Cockblocker ransomware / virus (Improved Instructions) - Quick Decryption Solution

Manual removal using Safe Mode

Though the virus is merely a scareware and does not encrypt files, it does not mean it will not fight to remain on your computer. You can decontaminate the virus by following instructions down here:

Important! →
Manual removal guide might be too complicated for regular computer users. It requires advanced IT knowledge to be performed correctly (if vital system files are removed or damaged, it might result in full Windows compromise), and it also might take hours to complete. Therefore, we highly advise using the automatic method provided above instead.

Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking

Manual malware removal should be best performed in the Safe Mode environment. 

Windows 7 / Vista / XP

1. Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 button (if that does not work, try F2, F12, Del, etc. – it all depends on your motherboard model) multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
3. Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.

Windows 10 / Windows 8

1. Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
   
   
2. Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
   
3. On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
4. Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
5. Click Restart now.
   
6. Select Troubleshoot.
7. Go to Advanced options.
8. Select Startup Settings.
9. Press Restart.
10. Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking.

Step 2. Shut down suspicious processes

Windows Task Manager is a useful tool that shows all the processes running in the background. If malware is running a process, you need to shut it down:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
2. Click on More details.
   
3. Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
4. Right-click and select Open file location.
   
5. Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
   
6. Delete the contents of the malicious folder.

Step 3. Check program Startup

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
2. Go to Startup tab.
3. Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
   
   

Step 4. Delete virus files

Malware-related files can be found in various places within your computer. Here are instructions that could help you find them:

1. Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
   
   
2. Select the drive you want to clean (C: is your main drive by default and is likely to be the one that has malicious files in).
3. Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:
   

   Temporary Internet Files
   Downloads
   Recycle Bin
   Temporary files

4. Pick Clean up system files.
   
   
5. You can also look for other malicious files hidden in the following folders (type these entries in Windows Search and press Enter):
   

   %AppData%
   %LocalAppData%
   %ProgramData%
   %WinDir%

After you are finished, reboot the PC in normal mode.

Remove Cockblocker using System Restore

If you encounter some difficulties with virus elimination, please follow the instructions below and try again.

• Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt
  Windows 7 / Vista / XP
  1. Click Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
  2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
  3. Select Command Prompt from the list
  
  Windows 10 / Windows 8
  1. Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
  2. Now select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
  3. Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window.
• Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
  1. Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.
  2. Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again..
  3. When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of Cockblocker. After doing that, click Next.
  4. Now click Yes to start system restore.
  Once you restore your system to a previous date, download and scan your computer with FortectIntego and make sure that Cockblocker removal is performed successfully.

Bonus: Recover your data

Guide which is presented above is supposed to help you remove Cockblocker from your computer. To recover your encrypted files, we recommend using a detailed guide prepared by 2-spyware.com security experts.

At the moment, Cockblocker ransomware virus is in a development and currently it provides no instructions on how to pay the ransom. Even if it did, we wouldn’t recommend paying it. You can try these data recovery strategies:

If your files are encrypted by Cockblocker, you can use several methods to restore them:

Use a data restoration tool

Although this tool sometimes cannot help to restore files that are rendered useless with strong encryption, it is still worth to try it and see what it can do.

• Download Data Recovery Pro;
• Follow the steps of Data Recovery Setup and install the program on your computer;
• Launch it and scan your computer for files encrypted by Cockblocker ransomware;
• Restore them.

Restore using Windows Previous Versions

Some files can be recovered via Windows Previous Versions. This method works if you have enabled System Restore function a while ago.

• Find an encrypted file you need to restore and right-click on it;
• Select “Properties” and go to “Previous versions” tab;
• Here, check each of available copies of the file in “Folder versions”. You should select the version you want to recover and click “Restore”.

Cockblocker decryption solution

Enter not_a_backdoor string into the box on the bottom left corner of the lockscreen window and click “Use Decryption Code”. The program should close. Then, run the scan of your computer using reputable antivirus software.