How to get rid of .SOS file virus

About this infection

.SOS file virus will lock your files, as it’s ransomware. Ransomware is considered to be a very severe threat and might lead you to permanently encoded files. It is rather easy to get infected, which only adds to why it is so dangerous. Opening spam email attachments, clicking on malicious ads and fake downloads are the most common reasons why ransomware may be able to infect. And once it is launched, it will launch its file encryption process, and when the process is finished, you will be requested to buy a decryptor, which will allegedly decrypt your data. The sum you are demanded to pay is likely to differ depending on what ransomware you have, but ought to range from $50 to possibly thousands of dollars. Whatever you’re demanded to pay by this ransomware, consider the situation cautiously before you do. Considering criminals won’t feel obligated to help you in data recovery, what’s preventing them from just taking your money. If you take the time to look into it, you’ll definitely find accounts of people not recovering data, even after paying. Instead of giving into the requests, you should buy backup with that money. A lot of backup options are available for you, all you have to do is select the right one. You can restore data after you delete .SOS file virus if you had backup already prior to the malware entering your computer. This isn’t likely to be the last time malicious software will infect your device, so you ought to prepare. To protect a device, one must always be ready to encounter possible threats, becoming familiar with their spread methods.

Download Removal Toolto remove .SOS file virus

Data encrypting malicious software distribution ways

Many file encoding malicious software use rather primitive spread methods, which include added corrupted files to emails and showing dangerous ads. It does, however, every now and then use methods that are more sophisticated.

If you recall downloading a weird attachment from a seemingly legitimate email in the spam folder, that might be where you obtained the file encoding malware from. Cyber crooks add an infected file to an email, which is then sent to hundreds or even thousands of people. Cyber criminals could make those emails very convincing, often using topics like money and taxes, which is why it is not really surprising that plenty of people open those attachments. Usage of basic greetings (Dear Customer/Member), prompts to open the attachment, and many grammatical errors are what you should look out for when dealing with emails from unfamiliar senders that contain files. A sender whose email is vital enough to open would not use general greetings, and would instead write your name. It ought to also be said that crooks tend to use big names like Amazon so that people don’t become distrustful. Through infected advertisements/downloads could have also been how you contaminated your computer with the ransomware. If while you were on a compromised website you clicked on an infected ad, it might have caused the ransomware download. You could have also downloaded the ransomware accidentally when it was concealed as some kind of software/file on an unreliable download platform, which is why you need to stick to valid ones. Sources like ads and pop-ups are not good sources, so never download anything from them. If an application had to update itself, it wouldn’t notify you through browser, it would either update automatically, or send you a notification via the software itself.

What happened to your files?

If you infect your system, you might be facing permanently encoded data, and that makes a data encrypting malicious software a highly harmful infection to have. It could take mere minutes for it to find the files it wants and encode them. What makes file encoding very obvious is the file extension added to all affected files, usually displaying the name of the ransomware. The reason why your files might be permanently lost is because some ransomware use strong encryption algorithms for the encryption process, and it isn’t always possible to break them. When the whole process is complete, a ransom note will appear, which is intended to explain to you what has happened. The note will demand that you buy a decryption key file recovery, but giving into the requests isn’t what we recommend. If you’re expecting the hackers responsible for encrypting your files to keep their word, you may be disappointed, as there’s little stopping them from just taking your money. And the money will possibly go into other malware projects, so you would be supporting their future projects. And, more and more people will become attracted to the already very successful business, which reportedly made $1 billion in 2016 alone. You may want to consider investing the money requested into some kind of backup option. Situations where your files are put in danger may happen all the time, but if backup was accessible, file loss would not be a possibility. If you have made the decision to ignore the requests, you will have to terminate .SOS file virus if it is still present on the computer. If you become familiar with the spread methods of this threat, you should learn to avoid them in the future.

.SOS file virus termination

If the ransomware still inhabits your device, anti-malware program will be required to eliminate it. If you are reading this, you might not be the most tech-savvy person, which means you might end up damaging your computer if you try to eliminate .SOS file virus yourself. A wiser option would be using credible malware elimination software. There should not be any problems with the process, as those types of programs are designed with the goal to uninstall .SOS file virus and other similar infections. So that you know where to begin, we have prepared guidelines below this report to help you. However unfortunate it may be, those tools aren’t capable of recovering your files, they’ll merely erase the threat. But, you should also bear in mind that some ransomware can be decrypted, and malware specialists could release free decryption utilities.

Download Removal Toolto remove .SOS file virus

Learn how to remove .SOS file virus from your computer

• Step 1. Remove .SOS file virus using Safe Mode with Networking.
• Step 2. Remove .SOS file virus using System Restore
• Step 3. Recover your data

Step 1. Remove .SOS file virus using Safe Mode with Networking.

• a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking.
• b) Step 2. Remove .SOS file virus.

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 .SOS file virus.

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 .SOS file virus 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.