Kasp Ransomware - How to remove

Kasp is ransomware – it holds you to ransom, saying that if you don’t send money, that your files will remain broken. Luckily, there are alternative ways to maybe get your files back. That is, after you find and delete Kasp and all other malware that might have arrived together with it.

About Kasp ransomware:

Classification	Ransomware, spyware.
How Kasp works	It downloads spyware and adware, it deletes file backups, then it encrypts files and leaves ransom notes.
How to remove Kasp	Use antivirus programs (like Spyhunter) to delete Kasp and other malware, change your passwords.
How to fix your files	Restore from backups, use data recovery tools, use the free decryptor, repair the files yourself.

How Kasp affects the computer

Kasp is ransomware – malicious software that encrypts (basically, corrupts) the files on your computer and then leaves instructions to send money to the criminals behind Kasp. If Kasp attacked your computer, you will notice your files being listed as “KASP” type and having the “.kasp” extension – for example, a file that was “picture.jpg” becomes “picture.jpg.kasp” (How to Make Windows Show File Extensions). Kasp then creates ransom notes – files called _readme.txt that ask you to send hundreds of dollars to the criminals by contacting them on email ([email protected], [email protected]).

You might not be able to open these files. If you can open them, they might just contain random symbols or be missing chunks of content. That’s what encryption is – hiding information by scrambling it until it looks random. The only way to fix this is by getting the decryption key.

By the way, it’s likely that Kasp didn’t infect your computer alone and that spyware and adware came with it. Such as Azorult. This spyware can read data that is saved in your browser, take screenshots, small files, and sends this data over the internet to cybercriminals who will then use it for scams or sell it.

Kasp also deleted backups that it finds, tries to break your antivirus program, disables task manager, and blocks some websites. It needs to be removed before you can use your computer normally again.

How Kasp spreads

Kasp is part of the Djvu family of ransomware, the same family that includes Boop, Geno, Vari, Oonn, and others. From what is known about Djvu, Kasp most likely spreads in pirating and torrenting sites, and fake and unreliable shareware sites. A downloader trojan gets bundled with an innocent program. Once you download and run it, Kasp gets downloaded and begins working in the background.

Antivirus programs don’t always recognize the very newest threats. And Kasp is pretty new. This is why it’s so important to install the newest updates for your antivirus program and your operating system.

How to remove Kasp ransomware

Delete Kasp and other malware

Deleting Kasp won’t fix your files but it will prevent new files from being broken. You can use an antivirus program to find malware, including Kasp and others, and to delete it. Use an antivirus program that you are comfortable with, such as Spyhunter, and make sure that it has all the latest updates installed.

You might also need to remove the changes that Kasp made to your settings by fixing your hosts file and enabling your task manager.

Deleting Kasp isn’t the end. If Azorult or another trojan, adware, or spyware was detected by your antivirus scan, then, once your computer is clean, you must set new passwords for your accounts. In fact, it would be good to not connect your computer to the internet so that spyware has no way of sending your stolen data to cybercriminals. For example, you can delete Kasp from another computer or by installing antivirus tools from removable media.

Fix your files

Deleting Kasp doesn’t fix your files, so what can you do?

• First of all, make a backup of the Kasp-encrypted files that are important to you. Always have a backup.
• Check all your folders – maybe some files remained unencrypted. Even ransomware like Kasp can run into technical difficulties and bugs.
• Kasp deletes backups on the infected computer. But maybe you had backups of your files on other devices or in the cloud?
• You can use data recovery programs to restore deleted files.
• You could pay the ransom, but that would reward these criminals for their actions and there’s a big risk that you will lose your money and get nothing for it. Not to mention, they might mark you for future attacks as someone willing to pay.
• Try the free decryptor by Emsisoft, it might help in cases where Kasp was forced to run offline.
• When you have time, look into repairing corrupted files. This might work for audio and video recordings, photographs, file archives, and other big files.

Most importantly, stay away from scammers – anyone who claims to be able to decrypt all your files for a fee. Kasp’s encryption can’t be broken without knowing the decryption keys (the Emsisoft decryptor only works in the rare cases that multiple victims share the same decryption key). Scammers can’t do any more than you can.

Important -- edit the hosts file to unblock security websites

TL DR : The hosts file is edited to block security sites Before the virus can be removed, it's necessary to fix the hosts file (the file which controls which addresses connect to which IPs). That is the reason the majority of security websites is inaccessible when infected with this particular parasite. This infection edits this file to stop certain websites, including anti-malware download sites, from being accessed from the infected computer, making browsers return the "This site can't be reached" error. Luckily, it's trivial to fix the file and remove the edits that were made to it.

Find and edit the hosts file

The hosts file can be found on C:/Windows/System32/Drivers/etc/hosts. If you don't see it, change the settings to see hidden files.

1. In the Start Menu, search for Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel, find Appearance and Personalization.
3. Select Folder Options.
4. Open the View tab.
5. Open Advanced settings.
6. Select "Show hidden files...".
7. Select OK.

Open this file with administrator privileges.

1. Open the Start Menu and enter "notepad".
2. When Notepad shows up in the result, right-click on it.
3. In the menu, choose "Run as administrator"
4. File->Open and browse for the hosts file.

The hosts file should look like this: Delete additional lines that they connect various domain names to the wrong IP address. Save the file.

Download and run the antivirus program

After that, download antivirus programs and use them to remove the ransomware, the trojan, and other malware. Spyhunter (https://www.2-viruses.com/reviews/spyhunter/dwnld/).

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to recover Kasp 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 Kasp Ransomware has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Kasp 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 Kasp Ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Kasp 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 Kasp 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 Kasp 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.