Covid-20 ransomware: what it is and how to remove it
Covid-20 ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts all files on an infected computer in order to ask for a ransom for a decryption tool. Unlike many other ransomware, such as Qlkm, 2021, Ziggy, Atek, and others, the this threat prevents victims not only from accessing their files but from starting their devices.
Facts checked October 7, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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Covid-20 ransomware: summary
| Distribution | Spam emails, deceptive ads, malicious sites, file-sharing platforms |
|---|---|
| name | Covid-20 ransomware |
| type | Crypto-malware, file-locking virus |
| Ransom note | Pop-up when the computer is rebooting; the text is quoted in full below |
| Ransom amount | Assailants want to receive $1 million in cryptocurrency Bitcoin |
| Virus removal | This cryptovirus doesn't let the computer to start. The infection might be removed with Safe Mode with Networking. At the bottom of this article, we provide a free, detailed tutorial on how to do it |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 12 more facts
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Contact | Not recorded in our earlier report |
| Encrypted file extension | Not recorded in our earlier report |
| Decryptor | No free decryptor is known for this variant; check No More Ransom (nomoreransom.org) for updates |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | Covid-20 ransomware |
| Type | File-encrypting ransomware |
| Symptoms | An unknown program in Installed apps and a ransom note left in folders |
| Evidence | 4 write-ups by security sites; no sample analysed yet |
| Free decryptor | No free decryptor is known (checked 7 October 2026) |
| First seen | 7 January 2021 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
- Note file:
the ransom note
From our report of Jan 2021 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on Covid-20 ransomware
- Once the cyber infection is removed, run a full system scan with the app to ensure normal system performance
The Covid-20 ransomware note
You Became a Victim of the Covid-20 Ransomware
All Your Files Are Encrypted With Military Grade Encryption Algorithm
If you want to get your data back please pay me $1000000 worth of bitcoin
Any other attempt to Restore Data will Fail
Reinstalling Windows has Been Blocked
Enter Decryption Key:
How to remove Covid-20 ransomware
Tools you'll need
All of these are free except where noted. Download them on a clean device if the infected PC is offline.
- A USB stick: to keep the ransom note, two or three encrypted files and screenshots off the infected PC.
- Microsoft Defender Offline: built into Windows 11 and Windows 10; scans before Windows starts, so running malware cannot hide.
- Microsoft Safety Scanner: a second, portable scanner with current signatures; each download works for 10 days.
- ID Ransomware: identifies the family from the note and one encrypted file and says whether a decryptor exists.
- No More Ransom: the free decryptors from police and security companies; check it again every few months.
- Fortect (optional): scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. The free scan is in the box above.
How to remove Covid-20 ransomware and get your files back
Work in this order.
Disconnecting comes first, removal comes before any restore, and nothing here asks you to contact the attackers.
Step 1: Disconnect the PC and unplug backup drives
Unplug the network cable or turn off Wi-Fi, and disconnect USB drives, external disks and network shares, so Covid-20 ransomware cannot reach more files. Pause OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox sync, because synced folders upload the encrypted copies over the good ones.
Leave the PC on but offline while you read the next steps, since a restart can let the ransomware run again. This applies to Windows 11 and Windows 10 alike.
Windows 11: turn off Wi-Fi to take the PC offline. Full procedure with screenshots: Ransomware: first steps, finding a decryptor and recovering files
Step 2: Save the ransom note and identify the family
The name of the family decides whether a free decryptor can help. Copy the ransom note and two small encrypted files to a USB stick, and check them on another device with ID Ransomware or Crypto Sheriff.
Note the extension added to the files, the contact address and the victim ID shown in the note. Keep the originals on the Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC untouched.
Windows 11: the ransom note and encrypted files to copy for identification. Full procedure with screenshots: Ransomware: first steps, finding a decryptor and recovering files
Step 3: Check for a free decryptor
Our last check found that for Covid-20 ransomware, no free decryptor is known (checked 7 October 2026). Look again yourself in the No More Ransom list and the free decryptor pages of Emsisoft, Avast and Kaspersky, which add new families every year.
A decryptor needs the ransomware gone first, or it encrypts the files again. Keep at least one copy of the encrypted files on an external drive, even if no tool works yet.
Full procedure with screenshots: Ransomware: first steps, finding a decryptor and recovering files
Step 4: Remove the ransomware before you restore or decrypt
Removing Covid-20 ransomware does not bring the files back, but it has to come first. Start with Defender's Full scan, then the offline scan from the same Scan options page, which checks the disk before Windows loads.
