How To Remove CovidWorldCry Ransomware And Restore Infected Files

Proper Guide To Delete CovidWorldCry Ransomware From System

CovidWorldCry Ransomware is a recently detected file locking virus that was first discovered by security analyst nao_sec. It has been intentionally designed by potent Cyber actors to encrypt crucial files on targeted PCs and ask victims for a sum of ransom in exchange for a private decryption tool/key. The payload of this crypto-malware has been found to be spreading via spam messages that are successful in tricking novice users about their legitimacy. This hazardous threat can make critical changes to default registry settings which allows it to automatically activate itself each time the system is rebooted.

Know About CovidWorldCry Ransomware:

CovidWorldCry Ransomware encrypts almost all types of files stored inside the infected computer including images, videos, audios, databases, presentations, PDFs, eBooks etc. and makes victims unable to open them again. It uses a powerful RSA encryption algorithm to lock the targeted data and renames them by appending “.corona-lock” extension with each of them as suffix. And hence, the compromised data can be easily identified because of this weird extension. After performing the successful file encryption process, this dangerous threat displays a ransom message in “README_LOCK.TXT” file that includes information about the attack and asks victims to make contact with the criminals behind it.

The text file shown by CovidWorldCry Ransomware states that to decrypt the enciphered files, victims need to purchase the decryption software from the attackers. For more details, they are instructed to contact the hackers via the [email protected] email address and provide the unique ID. You are also warned not to use any third-party tools for file decryption otherwise it may cause permanent data loss. The price of the tool is not listed in the note but it might be in the range of $200 to $1500 that has to be paid in BitCoins or any other digital currency. Crooks promise that once the payment is made, they will provide you the required decryption software.

Text Presented In The Ransom Note:

YOUR FILES WERE ENCRYPTED
AND MARKED BY EXTENSION .corona-lock

—
DON’T WORRY! YOUR FILES ARE SAFE! ONLY MODIFIED :: ChaCha + AES
WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND you NOT to use any Decryption Tools.
These tools can damage your data, making recover IMPOSSIBLE.
Also we recommend you not to contact data recovery companies.
They will just contact us, buy the key and sell it to you at a higher price.
If you want to decrypt your files, you have to get RSA private key.
—
To get RSA private key you have to contact us via email to:
—————————->> [email protected] <<
and send us your id: >> – <<
—
HOW to understand that we are NOT scammers?
You can ask SUPPORT for the TEST-decryption for ONE file!
—

 LIST OF ENCRYPTED FILES
————————

Should You Pay The Ransom?

Although, it’s true that data locked by CovidWorldCry Ransomware can’t be opened without using the decryption tool but still, security experts strongly deny victims from making any sort of payment to the criminals no matter what circumstance is. Remember, the only motive of such hackers is to extort illicit money from the victimized people, you have absolutely no guarantee that they will fulfill their promise and deliver the required software even after taking the extortion. Many affected users have complained that Cyber crooks cheated with them and disappeared soon after taking the money without providing the decryptor.

What Should The Victims Do?

Instead of paying the demanded ransom fee to the attackers, the first thing you need to do here is to remove CovidWorldCry Ransomware from the system immediately. As far as restoring the infected files is concerned, you should use a backup made on any external drive. The problem here is that not all users have proper backups so in such situation, the only option left for you is to use a strong data-recovery program which you can download right here via the link provided under this article. Additionally, you should keep making frequent backups by the help of which, you can easily retrieve the compromised data.

Primary Methods of Ransomware Intrusion:

Such types of malware threats rely on rookie users who do not pay much attention to details and skip through steps. Cyber crooks send spam emails and some people tend to read all these mails and download files attached to the content. These behavior however leads to infections and payload dropper activities. Hackers pretend to send genuine files, invoices or other documents in order to make users click on links or download vicious macro-filled MS documents. Furthermore, precarious macro viruses trigger the content that can install trojan or worm which further installs ransomware itself straightaway. Criminals inject these script on Microsoft files like word documents disguised as financial documents, invoice details, order information and attach to emails with popular company names that deceive users into believing that notification is from them directly.

