How to spot fake Ransomware software

Ransomware are the modern scourge among computer viruses. Unfortunately, where there is a problem there will also be someone profiteering from it

Ransomware, even on their own, are a nasty problem. To make matters worse there are many fraudulent ransomware „solutions “, which claim to be able to decrypt your files for a modest fee.

• REMEMBER! Ransomware threats are very hard to reverse engineer and obtain the algorithm used to generate the encryption key. Only a handful of ransomware viruses have been effectively figured out and most of these are already obsolete. Not only that, but the information needed in order to decrypt most of these ransomwares has been released for free by the people who did the work!

Be very wary when you are offered a (paid) solution to a ransomware virus that promises to recover your files. Chances are that you are actually getting scammed. In some cases, people have paid more money for fake ransomware decrypting software than they would have paid for the ransom itself!

Always ask for proof first

In order to be sure that you are paying for a legitimate piece of software ask to receive proof of its functionality first. Contact the people that offer the software and send them a copy of one of your encrypted files. Alternatively ask them for detailed instructions on how to do it yourself. Never pay any money to anyone without receiving such form of verification first. Also please remember that there are many diverse versions of ransomware – if a solution worked for someone else it may not work for you!

What applications you can trust

Anti-virus and anti-malware programs will do an excellent job of keeping your PC safe from incoming ransomware and it is highly recommended that you have a program with active protection at all times. If your PC is already infected they will also be able to remove the virus for you and allow you to attempt recovery – but they won’t be able to recover your encrypted files on their own. So far the most effective methods for that involve restoring the original files that got deleted by the ransomware. This is not always successful, but it also have no downsides and is worth giving it at least a try.