MCrypt2019 Virus - How to remove

MCrypt2019 seems to be a new, updated version of notorious Vulston ransomware. It has a new name and some new features, but the point of the virus is the same – it seeks to infect as many computers as possible, encrypt personal files stored on them and then demand a ransom to be paid in order to unlock those files.

If you have run into MCrypt2019 ransomware, your computer is probably paralyzed at the moment. I.e. the access to your personal files is blocked, so you can’t use it in a normal manner. However, MCrypt2019 infection won’t encrypt files that are stored in /system/ folder. They do that so you could still operate the computer and make a payment. However, that also opens up an opportunity for you to completely remove the virus and restore your locked files.

Removing MCrypt2019 ransomware is not the easiest task, so you will need some help from a top-level anti-malware software. We will guide you through this process, so please continue reading the article. You can also ask for help in the comments section below – we will do our best to help you.

Why MCrypt2019 is so Dangerous

It goes without saying that a virus that can encrypt and lock your personal files is pretty dangerous. There are some ransomware classified as a Wiper malware – it can permanently erase all of the information saved on your hard drive. MCrypt2019 seems not to be so harsh – developers of this infection just want to make some money and they do that by taking your personal files as a hostage.

Most of the time ransomware infections add a unique extension to the end of every encrypted file and usually they match the name of the virus. In this case, MCrypt2019 have chosen a rather odd strategy to mark all encrypted files with “.exe” extension. So it doesn’t matter if it is a .jpg picture or .txt document, it will feature an .exe extension after the encryption.

The encryption process itself starts as soon as MCrypt2019 enters your computer. First, it scans all files stored in there and determines what it could possibly lock. Then, it enforces a special military-grade encryption algorithm to change the structure of your files. Finally, it places a file named “HOW-TO-DECRYPT-FILES.htm” on a desktop. It is a ransom note and it goes like this:

Ooops, your important files are encrypted!


If you see this text, your files are no longer accessible, because they have been encrypted. perhaps you looking for a way to decrypt your files, but DON’T waste your time. No one can recover your files without our decryption key.


Please follow the instructions:


1. Send $600 worth of Bitcoins to the following address:


1LS32VsvWhWU6ud9h3xEJuJzgEbRtBnymE


2. Send your Bitcoin wallet ID and your ID to E-mail [email protected].


Your personal ID: ******

As you can see, that changed files structure can be reversed. However, this solution is not free – you will be asked to pay $600 worth of Bitcoins. If you contact creators of MCrypt2019 virus via [email protected], they will provide you with further instructions on how to pay the ransom and receive the decryption key. Also, judging by the email provider they chose, creators of MCrypt2019 are probably from Russia, because Yandex is the most popular Russian search engine.

We definitely do not recommend to follow their instructions – contacting them via email is not a good idea. Instead of that, you should completely remove MCrypt2019 ransomware from your computer and restore your locked files.

How To Remove MCrypt2019 And Restore Your Files

So to completely remove MCrypt2019 you should run a scan on your computer with either Spyhunter. Either one of those programs should immediately detect and remove all files related to MCrypt2019. Unfortunately, this won’t restore your files.

To do that, you should perform a system restore. This will turn your computer back in time to the date before MCrypt2019 hit it. If you failed to remove MCrypt2019 or restore your files, feel free to follow step-by-step removal instruction provided below. Or, you can ask us for help in the comments section.

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How to recover MCrypt2019 Virus 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 MCrypt2019 Virus has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of MCrypt2019 Virus

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 MCrypt2019 Virus. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore MCrypt2019 Virus 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 MCrypt2019 Virus 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 MCrypt2019 Virus 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.