Remove K2 Ransomware

Is this a severe threat

K2 Ransomware will lock your files, because that is the main intention of ransomware. Ransomware is considered to be a very serious contamination and could lead you to permanently encrypted data. In addition, contaminating your system is very easy, which is one of the reasons why file encrypting malicious program is so damaging. Spam email attachments, infected adverts and fake downloads are the most common reasons why ransomware can infect. As soon as the data encoding malicious software is finished encrypting your data, you will get a ransom note, asking you money for a decryptor. The ransom varies from ransomware to ransomware, some might ask for $50, while others could demand $1000. Before you rush to pay, take a few things into account. We very much doubt crooks will feel compelled to return your data, so you might just end up wasting your money. If you take the time to look into it, you will definitely find accounts of people not recovering data, even after paying. It would be wiser to invest that money, or some part of it, into credible backup instead of complying with the demands. You will encounter a big variety of backups available but we are sure you can find one that is right for you. Erase K2 Ransomware and then access your backup, if it was made before the infection, to recover data. This is not the last time malicious program will infect your system, so you ought to be ready. To keep a system safe, one must always be on the lookout for potential threats, becoming informed about their spread methods.

Download Removal Toolto remove K2 Ransomware

How does file encoding malware spread

Typically, ransomware is acquired when you open an infected email, engage with an infected advertisement or download from untrustworthy sources. Methods that require more ability could be used too, however.

Remember if you have recently received a strange email with an attachment, which you opened. Criminals spreading ransomware add a corrupted file to an email, send it to possible victims, who infect their computers as soon as they open the file. Because those emails commonly use topics like money, many people open them without even thinking about the consequences. In addition to grammatical mistakes, if the sender, who should certainly know your name, uses greetings such as Dear User/Customer/Member and firmly encourages you to open the file added, it might be a sign that the email isn’t what it looks. If the sender was a company whose services you use, they would have automatically put in your name into the email, and a regular greeting wouldn’t be used. Expect to encounter company names like Amazon or PayPal used in those emails, as a known name would make the email appear more authentic. Clicking on advertisements when on dubious pages and using compromised websites as download sources might also lead to an infection. If while you were on a compromised website you clicked on an infected advertisement, it may have triggered the ransomware to download. And stick to valid sites when it comes to downloads. Bear in mind that you should never download programs, updates, or anything really, from strange sources, such as ads. If a program was needed to be updated, you would be alerted through the application itself, not via your browser, and generally they update without your intervention anyway.

What does it do?

Ransomware may result in you being permanently locked out of your files, which is why it is thought to be such a dangerous threat. And the encoding process is rather fast, it’s only a matter of minutes, if not seconds, for all your important files to become encrypted. You’ll see that your files have an extension added to them, which will help you identify the ransomware and see which files have been encrypted. Your data will be locked using strong encryption algorithms, which might be impossible to break. In case you are confused about what has happened, everything will become clear when a ransom note appears. You will be offered a way to decrypt files using a decryption program which you can buy from them, but researchers do not advise doing that. By paying, you would be putting a lot of faith in crooks, the people who are responsible for locking your files in the first place. Furthermore, you’d be supporting the cyber crooks’s future projects. These kinds of threats are believe to have made $1 billion in 2016, and such big amounts of money will just lure more people who wish to steal from others. We suggest you instead invest in some kind of backup, which would always be there in case something happened to your files. And you would not be risking losing your data if this kind of threat took over your system again. Just ignore the requests and remove K2 Ransomware. If you become familiar with the spread methods of this threat, you should be able to dodge them in the future.

K2 Ransomware termination

We highly recommend obtaining anti-malware tool to make sure the threat is gone completely. If you are reading this, you might not be the most tech-savvy person, which means you may damage your computer if you attempt to remove K2 Ransomware yourself. A wiser option would be using professional malicious program elimination softwareto take care of everything. The tool should delete K2 Ransomware, if it is still present, as the intention of those programs is to take care of such infections. If you run into some kind of issue, or aren’t sure about where to begin, scroll down for instructions. In case it was not clear, anti-malware will only be able to get rid of the infection, it cannot help with data recovery. However, free decryptors are released by malware specialists, if the data encrypting malware is decryptable.

Download Removal Toolto remove K2 Ransomware

Learn how to remove K2 Ransomware from your computer

• Step 1. Remove K2 Ransomware using Safe Mode with Networking.
• Step 2. Remove K2 Ransomware using System Restore
• Step 3. Recover your data

Step 1. Remove K2 Ransomware using Safe Mode with Networking.

• a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking.
• b) Step 2. Remove K2 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 K2 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 K2 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.