Remove KAAA Ransomware Virus (+DECRYPT .kaaa Files)

Kaaa malware is a type of computer virus that infiltrates your PC, encrypts your documents, and then asks to pay the money for file decryption. Besides these unwanted activities, that virus also alters some important settings and can even disable your security tool.

Kaaa virus – what is it?

Kaaa ransomware can correctly be classified as a STOP/Djvu malware family. That sort of computer virus is targeted at individuals. This specification supposes that Kaaa does not carry any type of additional malware, which often helps malware of other families to take control of your system. Since most users do not have anything valuable on their PCs, there is no need to use additional malware that increases the risk of failure of the whole ransomware operation.

The usual signs of Kaaa ransomware activity is the appearance of .kaaa files in your folders, instead of the document you used to have. The photo.jpg turns into photo.jpg.kaaa, report.xlsx – into report.xlsx.kaaa and so on. You cannot to stop this process, as well as can’t open that files – they are encrypted with pretty strong cipher.

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

How did Kaaa ransomware encrypt my files?

After the injection, the Kaaa ransomware creates a connection with its command and control server. This server is controlled by ransomware maintainers – people who manage the distribution of this virus. Another activity which is conducted by these crooks is answering the emails of sufferers, who want to get their files back.

The files are ciphered with one of the strongest encryption algorithm – AES-256. The “256” digit in the name of this algorithms means the power of two – 2^256 for this case. 78-digit number of possible decryption keys variations – it is unreal to brute force it. As cipher analysts say, it will need more time than the Earth can estimate to exist, even in case if you use the most powerful computer system. In each folder that has the encrypted documents, Kaaa ransomware 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 open some of your documents. The Kaaa malware ciphers only the initial 150 KB of each file, but the rest of this document can be opened. Primarily, it works best with audio/video files, which are surely bigger 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 recording will be missing – this part is encrypted – but the rest of the document will be accessible like nothing happened.

Is Kaaa ransomware dangerous for my PC?

As it was described several paragraphs above, ransomware is not only about ciphering the files. Kaaa malware makes the changes in your computer in order to prevent looking for the malware removal and file decryption guides. Kaaa virus does not establish the software barrier – it just alters the settings, primarily – networking and security configurations.

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

Other alterations done by the ransomware are aimed at prevention of fast detection of itself, and also blocking the installation of the majority of security tools. Kaaa ransomware implements several changes in Group Policies – the system configuration application which allows to change the abilities of each application. In such a way, ransomware stops the Microsoft Defender and various other security tools, as well as disables 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 a primary way of ransomware injection. Under the term of questionable applications I mean software that are already not controlled by the developer and distributed through the third-party websites. These applications may be cracked, 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 software may be distributed in many methods – through the site that offers a downloading link, as well as through the peer-to-peer 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 stop the users who crack these apps from adding viruses of some type to the files of the hacked tool. Hacktools, meanwhile, are created for outlaw purposes, so their developers can easily insert the virus 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 definitely the most used one for Kaaa ransomware. It is better to avoid using of it, and not only because of virus installation risks. Avoiding the license purchase is an illegal action, and both hackers and persons who use cracked apps fall under the charge of piracy.

How do I remove Kaaa virus?

The Kaaa malware is very hard to remove manually. Really, because of the number of changes it makes into your computer, it is almost impossible to find them all and fix. The best decision is to make use of anti-malware programs. But which one to choose?

You may read the offers to make use of Microsoft Defender, which is already inside of your system. But as it was mentioned earlier, the majority of STOP/Djvu ransomware examples disable it even before the encryption process. Using the third-party tool is the only solution – and I can advice you the GridinSoft Anti-Malware as a solution for this case. It has perfect detection abilities, so the ransomware will not be missed. It is also capable of system repairing, that is heavily demanded after the Kaaa virus attack.

To remove Kaaa 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 Kaaa ransomware is active, it will not miss any unencrypted file.

How to decrypt the .kaaa files?

There are two ways to recover your files after a Kaaa virus attack. First one and the most obvious is file decryption. It is performed with a special program, designed by Emsisoft, and named 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 a ciphered copy, the residue of the documents are still stored on the disk. After the deletion, the information about them is removed from the file system, but not from a disk. 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 .kaaa 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 .kaaa 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 residues of deleted files, and then tries 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