How to remove Pay Us Ransomware and decrypt .pay us files

What is Pay Us Ransomware

Pay Us Ransomware seems to be a by-product of Vn_os Ransomware, which we discussed on our blog already. It acts exactly the same way – running data encryption and pushing victims to pay a so-called ransom. The only difference stands for different names of extensions and notes. Pay Us appends the .pay us extension to each file encrypted. To illustrate, a file like 1.pdf will be changed to 1.pdf.pay us and reset its original icon after encryption. Then, once this process gets to a close, the virus springs into creating a text note (read_me.txt) that contains decryption instructions.

As developers state, victims are having the only option to recover the data – pay for decryption tools sold by the extortionists. The price for decryption is set at 1,500$ to be paid in BTC. The Bitcoin rate differs constantly, this is why the price tag can soar up any time in the future. It is quite uncertain how victims will be getting the promised tool after sending the money. There are no e-mail addresses attached for establishing contact with the fraudulent figures. Considering this, obtaining decryption instruments from cybercriminals is full of uncertainty. Therefore, we do not recommend you to do so as there is a risk to lose your money. Extortionists are notorious for fooling their victims and not sending any decryption tools. Although there are no third-party tools capable of decryption Pay Us files for free, you can use backups copies created and stored externally prior to the virus attack. If there are no such backups available, Pay Us Ransomware must still be removed from your system to stave off further encryption of data. Our guide below will help you to do so within a couple of steps.

How Pay Us Ransomware infected your computer

Ransomware infections are known to be distributed through various channels – e-mail spam, trojans, unprotected RDP configuration, fake software cracking tools, forged software updates, and other dubious vectors exploited by profiteers. Trojans stand for the type of malware designed to spread malicious software. It installs into a system and causes so-called chain infections to download other kinds of malware. In other words, trojans open a window for other malware to land in. When it comes to distributing ransomware, developers also resort to spam messages. Such are bundled with malicious attachments disguised under PDF, Word, EXE, or JavaScript files. To upswing the trust of inexperienced users, ransomware developers also cover spam messages into letters sent by legitimate companies (DHL, FedEx, DPD, etc.). This helps them force users into opening files under the pretext of checking your package or something else. Whenever you see a spam-looking message, better delete it and do not open whatever is hidden inside. To learn more about protection against such threats in the future, follow our tutorial below.

1. Download Pay Us Ransomware Removal Tool
2. Get decryption tool for .pay us files
3. Recover encrypted files with Stellar Data Recovery Professional
4. Restore encrypted files with Windows Previous Versions
5. Restore files with Shadow Explorer
6. How to protect from threats like Pay Us Ransomware

Pay Us Ransomware files:


read_me.txt
{randomname}.exe


Pay Us Ransomware registry keys:

no information

How to decrypt and restore .pay us files

Use automated decryptors

Download Kaspersky RakhniDecryptor

Use following tool from Kaspersky called Rakhni Decryptor, that can decrypt .pay us files. Download it here:

Download RakhniDecryptor

There is no purpose to pay the ransom because there is no guarantee you will receive the key, but you will put your bank credentials at risk.

Dr.Web Rescue Pack

Famous antivirus vendor Dr. Web provides free decryption service for the owners of its products: Dr.Web Security Space or Dr.Web Enterprise Security Suite. Other users can ask for help in the decryption of .pay us files by uploading samples to Dr. Web Ransomware Decryption Service. Analyzing of files will be performed free of charge and if files are decryptable, all you need to do is purchase a 2-year license of Dr.Web Security Space worth $120 or less. Otherwise, you don’t have to pay.

If you are infected with Pay Us Ransomware and removed it from your computer you can try to decrypt your files. Antivirus vendors and individuals create free decryptors for some crypto-lockers. To attempt to decrypt them manually you can do the following:

Use Stellar Data Recovery Professional to restore .pay us files

1. Download Stellar Data Recovery Professional.
2. Click Recover Data button.
3. Select type of files you want to restore and click Next button.
4. Choose location where you would like to restore files from and click Scan button.
5. Preview found files, choose ones you will restore and click Recover.

Download Stellar Data Recovery Professional

Using Windows Previous Versions option:

1. Right-click on infected file and choose Properties.
2. Select Previous Versions tab.
3. Choose particular version of the file and click Copy.
4. To restore the selected file and replace the existing one, click on the Restore button.
5. In case there is no items in the list choose alternative method.

Using Shadow Explorer:

1. Download Shadow Explorer program.
2. Run it and you will see screen listing of all the drives and the dates that shadow copy was created.
3. Select the drive and date that you want to restore from.
4. Right-click on a folder name and select Export.
5. In case there are no other dates in the list, choose alternative method.

If you are using Dropbox:

1. Login to the DropBox website and go to the folder that contains encrypted files.
2. Right-click on the encrypted file and select Previous Versions.
3. Select the version of the file you wish to restore and click on the Restore button.

How to protect computer from viruses, like Pay Us Ransomware, in future

1. Get special anti-ransomware software

Use ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware

Famous antivirus brand ZoneAlarm by Check Point released a comprehensive tool, that will help you with active anti-ransomware protection, as an additional shield to your current protection. The tool provides Zero-Day protection against ransomware and allows you to recover files. ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware is compatible with all other antiviruses, firewalls, and security software except ZoneAlarm Extreme (already shipped with ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware) or Check Point Endpoint products. The killer features of this application are: automatic file recovery, overwrite protection that instantly and automatically recovers any encrypted files, file protection that detects and blocks even unknown encryptors.

Download ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware

2. Back up your files

As an additional way to save your files, we recommend online backup. Local storage, such as hard drives, SSDs, flash drives, or remote network storage can be instantly infected by the virus once plugged in or connected to. Pay Us Ransomware uses some techniques to exploit this. One of the best services and programs for easy automatic online backup is iDrive. It has the most profitable terms and a simple interface. You can read more about iDrive cloud backup and storage here.

3. Do not open spam e-mails and protect your mailbox

Malicious attachments to spam or phishing e-mails are the most popular method of ransomware distribution. Using spam filters and creating anti-spam rules is good practice. One of the world leaders in anti-spam protection is MailWasher Pro. It works with various desktop applications and provides a very high level of anti-spam protection.

Download MailWasher Pro