*Kiwm is a variant of Stop/DJVU. Source of claim SH can remove it.
Kiwm
Kiwm is a data-encrypting malware program that will first lock up your files and then require a ransom payment from you in exchange for the data’s release. A note generated by Kiwm after the encryption completes will provide details regarding the demanded ransom payment.
The malicious programs identified as Ransomware-based are the most hazardous and problematic sort of viruses ever designed so far worldwide. This malware kind’s representatives are considered especially harmful because their probable effects on the victim devices could be disastrous indeed: most of your data could get encrypted thus becoming inaccessible.
After the locking up of whatever files the virus accesses on your system, a terrifying threat usually pops up on your screen. The warnings and blackmailing shared in such messages typically say that in case you don’t pay the ransom that the hackers have requested, you may have to deal with the permanent loss of access to the files that have been blocked.
Here, we will be reviewing one exact version of Ransomware that could be blamed for file encryption and ransom blackmailing. It is named Kiwm and below you are going to learn more about Ransomware as a whole and about this particular version.
The Kiwm Virus
The Kiwm virus is a Ransomware threat used by online blackmailers as a means of exfiltrating money from users attacked by it. Kiwm applies encryption to the user’s files, making the files inaccessible, and then the virus requests a ransom payment for the decryption key.
The viruses characterized as Ransomware seem to have first been developed in Russia supposedly in the last two decades of the XX century. In fact, in the beginning there used to exist two types of Ransomware, however, after that more appeared:
- File-encrypting viruses: this particular subcategory is the one that includes Kiwm. These viruses may be able to infect PCs, and later on – access all their storages and make a list of all the data there. The following stage of the infection is when most of the accessed by the virus files get encrypted with a hard-to-crack encryption code. This code is normally extremely complicated and cannot be removed easily. Then, this malware would send ransom-blackmail messages once it has completed the encryption process.
- Screen-lock viruses: this kind of viruses may affect various devices and block their screens, then ask for a particular ransom. The difference between this category and the first one is that the screen-block viruses might only display a very big ransom-requesting notification on the victim users’ desktop which notification prevents the normal use of the device. In fact, no data suffers any encryption – simply the screens of the affected devices are made unavailable.
- Mobile devices attacking viruses: these Ransomware-based programs can infiltrate phones and tablets. The way such viruses act in such a case could resemble the way the desktop-lock malware functions. Everything is the same; simply the affected devices are different – this time the virus attacks a mobile device, not a computer or a laptop.
How does such a virus get distributed?
Kiwm and the other Ransomware viruses may be distributed in a number of ways. They might be included in some contagious emails; and found inside their attachments as well. Another basic source of this kind of malware is the famous ‘malvertising’ practice. Many different websites could produce fake ads leading to malware, and as soon as you click on such an ad, you may get the virus immediately. Another typical means of distribution could be any drive-by download from some contagious web platforms. Moreover, some infected shareware or torrents could be potential sources as well.
The Kiwm file
The Kiwm file is any file targeted and encrypted by the Kiwm Ransomware. An Kiwm file cannot be opened by any regular program and to access it again, the user needs to have a special private key that can reverse the applied encryption.
On discussing the infections caused by Ransomware, it is crucial that you always keep in mind that nothing on your side WILL EVER guarantee the complete recovery of the encrypted files, or the successful removal of a virus as dangerous as Kiwm, Kifr or Niwm. If you don’t manage to remove such a hazard, your data could end up lost for good. Even provided that you make a decision to PAY the requested ransom, your data might remain inaccessible. As the majority of the prospects are not in your favor while dealing with such infections, we suggest that you check out what else you may be able to do. Indeed, you will risk nothing in such a case.
Some of the possible solutions could include consulting a professional who has some experience in removing such threats. It might turn out to be the solution you need exactly. Perhaps your particular solution is using a trustworthy Removal Guide: just like the Removal Guide below.
No matter what you decide to choose, keep in mind that in the war against Ransomware, your most efficient tool will always remain be prevention practices you learn to implement . If you need to avoid all sorts of file-encryption, just back up your data as regularly as you can.
SUMMARY:
*Kiwm is a variant of Stop/DJVU. Source of claim SH can remove it.
Remove Kiwm Ransomware
Step-by-step instructions are provided in this removal guide on how to get rid of the Kiwm ransomware. Disconnecting your computer from the Internet is a good place to start. In this way, malicious software on the machine will be unable to communicate with its servers and receive more commands. Devices like USB drives and external hard drives should also be unplugged from the infected computer before you do anything else.
