Poteston ransomware Removal

About Poteston ransomware

Poteston ransomware may cause severe damage to your device and leave your files encrypted. Due to its damaging nature, it’s highly dangerous to have ransomware on the system. Once the ransomware has invaded, it will locate and lock certain files. Most likely, all of your photos, videos and documents were locked because those files are the most vital. Once the file encryption process is completed, they can’t be opened unless they are decrypted with a specific decryption software, which is in the hands of crooks accountable for this malware. Every now and then, malware analysts can crack the ransomware and release a free decryption application. Seeing as there are not many options available for you, this might be the best one you have.

Among the files that have been affected or on your desktop, a ransom note will be placed. We’re certain that criminals behind this ransomware are trying to make as much money as possible, so you will be requested to pay for a decryptor if you want to recover your files. While we can’t force you to do anything as it is your files we’re talking about but we would not recommend paying for a decryption program. It’s not difficult to imagine crooks taking your money while not providing a decryptor. More malicious software would be created using the money you give cyber criminals. If you don’t have backup, using some of the demanded money to purchase it might be a wiser idea. Simply remove Poteston ransomware if you had made backup.

Download Removal Toolto remove Poteston ransomware

It is highly likely that you opened a dangerous email or downloaded some kind of false update. Spam emails and fake updates are one of the most widely used methods, which is why we’re certain you acquired the malware through them.

How does ransomware spread

Even though your system could get contaminated in a couple of ways, you likely got it via spam email or bogus update. Because of how common spam campaigns are, you need to learn what dangerous spam look like. Always thoroughly check the email before you open an attachment. It’s also not strange for cyber crooks to pretend to be from legitimate companies, as a well-known company names would make users lower their guard. You could get an email with the sender saying to be from Amazon, notifying you that your account has been displaying signs of weird behavior. Nevertheless, it is easy to double-check these emails. Research the company the sender says to be from, check their used email addresses and see if your sender’s is among them. It would also be a good idea to scan the file attachment with a malware scanner to ensure it’s secure.

Fake software updates could also be to blame if you do not think you have opened any suspicious emails. Often, you’ll encounter the fake updates on questionable sites. They also appear as ads and wouldn’t necessarily cause doubt. Nevertheless, because those notifications and adverts seem very bogus, people who know how updates work will simply ignore them. You should never download updates or software from sources like ads. The application itself will alert you if an update is necessary, or it may update itself automatically.

How does ransomware behave

In case you haven’t noticed yet, your files have been locked by ransomware. As soon as the malware file was opened, the ransomware started encrypting your files, which you might have missed. Files that were affected will now have an extension, which will help you differentiate affected files. Since a powerful encryption algorithm was used to lock files, don’t waste your time trying to open files. Information about how to recover your files should be on the ransom note. If you have encountered ransomware before, you’ll notice that notes follow a specific pattern, cyber criminals will first try to intimidate you into thinking your only choice is to pay and then threaten to eliminate your files if you don’t give in. It is not impossible that hackers behind this ransomware have the only way to restore files but even if that’s true, it’s not recommended to pay the ransom. What guarantee is there that files will be recovered after you make a payment. If you pay one time, you might be willing to pay again, or that is what hackers are likely to believe.

It’s possible you could have uploaded at least some of your critical files somewhere, so try to recall if that is the case. In the future, malware specialists might develop a decryption utility so keep your locked files stored somewhere. It is critical to uninstall Poteston ransomware whatever the case might be.

We hope you will take this unlucky experience as a lesson and do regular backups. You may be put into a similar situation again and risk file loss if you don’t take the time to do backups. So as to keep your files safe, you will need to buy backup, and there are a couple of options available, some more pricey than others.

How to eliminate Poteston ransomware

If you’re not certain about what you are doing, do not try manual elimination. Allow malware removal program to take care of everything because otherwise, you may cause more harm. The malware might be preventing you from successfully working the anti-malware program, in which case just reboot your computer in Safe Mode. You should not encounter problems when your launch the software, so you may successfully delete Poteston ransomware. Sadly, malware removal program cannot decrypt files, it will merely terminate the ransomware.

Download Removal Toolto remove Poteston ransomware

Learn how to remove Poteston ransomware from your computer

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

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

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