Remove PPVW Ransomware Virus (+DECRYPT .ppvw Files)

Ppvw malware is a type of computer virus that injects your computer, encrypts your documents, and then asks to pay the ransom for file decryption. Besides these unpleasant activities, that virus also modifies some important settings and can even stop your anti-malware program.

Ppvw malware – what is it?

Ppvw virus can correctly be described as a STOP/Djvu malware family. That sort of computer virus is targeted at individuals. This feature supposes that Ppvw does not carry any type of additional malware, which usually helps ransomware of various other families to control your PC. Because of the fact that the majority users do not have anything valuable , there is no need to use other viruses that increases the risk of failure of the whole ransomware operation.

The common signs of this ransomware activity is the emersion of .ppvw files in your folders, instead of the document you used to have. The photo.jpg turns into photo.jpg.ppvw, report.xlsx – into report.xlsx.ppvw and so on. You are not able to prevent this action, and can’t open these files – they are ciphered with pretty strong algorithm.

You can also see different other signs of malware activity. Suddenly blocked Microsoft Defender and inability to check the well-known anti-malware forums or websites, where the malware removal and file decryption guides are published. You will see how it is conducted in the paragraph below. The malware removal and decryption guide are also available – read below how to wipe out Ppvw ransomware and get the .ppvw files back.

How did Ppvw ransomware encrypt my files?

After the malware injection, the Ppvw ransomware establishes a connection with its command and control server. This server is controlled by malware maintainers – crooks who manage the distribution of this virus. Another activity which is done by those crooks is answering the email messages of sufferers, who wish to decrypt their files.

The documents are encrypted with one of the strongest encryption algorithm – AES-256. The digit in the name of this algo means the power of two – 2^256 for this case. 78-digit number of possible decryption keys variations – it is impossible to brute force it. As analysts say, it will take more time than the Earth can estimate to exist, even when you use the most powerful computer system. In each folder that contains the encrypted documents, Ppvw virus creates the _readme.txt file with the following contents:

ATTENTION!

Don't worry, you can return all your files!

All your files like photos, 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-WJa63R98Ku

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:

support@fishmail.top

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:

datarestorehelp@airmail.cc

Your personal ID:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nevertheless, you can still use some of your documents. The Ppvw ransomware encrypts only the first 150 KB of each file, but the other piece of this document can be accessed. Primarily, it works best with audio/video files, which are likely larger than 150 kilobytes. Not every media player is capable of open these files – WinAmp is the best choice, since it is free and well-tested. First seconds of each song or video will be missing – this part is encrypted – but the rest of the document will be accessible like nothing happened.

Is Ppvw ransomware dangerous for my PC?

As it was mentioned several paragraphs above, ransomware is not only about ciphering the files. Ppvw ransomware makes the changes in your computer in order to prevent searching the malware removal and file decryption guides. Malware does not create the software obstacle – it just changes the settings, primarily – networking and security configurations.

Through the networking configurations, the most damaged item is the HOSTS configuration file. This text file has the DNS-address instructions, which are used by the web browsers while requesting to the server. If you add a specific DNS-address for the certain website, your web browser will connect that site through that DNS next time. Ransomware edits this file, adding the non-existent DNS, so any of the web browsers will show you the “Unable to resolve the DNS-address” error.

Other alterations done by the virus are aimed at prevention of fast spotting of itself, and also preventing the installation of the majority of security tools. Ppvw virus makes some modifications in Group Policies – the system configuration interface which allows to modify the abilities of each program. In such a way, malware stops the Microsoft Defender and various other anti-malware programs, and also prevents the launch of anti-malware installation files.

How did I get infected?

Throughout the whole term while STOP/Djvu family existed, it was using questionable programs as the main method of ransomware injection. Under the term of dubious software I mean software that are already not controlled by the creator and spread through the third-party websites. These apps may be hacked, to make them possible to use without purchasing any license. One more example of such a program type is different hacking tools – cheat engines, keygens, Windows activation tools and so on.

This kind of software may be distributed in different ways – through the website that offers a downloading link, and also through the seeding networks – ThePirateBay, eMule and so on. All these sources are known as the biggest computer piracy resources. People use these sites to get different apps or games for free, even if they must be purchased. Nobody can prevent the users who crack these apps from adding viruses of some sort to the files of the hacked app. Hacktools, meanwhile, are created for outlaw purposes, so their developers may easily add the virus under the guise of some program part.

