How To Remove Ransomware Virus And Recover Files. Here is the guide for you! If you are unable to open images, documents or files and they have the extension “.alka” , your computer is infected with the STOP / DJVU ransomware. Here’s how to remove a Ransomware virus.ALKA ransomware encrypts personal documents found on the victim’s computer, then displays a message offering to decrypt the data in case of payment in Bitcoin.
The instructions are placed on the victim’s desktop in the file “_readme.txt” here is an example.
- 1. What is ALKA ransomware?
- 2. How did ALKA ransomware get on my computer?
- 3. Has my computer been infected with ALKA ransomware?
- 4. How to remove an ALKA ransomware virus and recover files
1. What is ALKA ransomware?
ALKA is a file-encrypting ransomware virus that restricts access to data (documents, images, videos) by encrypting files with the “.alka” extension. It then attempts to extort money from victims by demanding a “ransom”, in the form of Bitcoin cryptocurrency, in exchange for access to data.
This ransomware targets all versions of Windows including Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. This executable will launch and start scanning all drive letters on your computer for data file encryption.
ALKA ransomware looks for files with certain extensions to encrypt. The files it encrypts include important productivity documents and files like .doc, .docx, .xls, .pdf, among others. When these files are detected, this infection will change the extension to “.alka”, so they can no longer be opened.
ALKA ransomware changes the name of each encrypted file to the following format: name.alka
Once files with the “.alka” extension are encrypted, these files cannot be opened and this ransomware will create the “info.txt” ransom note in every folder where a file has been encrypted and on the Windows desktop.
When the infection has finished scanning your computer, it will also delete all shadow volume copies located on the affected computer. This way, shadow volume copies cannot be used to restore encrypted files.
Now find out how to remove a virus from your pc.
2. How did ALKA ransomware get on my computer?
How to remove a virus from your pc: let’s find out how to remove a virus from your pc but first let’s try to understand how it came to infect our device:
The virus is distributed through spam emails containing infected attachments or by exploiting vulnerabilities in the operating system and programs.
Here’s how ALKA ransomware might get to your computer:
- Cybercriminals spam an email with spoofed header information, tricking you into believing it is from a shipping company like DHL or FedEx. The email tells you that they tried to deliver a package to you, but for some reason they failed. Sometimes the emails claim to be notifications of a shipment being made. Either way, you can’t resist the curiosity to know what the email refers to and open the attached file (or click a link within the email). And with that, your computer is infected with ALKA ransomware.
- The virus exploits vulnerabilities in the operating system. Commonly exploited software includes the operating system itself, browsers, Microsoft Office, and third-party applications.
3. Is my computer infected with ALKA Ransomware?
Here is a brief summary of the ALKA ransomware:
- Ransomware family : STOP / DJVU ransomware
- Extensions : .alka .cryp
- Ransomware Note : _readme.txt
- Redeem : $ 490 to $ 980 (in Bitcoin)
- Contact : [email protected] or [email protected] or others
- Symptoms : Images, videos or documents have the extension “.alka” and cannot be opened by any program
When this ransomware infects your computer, it scans all drive letters for targeted file types, encrypts them and then appends the “.alka” extension to them. Once encrypted, these files can no longer be opened by normal programs. When this ransomware has finished encrypting the victim’s files, it will also display a ransom note which includes instructions on how to contact these cyber criminals ([email protected] or [email protected]).
This is the message that ALKA ransomware (_readme.txt) will display:
ATTENTION!
Don’t worry, you can recover all your files!
All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important ones are encrypted with the strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method to recover the files is to purchase the decryption tool and the unique key given by us.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.
What guarantees do you have?
You can send one of your encrypted files from your PC and we will decrypt it for free.
But we can only decrypt 1 file for free. The file must not contain valuable information.
You can get and view the video overview decryption tool:
https://we.tl/t-Oc0xgfzC7q The
price of the private key and decryption software is $ 980.
50% discount available if you contact us first 72 hours, the price for you is $ 490.
Please note that you will never restore your data without payment.
Check your “Spam” or “Junk” folder if you do not receive a reply for more than 6 hours.
If your computer is infected with this ransomware, we recommend that you contact the following government fraud and scam sites to report this attack:
If your country or region is not listed here, we recommend that you contact the federal police or communication authority in your country or region.
How to remove an ALKA ransomware virus and recover files
Are you wondering how to remove such a virus from your pc? It is important to understand that by starting the removal process you risk losing your files, as we cannot guarantee that you will be able to recover them. The files may be permanently compromised when you try to remove this infection or try to recover encrypted documents. We cannot be held responsible for the loss of files or documents during this removal process.
STEP 1: Use Malwarebytes to remove ALKA ransomware
How to remove a virus from your pc
Malwarebytes is one of the most popular and used anti-malware software for Windows, and for good reason. It is capable of destroying many types of malware that other software tends to lose, costing you absolutely nothing. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.
Here are the steps to understand how to remove a virus from your pc:
- Download Malwarebytes for free.
- Double-click the installation file. After the download is complete, double-click the MBSetupfile to install the program on your computer. In this case, you need to click ” Yes ” to continue with the Malwarebytes installation.
- Follow the on-screen instructions. When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the installation wizardwhich will guide you through the installation process. The Malwarebytes installer will first ask you on which type of computer you are installing this program, click on Personal Computer or Work Computer .
On the next screen, click ” Install ” to install Malwarebytes on your computer.
Once the Malwarebytes installation is complete, click the “Get Started” button . - Select “Use Malwarebytes for free.” After installing Malwarebytes, you will be asked to select between the free version and the premium version. Click on ” Use Malwarebytes for free“.
- Click “Scan”. To scan your computer with Malwarebytes, click the ” Scan” button . Malwarebytes automatically updates the antivirus database and starts scanning your computer for malware.
- Wait for the scan to complete to remove a virus. Malwarebytes will scan your computer for adware and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and check the scan status periodically to see when it’s finished.
- Click on “Quarantine”.
- To remove a detected virus, click on the ” Quarantine” button .
- Restart your computer. It will now remove all malicious files and registry keys it found. To remove a virus, the program may ask you to restart your computer.After the process of removing a virus is complete, you can close the program and continue with the rest of the instructions.
STEP 2: Restore files encrypted by ALKA ransomware
How to remove a virus from your pc
Unfortunately, in most cases, it is not possible to recover the files encrypted by this Ransomware because the private key needed to unlock the encrypted files is only available through the cyber criminals.Here’s how to recover your files using Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP Djvu. Make sure you remove a virus from your system first, otherwise it will repeatedly block your system or encrypt your files.
