How to remove Ekvf ransomware, Decrypt .ekvf files.

What is Ekvf virus

Ekvf virus (ransomware) is the 288th version of the STOP (djvu) ransomware. It is created to encrypt the victim’s files, and then demand a ransom for decrypting them. The virus renames encrypted files by adding .ekvf file extension to their name. For example, a file named “photo.jpg”, after being encrypted, will be named “photo.jpg.ekvf”, a file named “document.docx” will become “document.docx.ekvf”, and so on. Fortunately, there is a free Ekvf File Decrypt Tool which in some cases can decrypt encrypted files. In addition to it, we have developed several methods for recovering the contents of encrypted files without a decryptor and a key. Scroll down to learn more about this decryptor and all ways to recover encrypted files.

QUICK LINKS

• What is Ekvf virus?
• Remove Ekvf virus (ransomware)
• Decrypt .ekvf files
• Restore .ekvf files
• Video Guide

According to security researchers, Ekvf differs little from other versions of the STOP ransomware, such as Enfp and Reig, which were discovered earlier. The ransomware infects the computer when the user downloads or runs malware infected files. Criminals lure unwary users into downloading ransomware by hiding malicious code within cracked versions of paid software, torrents, free software, key generators, and so on. Upon execution, an instance of Ekvf virus is installed on victim’s computer.

Once installed on a computer, Ekvf ransomware creates a folder in the Windows system directory where it places a copy of itself and changes some Windows settings so that it starts up every time the computer is restarted or turned on. The virus collects information about the victim’s computer and then tries to establish a connection with its command server. If the connection has been established, then it sends information about the infected computer to the server, and in response receives the encryption key (the so-called ‘online key’), additional commands and malware that must be executed on the victim’s computer. If the virus could not establish a connection with its command server, then it uses a fixed key (the so-called ‘offline key’).

The Ekvf ransomware virus encrypts files using a strong encryption algorithm and a key (‘offline key’ or ‘online key’, as described above). It tries to encrypt as many files as possible, for this it only encrypts the first 154kb of the contents of each file and thus significantly speeds up the encryption process. Ekvf has the ability to encrypt files on all drives connected to the computer: internal hard drives, flash USB disks, network storage, and so on. It skips without encryption: files located in the Windows system directories, files with the extension .ini, .bat, .dll, .lnk, .sys and files with the name ‘_readme.txt’. The remaining files located on the victim’s computer can be encrypted. For example, the following file types may be the target of ransomware attack:

.svg, .doc, .slm, .dazip, .zabw, .arw, .indd, .wgz, .arch00, .odt, .pfx, .wma, .mdbackup, .xbplate, .z3d, .itm, .wpg, .lvl, .das, .fpk, .xx, .jpg, .iwi, .xlgc, .wsh, .xpm, .ztmp, .odm, .crt, .vfs0, .wpd, .csv, .wsd, .wpw, .odb, .xwp, .d3dbsp, .7z, .wbm, .sum, .crw, .tor, .txt, .fos, .wdb, .wbk, .wb2, .bik, .wp4, .gho, .hplg, .esm, .bkp, .wav, .zdb, .mddata, .wmd, .lrf, .cfr, .hkdb, .rtf, .wotreplay, .xls, .db0, .xdl, .xml, .wire, .mef, .p7c, .xll, .rar, .sr2, .ff, .wp6, .der, .1, .mov, .sql, .xar, .lbf, .vdf, .xld, .t13, .xlsm, .w3x, .desc, .zif, .dxg, .rim, .sidn, wallet, .xdb, .big, .xlsx, .m3u, .dbf, .wpt, .dcr, .mrwref, .cr2, .wp7, .litemod, .qic, .2bp, .css, .wmv, .wm, .wn, .wpl, .wmo, .wbmp, .mlx, .wpe, .xls, .cer, .map, .nrw, .ws, .z, .blob, .vpp_pc, .psd, .wbc, .docx, .bsa, .wma, .itdb, .ods, .ybk, .webp, .y, .mp4, .bc6, .webdoc, .orf, .itl, .r3d, .wri, .raw, .wps, .mpqge, .kdc, .wcf, .mdb, .yml, .m4a, .xf, .pdf, .rwl, .bkf, .snx, .wdp, .wpa, .xlsm, .wp5, .dwg, .erf, .xxx, .bay, .docm, .xlsb, .asset, .x3f, .fsh, .sb, .rw2, .pkpass, .ppt, .xlk, .upk, .psk, .menu, .sie, .ntl, .bar, .ai, .wps, .sid, .bc7, .srf, .p12, .hvpl, .p7b, .3ds, .mcmeta, .zip, .1st, .vtf, .zip, .wsc, .flv, .3fr, .pptx, .ncf, .xbdoc, .pef, .wpd, .tax, .layout, .py, .gdb, .3dm, .icxs, .accdb, .re4, .mdf, .apk, .wot, .jpeg, .srw, .x, .xlsx, .0, .xy3, .ysp, .jpe, .dmp, .png, .sidd, .xyw, .ltx, .wbd

