Malware

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About this ransomware

Horseleader ransomware is a piece of malicious software that will encrypt your data and lead to serious harm to your computer. Because of the easy infection and its behavior, ransomware is classified as one of the most damaging malware out there. When an infected file is opened, the ransomware instantly begins encrypting certain files. Ransomware has particular files it targets, and those files hold the most value to people. You will not be able to open files so easily, you’ll need to unlock them using a decryption key, which is in the hands of the criminals who locked your files in the first place. The good news is that ransomware may be cracked by people specializing in malicious software, and a free decryption tool may become available. Seeing as you do not have a lot of alternatives, this may be the best one for you.
Download Removal Toolto remove Horseleader ransomware

Once the encryption process has been finished, if you look on your desktop or in folders containing files that have been encrypted, you should see a ransom note. The note will explain that your files have been encrypted and how you might get them back. While we can’t force you to do anything as we are talking about your files but we would not recommend paying for a decryption program. It’s possible for hackers to just take your money without helping you. Moreover, that payment will probably go towards other malicious software projects. A wiser investment would be backup. Simply erase Horseleader ransomware if you had taken the time to create backup.

We will clarify the distribution methods in more detail later on but the short version is that false updates and spam emails were probably how you got it. Those methods are quite common among cyber criminals.

How does ransomware spread

You might acquire ransomware in a couple of different ways, but as we have mentioned previously, you probably got the infection via fake updates and spam emails. If spam email was how the ransomware got in, you’ll need to learn how to spot dangerous spam email. Do not rush to open all attachments that end up in your inbox, and first check it is secure. It should also be mentioned that criminals usually pretend to be from known companies so as to make users feel secure. For example, they may pretend to be Amazon and say that they have added a purchase receipt to the email. Luckily, it is not hard to confirm whether it’s legitimately Amazon or some other company. Just locate the real email addresses the company uses and see if your sender’s email address is in the list. Moreover, scan the added file with a malicious software scanner before you open it.

If if spam email wasn’t how you got it, false software updates could have been used to infect. The false software updates may be encountered when visiting pages with questionable reputation. Those bogus update offers might also appear in ads and banners. Although no person who knows how updates work will ever fall for it as they are pretty obviously bogus. If you do not wish your system to get infected regularly, never download anything from adverts or other dubious sources. When your software needs an update, you’ll either be notified about it via the program, or it will automatically update.

How does ransomware behave

Ransomware has locked your files, which is why they can’t be opened. When the malware file was opened, the ransomware started encrypting your files, which you might have missed. Files that were affected will have an extension attached, which will help you differentiate affected files. Trying to open those files will be of no use since they’ve been locked with a strong encryption algorithm. You can then find a ransom note, and it’ll say what to do about restoring files. Ordinarily, ransom notes look practically identical, they use intimidating language to scare victims, demand payments and threaten with permanent file deletion. Despite the fact that criminals have the only decryptor for your files, giving into the requests is not a suggested option. Take into account that you would be trusting the people who encrypted your files in the first place to restore them. The same crooks might target you again because in their belief if you gave into the demands once, you might do it again.

It might be possible that you have uploaded some of your files somewhere, so check that. If you are out of options, back up the encrypted files and keep them for the future, a malicious software analyst may release a free decryptor and you might get your files back. You will need to uninstall Horseleader ransomware and the sooner you do it, the better.

It is highly important that you start doing routine backups, and hopefully you will learn from this experience. If you do not take the time to make backups, you could end up in the same situation again. There are various backup options available, some more expensive than others but if your files are valuable to you it is worth purchasing one.

Horseleader ransomware elimination

If you don’t have much experience with computers, manual elimination might end in disaster. You should choose malware removal program for this purpose. The ransomware could stop you from running the malware removal program successfully, in which case you have to reboot your computer and restart it in Safe Mode. As soon as your computer boots in Safe Mode, permit the malware removal program to remove Horseleader ransomware. Anti-malware program isn’t able to help you decrypt your files, however.

Download Removal Toolto remove Horseleader ransomware

Learn how to remove Horseleader ransomware from your computer

Step 1. Remove Horseleader 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 Remove .horseleader file ransomware
  2. Press and keep pressing F8 until Advanced Boot Options appears.
  3. Choose Safe Mode with Networking win-xp-safe-mode Remove .horseleader file 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 Remove .horseleader file ransomware
  2. Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart. win-10-options Remove .horseleader file ransomware
  3. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Networking. win-10-boot-menu Remove .horseleader file ransomware

b) Step 2. Remove Horseleader 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 Horseleader 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 Remove .horseleader file ransomware
  2. Press and keep pressing F8 until Advanced Boot Options appears.
  3. Select Safe Mode with Command Prompt. win-xp-safe-mode Remove .horseleader file 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 Remove .horseleader file ransomware
  2. Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart. win-10-options Remove .horseleader file ransomware
  3. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt. win-10-boot-menu Remove .horseleader file 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 Remove .horseleader file ransomware
  3. A window will pop-up and you should press Next. Choose a restore point and press Next again. windows-restore-point Remove .horseleader file 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 Remove .horseleader file 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 Remove .horseleader file 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 Remove .horseleader file 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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