An infection with the dangerous .Clop ransomware virus leads to serious security issues. With our removal guide, victims can try to secure their computers and restore encrypted files.
Manual Removal Guide
Files Recovery Approaches
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Distribution of .Clop Ransomware Virus
The .Clop ransomware is a devastating cryptovirus that has been recently released in attack campaigns against computer users worldwide. Threat actors could be utilizing widely used tactics of distribution to infect computer systems.
One of the methods that may be used by the malicious actors behind .Clop ransomware includes the coordination of SPAM email messages — they are used to spread the threat by sending out messages that pose as legitimate notifications sent by popular Internet portals or services that the targets may use. The virus files can be either directly attached or linked in the body. They can also be uploaded to fake download sites which are designed to appear like any of the popular Internet portals or vendor download sites. The malicious actors may use similar sounding domain names, certificates and hijacked design and contents to coerce the victims into thinking that they are accessing the legitimate address.
Another way that the threat may spread is through infected payloads — the use of various files that are infected with virus code. A popular example is the malicious document which can take any form: presentations, rich text files, spreadsheets and databases. Once they are opened by the victims a notification message will pop-up asking the target users to enable the built-in scripts. If this is done the virus infection will follow. The other popular technique is the inclusion of the code in application installers. They are malicious copies of legitimate setup files of popular end-user programs that have been modified with the .Clop ransomware code.
Ransomware files are also popularly spread by fake user profiles — they can post to community forums or social media accounts. The criminals can utilize both fake or stolen identities to increase the number of infected users.
In certain cases, the criminals may also be distributed via malicious browser plugins — additions to the most popular web browsers that are advertised as useful. The plugins are uploaded to the official repositories and often make use of fake or hijacked user reviews and developer credentials. Once they are installed by the users they will execute their built-in instructions that in many cases leads to the .Clop ransomware virus infection in the end.
Impact of .Clop Ransomware Virus
The .Clop ransomware is a devastating virus which does not appear to originate from any of the famous malware families. We pressume that it will follow the default behavior patterns like other similar threats. The captured samples are early testing releases which do not give an accurate description of its full potential.
When the infection has been placed on the victim computers it will start to interact with the system files — it can hook up to system processes. This allows the engine to spy on the victim users. This is particularly useful for extracting information such as the following:
- Operating System Information
- Installed Hardware Components
- Regional Settings & User Preferences
- Certain Operating System Environment Values
This information can be used to generate an unique ID that is assigned to each individual computer. The data collection engine can also be used to expose the identity of the users. What follows is that the .Clop ransomware will use the same module to search for strings like the victim’s name, address, phone number, interests and account credentials. Advanced ransomware variants can also hijack data from the available network shares and removable storage devices.
Other dangerous effects that the .Clop ransomware can have on the victim systems include the following:
- Persistent Installation — The .Clop ransomware can be executed every time the computer is powered on. This is done in order to make the virus processes start before the users have time to react. This option will also make it impossible to use manual user removal guides as they depend on access to the recovery boot menus. In the majority of cases it will be disabled.
- Windows Registry Changes — The .Clop ransomware may be programmed to modify the Registry entries of both the operating system and any third-party applications. This usually leads to serious performance and stability issues, the users may not be able to normally use the computer and may experience abnormal errors.
- Additional Payloads Delivery — Existing ransomware infections with this virus can be made to install other malware threats. This is most commonly done with Trojans which enable the criminals to spy on the victims, take over their computers and steal data before the encryption engine is started.
When all components have finished running the .Clop ransomware engine will be called. Like other well-known viruses it will use a built-in list of target file type extensions, an example one is the following:
Archives, Backups, Databases, Presentations, Text Documents, Images, Videos and Music files
The output ransomware note will be created in a file called “ClopReadMe.txt” and the associated files will be renamed with the .Clop extension. The victim users will be blackmailed into paying a ransomware decryption fee. The contents of the file is the following:
Your network has been penetrated.
All files on each host in the network have been encrypted with a strong algorithm.
Backups were either encrypted or deleted or backup disks were formatted.
Shadow copies also removed, so F8 or any other methods may damage encrypted data but not recover.
