Cryptowall 4.0 Ransomware

If your computer has been infected by Cryptowall 4.0 then you have a serious problem. It’s probably that by this time all of your files have acquired a strange file extension with random numbers and letters and are unusable. Your files are encrypted and this is the work of the virus.

Cryptowall 4.0 Encrypted File

These type of viruses are known as Ransomware and they will make your data unusable and blackmail you for the recovery key needed to access it. Cryptowall 4.0 will display the message about the terms of the ransom and it will try to scare you not to attempt any alternative methods of recovering your things. Don’t believe its lies. Your files will only be damaged if you delete some of the encrypted files, change their names or file extensions. None of the recovery methods included in this article will tamper with these, so rest assured that if everything else fails you can always choose to pay the ransom as a very last resort.

Should you actually pay the ransom demanded by Cryptowall 4.0?

Paying the ransom may seem like the safest way to recover your data, but it is far from it. Remember that you are dealing with criminals – people who have absolutely no obligation to keep their end of the bargain. In fact these types of viruses are usually handled by an automated software system and should any irregularity or bug occur there will be nobody to assist you. Also remember that any money paid to the hackers behind Cryptowall 4.0 will go towards the development of new and more advanced Ransomware – which could infect your computer again to milk you for more money! You should only ever considering paying this blackmail money if you have vital information still encrypted on your computer all other other recovery options were exhausted.

How to deal with Cryptowall 4.0

Dealing with this Ransomware is generally a two step process – first you need ot remove the ransomware itself and then you have to recover your files.

Unfortunately the hackers are right about one thing – the only way to decrypt the files is to obtain the key used in the ecryption process. Fortunately this is not the only option available. Instead of trying to decrypt the encrypted files we are going to try to restore the originals instead.

When Cryptowall 4.0 began encrypting your files it deleted the originals and left these new encrypted copies in their place. Recovering these deleted files is very similar to what you would do if you wanted to recover a file you accidentally deleted yourself. You will find the detailed instructions in the guide below. Remember that the soon you act and the less files were written on the HDD the better your chances

Name Cryptowall 4.0
Type  Ransomware
Detection Tool

Remove Cryptowall 4.0

Search Marquis is a high-profile hijacker – you might want to see if you’re not infected with it as well.

You can find the removal guide here.


About the author

Violet George

Violet is an active writer with a passion for all things cyber security. She enjoys helping victims of computer virus infections remove them and successfully deal with the aftermath of the attacks. But most importantly, Violet makes it her priority to spend time educating people on privacy issues and maintaining the safety of their computers. It is her firm belief that by spreading this information, she can empower web users to effectively protect their personal data and their devices from hackers and cybercriminals.

2 Comments

  • Hello Rahul, if you followed our instructions and still you were not able to recover your files, then sadly not much could be done. The methods we described are especially contingent on how much time has actually passed since the initial encryption of your files.

  • To be honest, I tried finding any information that would help you, but no one seems to know. The ransom message states that you need not only the key, but the decryption software as well. We really tried (honestly!) finding anything that can help you, but there just doesn’t seem to be anything you can do just with the key… someone has to created a software that can open the decryption.

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