Help Needed to get rid of Teslacrypt Randsomware and decrypt files ???

[MarkF]

Last week I was attacked by a very malicious strain of malware called Teslacrypt randsomware. I have the .vvv version, which encrypted all my files and from what I have read, there is no way to decrypt my files. How can I get rid of the virus and (hopefully) decrypt the files (2 separate activities). The computer which was attacked had all my business files which I didn't have a chance to backup before it was attacked.

 

Thanks for any help you can give.

[enoskype]

Hi MarkF, welcome to IObit Forum. :-)

 

Our Malware Fighter Superdave will respond soon, but in the mean time please see MS TechNet web page https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/mmpc/2015/10/12/msrt-october-2015-tescrypt/

 

Please note the quote below in that page :

 

You might be able to use the Talos TeslaCrypt Decryption Tool to recover your encrypted files. However, Microsoft makes no representations or warranties that the tool will recover your files.

Run antivirus or antimalware software

Use the following free Microsoft software to detect and remove this threat:

• Windows Defender for Windows 10 and Windows 8.1, or Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7 and Windows Vista
  
• Microsoft Safety Scanner
  

You should also run a full scan. A full scan might find hidden malware.

 

Cheers.

 

[Superdave]

Hello and welcome to IOBit Forums. My name is Dave. I will be helping you out with your particular problem on your computer.

 

1. I will be working on your Malware issues. This may or may not solve other issues you have with your machine.

2. The fixes are specific to your problem and should only be used for this issue on this machine.

3. If you don't know or understand something, please don't hesitate to ask.

4. Please DO NOT run any other tools or scans while I am helping you.

5. It is important that you reply to this thread. Do not start a new topic.

6. Your security programs may give warnings for some of the tools I will ask you to use. Be assured, any links I give are safe.

7. Absence of symptoms does not mean that everything is clear.

 

If you can't access the internet with your infected computer you will have to download and transfer any programs to the computer you're using now and transfer them to the infected computer with a CD-RW or a USB storage device. I prefer a CD because a storage device can get infected. If you use a storage device hold the shift key down while inserting the USB storage device for about 10 secs. You will also have to transfer the logs you receive back to the good computer using the same method until we can get the computer back on-line.

*************************************************************

Please download AdwCleaner by Xplode onto your Desktop.

 

Before starting AdwCleaner, close all open programs and internet browsers, then double-click on the AdwCleaner icon.

 

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp322/digistar/AdwCleaner-icon.jpg

 

If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.

When the AdwCleaner program will open, click on the Scan button as shown below.

 

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp322/digistar/untitled.png

 

AdwCleaner will now start to search for malicious files that may be installed on your computer.

To remove the files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the Clean button.

 

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp322/digistar/3.png

 

AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or data as the program will need to reboot the computer. Please do so and then click on the OK button. AdwCleaner will now delete all detected adware from your computer. When it is done it will display an alert that explains what PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) and Adware are. Please read through this information and then press the OK button. You will now be presented with an alert that states AdwCleaner needs to reboot your computer.

Please click on the OK button to allow AdwCleaner reboot your computer.A log will be produced. Please copy and paste this log in your next reply.

*********************************************

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp322/digistar/mbamicontw5.gif Please download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from here.

Double Click mbam-setup.exe to install the application.

• It should update automatically if the computer is connected to the internet.
  
• Click on Threat Scan and click on Scan Now.
  
• The scan may take some time to finish,so please be patient.
  
• When the scan is complete make sure all the infections have "quarantine" selected in the Action box.
  
• Click on "Apply actions" You may be asked to Restart your computer to completely remove the infections.
  
• When disinfection is completed you can click on "Copy to Clipboard".
  
• Paste the log in you next reply (CTRL+ V)
  

*************************************************

Please download Junkware Removal Tool to your desktop.

 

•Warning! Once the scan is complete JRT will shut down your browser with NO warning.

 

•Shut down your protection software now to avoid potential conflicts.

 

•Temporarily disable your Antivirus and any Antispyware real time protection before performing a scan. Click this link to see a list of security programs that should be disabled and how to disable them.

 

•Run the tool by double-clicking it. If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, right-click JRT and select Run as Administrator

 

•The tool will open and start scanning your system.

 

•Please be patient as this can take a while to complete depending on your system's specifications.

 

•On completion, a log (JRT.txt) is saved to your desktop and will automatically open.

 

•Copy and Paste the JRT.txt log into your next message.

*****************************************

Download Security Check by screen317 from one of the following links and save it to your desktop.

 

Link 1

Link 2

 

* Double-click Security Check.bat

* Follow the on-screen instructions inside of the black box.

* A Notepad document should open automatically called checkup.txt

* Post the contents of that document in your next reply.

 

Note: If a security program requests permission from dig.exe to access the Internet, allow it to do so.

 

[MarkF]

 

Thank you for the detailed instructions about how to check the system for malware and how to eliminate it. Currently I do not have the computer. It is in the mail and should have it in a few days. As soon as it is returned, I will follow your instructions and let you know the results.

 

Thanks again. :)

[MarkF]

Hello. I have downloaded and run all the programs you suggested. It appears that I no longer have any malicious files on the computer. So far I have not been able to turn the encrypted files (.vvv) back to useable files. I have a backup on an external hard drive, and while a little dated, it should reduce the amount of work I need to do to restore my computer to working order. Thank you so much for taking time to give me detailed information about how to get rid of this noxious randsomware. Somewhere I saw instructions on running a file restore tool. The problem is that this variant erases the original files and also erases the shadow files so you cannot restore from an earlier version. I will try that tool next. Am I missing anything?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

[Superdave]

It appears that you are running two AV's on your computer; Windows Defender ( the default AV that comes with MS) and McAfee. One should be disabled because two or more active AV's on a computer can cause conflicts.

You can try the free tool for decryption here.

[MarkF]

Thank you Superdave. The randsomware that attacked me is the Telsacrypt variant. As you may know, this variant erases the original files and leaves the encrypted ones behind. As I recall it uses AES encryption. I tried to use the Kasperesky but nothing happened. Perhaps I am using it wrong, or Kasperesky is the wrong tool to decrpt these files.

 

Thanks.

[Superdave]

There are free decryption tools on the internet but Kaspersky is the only one I would trust.

[MarkF]

I was able to resolve the virus issue. Thank you for all your help. First, the virus locked my machine, so I took it to an IT Tech and he was able to unlock it by accessing my hard drive externally. He returned the machine but was not able to decrypt the files. I had to reset the machine to the factory default. Of course this wiped all my files and software. Thankfully, it was not too difficult to re-install all the software including Quicken and Microsoft Office. Also, I had a backup of my data, and while it was not as current as I would have liked, it contained most of my files. I lost some data, but was able to reconstitute a good deal of my files. In short, it was not a pleasant experience, but now am up and running and have mostly restored my computer.

 

I have also bought a new external hard drive and am backing up much more frequently. I bought a Seagate Bacokup Plus, a 1 TB portable drive, and it allows you to backup with one click. Yay!

 

Thank you very much for your help. This experience taught me to backup on a frequent basis, maybe daily or more if you add lots of information during the day.

[Superdave]

Backing up your data is very important. You can also use re-imaging software such as Macrium Reflect which is free. This will return your computer to the day you took the image.

 

I suggest using WOT - Web of Trust. WOT is a free Internet security addon for your browser. It will keep you safe from online scams, identity theft, spyware, spam, viruses and unreliable shopping sites. WOT warns you before you interact with a risky website. It's easy and it's free.