Remove Quimera ransomware

What is data encrypting malware

Quimera ransomware ransomware is a piece of malicious program that’ll encrypt your files. These types of contaminations should be taken seriously, as they might result in you losing access to your data. Another reason why it is considered to be one of the most dangerous malicious software out there is that it’s very easy to obtain the threat. If you have it, you likely opened a spam email attachment, pressed on a malicious advert or fell for a fake download. As soon as a system gets infected, the encryption process will begin, and once it is completed, crooks will demand that you pay a ransom for file recovery. You will likely be demanded to pay a minimum of a couple hundred dollars, it depends on what ransomware you have, and how valuable your data is. Whatever amount is demanded of you, consider the situation carefully before you do. Don’t trust cyber crooks to keep their word and recover your files, because there’s nothing stopping them from simply taking your money. You can certainly encounter accounts of users not being able to decrypt files after payment, and that’s not really surprising. It would be wiser to get backup with that money. We’re sure you can find a good option as there are many to pick from. If backup was made prior to you infecting your device, file restoration will be achievable after you uninstall Quimera ransomware. It’s crucial to prepare for all scenarios in these types of situations because you’ll possibly get infected again. If you want to stay safe, you need to familiarize yourself with likely threats and how to safeguard your machine from them.

Download Removal Toolto remove Quimera ransomware

How does ransomware spread

Generally, ransomware uses rather basic ways for distribution, such as via unreliable downloads, malicious ads and corrupted email attachments. Methods that need more ability can be used as well, however.

Since one of the ways you could have obtained the ransomware is via email attachments, try to recall if you have recently downloaded something weird from an email. All file encoding malicious program developers need to do is add an infected file to an email and then send it to hundreds/thousands of users. It’s not uncommon for those emails to contain money-related topics, which scares people into opening it. When dealing with emails from senders you aren’t familiar with, be vary of specific signs that it could be harboring data encrypting malicious software, such as grammatical mistakes, encourage to open the file attached. Your name would definitely be used in the greeting if it was a legitimate company whose email ought to be opened. You may encounter company names such as Amazon or PayPal used in those emails, as familiar names would make the email look more real. Clicking on ads when on questionable websites and using dangerous websites as download sources could also result in an infection. Be very careful about what ads you click on, especially when visiting dubious sites. It is probable you downloaded the file encoding malware hidden as something else on an unreliable download platform, which is why you need to stick to legitimate ones. You should never get anything, not programs and not updates, from questionable sources, which include adverts. Applications usually update themselves, but if manual update was necessary, you would be alerted through the application, not the browser.

What happened to your files?

The reason ransomware is categorized to be rather dangerous is due to its ability to encode your data and lead to you being permanently blocked from accessing them. And it will take minutes, if not seconds, for all files you believe are important to be encoded. The file extension added to files that have been encoded makes it highly obvious what occurred, and it usually indicates the name of the ransomware. The reason why your files might be permanently lost is because strong encryption algorithms could be used for the encryption process, and it isn’t always possible to break them. In case you don’t understand what is going on, a dropped ransom note should explain everything. The creators/spreaders of the ransomware will offer you a decryption program, which you will obviously have to pay for, and that is not recommended. Paying doesn’t necessarily mean data decryption because cyber criminals might just take your money, leaving your files locked. By paying, you wouldn’t be just risking losing your money, you would also be funding their future criminal projects. When victims comply with the requests, they are making ransomware an increasingly more profitable business, which already made $1 billion in 2016, and evidently that will attract plenty of people to it. Instead of paying hackers money, invest the money into backup. And your data would not be put at risk if this type of situation occurred again. Just ignore the demands and terminate Quimera ransomware. You can dodge these kinds of threats, if you know how they are distributed, so try to familiarize with its distribution methods, at least the basics.

Quimera ransomware termination

The presence of malicious threat removal software will be needed to see if the infection is still on the computer, and if it is, to get rid of it. Because your computer got infected in the first place, and because you are reading this, you might not be very knowledgeable with computers, which is why it isn’t recommended to manually remove Quimera ransomware. A wiser option would be to use professional malware removal software. The utility would scan your system and if the infection is still present, it will delete Quimera ransomware. In case there is an issue, or you aren’t certain about how to proceed, scroll down for instructions. The program isn’t, however, capable of assisting in data recovery, it’ll only terminate the infection from your device. But, you should also know that some ransomware may be decrypted, and malware specialists may create free decryption utilities.

Download Removal Toolto remove Quimera ransomware

Learn how to remove Quimera ransomware from your computer

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

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

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