The Ekvf ransomware encrypts file-by-file. Each file that has been encrypted will be renamed, the .ekvf extension will be added at the end of its name. Thus, it marks all encrypted files. In every directory where there is at least one encrypted file, the virus places a file named ‘_readme.txt’. The file contains a message from the Ekvf authors. An example of the contents of this file is given below.

This message says that all files on the computer are encrypted and the only way to decrypt them is to purchase a key and a decryptor from the Ekvf authors. That is, criminals demand a ransom for unlocking the victim’s files. The size of the ransom is $980, but if the victim is ready to pay the ransom within 72 hours, then its size is halved to $490. Attackers offer victims to verify that encrypted files can be decrypted. To do this, the victim must send them a small file to one of the email addresses specified in the ‘_readme.txt’ file. Of course, it is obvious that a single decrypted file cannot guarantee that after paying the ransom, the criminals will provide the victim with a working key and decryptor.

Text presented in the ransomnote:

ATTENTION!

Don’t worry, you can return all your files!
All your files like pictures, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.
What guarantees you have?
You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.
You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:
https://we.tl/t-WctYmhDIkl
Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that’s price for you is $490.
Please note that you’ll never restore your data without payment.
Check your e-mail “Spam” or “Junk” folder if you don’t get answer more than 6 hours.

To get this software you need write on our e-mail:
helpteam@mail.ch

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:
helpmanager@airmail.cc

Your personal ID:

Threat Summary

Name	Ekvf ransomware, Ekvf file virus
Type	Crypto malware, Crypto virus, Filecoder, Ransomware, File locker
Encrypted files extension	.ekvf
Ransom note	_readme.txt
Contact	helpteam@mail.ch, helpmanager@airmail.cc
Ransom amount	$980, $490 in Bitcoins
Detection Names	Gen:NN.ZexaF.34628.SqW@ai3RrmpG, Trojan:Win32/Wacatac.B!ml, UDS:Exploit.Win32.Shellcode.gen, Trojan.Malware.300983.susgen, Trojan.Win32.Save.a, ML.Attribute.HighConfidence, FileRepMalware, Win/malicious_confidence_100% (D), ML/PE-A, W32.Trojan.Gen
Symptoms	Cannot open files stored on the computer. All of your documents, photos and music have a new file extension appended to the filenames. Your file directories contain a ‘ransom note’ file that is usually a .html, .jpg or .txt file. Ransom demanding message on your desktop.
Distribution methods	Unsolicited emails that are used to deliver malicious software. Drive-by downloading (when a user unknowingly visits an infected web-page and then malicious software is installed without the user’s knowledge). Social media, like web-based instant messaging programs. Flash Drive and other removable media.
Removal	Ekvf ransomware removal guide
Decryption	Ekvf File Decrypt Tool

 

Security researchers confirm that all files with the extension ‘.ekvf’ are encrypted and cannot be read and used. The only way to decrypt the files is to use the key and the decryptor. Fortunately, there is some good news. As we already reported above, Ekvf belongs to the STOP (djvu) ransomware family, which means that you can use the free decryptor created by Emsisoft to decrypt the encrypted files. Even if the decryptor does not help, there are some alternative ways that can help restore the contents of the encrypted files. To learn more about decrypting files, simply scroll down to section ‘How to decrypt .ekvf files’. Read the entire manual carefully. To make it easier for you to follow the instructions, we recommend that you print it or open it on your smartphone.

