How to remove Venomous Ransomware and decrypt .venomous files

What is Venomous Ransomware

Venomous is a ransomware-type virus that puts most of the stored data under lock and demands the so-called ransom to get it back. This process is more known as file encryption as there are cryptographic ciphers applied by malware with the help of AES-256 algorithms. Besides encrypting files on the configuration level, Venomous also changes them visually. It combines original file names, victims’ IDs, and .venomous extension to rename compromised data. For instance, a file like “1.pdf” will emerge as 1.pdf.FB5MMSJUD2WP.venomous at the end of encryption. Soon after this, Venomous moves next to creating a text file called SORRY-FOR-FILES.txt that stores decryption instructions.

The note states all data held on your system has been infected with strong algorithms. It is also forewarned to not rename or edit encrypted files as it may cause them to break. To ensure guaranteed and corruption-free recovery of data, victims are offered to buy decryption keys stored by cybercriminals. For this, users should send their personal ID to @venomous_support via the Telegram app or contact extortionists using venomous.files@tutanota.com e-mail address. On top of that, it is also proposed to test free decryption before paying the ransom. To do this, victims are guided to open a Tor link attached to the note and upload 1 encrypted sample of data. Cybercriminals think such promotion will elevate their trust in the eyes of victims. No matter how many tricks they use to tug you into paying the ransom, there is always a risk of losing money. Some frauds end up incompetent and do not send any promised tools even after receiving the transfer. This is why it is totally individual on whether to buy decryption or not. You should know that no third-party tool is able to grant full data decryption when it comes to Venomous Ransomware at this moment. The only best way to recover your data without cybercriminals is using backup copies. If you had them created and stored on external or cloud devices prior to the infection, you can use them to restore the blocked data. Before doing so, it is important to remove the Venomous malware from your computer completely. To do this and learn some recovery options, follow our guide below.

How Venomous Ransomware infected your computer

Ransomware and other kinds of malicious software are often spread via e-mail spam, trojans, backdoors, keyloggers, unprotected RDP configuration, fake software cracking tools, and other suspicious channels. Most cyber criminals exploit spam attacks to arch over as many victims as possible. This is done by sending fake letters (marked as “legitimate”) that contain files of .PDF, .EXE, JavaScript, and other formats. Clicking on such files from unknown or suspiciously legitimate sources may be quite risky. They might be meant to throw trojans onto your system causing the installation of other infections like ransomware. This is why e-mail services automatically filter unwanted stuff and drop it down the “Spam” folder to raise users’ awareness. Another crafty distribution method lies in advertising already pirated programs or fake cracking tools meant to bypass the activation of licensed software. It is impossible to avoid malicious content completely, however, you can dwindle the risk of catching a virus by using trusted resources and downloading programs from official websites. Keep in mind that all channels we mentioned above reach successful attacks thanks to inexperienced and inattentive user behavior. This is why it is important to maintain enough awareness each time whilst surfing the web. To learn more about protection against such and many other threats in the future, read our tutorial below.

1. Download Venomous Ransomware Removal Tool
2. Get decryption tool for .venomous 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 Venomous Ransomware

Venomous Ransomware files:


SORRY-FOR-FILES.txt
{randomname}.exe


Venomous Ransomware registry keys:

no information

How to decrypt and restore .venomous files

Use automated decryptors

Download Kaspersky RakhniDecryptor

Use following tool from Kaspersky called Rakhni Decryptor, that can decrypt .venomous 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 .venomous files by uploading samples to Dr. Web Ransomware Decryption Service. Analyzing 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 Venomous Ransomware and removed 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 .venomous 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 Venomous 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. Venomous 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