Cerber Decryptor ransomware: what it is and how to remove it

From our report of Apr 2017 · not reviewed since

Cerber Decryptor - a suspicious tool that is supposed to restore files encrypted by Cerber

Cerber Decryptor is a malicious program that belongs to authors of the Cerber virus.

This tool is expected to help the victims of this ransomware decrypt their corrupted files. However, security experts warn that purchasing it from cyber criminals may lead to money loss.

This malicious program was discovered in the beginning of 2016 and has been updated several times since then. However, its functionality is highly questionable, and you should not even think about buying Cerber Decryptor for $500 or more to recover your encrypted files. Instead of that, you should opt for legitimate decryption software.

In the middle of August, Check Point Software Technologies experts managed to find flaws in Cerber's code and created a free decoding tool for this nasty parasite. However, it was not available for too long. Cyber criminals immediately updated the virus, and decryptor became obsolete.

Today, several virus versions are lurking on the Internet, and the crooks claim that the only way to decrypt corrupted files is by purchasing the decryption key directly from them. Many victims ask the same question – should they pay for the possibility to restore lost data? The quick and simple answer is no.

There's a huge possibility that researchers will come up with a new file decryptor anytime soon, just like they did crack Cerber's code a few months ago. Meanwhile, you can try retrieving at least some of your files from backups or use additional methods that you can find at the end of the article.

Remember that the primary aim of cyber criminals is to collect as many ransoms as possible. The technique they use is really advanced and unfortunately, efficient. The thing is, many computer users store valuable or private information on their computers, no matter if it is a home computer or a work computer.

Losing all files can be a disaster not only because the virus can steal your memories (family photos, videos, music) but also because it can take documents, archives, presentations, and other important files that the computer user needs for work or studies.

An unexpected loss of such data can make the computer users panic, and that is exactly what cyber criminals aim for. They want to frighten computer users and make him/her believe that there is NO way to recover files and that he/she must pay the ransom in order to retrieve the data.

Sadly, we have to warn you that this might not be the right solution for this problem. However, do you really think that cyber criminals are ACTUALLY going to decrypt your files for you? If you think so, we are afraid that you are wrong. There is NO guarantee that cyber criminals will give you the decryption software just like that.

They are busy developing the virus and spreading it, so we believe that they are just waiting for victims to transfer money to them so they would be able to continue their malicious activities.

We doubt that cyber criminals actually provide the decryption software after the victims pay the ransom, so if you do not want to lose your money just like you have lost your files, do not take the risk of transferring your money to the Bitcoin address provided by cyber criminals.

Besides, consider if you want to support cyber frauds - you really should NOT do that. The automatic Cerber removal can be done with the help of an anti-malware application like . It can detect and remove all files that belong to this virus.

From our report of Apr 2017 · not reviewed since

Current variants of Cerber Decryptor

Cerber 5 ransomware.

The fifth installment of ransomware has updated distribution method and disperses with the assistance of RIG-V exploit kit. It does not encrypt files that are smaller than 2,560 bytes. Other files are secured with .secret file extension. For file recovery, racketeers offer to obtain the latest version of Cerber Decryptor for more than 600 USD might be just a waste of time.

Cerber 5.0.1 ransomware virus. As Cerber 5 was introduced, its updated variant got immediately released. Some speculate that such habit of launching viruses is aimed at IT experts to prevent them from creating a free decryption tool.

While Cerber 5 differed from the previous versions, 5.1.0 contains several small improvements in its source code. Like its predecessor, it might disguise in Rig-V malware, and append the same file extension.

Cerber 6 ransomware virus. The 6th variant of ransomware launched RaaS (Ransomware as a Service) business that helps to generate more incomes. Talking about malware itself, it mostly attacks computers located in Netherlands, Italy and Taiwan. However, with the help of an updated distribution method called Blank Slate, malware might hijack devices all other the world and encrypt data with a strong cipher.

From our report of Apr 2017 · not reviewed since

Obtaining decryption software from cyber criminals is not recommended

When cybercriminals inject the virus into victim's computer, they drop ransom notes on the system, usually in noticeable locations like a desktop.

These ransom notes say that victim needs to download a Tor browser to access a website where he or she can buy Cerber Decryptor.

We want to stress out that you should NOT do what cyber criminals command you to do. Do not waste your money on this shady decryption software. Remember that the payment site might be filled with malicious links, which can lead you to suspicious Internet sites filled with malware.

Therefore, instead of trying to buy out your files from such untrustworthy web source, you should rather consider removing malware from your computer.

From our report of Apr 2017 · not reviewed since

Terminate Cerber Decryptor from the computer

To remove Cerber virus, you need to delete the threat using an anti-malware software.

We highly recommend trying or to eliminate all malicious components of this ransomware.

The only 100% safe way to recover encrypted files is to import them from a backup. Make sure you avoid Cerber Decryptor because it is another virus which can infect your computer. If you decided to buy this tool because you do not have backups saved in some safe place, you should not keep it on your computer.

Cerber decryptor can be infected with Trojans, which can download more malware on your computer. If you care about your PC security, install a reliable anti-malware software and remove Cerber decryptor from it automatically. The anti-malware software will also check if the decryptor was virus-free.

The creators of Cerber virus want to threaten users and encourage them to purchase Cerber Decryptor. However, we strongly recommend do not consider making the payment. First of all, hackers might disappear after receiving a payment and your loss might become even bigger. Secondly, the decryption software might come bundled with other malicious files.

Thirdly, this tool might not be able to decrypt corrupted files. Finally, this payment is a motivation and support for the criminals to continue their crimes. As you already know, the creators of the Cerber are capable for updating virus and coming back with even more powerful versions of the ransomware.

Bear in mind that you can retrieve lost data from backups. If you have never made it, you can try additional methods to restore at least some of the important files. However, we cannot assure that these methods will work for you, but we still believe you should try them.

It is not created for decrypting files locked by Cerber, but it might restore some files as well.

Using Windows Previous Versions function

Unfortunately, you can use this method only if you have enabled System Recovery function before the ransomware attack. If you did it, follow these steps to recover corrupted files.

Explore Volume Shadow Copies with ShadowExplorer

Ransomware usually deletes Volume Shadow Copies, but sometimes even the evilest hackers fail. So, in this case, you can retrieve some of the individual files by following these steps.