Once any of these methods get used and trigger the drop of the crypto-virus payload, the computer gets infected right away, so when you can’t notice or stop the parasite, you are going to see ransom demands after the encryption. Make sure to keep your PC up-to-date and use reliable anti-malware programs to detect the virus at the earlier stages and avoid any questionable emails with links or file attachments, coming from unknown sender.

Threat Summary

• Name: CovidWorldCry Ransomware
• Type: Ransomware, Crypto-virus
• Description- Destructive malware that aims to encrypt users’ crucial files and then ask them to pay off for the decryption key/tool.
• Extension- “.corona-lock”
• Ransom demanding message- “README_LOCK.TXT”
• Attackers’ Contact- “[email protected]”
• Symptoms: Victims can not open files stored on their computer, previously functional files now have different extensions, A ransom demanding message is displayed on the desktop screen. Users are asked to pay an amount of ransom to unlock their encoded data and files.
• Distribution methods: Torrent websites, spam emails, peer to peer network sharing, unofficial activation and updating tools.
• Damage: All files are encrypted and cannot be accessed without paying ransom, Additional password stealing Trojans and malware infections can be installed along with ransomware infections and other malware.
• Removal: To remove this virus from the system, we advise you to use a reliable anti-malware tool. Once malware gets removed, you can recover your files by using existing backup or data-recovery software.

Removal of CovidWorldCry Ransomware:

Apart from locking your essential data, CovidWorldCry Ransomware also creates tons of junk files in the hard drive of your machine which consumes huge amount of memory resources and drags down the overall PC performance severely. It messes with important system files which assure efficient computer functioning and prevents many installed apps as well as drivers from working normally. This nasty malware brings several other pernicious issues in the work-station such as frequent system crash, boot errors, application malfunctioning, hard drive failure and so on. And therefore, it is necessary to remove CovidWorldCry Ransomware from the device as soon as possible.

Antimalware Details And User Guide

Click Here For Windows

Click Here For Mac

Step 1: Remove CovidWorldCry Ransomware through “Safe Mode with Networking”

Step 2: Delete CovidWorldCry Ransomware using “System Restore”

Step 1: Remove CovidWorldCry Ransomware through “Safe Mode with Networking”

For Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Boot the PC in “Safe Mode”. Click on “Start” option and continuously press on F8 during the start process until the “Windows Advanced Option” menu appears on the screen. Choose “Safe Mode with Networking” from the list.

Now, a windows homescreen appears on the desktop and work-station is now working on “Safe mode with networking”.

For Windows 8 Users: Go to the “Start Screen”. In the search results select settings, type “Advanced”. In the “General PC Settings” option, choose “Advanced startup” option. Again, click on the “Restart Now” option. The work-station boots to “Advanced Startup Option Menu”. Press on “Troubleshoot” and then “Advanced options” button. In the “Advanced Option Screen”, press on “Startup Settings”. Again, click on “Restart” button. The work-station will now restart in to the “Startup Setting” screen. Next is to press F5 to boot in Safe Mode in Networking.

For Windows 10 Users: Press on Windows logo and on the “Power” icon. In the newly opened menu, choose “Restart” while continuously holding “Shift” button on the keyboard. In the new open “Choose an option” window, click on “Troubleshoot” and then on the “Advanced Options”. Select “Startup Settings” and press on “Restart”. In the next window, click on “F5” button on the key-board.

Step 2: Delete CovidWorldCry Ransomware using “System Restore”

Log-in to the account infected with CovidWorldCry Ransomware. Open the browser and download a legitimate anti-malware tool. Do a full System scanning. Remove all the malicious detected entries.

