomware to encrypt files, and once they’re locked, your access to them will be prevented. This is why data encrypting malware is classified as harmful malicious software, seeing as infection may lead to you permanently losing access to your files. Cyber crooks will offer you a decryptor, you would just need to pay the ransom, but there are a couple of reasons why this option is not suggested. File decryption even if you pay is not guaranteed so you could just end up wasting your money. What is stopping crooks from just taking your money, without giving you a decryptor. The criminals’ future activities would also be financed by that money. Ransomware already does billions of dollars in damage, do you really want to be supporting that. And the more people give into the demands, the more profitable file encrypting malware gets, and that kind of money surely attracts people who want easy income. You might find yourself in this type of situation again in the future, so investing the demanded money into backup would be wiser because file loss wouldn’t be a possibility. If backup was made before the ransomware contaminated your device, you can just uninstall Donut ransomware and proceed to unlock Donut ransomware files. And in case you are unsure about how you managed to acquire the file encoding malware, its distribution ways will be discussed in the below paragraph in the paragraph below.
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How does ransomware spread

Email attachments, exploit kits and malicious downloads are the spread methods you need to be cautious about. There is usually no need to come up with more elaborate methods because a lot of users aren’t careful when they use emails and download something. That doesn’t mean more elaborate methods are not used at all, however. Hackers just have to attach a malicious file to an email, write a plausible text, and falsely state to be from a trustworthy company/organization. Because the topic is delicate, users are more inclined to open money-related emails, thus those kinds of topics are frequently used. Hackers also commonly pretend to be from Amazon, and warn potential victims about some unusual activity in their account, which would which would make the user less careful and they’d be more inclined to open the attachment. Because of this, you need to be careful about opening emails, and look out for indications that they might be malicious. Check if the sender is known to you before opening the attachment they’ve sent, and if you do not recognize them, investigate who they are. Double-checking the sender’s email address is still essential, even if you are familiar with the sender. Also, look for mistakes in grammar, which can be quite obvious. Another noticeable clue could be your name not used anywhere, if, lets say you’re an Amazon user and they were to email you, they would not use general greetings like Dear Customer/Member/User, and instead would use the name you have given them with. ransomware could also use not updated programs on your computer to enter. All programs have weak spots but generally, software authors fix them when they are identified so that malware can’t use it to enter a system. Nevertheless, as widespread ransomware attacks have proven, not everyone installs those updates. It’s suggested that you install a patch whenever it is made available. Updates can be set to install automatically, if you find those notifications bothersome.

What can you do about your files

A data encrypting malware only targets specif files, and when they are identified, they will be encrypted. Even if infection was not evident initially, it’ll become pretty obvious something is wrong when you can’t open your files. Look for strange file extensions attached to files that were encrypted, they they’ll help recognize the data encrypting malware. Sadly, files might be permanently encoded if a strong encryption algorithm was used. If you’re still not sure what’s going on, everything will be explained in the ransom notification. The method they recommend involves you buying their decryption utility. The note ought to plainly display the price for the decryption utility but if it does not, you will be proposed an email address to contact the criminals to set up a price. For the reasons we have mentioned above, we do not encourage paying the ransom. Before even considering paying, look into other alternatives first. Maybe you just don’t recall creating copies. Or, if luck is on your side, someone might have published a free decryptor. Security specialists are occasionally able to release free decryption tools, if the ransomware is decryptable. Bear this in mind before paying the ransom even crosses your mind. Purchasing backup with that money might be more beneficial. If you made backup before the infection took over, you might proceed to file recovery after you fix Donut ransomware virus. Now that you realize how dangerous this kind of infection can be, try to dodge it as much as possible. Stick to legitimate download sources, be careful of email attachments you open, and make sure software is updated.

How to eliminate Donut ransomware virus

If you wish to completely get rid of the file encrypting malware, use ransomware. When trying to manually fix Donut ransomware virus you may cause additional harm if you aren’t careful or experienced when it comes to computers. A malware removal utility would be a safer choice in this situation. The tool is not only capable of helping you take care of the infection, but it might also stop similar ones from entering in the future. Find which malware removal program is most suitable for you, install it and allow it to execute a scan of your computer in order to identify the threat. Sadly, such a utility will not help to recover data. After the infection is cleaned, make sure you obtain backup and regularly backup all important files.
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Learn how to remove Donut ransomware from your computer

• Step 1. Remove Donut ransomware using Safe Mode with Networking.
• Step 2. Remove Donut ransomware using System Restore
• Step 3. Recover your data

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

• a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking.
• b) Step 2. Remove Donut ransomware.

a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking.

For Windows 7/Vista/XP

1. Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
2. Press and keep pressing F8 until Advanced Boot Options appears.
3. Choose Safe Mode with Networking

For Windows 8/10 users

1. Press the power button that appears at the Windows login screen. Press and hold Shift. Click Restart.
2. Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart.
3. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Networking.

b) Step 2. Remove Donut 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 Donut ransomware using System Restore

• a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
• b) Step 2. Restore files and settings.

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

For Windows 7/Vista/XP

1. Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
2. Press and keep pressing F8 until Advanced Boot Options appears.
3. Select Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

For Windows 8/10 users

1. Press the power button that appears at the Windows login screen. Press and hold Shift. Click Restart.
2. Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart.
3. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

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.
3. A window will pop-up and you should press Next. Choose a restore point and press Next again.
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

• a) Using Data Recovery Pro to recover encrypted files.
• b) Restore files through Windows Previous Versions
• c) Using Shadow Explorer to recover files

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.
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.
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.
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.