How to remove Ekvf virus (ransomware)

Before you start decrypting or recovering .ekvf files, you need to remove the Ekvf autostart entries. This must be done since otherwise the ransomware may re-encrypt the restored files. You can stop the ransomware from working, as it is not difficult to do. Another option is to perform a full system scan using free malware removal tools capable of detecting and removing ransomware infection.

It is very important to scan the computer for malware, as security researchers found that spyware could be installed on the infected computer along with the Ekvf ransomware. Spyware is a very dangerous security threat as it is designed to steal the user’s personal information such as passwords, logins, contact details, etc. If you have any difficulty removing the Ekvf virus, then let us know in the comments, we will try to help you.

To remove Ekvf ransomware, follow the steps below:

1. Kill Ekvf virus
2. Disable Ekvf ransomware Start-Up
3. Delete Ekvf virus Task
4. Remove Ekvf virus

Kill Ekvf virus

Press CTRL, ALT, DEL keys together.

Click Task Manager. Select the “Processes” tab, look for something suspicious that is the Ekvf ransomware then right-click it and select “End Task” or “End Process” option. If your Task Manager does not open or the Windows reports “Task manager has been disabled by your administrator”, then follow the guide: How to Fix Task manager has been disabled by your administrator.

It is not difficult to detect a process related to the Ekvf ransomware. When looking for a malicious process, pay attention to the process icon and its name. Most often, this ransomware has a process name in the following format: 4-characters.tmp.exe or 4-characters.exe. For example: 7533.tmp.exe, A4b1.exe, CD15.tmp.exe, 19b2.exe. The process name can also contain “(32 bit)”. If you do not find a process with a similar name in the list of processes, then most likely the Ekvf ransomware has finished working. But keep in mind, if you do not remove the ransomware autostart entries, as demonstrated below, and do not delete its file, then after a while it may start again, and if it finds unencrypted files, immediately encrypt them.

Disable Ekvf ransomware Start-Up

Select the “Start-Up” tab, look for something similar to the one shown in the example below, right click to it and select Disable.

Close Task Manager.

Delete Ekvf virus Task

Type “Task Scheduler” in the search bar. Click Task Scheduler app in the search results. Click “Task Scheduler Library” in the left panel. On the right panel, right-click to “Time Trigger Task” and select Delete.

Close Task Scheduler.

Remove Ekvf virus

Run Task Manager and select the “Start-Up” tab. Right click to the Ekvf ransomware Start-Up entry and select Open File Location as shown below.

A directory containing one file will open in front of you, this file is the Ekvf virus. It needs to be removed. If you try to delete it immediately, then you will not succeed, since this file is protected from deletion.

To delete this file, you need to do the following. Right-click on the file, select Properties. In the window that opens, select Security tab. Next, click the Advanced button below. A window will open as shown in the following example.

Click Disable inheritance. In the Block inheritance dialog box that opens, select the first item (Convert inherited permissions…) as shown below.

In the Permission entries list, select “Deny Everyone”, click Remove button and then OK. Close the file properties window. You should now be able to remove the Ekvf ransomware File. Right-click on the file and select Delete.

Scan computer for malware

Zemana Anti-Malware can detect all kinds of security threats, including ransomware, as well as a variety of Trojans, viruses and rootkits. After the detection of the Ekvf ransomware virus, you can easily and quickly uninstall it.

Installing the Zemana tool is simple. First you will need to download Zemana AntiMalware by clicking on the link below.

Once downloading is complete, close all software and windows on your personal computer. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup such as the one below.

When the install begins, you will see the “Setup wizard” that will help you set up Zemana Free on your computer.

Once install is complete, you will see window as shown in the figure below.

Now click the “Scan” button . Zemana Anti-Malware program will scan through the whole personal computer for the Ekvf virus and other security threats. Depending on your personal computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the Zemana is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified either as being malware.

When Zemana Anti-Malware completes the scan, you’ll be displayed the list of all found threats on your computer. All found threats will be marked. You can delete them all by simply click “Next” button.

The Zemana Free will start to delete Ekvf malware, other kinds of potential threats such as malware and trojans.

In order to be 100% sure that the computer no longer has the Ekvf ransomware virus, we recommend using the Kaspersky virus removal tool (KVRT). It can detect and remove ransomware, spyware, potentially unwanted programs, worms, trojans, adware software and other malware. KVRT is powerful enough to find and remove malicious registry entries and files that are hidden on the PC system.