In case if you cannot start the PC in “Safe Mode with Networking”, Try using “System Restore”

• During the “Startup”, continuously press on F8 key until the “Advanced Option” menu appears. From the list, choose “Safe Mode with Command Prompt” and then press “Enter”

• In the new opened command prompt, enter “cd restore” and then press “Enter”.

• Type: rstrui.exe and Press “ENTER”

• Click “Next” on the new windows

• Choose any of the “Restore Points” and click on “Next”. (This step will restore the work-station to its earlier time and date prior to CovidWorldCry Ransomware infiltration in the PC.

• In the newly opened windows, press on “Yes”.

Once your PC gets restored to its previous date and time, download the recommended anti-malware tool and perform a deep scanning in order to remove CovidWorldCry Ransomware files if they left in the work-station.

In order to restore the each (separate) file by this ransomware, use “Windows Previous Version” feature. This method is effective when “System Restore Function” is enabled in the work-station.

Important Note: Some variants of CovidWorldCry Ransomware delete the “Shadow Volume Copies” as well hence this feature may not work all the time and is applicable for selective computers only.

How to Restore Individual Encrypted File:

In order to restore a single file, right click on it and go to “Properties”. Select “Previous Version” tab. Select a “Restore Point” and click on “Restore” option.

In order to access the files encrypted by CovidWorldCry Ransomware, you can also try using “Shadow Explorer”. In order to get more information on this application, press here.

Important: Data Encryption Ransomware are highly dangerous and it is always better that you take precautions to avoid its attack on your work-station. It is advised to use a powerful anti-malware tool in order to get protection in real-time. With this help of “SpyHunter”, “group policy objects” are implanted in the registries in order to block harmful infections like CovidWorldCry Ransomware.

Also, In Windows 10, you get a very unique feature called “Fall Creators Update” that offer “Controlled Folder Access” feature in order to block any kind of encryption to the files. With the help of this feature, any files stored in the locations such as “Documents”, “Pictures”, “Music”, “Videos”, “Favorites” and “Desktop” folders are safe by default.

It is very important that you install this “Windows 10 Fall Creators Update” in your PC to protect your important files and data from ransomware encryption. The more information on how to get this update and add an additional protection form rnasomware attack has been discussed here.

How to Recover the Files Encrypted by CovidWorldCry Ransomware?

Till now, you would have understood that what had happed to your personal files that got encrypted and how you can remove the scripts and payloads associated with CovidWorldCry Ransomware in order to protect your personal files that has not been damaged or encrypted until now. In order to retrieve the locked files, the depth information related to “System Restore” and “Shadow Volume Copies” has already been discussed earlier. However, in case if you are still unable to access the encrypted files then you can try using a data recovery tool.

Use of Data Recovery Tool

This step is for all those victims who have already tries all the above mentioned process but didn’t find any solution. Also it is important that you are able to access the PC and can install any software. The data recovery tool works on the basis of System scanning and recovery algorithm. It searches the System partitions in order to locate the original files which were deleted, corrupted or damaged by the malware. Remember that you must not re-install the Windows OS otherwise the “previous” copies will get deleted permanently. You have to clean the work-station at first and remove CovidWorldCry Ransomware infection. Leave the locked files as it is and follow the steps mentioned below.

Step1: Download the software in the work-station by clicking on the “Download” button below.

Step2: Execute the installer by clicking on downloaded files.

Step3: A license agreement page appears on the screen. Click on “Accept” to agree with its terms and use. Follow the on-screen instruction as mentioned and click on “Finish” button.

Step4: Once the installation gets completed, the program gets executed automatically. In the newly opened interface, select the file types that you want to recover and click on “Next”.

Step5: You can select the “Drives” on which you want the software to run and execute the recovery process. Next is to click on the “Scan” button.

Step6: Based on drive you select for scanning, the restore process begins. The whole process may take time depending on the volume of the selected drive and number of files. Once the process gets completed, a data explorer appears on the screen with preview of that data that is to be recovered. Select the files that you want to restore.

Step7. Next is to locate the location where you want to saver the recovered files.