The next step is to perform a Safe Mode restart on the infected computer. If you’re having trouble, you can find step-by-by-step instructions at this link. After the computer has been rebooted in Safe Mode, please return to this page to complete the Kiwm removal. Bookmarking this page in your browser is an option for your convenience that will allow you to easily return to this removal guide and continue from where you left off.
WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!
*Kiwm is a variant of Stop/DJVU. Source of claim SH can remove it.
Heading to the Task Manager is the next step. Use the Windows search bar to search for “task manager” and hit Enter. After that, navigate to the Processes tab and rearrange the currently operating processes in accordance with their use of memory and CPU power. Any processes linked to the malware should be thoroughly scanned. To do that, right-click on the suspicious process and select Open File Location. This will open the file location of the files related to that process.
For scanning to begin, just place files from the file location folder into this scanner:
Before doing anything else, right-click the process and choose “End Process” from the context menu. After that, remove any files that have been flagged as potential threats from the directory where they are stored.
Once you’ve completed step 2, start a new Run window by pressing the Windows key and R on your keyboard, then type the following command and hitt Enter:
notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts
Once you hit the Enter key, this should open the Hosts file in a new window on your screen. Then, search for “Localhost” in the file and let us know in the comments below if any of the IP addresses shown under “Localhost” are questionable. We’ll respond with recommendations on what to do in case we find a reason to be concerned.
Another location to check for Kiwm-related files is under the System Configuration settings. Type msconfig in the Windows search bar and click Enter to access the System Configuration window. See if anything suspicious is set to automatically launch when the system is powered on in the “Startup” tab.
You may manually deactivate the ransomware by unchecking the box next to any item you suspect is related to it. In the event that you have any worries about the safety of a startup item, you should do some internet study before disabling it.
*Kiwm is a variant of Stop/DJVU. Source of claim SH can remove it.
Most ransomware threats have the capacity to secretly inject new harmful files into the infected system’s registry. So, if you want to completely eliminate Kiwm, you need to run a registry check to look for potentially harmful files and then delete them. Using the Windows search box, enter “Regedit” and then press Enter to access the Registry Editor.
When looking for harmful files in the Registry Editor, the CTRL and F shortcut keys might save you some time. To begin the search, type the malware’s name in the Find box and click Find Next.
Attention! Ransomware-related registry files should best be removed with the help of an expert or professional software, especially if you’re not confident that you can get rid of the infection on your own. Verifying that no additional registry entries are being deleted is crucial at every step of this process. For best results, we recommend using a virus removal application like the one on our website.
Here are five more system locations that you need to manually check, where Ransomware-related files may be found:
- %AppData%
- %LocalAppData%
- %ProgramData%
- %WinDir%
- %Temp%
Using the Windows search bar, copy and paste each of the locations above one at a time, then press the Enter key to search for harmful files. The next step is to check for files and folders whose names contain some strange characters, symbols and numbers and look suspicious. In this step, avoid making any modifications, except if you are very certain that deleting files or folders from these locations would help remove the infection. It’s a good idea to delete any temporary files you find in Temp, since they may be connected to the malware.
How to Decrypt Kiwm files
Inexperienced computer users may struggle to cope with the consequences of a ransomware attack. That’s why, to avoid additional computer damage, it’s important to get help from a reputable program or an experienced ransomware expert if you’re not familiar with such malware. To decrypt encrypted data, you must first do a thorough system check to verify that your system is free of any potentially harmful viruses.
New Djvu Ransomware
STOP Djvu is the latest Djvu ransomware version that many computers throughout the globe have been infected with. To check if that is the variant that has attacked you, look for files that have the .Kiwm extension on your computer and if you find any, follow the next steps. You may be able to recover some of the data you’ve already lost using a decryption program like the one offered at the following link:
https://www.emsisoft.com/ransomware-decryption-tools/stop-djvu
Before attempting to decrypt any of your data, go through the license agreement and any other instructions provided by the decryptor. You should know that this decryptor, does not guarantee that all of your data will be recovered. It is possible that files encrypted using an unknown offline key or online encryption will not be able to decode.
If the manual removal instructions on this page fail to completely remove Kiwm from your computer, anti-virus software should be used. We also provide a free online virus scanner that allows you to do a manual check on any file that raises your concerns. Please let us know if any of the steps in this manual removal guide are difficult for you in the comments section, or share if the information provided on this page is helpful.
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