Remove .kook files

What is ransomware

.kook files is a file-encrypting type of malicious software, which goes by the name ransomware. Ransomware infections should be taken seriously, as they could lead to you losing access to your data. What’s more, infection can happen very quickly, which is one of the reasons why ransomware is thought to be highly harmful. Opening spam email attachments, clicking on malicious ads and fake downloads are the most common reasons why file encrypting malicious program may infect. Soon after infection, the encoding process starts, and afterwards, you will be requested to pay a ransom if you want to decrypt your data. The sum of money requested varies from ransomware to ransomware, some demand $1000 or more, some could settle with $100. Before rushing to pay, consider a few things. Don’t trust cyber crooks to keep their word and restore your files, because there is nothing preventing them from simply taking your money. You can certainly encounter accounts of people not being able to recover files after payment, and that isn’t really shocking. It would be wiser to invest that money, or some part of it, into dependable backup instead of complying with the demands. You will be presented with a lot of backup options, all you have to do is pick the one best matching you. And if by chance you do have backup, simply uninstall .kook files before you restore files. It is crucial to prepare for these kinds of situations because you’ll probably get infected again. If you wish to remain safe, you need to familiarize yourself with possible contaminations and how to safeguard your device from them.

Download Removal Toolto remove .kook files

Ransomware distribution ways

Although there are exceptions, the majority of ransomware use primitive distribution methods, like spam email, infected adverts and downloads. That doesn’t mean developers will not use methods that require more ability.

You must have recently opened a malicious email attachment from a spam email. Cyber crooks add an infected file to an email, which gets sent to hundreds or even thousands of people. Crooks can make those emails quite convincing, normally using topics like money and taxes, which is why it is not really surprising that plenty of people open those attachments. The use of basic greetings (Dear Customer/Member), prompts to open the file added, and obvious mistakes in grammar are what you should look out for when dealing with emails with added files. A sender whose email is important enough to open would use your name instead of the general greeting. You are likely to come across company names such as Amazon or PayPal used in those emails, as a known name would make users trust the email more. Or maybe you engaged with the wrong advert when browsing dubious sites, or downloaded from a questionable source. If you were visiting a questionable or compromised site and clicked on an infected advert, it may have caused the ransomware download. It’s possible you downloaded the ransomware accidentally when it was hidden as some kind of program/file on an untrustworthy download platform, which is why you’re better off using valid sources. You ought to never get anything, whether it’s programs or updates, from questionable sources, which include adverts. Programs generally update themselves, but if manual update was necessary, you would get an alert via the application, not the browser.

What happened to your files?

Because data encoding malware is able to permanently lock you out of your files, it’s considered to be a highly harmful threat. And the encryption process is very quick, it is only a matter of minutes, if not seconds, for all files you believe are important to be encoded. You will notice that your files have an extension attached to them, which will help you figure out which file encoding malware you’re dealing with. Ransomware tends to use strong encryption algorithms to encrypt files. A ransom note will then be dropped, which should explain what has happened. Even though you’ll be offered a decryption utility for your files, paying for it is not suggested. Paying does not guarantee file decryption because crooks might just take your money, leaving your files as they are. Additionally, you would be providing financial support for the crooks’s future activities. And, more and more people will become interested in the business which is estimated to have made $1 billion in 2016. A wiser choice would be a backup option, which would always be there in case something happened to your files. If this kind of situation reoccurred, you could just remove it and not worry about likely data loss. Erase .kook files if it is still present on your computer, instead of complying with the demands. And try to familiarize with how to prevent these kinds of threats in the future, so that this does not occur.

.kook files elimination

You are strongly suggested to get malicious program removal software to ensure the infection is entirely terminated. You could unintentionally end up harming your computer if you try to manually erase .kook files yourself, so doing everything yourself isn’t advised. It would be better to use professional removal software because you would not be risking harming your device. If the ransomware is still present on your computer, the security tool will delete .kook files, as those programs are made for taking care of such infections. You will find instructions, if you are unsure where to start. In case it was not clear, anti-malware will only be able to get rid of the infection, it isn’t going to restore your files. In certain cases, however, malware specialists can create a free decryptor, so occasionally check.

Download Removal Toolto remove .kook files

Learn how to remove .kook files from your computer

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

Step 1. Remove .kook files using Safe Mode with Networking.

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

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 .kook files.

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 .kook files 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.