Download Kaspersky virus removal tool on your computer by clicking on the following link.

Once the downloading process is done, double-click on the KVRT icon. Once initialization process is finished, you’ll see the Kaspersky virus removal tool screen as shown below.

Click Change Parameters and set a check near all your drives. Press OK to close the Parameters window. Next click Start scan button to perform a system scan for the Ekvf ransomware virus. While the utility is checking, you may see how many objects and files has already scanned.

After the system scan is done, you can check all threats detected on your PC as shown in the following example.

Next, you need to click on Continue to begin a cleaning process.

How to decrypt .ekvf files

As we already reported above, files with .ekvf extension are files that have been encrypted by the Ekvf ransomware virus. Their contents will remain locked until decrypted using the decryptor and the key. Fortunately, there is a free decryptor that can decrypt .ekvf files. Below we provide instructions on where to download and how to use a free Ekvf File Decrypt Tool.

To decrypt .ekvf files, use Ekvf File Decrypt Tool

• Download Ekvf File Decrypt Tool from the following link.
  STOP Djvu decryptor
• Scroll down to ‘New Djvu ransomware’ section.
• Click the download link and save the decrypt_STOPDjvu.exe file to your desktop.
• Run decrypt_STOPDjvu.exe, read the license terms and instructions.
• On the ‘Decryptor’ tab, using the ‘Add a folder’ button, add the directory or disk where the encrypted files are located.
• Click the ‘Decrypt’ button.

Ekvf File Decrypt Tool is a free software that can decrypt the encrypted files only in some cases, when the files were encrypted with an ‘offline key’. If the files were encrypted with an ‘online key’, then they cannot be decrypted. The reason for this is that the decryption key is in the hands of criminals and this key can not be determined. This does not mean that if your files are encrypted with an online key, then their contents are lost forever. Fortunately, there are several ways to recover encrypted files. These methods do not involve the use of decryption and therefore can be used in any case, no matter what key the ransomware used to encrypt files.

How to find out which key was used to encrypt files

Since Ekvf File Decrypt Tool only decrypts files encrypted with an offline key, each Ekvf’s victim needs to find out which key was used to encrypt the files. Determining the type of key used is not difficult. Below we give two ways. Use any of them.

Find out the type of key using ‘_readme.txt’ file

• Open the ransom demand message (‘_readme.txt’ file).
• Scroll down to the end of the file.
• There you will see a line with the text ‘Your personal ID’.
• Below is a line of characters that starts with ‘0288’ – this is your personal id.

Find out the type of key using ‘PersonalID.txt’ file

• Open disk C.
• Open directory ‘SystemID’.
• Open file named ‘PersonalID.txt’. This file lists ‘Personal ID’s that match the keys that the virus used to encrypt files.

The ‘Personal ID’ is not a key, it is an identifier related to a key that was used to encrypt files. If the ID ends with ‘t1’, then the files are encrypted with an offline key. If the ID does not end with ‘t1’, Ekvf virus used an online key. If you could not figure out how to determine which key was used to encrypt files, then we can help. Just write a request here or in the comments below.

Ekvf File Decrypt Tool : “No key for New Variant online ID”

If, when you try to decrypt .ekvf files, Ekvf File Decrypt Tool reports:

No key for New Variant online ID: *
Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible

It means that your files are encrypted with an ‘online key’ and their decryption is impossible, since only the Ekvf authors have the key necessary for decryption. In this case, you need to use alternative methods listed below to restore the contents of encrypted files.

Ekvf File Decrypt Tool : “No key for New Variant offline ID”

If, during decryption of .ekvf files, Ekvf File Decrypt Tool reports:

No key for New Variant offline ID: *t1
Notice: this ID appears be an offline ID, decryption MAY be possible in the future.

It means the following: your files are encrypted with an ‘offline key’, but the key itself has not yet been obtained by security researchers, in this case, you need to be patient and wait a while, in addition, you can also use alternative ways for recovering encrypted data.

If for some reason you were unable to decrypt the encrypted files, then We recommend to follow the news on our Facebook or YouTube channels. So you ‘ll know right away that it ‘s possible to decrypt .ekvf files.

This video step-by-step guide will demonstrate How to use STOP Djvu decryptor to decrypt encrypted files.