If the scan cannot start, use Safe Mode with Networking. Delete the ransom notes only after you have saved a copy, because removal tools sometimes leave them behind on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Step 5: Look for shadow copies of the files
Windows keeps shadow copies for restore points and backups, and some ransomware fails to delete them.
vssadmin list shadowsin an administrator Command Prompt tells you at once whether any exist.If they do, right-click the folder that held your files, open Properties > Previous Versions, select a version from before the attack, and click Open to check it before you Restore or copy the files out. Windows 11 and Windows 10 both have the tab.
Windows 11: vssadmin list shadows shows whether shadow copies exist. Full procedure with screenshots: Ransomware: first steps, finding a decryptor and recovering files
Step 6: Restore the files from a backup or recover deleted originals
A backup made before the attack is the surest way back. Connect it only once the PC is clean, then restore from File History, Windows Backup, OneDrive's Restore your OneDrive or your own external copies.
Without a backup, try file recovery: the originals that Covid-20 ransomware deleted may still be on the disk until something overwrites them. Install nothing new on the drive you want to recover from on the Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC.
Full procedure with screenshots: Recover deleted files (Recycle Bin, backups, OneDrive) On uGetFix
Instructions for each browser and system
The detailed steps for every browser and system this guide covers. Open the one you use.
Manual removal using Safe Mode
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
- Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
- 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.
- Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
Windows 10 / Windows 8
- Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
- Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
- On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
- Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
- Click Restart now.
- Select Troubleshoot.
- Go to Advanced options.
- Select Startup Settings.
- Press Restart.
- 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:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
- Click on More details.
- Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
- Right-click and select Open file location.
- Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
- Delete the contents of the malicious folder.
Step 3. Check program Startup
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
- Go to Startup tab.
- 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:
- Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
- 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).
- Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:
Temporary Internet Files
Downloads
Recycle Bin
Temporary files - Pick Clean up system files.
- 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.
From our report of Jan 2021 · not reviewed since
Covid-20 ransomware – a cryptovirus demanding $1 million in BTC for a decryption tool
Covid-20 ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts all files on an infected computer in order to ask for a ransom for a decryption tool.
Unlike many other ransomware, such as Qlkm, 2021, Ziggy, Atek, and others, the this threat prevents victims not only from accessing their files but from starting their devices.
As soon as Covid-20 file virus payload file accesses the system, it encrypts the files with a military-grade encryption algorithm and restarts the device. When the computer is booting up, a ransom note appears asking for $1 million worth of Bitcoin to be sent to cybercriminals.
The ransom note has only one operational field where victims of Covid-20 ransomware could enter a decryption key required to unlock the infected device and decrypt the data, but since there's no contact information provided in the ransom note, victims have no other choice but to remove it.
Cybercriminals are always working to improve the methods to deliver their created malware. Everyday computer users can get their devices infected by ransomware in many different ways:
In many cases, if computer users didn't keep backups of their essential files, it's tough to recover data without the people's intervention behind the cyberattack. But if the victims meet the threat actors' demands, it motivates them to infect more computers and provides finances to do that.
Creators of Covid-20 file virus didn't leave any contact information in the ransom note, as the whole message looks like this:
So the only, and for better or worse, the best choice that the victims have is to remove Covid-20 ransomware. The most effective method to do that is by entrusting this task to professional anti-malware applications such as or that would locate, isolate and remove the infection with a push of a button.
Although, since this cryptovirus prevents computers from booting up, the elimination must be performed in Safe Mode with Networking. We provide detailed instructions for accessing the mode and removing the infection at the bottom of this article.
After Covid-20 ransomware removal, users should consider performing a system tune-up as various system files and settings might have been altered during the infection.
- File-sharing platforms
- Spam emails
- Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) attacks
- Drive-by downloads
- Deceptive ads, and others.
From our report of Jan 2021 · not reviewed since
Most popular ransomware delivery techniques
Threat actors are always developing more sophisticated, harder to detect malware and new, more advanced ways to distribute it.
But our research shows that spam emails and file-sharing platforms are still some of the most prevalent ways they're spreading their creations.
Spam emails containing either links to malicious websites or infected attachments can look exactly like the ones you would get from your shipping or shopping company, bank, etc. The difference is in the details.
Look for various inconsistencies such as grammatical errors, different domain names, and alike, to determine whether the email sender is legit. And better yet, don't open any shady looking hyperlinks and scan all downloadable email attachments with powerful AV tools.
Another sure way to catch cyber infections is by downloading various files from file-sharing platforms, especially popular torrent sites. Cybercriminals disguise their distributed ransomware by naming it as an expensive pirated software installer, popular game cracks, or anything similar that would lure the unaware user into downloading it.
As soon as such torrent is downloaded, users find out that they got much more than they expected. Refrain from using such websites.
