SOLUTION TO CERBER RANSOMEWARE VIRUS

Cerber Ransomeware is a deadly virus that encrypts your files, database, photos and other important documents including music. The new Cerber Ransomeware 4.5.1 is the most recent virus that was released in November 2016.

It hides the original copy of the files and replaces it with an infected file with a name combination of alphabets and numbers using the extension .a8ae. E.g. A6ghjko89.a8ae.  The Cerber Ransomeware exchanges your files with an encrypted file thereby hiding your original copy. It also hides chunks of infected file in every important driver and folders in the system with the .hta extension. E.g. README.hta 

The virus was released as an upgrade to the old .CERBER. Research has shown that this new virus type does not have a proposed solution except you pay the ransom as ordered by the inflictors.

The annoying thing about this virus is, the perpetrators ask you to pay some ransom through any of the online payment portal, PayPal, Bitcon etc so that your files can be restored to its previous state.

The victim’s system is affected from visiting porn sites, using of different web platforms containing veracious ads and explicit contents and also incessant registration request. You are likely to fall a victim if you have no or an outdated version of anti-virus or your windows defender is not up to date.

This virus hits your system and kills every normal process thereby freezing and taking over your desktop background.   

A Ransomeware hit system desktop background

It also gives you an option for your own page where you can go and recover a file free of charge so as to let you know the genuinety of their agreement. After recovering a file free, you are asked to pay the ransom so that other of your important files will be restored. As it is, there is no guarantee that after paying the huge ransome, your files will be restored.

Irrespective of the issue on ground, we have a proposed solution for you, a means you can recover your files without paying the ransom.

Follow the instructions below:

     First, scan your system to remove malwares using a malware byte scanner; then delete all listed files marked as malicious.

         Type MsConfig and press enter,

 Select boot tab.

Select safe boot and press OK.

          Press start

Click control panel

Select Appearance and settings

Click folder options

Select view tab

Select show hidden files, folders and drivers

Press ok. 

Clean host file

Click start

Type %Windir%/system/drivers/etc/hosts

Open host file with notepad

This file must not contain any IP address below the local host

           Check next folders to find suspicious files

%Temp%

%AppData%

%ProgramData%

          Click start

Type RegEdit.exe press enter

Clean startup folder: HKLM/SOFTWARE/MICROSOFT/WINDOWS/CURRENTVERSION/RUN

          Press start

Type MsConfig

Press enter

Select startup tab

Uncheck suspicious programs

         Press start

Type MsConfig

Press enter

Select boot tab

Deselect safe boot and press ok.

Download a strong and recommended anti-malware scanner and do a deep scan of the entire system. The following are recommended:

·         Norton

·         Avast

·         Microsoft Windows Essential

·         Spy Hunter Malware Scanner

     Recover your files

Once you are hit by Cerber Ransomeware 4.5.1 you cannot decrypt the files manually even with the help of a cerber decryptor. This is because this version of virus is new and the solution on the decryptor is outdated.

Therefore, the only way to recover your files is by using the shadow explorer software and system restore.

However, you can recover your files manually if you have a back up.

• Click start
• Click control panel
• System and security
• Backup and restore
• Restore files from backup
• Select checkpoint to restore.

Otherwise, do the following:

• Download ‘Shadow Explorer’.
• Install
• Do System restore to the point the system was OK before been infected by the virus.
• Run shadow explorer as an administrator
• Scan the system using the date of system restore.
• Recover the files and save to an external back up drive.

After a successful completion of this process, format your system and reload your files.

Hope this works? 

Written by our correspondent Williams Chibuike

Tags: Virus, Internet, Backup, System Recovery, Technology, Ransomeware

Follow us on twitter @koksnationn