[[email protected]].pdf Ransomware - How to remove

“id-[random].[[email protected]].pdf” is a string of text that might show up added to the names of your files. It’s a symptom of a specific computer virus infection, made up of an email address that belongs to the criminals responsible for this virus and the “.pdf” extension. [[email protected]].pdf is a ransomware virus that does far worse than just rename your files to Pdf — it encrypts them, which means that, even if you change the file names, your data will still be broken. Pdf files have not suddenly become dangerous, but a virus borrowed the three letters in this latest ransomware attack.

Along with the files being renamed, one other thing can happen — a pop-up window called “[email protected]” might show up and inform you that “ALL YOUR FILES HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED!!!”. The note is used by multiple other cryptoviruses, such as Nqix, KICK, and Save — like Pdf, these are all versions of Dharma. A lot of these viruses have strange names, and [[email protected]].pdf in no exception — the files are not really converted into type Pdf, they’re just named that way.

[[email protected]].pdf is a file-encrypting virus, as well as ransomware. It locks your files to make them unusable — and then the criminals responsible for this virus expect you to pay them money when they promise to fix your data. This is normal for ransomware, as viruses of this type are distributed with the goal of profit.

By the way, Pdf ransomware might show up with email addresses other than “[email protected]”. More types of Dharma ransomware are created and spread than get reported.

How [[email protected]].pdf works

The [[email protected]].pdf virus is often distributed in emails, either as an attachment, or a download link. The emails are written in a way to make the recipient think that the file is some important document that needs to be reviewed when in reality, it’s the virus being downloaded by the victim. Remote desktop is also abused to infect computers with [[email protected]].pdf, but that is only relevant to those who have actually turned this function on and have not properly secured it.

The usual ways of being safe against ransomware include:

• Backing up your data.
• Updating all the programs regularly.
• Using legal and genuine programs (ransomware sometimes hides in pirated files).
• Securing Remote Desktop to not be freely accessible to outsiders.
• Using strong passwords and 2-step verification where possible.

After the virus is on the computer, it tries to delete the installed antivirus protection and give itself administrator access. Then [[email protected]].pdf starts going through your files and encrypting them. Cryptography is known for its security, so when a virus uses it against innocent victims, it’s unfortunately effective. This ransomware and the other new cryptoviruses based on Dharma have not yet been solved, despite being a significant threat to businesses and having claimed many victims already.

While businesses are [[email protected]].pdf’s main target, individuals are not immune t automated attacks. But the ransom payments, which can be large enough to reach 1 Bitcoin (close to 10 thousand dollars), are usually out of reach of most people, even if they were willing to deal with cyber extortionists. This only makes [[email protected]].pdf more dangerous and destructive and shows why having data backups is so important. If you have backup copies of your files and programs, you have nothing to fear from ransomware.

Remove the [[email protected]].pdf virus

It’s not safe to use your computer until you’ve removed all malware. Since most viruses are spread the same way as each other, computers infected with [[email protected]].pdf are at a higher chance to suffer from other infections alongside this ransomware: there are viruses that steal passwords, fill your browser with ads, or lag your computer by hijacking the resources to mine cryptocurrency. Spyhunter, or any other professional anti-malware tools will be able to detect almost all malware and potentially unwanted programs, so scan your computer to make sure that it’s free of any unwanted software.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Remember to update your programs and your antivirus software after [[email protected]].pdf is removed. The virus usually uninstalls whatever antivirus program was on the computer to avoid being removed itself.

The bad news is that deleting [[email protected]].pdf does not fix the locked files, only stops any more from being encrypted. This ransomware is improved over the older Dharma viruses, so even though there is a free decrypter for Dharma files (it’s called Rakhni), it doesn’t work on the new versions. If you hope to decrypt the locked files, go ahead and back up the locked data. Your files that have been renamed with “[[email protected]].pdf” are not dangerous, only broken.

The instructions in the section below this one describe the ways to get back lost data. There is no telling if they will work for you — for example, [[email protected]].pdf should normally delete files required for System Restore to work — but they’re worth trying if you hope to restore some of your files. The methods don’t rely on decryption, so you wouldn’t need to get involved with the extortionists.

Be careful of scammers online. Some people prey on ransomware victims and promise to unlock your files for a payment. The encryption used by [[email protected]].pdf can’t normally be cracked, so be very suspicious of anyone giving unrealistic promises. Some victims of Dharma report that they paid the ransom and never heard back from the extortionists, so know that losing your money and your files is a possibility,

How to recover [[email protected]].pdf 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 li] Ransomware has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of [[email protected]].pdf 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 li] Ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore [[email protected]].pdf 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 li] 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 [[email protected]].pdf 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.