Remove SARS-CoV-2 ransomware

About this infection

SARS-CoV-2 ransomware will try to encrypt your data, which is why it’s classified as file-encrypting malware. It is also generally referred to as ransomware. You might have picked up the infection in a few ways, possibly either via spam email attachments, contaminated adverts and downloads. If you continue reading the article, you’ll find more tips on how contamination might be avoided. Handling a ransomware infection could have dire consequences, therefore it’s essential that you know about its distribution ways. It may be particularly shocking to find your files encrypted if you have never happened upon ransomware before, and you have little idea about what it is. Files will be unopenable and you would soon find that you’re asked to give hackers a certain amount of money so as to get a decryption tool to unlock your data. If you consider paying to be a good idea, we’d like to warn you that you’re dealing with crooks, and we doubt they will keep their promise, even if you pay. It would be more likely that they won’t send you a decryptor. You should also think about where the money would be going, it will probably go towards other malware projects. It is likely that there is a free decryptor available out there, as malware analyst in some cases are able to crack the ransomware. Before making any rash decisions, try other options first. If you did take care to backup your files, simply terminate SARS-CoV-2 ransomware and proceed to recover files.

Download Removal Toolto remove SARS-CoV-2 ransomware

Ransomware distribution ways

If you do not know about ransomware distribution methods or what you may do to prevent such threats in the future, carefully read the following sections. While it’s more probable you got infected via the more simple methods, file encrypting malware does use more elaborate ones. Spam email and malware downloads are the popular methods among low-level ransomware creators/distributors as they don’t need much skill. Contamination via spam email still remains one of the most frequent infection ways. A contaminated file is added to a somewhat convincingly written email, and sent to all possible victims, whose email addresses they store in their database. Despite the fact that those emails will be pretty obvious to those who have ran into them before, people with little experience in such matters might not know what they’re dealing with. If the sender’s email address appears legitimate, or if there are a lot of grammar mistakes, those might be signs that it is an infected email, particularly if you find it in your spam folder. It should also be said that usually, crooks use known company names to put people at ease. Even if you think you are familiar with the sender, always check whether the email address is right. You ought to also take note of if your name was used somewhere in the email, particularly in the greeting. If you receive an email from a company/organization you had business with before, they’ll know your name, thus greetings like Member/User won’t be used. Let’s say you are a customer of Amazon, your name will be inserted in the greeting in all emails from them, because it is done automatically.

In short, you just need to be more careful when dealing with emails, which basically means you should not rush to open files attached to emails and ensure the sender is legitimate. And if you’re on a dubious website, do not click on adverts or engage in what they propose. By simply pressing on a malicious ad you may be permitting all types of malware to download. Advertisements shouldn’t always be relied on so avoiding them is what we would encourage, no matter how attracting it might be. And stop downloading from harmful download sources. If Torrents are your preferred download source, at least only download torrents that have been used by other users. Flaws in software can also be used for malware to enter. Keep your programs updated so that malicious software cannot use the flaws. When software vendors become aware of a flaw, they usually release an update, and all you really need to do is install the fix.

How does ransomware behave

Soon after you open the malware file, your device will be scanned by the ransomware to locate files that it aims to encrypt. Files targeted for encryption will be documents, media files (photos, video, music) and everything you hold valuable. The ransomware will use a strong encryption algorithm to encrypt files as soon as they are found. You will notice that the files that were affected have an unfamiliar file extension added to them, which will help you identify locked files fast. You will not be able to open them, and a ransom message should soon appear, in which the hackers will ask that you pay them the ransom, which would supposedly restore the files. The demanded amount differs from ransomware to ransomware, but the criminals usually request between $50 and $1000, to be paid in digital currency. We’ve already gave reasons for believing paying to not be the best option, but in the end, the decision is yours. However, first of all, look into other ways to recover files. There is some possibility that malware analysts were successful in cracking the ransomware and thus were able to release a free decryption utility. It’s also possible that you did backup at least some of your files, and you just do not remember doing it. Your computer makes copies of your files, known as Shadow copies, and if the ransomware didn’t erase them, you might recover them through Shadow Explorer. If you’re yet to do it, acquire backup as soon as possible, so that you don’t jeopardize your files again. If you do have backup, just erase SARS-CoV-2 ransomware and proceed to recover files.

How to remove SARS-CoV-2 ransomware

We’d like to stress that manual elimination isn’t suggested. While you couldbe successful, you may end up irreversibly harming your device. Instead, an anti-malware program should be employed to take care of everything. Because those utilities are created to erase SARS-CoV-2 ransomware and other threats, there should not be any trouble with the process. Your files will remain encrypted after ransomware elimination, since the utility isn’t capable of assisting you in that regard. This means you will need to find out how to restore data yourself.

Download Removal Toolto remove SARS-CoV-2 ransomware

Learn how to remove SARS-CoV-2 ransomware from your computer

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

Step 1. Remove SARS-CoV-2 ransomware using Safe Mode with Networking.

• a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking.
• b) Step 2. Remove SARS-CoV-2 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 SARS-CoV-2 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 SARS-CoV-2 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.