These cracked programs, regardless of their source, are one of the most often carriers for various viruses, and definitely the most used one for Ppvw virus. It is better to avoid using of it, and not only because of ransomware installation risks. Avoiding the license buying is an illegal action, and both hackers and users who use hacked programs fall under the charge of piracy.

How do I remove Ppvw ransomware?

The Ppvw virus is really hard to wipe out manually. Really, because of the amount of changes it makes into your PC, it is almost impossible to find them all and repair. The best decision is to make use of antivirus software. But which one to choose?

You can read the offers to make use of Microsoft Defender, that is already in your system. But as it was mentioned earlier, most of STOP/Djvu virus examples block it even before the ciphering procedure. Using the third-party program is the only possible solution – and I can recommend you the GridinSoft Anti-Malware as a solution for that case. It has perfect detection abilities, so the virus will not be missed. It is also capable of system repairing, which is heavily needed after the Ppvw virus attack.

To remove Ppvw malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software.

After the ransomware removal, you can go to file decryption. Malware removal is needed to prevent the repeating encryption of your files: while Ppvw ransomware is active, it will not miss any unencrypted file.

How to decrypt the .ppvw files?

There are two ways to recover your files after a Ppvw malware attack. First one and the most obvious is file decryption. It is performed with a special app, designed by Emsisoft, and called Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP/Djvu. This program is absolutely free. Analysts update its decryption keys databases as often as possible, so you will surely get your files back, sooner or later.

Another option to get your documents and photos back is to try to recover them from your disk drives. Since ransomware deletes them and substitutes with an encrypted copy, the residue of the documents are still kept on the disk. After the deletion, the information about them is wiped from the file system, but not from a disk drive. Special programs, like PhotoRec, are able to recover these files. It is free, too, and may also be used for file recovery in case when you have deleted something unintentionally.

Decrypting the .ppvw files with Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu

Download and install Emsisoft Decrypter tool. Agree with its EULA and continue to the interface.

The interface of this program is extremely easy. All you have to do is to select the folder where the encrypted files are stored, and wait. If the program has the decryption key which corresponds to your ransomware case – it will decrypt it.

During the use of Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu, you may observe various error messages. Don’t worry, that does not mean that you did something wrong or a program does not work properly. Each of these errors refer to a specific case. Here is the explanation:

Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [your ID]

The program does not have a corresponding key for your case. You need to wait for some time until the key database will be updated.

No key for new variant online ID: [your ID]

Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible.

This error means that your files are encrypted with an online key. In such a case, the decryption key is unique and stored on the remote server, controlled by crooks. Unfortunately, the decryption is impossible.

Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]

This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future.

Ransomware uses the offline key to encrypt your files. This key is not unique, so you likely have it in common with another victim. Since offline keys must be collected, too, it is important to keep calm and wait until the analysts team finds one which will fit your case.

Remote name could not be resolved

This error indicates that the program has problems with DNS on your computer. That’s a clear sign of malicious alterations in your HOSTS file. Reset it using the official Microsoft guide.

Recovering the .ppvw files with PhotoRec tool

PhotoRec is an open-source tool, which is designed to recover the deleted or lost files from the disk drive. It checks each disk sector for the remains of deleted files, and then tries to recover them. That app is able to recover the files of more than 400 different formats. Because of the described feature of ransomware encryption mechanism, it is possible to use this tool to get the original, unencrypted files back.

Download PhotoRec from the official website. It is absolutely free, however, its developer warns that he does not guarantee that this program will be 100% effective for file recovery purposes. Moreover, even paid apps can barely give you such a guarantee, because of the chain of random factors that can make the file recovery harder.

Unzip the downloaded archive to the folder you like. Don’t worry because of its name – TestDisk – this is the name of the utility developed by the same company. They decided to spread it together since PhotoRec and TestDisk are often used together. Among the unzipped files, search for qphotorec_win.exe file. Run this executable file.

Before you can start the recovery process, you need to specify several settings. In the drop-down list, choose the logic disk where the files were stored before the encryption.

Then, you need to specify the file formats you need to recover. It may be difficult to scroll all 400+ formats, luckily, they are sorted by alphabetical order.

Finally, name the folder you want to use as a container for recovered files. The program will likely dig out a lot of useless files, which were deleted intentionally, so desktop is a bad solution. The best option is to use the USB-drive.

After these easy manipulations, you may just press the “Search” button (it turns active if you specified all required parameters). The recovery process may take several hours, so keep patient. It is recommended not to use the computer during this term, since you may overwrite some files you are intending to recover.

Frequently Asked Questions