Remove KVIP Ransomware Virus (+DECRYPT .kvip Files)

Kvip ransomware is a type of computer virus that injects your computer, encrypts your files, and then asks to pay the money for file decryption. Besides these unwanted actions, malware also changes some important settings and can even suspend your anti-malware program.

Kvip virus – what is it?

Kvip ransomware can correctly be described as a STOP/Djvu malware family. That type of malware is aimed at single users. This feature supposes that Kvip does not carry any type of additional viruses, which often helps ransomware of various other families to control your system. Because the majority of people do not have anything valuable on their PCs, there is no need to download other viruses that increases the risk of failure of the whole ransomware injection.

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

You can also see various other signs of virus activity. Spontaneously disabled Microsoft Defender and inability to check the well-known anti-malware forums or sites, where the virus removal and file decryption guides are published. You will see how it is conducted in the paragraph below. The removal and decryption guide are also available – check below how to delete Kvip virus and get the .kvip files back.

How did Kvip ransomware encrypt my files?

After the malware injection, the Kvip ransomware creates a connection with its command and control server. This server is commanded by virus maintainers – fraudsters who manage the distribution of this virus. Another activity which is done by these crooks is answering the email messages of sufferers, who intend to decrypt their files.

The documents are encrypted with one of the strongest encryption algorithm – AES-256. The “256” digit in the name of this algo means the power of two – 2^256 for this case. 78-digit number of possible password variations – it is unreal to brute force it. As cipher analysts say, it will need more time than our planet can approximately exist, even if you use the most powerful computers. In each folder that contains the encrypted file(s), Kvip 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

Nonetheless, you can still run some of your documents. The Kvip ransomware ciphers only the first 150 KB of each file, but the other part of this document can be accessed. Primarily, it works best with audio/video files, which are likely larger than 150 kilobytes. Not each media player is able to open these files – WinAmp is the best solution, since it is free and well-tested. First seconds of each file will be missing – this part is encrypted – but the rest of the video or music will be accessible like nothing happened.

Is Kvip ransomware dangerous for my PC?

As it was mentioned several paragraphs before, ransomware is not only about ciphering the files. Kvip virus makes the changes in your computer in order to prevent looking for the ransomware removal and file decryption guides. Malware does not create the software obstacle – it just alters the system settings, primarily – networking and security configurations.

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

Other modifications done by the virus are targeted on prevention of operative detection of itself, and also disabling the installation of the majority of security tools. Kvip ransomware makes several changes in Group Policies – the system configuration app which gives you the right to change the rights of each application. In such a way, malware disables the Microsoft Defender and various other anti-malware programs, as well as blocks the launch of anti-malware installation files.

How did I get infected?

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

This sort of applications may be spread in many ways – through the website that offers a downloading link, and also through the peering networks – ThePirateBay, eMule and so on. All these sources are known as the most popular computer piracy resources. People use these pages to get various apps or games for free, even if these apps must be purchased. No one can prevent the users who crack these apps from adding viruses of some sort to the files of the hacked app. Hacktools, however, are created for outlaw actions, so their creators can easily embed the malware under the guise of some program element.

These cracked programs, regardless of their source, are one of the most often carriers for various viruses, and 100% the most popular one for Kvip ransomware. The best solution is to stop using of it, and not only because of virus injection risks. Avoiding the license buying is an illegal action, and both hackers and folks who use cracked programs fall under the charge of piracy.

How do I remove Kvip malware?

The Kvip malware is really hard to delete manually. Really, because of the amount of changes it makes in your Windows, it is almost impossible to detect them all and fix. The best option is to make use of antivirus software. But which one to choose?

You can read the advices to use Microsoft Defender, that is already in your Windows. But as it was mentioned before, the majority of STOP/Djvu malware examples block it even before the ciphering process. Making use of the third-party program is the only possible solution – and I can offer you the GridinSoft Anti-Malware as an option for that case. It has impressive detection abilities, so the virus will not be missed. It is also capable of system recovery, that is heavily needed after the Kvip virus attack.

To remove Kvip 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 ciphering of your files: while Kvip ransomware is active, it will not pass any unencrypted file.

How to decrypt the .kvip files?

There are two ways to recover your files after a Kvip ransomware attack. First one and the most popular is file decryption. It is conducted with a special program, 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 way to get your documents and photos back is to try to recover them from your disks. Since ransomware deletes them and substitutes with a ciphered copy, the residue of the files are still kept on the disk. After the removal, 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 .kvip 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 .kvip 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 attempts to recover them. That app is able to recover the files of more than 400 different extensions. 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