Remove Flame Ransomware

What is Flame Ransomware

Flame Ransomware will try to encrypt your files, which is why it’s an infection you definitely want to avoid. Ransomware is the name you ought to be more familiar with in regards to this kind of malware. If you are confused how your device got infected, you likely opened an infected email attachment, clicked on a contaminated advert or downloaded something from a source you should not have. We will discuss these methods further and provide tips on how such threats may be bypassed in the future. There is a reason ransomware is believed to be so dangerous, if you want to avoid possibly serious harm, ensure you know about its distribution methods. If you do not know what file-encrypting malware is, it could be rather surprising to find encrypted data. A ransom message ought to make an appearance soon after the files become locked, and it’ll explain that you have to pay money to decrypt your data. If you’ve decided to give into the demands, bear in mind that what you’re dealing with is cyber criminals who won’t feel morally obliged to assist you after they get your money. It would be more probable that you won’t get a decryption utility. You’d also be financing more malware projects and the people creating them by paying. You ought to also consider that a malware specialist was able to crack the ransomware, which means they could have released a decryptor for free. Before you even consider the payment option, carefully look into other options first. If you did create backup prior to infection, after you uninstall Flame Ransomware there should be no problems with restoring data.

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How does Flame Ransomware spread

If you’re unsure how the ransomware infected, there are a few ways it might have happened. It mainly uses pretty simple methods for infection but a more sophisticated method is not out of the question. Sending spam emails and hosting their malicious programs on various download platforms are what we refer to when we say simple, as it doesn’t need a lot of abilities, thus popular among low-level cyber crooks. It’s pretty likely that by opening a spam email attachment you got the malware. Crooks have huge databases with potential victim email addresses, and all that’s needed to be done is write a semi-convincing email and attach the contaminated file to it. It is not really that surprising that people fall for these emails, if they’ve little experience with such things. There could be signs that it is malicious software you are dealing with, something like a nonsensical email addresses and a lot of grammar mistakes in the text. It ought to also be mentioned that cyber criminals claim to be from legitimate companies to put users at ease. You can never be too careful, thus, always check if the email matches the sender’s real one. Be on the lookout for your name not used somewhere in the email, the greeting in particular. If a company with whom you’ve had business before sends you an email, instead of Member or User, your name will always be included. To be more clear, if you are an Amazon customer, the name you have given them will be automatically put into any email you are sent.

In case you want the short version, always check sender’s identity before opening an attachment. Also, refrain from clicking on ads when you’re visiting web pages with dubious reputation. It would not be surprising if by pressing on one you end up acquiring something dangerous. It’s best if you ignore those advertisements, no matter what they are advertising, because they are always never reliable. In addition, don’t download from questionable sources. If you are a devoted torrent user, the least you can do is to read the comments made by other people before you download it. There are also situations where vulnerabilities in software could be used for the infection to be able to slip in. Keep your programs updated so that the vulnerabilities cannot be exploited by the malicious software. You just have to install the fixes, which software vendors release when they become aware of the flaws.

How does ransomware act

The encryption process will be initiated quickly after the malware file is opened. Because it needs to have leverage over you, all files you hold important, like documents and photos, will become targets. Once the files are found, they’ll be encrypted with a strong encryption algorithm. The locked files will have a weird extension added to them, and that’ll help you quickly identify locked files. A ransom note ought to also appear, in which crooks will ask that you obtain their decryptor. You may be demanded to pay from a couple of tens to thousands of dollars, it really depends on the ransomware. While generally, malware specialists think paying to be a bad idea, it’s your decision to make. There may be other file recovery means available, thus you need to look into them before making any decisions. There is some possibility that malicious software researchers were successful in cracking the ransomware and therefore were able to release a free decryption utility. It might also be that you have backed up your data in some way but not remember it. You should also try file recovery through Shadow Explorer, the ransomware may have not deleted the Shadow copies. And if you don’t wish to risk endangering your files again, ensure you back up your files regularly. In case you do have backup, first delete Flame Ransomware and then restore files.

Flame Ransomware elimination

Manually removing the threat is possible, but unless you are 100% certain about what you are doing, it is not suggested. If you make an error, your device might undergo severe damage. It would be better if you employed an anti-malware program for such threat termination. You shouldn’t encounter trouble because those programs are made to terminate Flame Ransomware and similar threats. However, take into consideration that a malware removal program will not help you restore your data, it’s simply not capable of doing that. Data restoring will need to be performed by you.

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Learn how to remove Flame Ransomware from your computer

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

Step 1. Remove Flame Ransomware using Safe Mode with Networking.

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