How to remove Venus Ransomware and decrypt .venus files

What is Venus Ransomware

Venus is a ransomware-type virus that was recently discovered by a malware researcher called S!Ri. Its main function is file encryption and also the extortion of money for decryption from victims. While enciphering data with cryptographic algorithms, all the affected files get changed with the .venus extension. To illustrate, if 1.pdf ends up affected by the infection, it will become 1.pdf.venus also and reset its original icon. After this, victims get to familiarize themselves with decryption instructions inside of the README.txt note. Desktop wallpapers get replaced as well.

Content within the note can vary depending on what version of Venus Ransomware infected the system. However, in general, cybercriminals say victims have to establish contact with them and also include the generated key (from the note). Updated variants of Venus also threaten to publish the files they captured unless victims contact the attackers within 5 days since encryption. While this can bear reputational risks for various companies, trusting cybercriminals with paying the ransom is not recommended. It is quite often the case that ransomware developers fool their victims and do not give any decryption software eventually. Decrypting data without the help of cybercriminals is also rarely possible, due to the strong and secure ciphers used during encryption. You can try some reputable software we consider worth trying, however, there is no guarantee it will actually help. The best and probably sole solution to save money and at the same time get back your data is to recover it using backup copies. If such are kept on external storage, you can easily use them. The only risk though is that the collected data may indeed be leaked and cause some risks for individuals or businesses. Note that before trying to recover your data without the help of cybercriminals, it is important to delete the virus first. You can also do it in our guide – just scroll a bit further below.

How Venus Ransomware infected your computer

File-encrypting malware counts a number of distribution channels, such as trojans, fake software updates/installers, system exploits, phishing websites and emails, unreliable software cracking tools, backdoors, keyloggers, and so forth. Phishing via email is usually the one cybercriminals employ the most. Many can receive messages that seem legitimate or even important, but at the same time contain malicious attachments. Such attachments are often in Word, Excel, PDF, Executable, Archive, or JavaScript formats. Malware developers use them due to their macros capabilities, allowing them to install malware with little actions required from users. If you receive a message classified as spam, it is good to avoid or even delete it completely. You should always be careful clicking on links and executing files you are not familiar with. Opt only for trusted and legal sources of content and software to avoid risks of getting some malware. Read our guide below to familiarize yourself with useful protection tips to stay virus-free while using the web.

1. Download Venus Ransomware Removal Tool
2. Get decryption tool for .venus 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 Venus Ransomware

Venus Ransomware files:


README.txt
{randomname}.exe


Venus Ransomware registry keys:

no information

How to decrypt and restore .venus files

Use automated decryptors

Download Kaspersky RakhniDecryptor

Use following tool from Kaspersky called Rakhni Decryptor, that can decrypt .venus 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 .venus 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 Venus 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 .venus 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 Venus 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. Venus 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