Remove RedRum ransomware

What is ransomware

RedRum ransomware file encrypting malware will encrypt your files and you will be unable to open them. Ransomware is the common name for this type of malware. There are a couple of ways you might have contaminated your system, such as through spam email attachments, malicious adverts or downloads from unreliable sources. Carry on reading to find out how infection may be prevented. Handling a ransomware infection can result in drastic consequences, thus it is important that you know about how it’s spread. It can be particularly shocking to find your files locked if you’ve never come across ransomware before, and you have little idea about what it is. You’ll be unable to open them, and would soon find that you’re asked to give crooks a certain amount of money in order to unlock the files. Complying with the demands isn’t the best choice, seeing as it’s criminals that you’re dealing with, who will feel little responsibility to aid you. It’s much more probable that they will not send you a decryptor. This, in addition to that money supporting an industry that does millions of dollars in damages, is why paying the ransom is not recommended. Something else you should consider is that a malware analyst might have been able to crack the ransomware, which means they could have released a decryptor for free. Look into the free decryption software before you even think about paying. If you did take care to set up a backup, you can recover them after you eliminate RedRum ransomware.

Download Removal Toolto remove RedRum ransomware

Ransomware spread methods

Your device might have gotten contaminated in a couple of different ways, which will be discussed in a more detailed manner. Ransomware generally employs quite simple methods, but that is not to say that more sophisticated ones are not used at all. Those simple methods do not require high-level skills and are popular among ransomware creators/distributors who are on lower levels when it comes to abilities. Infecting a device via contaminated email attachments is possibly most common. The file infected with ransomware was added to an email that was made to appear real, and sent to hundreds or even thousands of potential victims. It is not really that unexpected that people fall for these emails, if they have never ran into one before. Look for particular signs that you are dealing with malware, something like a nonsensical email addresses and a lot of grammar mistakes in the text. We ought to also mention that criminals use popular company names to not arouse suspicion. It is advised that even if you know who the sender is, you ought to still always check the sender’s address. Be on the lookout for your name not used somewhere in the email, the greeting in particular. Senders who have business with you wouldn’t include common greetings like User, Customer, Sir/Madam, as they would be familiar with your name. For example, Amazon automatically inserts the names customers have given them into emails they send, thus if the sender is actually Amazon, you will see your name.

To summarize, make sure that the sender is legitimate before rushing to open the file attached. Also, do not press on adverts when you are visiting sites with dubious reputation. If you press on an infected ad, all types of malicious software may download. However tempting an advert could appear, avoid interacting with it. By using untrustworthy sources for downloads, you could also be putting your system at risk. If Torrents are your preferred download source, at least download only torrents that were used by other users. Program flaws can also be used for malicious software infection. Keep your programs updated so that the vulnerabilities cannot be taken advantage of. Software vendors release vulnerability patches a regular basis, all you need to do is permit them to install.

What happened to your files

When you launch the ransomware, the threat will look for certain file types. Its main targets are documents and photos, as you’re likely to think of them as valuable. The file-encrypting malware will use a powerful encryption algorithm for file encryption once they have been found. You will see that the files that were affected have a weird file extension added to them, which will help you identify encrypted files fast. You’ll then find a ransom note, in which hackers will explain what happened and ask you to buy their decryptor. You might be requested to pay a couple of thousands of dollars, or just $20, the amount depends on the ransomware. It is your choice to make whether to pay the ransom, but do consider why malicious software investigators don’t encourage that option. It’s may be probable that you can recover files via other ways, so research them before anything else. Maybe a free decryption software has been developed by people who specialize in malware research. Or maybe you have backed up the files some time ago but simply don’t recall doing so. It could also be possible that the ransomware did not erase Shadow copies of your files, which means you could restore them through Shadow Explorer. And if you do not want to end up in this kind of situation again, make sure you do routine backups. If you just realized that you did make backup before infection, you simply need to eliminate RedRum ransomware, and may then proceed to data recovery.

RedRum ransomware elimination

First of all, it ought to be pointed out that we don’t believe manual uninstallation is the best idea. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you may end up irreversibly harming your device. It would be wiser to use a malware removal utility because the software would take care of everything for you. Such utilities are developed to uninstall RedRum ransomware or similar infections, therefore there should not be problems. Unfortunately, the utility will not recover your files. You will have to research how you could recover files yourself.

Download Removal Toolto remove RedRum ransomware

Learn how to remove RedRum ransomware from your computer

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

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

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