We exclusively have decryption software for your situation
No decryption software is available in the public.
DO NOT RESET OR SHUTDOWN – files may be damaged.
DO NOT RENAME OR MOVE the encrypted and readme files.
DO NOT DELETE readme files.
This may lead to the impossibility of recovery of the certain files.
Photorec, RannohDecryptor etc. repair tools are useless and can destroy your files irreversibly.
If you want to restore your files write to emails (contacts are at the bottom of the sheet) and attach 2-3 encrypted files
(Less than 5 Mb each, non-archived and your files should not contain valuable information
(Databases, backups, large excel sheets, etc.)).
You will receive decrypted samples and our conditions how to get the decoder.Attention!!!
Your warranty – decrypted samples.
Do not rename encrypted files.
Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software.
We don`t need your files and your information.But after 2 weeks all your files and keys will be deleted automatically.
Contact emails:
[email protected]
or
[email protected]The final price depends on how fast you write to us.
Clop
Remove .Clop Ransomware Virus and Restore PC
Please note that paying the requested ransom fee to cybercriminals does not really solve your problem with .Clop cryptovirus. In fact, you only encourage hackers to continue spreading ransomware of this kind. Instead, you must remove the threat immediately, and only then look for optional ways to recover your data.
WARNING! Manual removal of .Clop ransomware virus requires being familiar with system files and registries. Removing important data accidentally can lead to permanent system damage. If you don’t feel comfortable with manual instructions, download a powerful anti-malware tool that will scan your system for malware and clean it safely for you.
DOWNLOAD SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool.Clop Ransomware Virus – Manual Removal Steps
Start the PC in Safe Mode with Network
This will isolate all files and objects created by the ransomware so they will be removed efficiently. The steps below are applicable to all Windows versions.
1. Hit the WIN Key + R
2. A Run window will appear. In it, write msconfig and then press Enter
3. A Configuration box shall appear. In it Choose the tab named Boot
4. Mark Safe Boot option and then go to Network under it to tick it too
5. Apply -> OK
Show Hidden Files
Some ransomware threats are designed to hide their malicious files in the Windows so all files stored on the system should be visible.
1. Open My Computer/This PC
2. Windows 7
-
– Click on Organize button
– Select Folder and search options
– Select the View tab
– Go under Hidden files and folders and mark Show hidden files and folders option
3. Windows 8/ 10
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– Open View tab
– Mark Hidden items option
4. Click Apply and then OK button
Enter Windows Task Manager and Stop Malicious Processes
1. Hit the following key combination: CTRL+SHIFT+ESC
2. Get over to Processes
3. When you find suspicious process right click on it and select Open File Location
4. Go back to Task Manager and end the malicious process. Right click on it again and choose End Process
5. Next, you should go folder where the malicious file is located and delete it
Repair Windows Registry
1. Again type simultaneously the WIN Key + R key combination
2. In the box, write regedit and hit Enter
3. Type the CTRL+ F and then write the malicious name in the search type field to locate the malicious executable
4. In case you have discovered registry keys and values related to the name, you should delete them, but be careful not to delete legitimate keys
Click for more information about Windows Registry and further repair help
Recover Encrypted Files
WARNING! All files and objects associated with .Clop ransomware virus should be removed from the infected PC before any data recovery attempts. Otherwise the virus may encrypt restored files. Furthermore, a backup of all encrypted files stored on external media is highly recommendable.
SpyHunter is a Windows application designed to scan for, identify, remove and block malware, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) and other objects. By purchasing the full version, you will be able to remove detected malware instantly. Additional information about SpyHunter / Help to uninstall SpyHunter
1. Use present backups
2. Use professional data recovery software
Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery – a specialist tool that can restore partitions, data, documents, photos, and 300 more file types lost during various types of incidents and corruption.
3. Using System Restore Point
-
– Hit WIN Key
– Select “Open System Restore” and follow the steps
4. Restore your personal files using File History
-
– Hit WIN Key
– Type restore your files in the search box
– Select Restore your files with File History
– Choose a folder or type the name of the file in the search bar
– Hit the “Restore” button
