Desu Ransomware - How to remove

Desu Ransomware – very dangerous computer virus that can encrypt your personal files and demand for a ransom in order to unlock them. That’s a typical scheme of cyber criminals operating ransomware infections. It can cause severe damage to your system and you can get ripped off if you decide to actually meet their requirements and pay the money.

This infection was discovered in August 2018, yet it has already received several updates and improvements. That indicates the fact that developers of this wicked infection are really doing their best to infect as many computers as possible and make a profit.

However, all is not lost even if your system is already infected and you can’t access your personal files at the moment. In this article, we are going to introduce you to the most effective methods used to remove Desu virus and possible File restore techniques. In case you have found yourself in this invidious situation, please continue reading the article and we will definitely help you.

Desu Ransomware Encrypts Files

It goes without saying that ransomware infections are employing cryptographies in order to encrypt files. This allows them to obtain the advantage over the victim and manipulate.

In order to achieve this task, Desu ransomware uses encryption called TEA or XTEA (Tiny Encryption Algorithm or Extended Tiny Encryption Algorithm accordingly). Yet this shouldn’t be taken as non-negotiable fact as it is only a presumption made by cyber security expert Michael Gillespie.

We have seen ransomware viruses like PooleZoor, AndreaGalli, and KEYPASS employing unique extensions to lock personal files. Desu virus is not an exception – it uses .desu extension. That means after the encryption all your personal files will be attached with .desu at the end. So if you had a file named “myfile.txt”, now it will be named as “myfile.txt.desu”.

Usually ransomware viruses are capable of encrypting most of the files, yet in this case, Desu is only targeting these file types:

.pdf, .db, .doc, .docx, .js, .mp3, .jpg, .png, .xls, .xlsx

That means it can’t encrypt backup files, which allows to use it for file restore. However, other popular file types are vulnerable.

Technical Details

The scheme of operation for this infection is not complicated or different from other ransomware viruses – it gets infiltrated into the system, scans it for files that can be encrypted and then demands a ransom to be paid.

They provide all victims with a ransom note which is provided in a ” @[email protected]” file, which will be placed on a desktop after successful encryption. original text from this file:

==============================# desu ransomware #==============================

SORRY! Your files are encrypted.

File contents are encrypted with random key.

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 private key.

In order to get private key, write here:

[email protected]

And send me your id: [redacted] ! !

And pay 200$ on 1ARDXRQsvnsYiM5jZczFagtCrAzSFC1Qmy wallet

If someone else offers you files restoring, ask him for test decryption.

Only we can successfully decrypt your files; knowing this can protect you from fraud.

You will receive instructions of what to do next.

==============================# desu ransomware #=============================

Developers of this ransomware want you to pay $200 in Bitcoins. In an exchange for that, you should receive a decryption tool that will be able to reverse the process that was applied to your files. They also recommend not to try alternative decryption methods, as you should only contact them at [email protected] and follow provided instructions.

You should not contact them either pay the ransom – there are no guarantees that your files will be decrypted even if you do pay the ransom. Also, you don’t want to support cyber criminals by paying them. Even though $200 might not seem much for files that you really need, but there are other methods how you can remove Desu virus and retrieve your files, so we recommend to go for them.

How To Delete Desu Virus and Restore Files

Desu virus can be easily removed with some help from anti-malware software, such as Spyhunter. Either one of these programs will be able to automatically detect and remove all files of Desu. Also, you can look for other anti-malware tools of your choice.

Unfortunately, removing Desu ransomware from a computer is not enough to get back files that are encrypted. To do that, you have to restore them from a backup or decrypt them with a special tool. Since free decryptor for .desu extension is not available yet, you have only one option – to restore your files.

To do that, follow this system restore guide. In case you don’t have a backup, try to use on various Free file recovery tools as the last hope at getting your files back.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to recover Desu Ransomware encrypted files and remove the virus

Step 1. Restore system into last known good state using system restore

1. Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt:

for Windows 7 / Vista/ XP

• Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
• Press F8 key repeatedly until Advanced Boot Options window appears.
• Choose Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

for Windows 8 / 10

• Press Power at Windows login screen. Then press and hold Shift key and click Restart.
• Choose Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Settings and click Restart.
• When it loads, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the list of Startup Settings.

 

2.Restore System files and settings.

• When Command Prompt mode loads, enter cd restore and press Enter.
• Then enter rstrui.exe and press Enter again.
• Click “Next” in the windows that appeared.
• Select one of the Restore Points that are available before Desu Ransomware has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Desu Ransomware

After restoring your system, it is recommended to scan your computer with an anti-malware program, like Spyhunter and remove all malicious files related to Desu Ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Desu Ransomware affected files using Shadow Volume Copies

If you do not use System Restore option on your operating system, there is a chance to use shadow copy snapshots. They store copies of your files that point of time when the system restore snapshot was created. Usually Desu Ransomware tries to delete all possible Shadow Volume Copies, so this methods may not work on all computers. However, it may fail to do so. Shadow Volume Copies are only available with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. There are two ways to retrieve your files via Shadow Volume Copy. You can do it using native Windows Previous Versions or via Shadow Explorer. a) Native Windows Previous Versions Right-click on an encrypted file and select Properties → Previous versions tab. Now you will see all available copies of that particular file and the time when it was stored in a Shadow Volume Copy. Choose the version of the file you want to retrieve and click Copy if you want to save it to some directory of your own, or Restore if you want to replace existing, encrypted file. If you want to see the content of file first, just click Open.

b) Shadow Explorer It is a program that can be found online for free. You can download either a full or a portable version of Shadow Explorer. Open the program. On the left top corner select the drive where the file you are looking for is a stored. You will see all folders on that drive. To retrieve a whole folder, right-click on it and select “Export”. Then choose where you want it to be stored.

Step 4. Use Data Recovery programs to recover Desu Ransomware encrypted files

There are several data recovery programs that might recover encrypted files as well. This does not work in all cases but you can try this:

• We suggest using another PC and connect the infected hard drive as slave. It is still possible to do this on infected PC though.
• Download a data recovery program.
• Install and scan for recently deleted files.

Note: In many cases it is impossible to restore data files affected by modern ransomware. Thus I recommend using decent cloud backup software as precaution. We recommend checking out Carbonite, BackBlaze, CrashPlan or Mozy Home.