Uninstall Defender ransomware

What is ransomware

Defender ransomware is a file-encrypting kind of malware, which is usually called ransomware. Threat can result in severe consequences, as the data you can no longer access could be permanently damaged. Additionally, infecting a computer is very easy, which is one of the reasons why ransomware is considered to be highly damaging. If your computer is infected, you possibly opened a spam email attachment, pressed on a malicious advertisement or fell for a bogus download. When the encryption process is finished, you will see a ransom note and will be asked to pay in exchange for a way to decrypt your data. The amount of money you will be asked depends on the ransomware, some request thousands of dollars, some for less than $100. No matter how much you are asked to pay, we do not suggest complying with the demands. Who’s going to stop criminals from taking your money, providing nothing in return. We wouldn’t be surprised if you’re left with locked data, and there would be many more like you. Backup would be a much wiser investment, since you wouldn’t lose your files if the situation were to happen again. There are plenty of options to pick from, and we are certain you’ll find one best matching your needs. Just erase Defender ransomware, and if you had backup prior to infection, you should be able to recover data from there. This isn’t the last time malicious software will enter your device, so you ought to prepare. If you want your computer to be malware-free, it’s necessary to learn about malware and how it could infiltrate your machine.

Download Removal Toolto remove Defender ransomware

Ransomware distribution ways

You commonly get the file encoding malicious program when you open a corrupted email, press on a malicious advertisement or use untrustworthy platforms as download sources. That does not mean creators will not use methods that need more ability.

If you recall opening a file which you got from an apparently real email in the spam folder, that may be how the file encoding malware managed to get in. Cyber crooks attach an infected file to an email, which is then sent to many users. If they wanted, criminals could make those emails very convincing, commonly using topics like money and taxes, which is why we’re not shocked that those attachments are opened. When you are dealing with unknown sender emails, be vary of specific signs that it could be malicious, such as mistakes in grammar, pressure to open the attachment. If the sender was a company whose services you use, your name would be put in automatically into the email they send you, instead of a general greeting. Do not be surprised if you see known company names (Amazon, eBay, PayPal) be used, because when users see a known name, they let down their guard. Pressing on ads hosted on dubious sites and downloading files from questionable sources could also lead to an infection. If while you were on a compromised website you pressed on an infected ad, it might have triggered the file encoding malicious program to download. And use only official web pages for downloads. Avoid downloading anything from adverts, whether they are pop-ups or banners or any other kind. If an application was needed to be updated, it would notify you through the program itself, and not via your browser, and most update without your interference anyway.

What happened to your files?

Ransomware might result in your files being permanently encrypted, which is what makes it such a dangerous infection. It can take mere minutes for it to find the files it wants and encrypt them. You will see that your files have an extension attached to them, which will help you identify the ransomware and see which files have been encrypted. Some ransomware do use strong encryption algorithms for file encryption, which is why it might be impossible to recover files without having to pay. When the whole process is finished, you’ll get a ransom note, which is intended to explain to you how you should proceed. The note will state that you have to buy a decryption tool to recover files, but giving into the requests is not the most reasonable choice. You’re dealing with crooks, and how would you stop them from just taking your money and providing you nothing in exchange. Not only would you be risking losing your money, you would also be supporting their future projects. These kinds of threats are believe to have made $1 billion in 2016, and such big sums of money will just attract more people who want to steal from others. Instead of paying crooks money, invest the money into backup. And if this type of infection took over your computer, you wouldn’t be risking losing your data as copies would be stored in backup. Delete Defender ransomware if it’s still inhabiting your computer, instead of complying with the requests. If you become familiar with the distribution ways of this infection, you ought to be able to dodge them in the future.

Ways to uninstall Defender ransomware

We highly recommend acquiring malicious program removal software for the process of getting rid of this threat. Because your computer got infected in the first place, and because you are reading this, you might not be very experienced with computers, which is why it’s not recommended to manually remove Defender ransomware. It would be wiser to use credible elimination software because you would not be endangering your computer. Those programs are made to detect and delete Defender ransomware, as well as all other possible infections. If you scroll down, you’ll see instructions to help you, if you come across some kind of problem. Keep in mind that the program will not help with data recovery, all it will do is take care of the infection. But, you should also know that some data encoding malicious program is decryptable, and malware specialists may release free decryptors.

Download Removal Toolto remove Defender ransomware

Learn how to remove Defender ransomware from your computer

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

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

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