TeslaCrypt 2.0 ransomware: what it is and how to remove it

That depends on the family behind the .vvv extension, which this guide cannot confirm yet from the reports alone. Check No More Ransom and ID Ransomware with your ransom note and one encrypted file; they list families with free tools.

If none exists today, keep the encrypted files and a copy of the note on a separate drive, because decryptors are sometimes published months later after flaws are found or servers are seized. Never buy a decryptor from a website that is not the security company that made it.

You cannot open them by renaming or by choosing another program. The .vvv ending shows that TeslaCrypt 2.0 encrypted the content, and only the matching key can reverse it. Renaming a file back to .docx or .jpg changes nothing except the icon, and it can confuse a future decryptor, so leave the names as they are.

To get the content back, use a backup, an unencrypted copy elsewhere, or a decryptor listed on No More Ransom if one exists for TeslaCrypt 2.0. Store the encrypted files on an external disk until then.

We advise against it, and so do the FBI, Europol and national cyber agencies. Payment does not guarantee a working tool: some attackers never reply, some tools damage files, and some variants have no decryptor at all. Paying also funds further attacks and can make you a target again.

Before considering payment, try every recovery option in this guide and report the attack. Companies must involve their legal adviser and insurer, because payments to sanctioned groups can be illegal. If files are truly irreplaceable, store the encrypted copies and wait; decryptors sometimes appear later.

Only if a decryptor already exists or the company pays the attackers for you. Some "ransomware recovery" services advertise that they can decrypt families with no known flaw; in practice they negotiate with the attackers and add their own fee. Others use the same free tools listed on No More Ransom.

Before you hire anyone, ask in writing how they will recover the files, whether they will contact the attackers and what happens if they fail. A legitimate service answers clearly. If a free decryptor exists for your family, you can run it yourself.

The way TeslaCrypt 2.0 spreads has not been documented yet, so look at your own recent activity. On home PCs, ransomware most often comes with cracked programs, game cheats, key generators and fake updates, or with an e-mail attachment that was opened. On business networks, attackers usually log in through Remote Desktop with a stolen or guessed password.

Think back to what was downloaded or installed in the days before files that end in .vvv and no longer open, and check the Downloads folder and Installed apps sorted by date. Keep anything suspicious for your report, but do not run it again.

We do not know yet. Nothing published so far shows data theft by TeslaCrypt 2.0, but the only confirmed sign is files that end in .vvv and no longer open, which says nothing about what happened before. Many current ransomware attacks copy files or run a password stealer first, so it is wise to act as if they did.

From a clean device, change the passwords that were saved in the browsers on this PC, starting with e-mail and banking, sign out of all sessions and turn on two-step verification. Watch bank statements and account activity for the next few weeks.

Not necessarily. Ransomware names come from the file extension, the note or a word in the code, so unrelated families often end up with similar names, and one family can appear under several names. The difference matters: a decryptor or advice for one family does not fit another and can damage files.

Compare the ending added to your files and the exact name of the note with the summary table at the top of this guide, then upload the note and one encrypted file to ID Ransomware from a clean device. If the result names another family, follow the guide for that family instead.

Ransomware often runs at night or when the PC is idle, so the encryption finishes before anyone notices. It usually entered earlier through a cracked program, a fake installer, an e-mail attachment or remote desktop with a weak password.

The .vvv extension marks every file it reached. Start by disconnecting the PC from the network, then identify the family from the ransom note and one encrypted file, check for a decryptor, and look for copies in backups and OneDrive before you consider anything else.

Unfortunately not. Deleting the program only ends the attack; every file that already has the .vvv ending stays encrypted, because decryption needs a key that only the attackers hold.

That is why this guide separates removal from recovery. First make sure TeslaCrypt 2.0 is gone with an offline scan, then work through the recovery list:

• backups
• OneDrive history
• Previous Versions
• copies on other devices and
• if one exists
• a decryptor

Do not rename or edit the encrypted files in the meantime, and keep them even if nothing works today.

Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.

For TeslaCrypt 2.0, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.

Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.