How to restore .ekvf files

As we mentioned above, in addition to using the Ekvf File Decrypt Tool, there are several more methods for recovering encrypted files. These methods do not require the use of a decryptor and a key, and therefore are suitable for all cases when the ransomware used an online key, and for the case when the virus used an offline key. It is very important to check your computer for malware before you try to recover encrypted files. You must be 100% sure that the Ekvf ransomware virus is completely removed. To scan your computer for ransomware, use free malware removal tools.

Restore .ekvf files using Shadow Explorer

The Microsoft Windows has a feature called ‘Shadow Volume Copies’ that can help you to recover .ekvf files encrypted by the ransomware. A small tool called ShadowExplorer will allow you to easily access the Shadow copies and restore the encrypted files to their original state. Unfortunately, the ransomware can delete these Shadow copies before it starts encrypting files. Therefore, if ShadowExplorer did not help you, then try another method, which is given below.

ShadowExplorer can be downloaded from the following link. Save it directly to your Windows Desktop.

Once the downloading process is done, extract the saved file to a folder on your device. This will create the necessary files like below.

Start the ShadowExplorerPortable application. Now select the date (2) that you wish to restore from and the drive (1) you wish to recover files (folders) from as shown in the figure below.

On right panel navigate to the file (folder) you wish to restore. Right-click to the file or folder and click the Export button as shown on the image below.

And finally, specify a folder (your Desktop) to save the shadow copy of encrypted file and click ‘OK’ button.

This video step-by-step guide will demonstrate How to recover encrypted files using Shadow Explorer.

Restore .ekvf files with PhotoRec

The last chance to restore encrypted files to their original state is using data recovery tools. We recommend a program called PhotoRec. It has all the necessary functions to restore the contents of encrypted files. It helped many victims recover data when it seemed like there was no more hope.

Download PhotoRec by clicking on the following link.

After the downloading process is done, open a directory in which you saved it. Right click to testdisk-7.0.win and choose Extract all. Follow the prompts. Next please open the testdisk-7.0 folder like below.

Double click on qphotorec_win to run PhotoRec for MS Windows. It’ll open a screen as shown on the screen below.

Select a drive to recover as shown on the image below.

You will see a list of available partitions. Select a partition that holds encrypted photos, documents and music as shown on the image below.

Press File Formats button and choose file types to restore. You can to enable or disable the recovery of certain file types. When this is done, click OK button.

Next, press Browse button to select where recovered photos, documents and music should be written, then click Search. We strongly recommend that you save the recovered files to an external drive.

Count of recovered files is updated in real time. All restored documents, photos and music are written in a folder that you have chosen on the previous step. You can to access the files even if the restore process is not finished.

When the recovery is finished, click on Quit button. Next, open the directory where recovered files are stored. You will see a contents like below.

All recovered personal files are written in recup_dir.1, recup_dir.2 … sub-directories. If you are searching for a specific file, then you can to sort your restored files by extension and/or date/time.

This video step-by-step guide will demonstrate How to recover encrypted files using PhotoRec.

How to protect your personal computer from Ekvf ransomware

Most antivirus applications already have built-in protection system against the crypto virus. Therefore, if your PC system does not have an antivirus application, make sure you install it. As an extra protection, run the HitmanPro.Alert. All-in-all, HitmanPro.Alert is a fantastic tool to protect your personal computer from any ransomware. If ransomware is detected, then HitmanPro.Alert automatically neutralizes malware and restores the encrypted files. HitmanPro.Alert is compatible with all versions of MS Windows operating system from MS Windows XP to Windows 10.

HitmanPro.Alert can be downloaded from the following link. Save it to your Desktop.

After downloading is done, open the directory in which you saved it. You will see an icon like below.

Double click the HitmanPro Alert desktop icon. When the tool is started, you’ll be displayed a window where you can select a level of protection, like below.

Now click the Install button to activate the protection.

To sum up

This guide was created to help all victims of Ekvf ransomware virus. We tried to give answers to the following questions: how to remove ransomware; how to decrypt .ekvf files; how to recover files, if Ekvf File Decrypt tool does not help; what is an online key and what is an offline key. We hope that the information presented in this manual has helped you.

If you have questions, then write to us, leaving a comment below. If you need more help with Ekvf related issues, go to here.