From our report of Jan 2021 · not reviewed since
Instructions for Covid-20 ransomware removal from affected devices
This article's culprit differs from other file-locking parasites as it prevents the infected devices from booting up and eliminating it in normal Windows mode.
That's why Covid-20 ransomware removal might be a little tricky. But that's why we are here - to help you.
We provide detailed instructions just below this chapter on how to remove Covid-20 ransomware when starting the device in Safe Mode with Networking. You will still have to use anti-malware tools to do it.
Once the computer infection is gone, we highly recommend performing a full system repair with the tool as during the encryption, various system files and settings might have been corrupted, which may lead to abnormal behavior exhibition such as crashing, performance loss, etc.
[GI=method-1]To get rid of the infection, reboot your computer and start it in Safe Mode with Networking
[GI=method-2]Threat removal with System Restore
Individual file recovery with Windows Previous Version feature
This feature might enable users to restore files to their previous versions one at a time.
Using Shadow Explorer for data recovery
Shadow Explorer might help cyberattack victims with file recovery.
No decryption tools are currently available
Report it and recover your files
Report it
Report the attack even if you do not expect the files back: insurers and banks ask for the report number, and police use the contacts in the note to link cases.
- United States
- FBI IC3 · FTC ReportFraud
- United Kingdom
- Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) · NCSC
- Australia
- ReportCyber (ASD)
- EU countries
- Europol: national reporting sites
Give the victim ID, the note and the date the files were encrypted. A business that holds personal data may also have to notify its data protection authority, in the EU within 72 hours.
Protect the files you restore
Restore only after the scans are clean and the PC no longer shows covid-20 ransomware in the list of installed apps; otherwise the restored copies can be damaged again.
Then build a backup that survives the next infection:
- one copy in the cloud with version history
- one on an external drive that is disconnected between backups
- the working copy on the PC
Version history matters because a backup that syncs damaged files overwrites the good ones.
How to do this with the tools built into Windows: the 3-2-1 backup rule on Windows.
Protect your privacy - employ a VPN
There are several ways how to make your online time more private - you can access an incognito tab.
However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise.
Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals.
No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool
If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers - human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence.
In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.
If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market - it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.
Questions about Covid-20 ransomware
Is there a free Covid-20 ransomware decryptor?
We last checked on 7 October 2026, and for Covid-20 ransomware no free decryptor is known. We check No More Ransom, which collects free tools from police and security companies, and the decryptor pages of the major antivirus vendors. A working decryptor exists only when the encryption has a flaw or the keys were leaked or seized.
Ignore sites and videos that offer a "Covid-20 ransomware decryptor" for download or for a fee: these are usually scams or malware. Real decryptors are free and come from known security companies or law enforcement. Keep the encrypted files in case a tool appears later.
Should I pay the ransom?
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.
Can a data-recovery company decrypt my files for a fee?
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.
How did Covid-20 ransomware get on my computer?
The way Covid-20 ransomware 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 covid-20 ransomware in the list of installed apps, and check the Downloads folder and Installed apps sorted by date. Keep anything suspicious for your report, but do not run it again.
Did Covid-20 ransomware steal my files or passwords?
We do not know yet. Nothing published so far shows data theft by Covid-20 ransomware, but the only confirmed sign is covid-20 ransomware in the list of installed apps, 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.
Is Covid-20 ransomware the same as other ransomware with a similar name?
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.
Can I delete the ransom note?
Yes, the note itself is harmless text and deleting it does not affect your files. Keep at least one copy first, outside the infected PC. the ransom note contains your personal ID and the attackers' contact details, which identification services use to tell which family encrypted your files, and which a decryptor may need later.
Police reports also ask for it. Once you have saved a copy, you can remove the notes from every folder after the ransomware program has been removed and your files are restored or backed up.
How do I open my .docx, .jpg and other files locked by Covid-20?
You cannot open locked files normally while they stay encrypted, and renaming them will not help. Our earlier report did not record the extension that Covid-20 adds, so check one locked file name and the ransom note for it.
No free decryptor is known for this variant; check No More Ransom (nomoreransom.org) for updates. Do not rename the files, change the extension or edit them, because that can make recovery harder. Copy the locked files to an external drive before you clean the system, so a decryptor released later still has them.
Will Fortect remove Covid-20 ransomware?
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 Covid-20 ransomware, 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.
Sources
- Cso: What is an RDP attack? 7 tips for mitigating your exposure (read October 7, 2026)
- Usunwirusa: Usunwirusa (read October 7, 2026)
- Wikipedia: Software cracking (read October 7, 2026)
- CISA: StopRansomware (read October 7, 2026)
- No More Ransom (read October 7, 2026)