How to remove Cry9 ransomware virus

Portuguese users should be aware of the Cry9 ransomware

Cry9 ransomware virus aims at the Portuguese-speaking computer users. This conclusion is based on the ransom note that is dropped on the affected computer’s system. It’s written in Portuguese only. Despite the narrow target field, this crypto-malware behaves like an ordinary file-encrypting virus. It uses AES^[1] cipher to secure MS Word, PDF, different picture, video, and audio files, databases, archives, and other popular file types. Following data encryption, the Cry9 virus leaves a ransom note where victims are informed about ransomware attack. The cyber criminals ask to purchase 0.5 Bitcoins from the provided links and transfer them to the provided Bitcoin wallet address. Once the payment is made, victims are supposed to send a picture of the transaction and unique ID number to the juccy@protonmail.ch or using Bitmessage ^[2]service. It seems that developers leave victims a chance to stay anonymous. Moreover, the letter from the cyber criminals also warns that trying to restore files independently may lead to the data loss. Victims are no longer supposed to wait for the decrypter to restore their files. A well known company Emsisoft and its researcher Fabian Vosar presented this tool to help people fight against this ransomware virus. So, you should not even consider paying to hackers. Remove Cry9 from the device and try safe tools for data recovery.

Ransomware viruses not only encodes a wide range of personal information but also makes the computer vulnerable. As a result, other malware^[3] might use these flaws and infiltrate the system too. For this reason, delaying Cry9 removal is not recommended. We firmly recommend installing professional malware removal tool such as FortectIntego or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes and run a full system scan several times. Unfortunately, elimination of the malware does not help to restore corrupted files. For that, you need data backups or additional tools. However, it’s still unknown whether Cry9 ransomware is capable of deleting Shadow Volume Copies or not. If not, data decryption can be successful by using such tools as ShadowExplorer.^[4] We want to point out that data recovery is not a primary task after ransomware attack. You should focus on malware removal because trying to decrypt data on the affected computer might lead to another encryption.

What methods are used for the virus distribution?

Developers of the Cry9 virus use various tactics to launch successful infiltration campaigns. Obviously, the primary method to spread a payload is email attachments. People may receive spam emails that urge to open an attached document. Nevertheless, the content of the letter and attachment itself looks reliable; you should check it twice.^[5] There might be a typo, grammar or spelling mistakes that will reveal the criminals. Cry9 malware might also infiltrate the system after clicking on a malicious link or malware-laden ad. Thus, never rush to click on a suspicious link that was sent even by your friend. Always make sure that it’s actually safe to open. What is more, if an amazing shopping deal pop-ups when browsing the web, you should not get excited and rush clicking it. It might be a perfectly polished malware-laden ad. Lastly, make sure you install and update programs from the reliable sources because ransomware might pretend to be a useful software.

Instructions for Cry9 virus removal

Previously, we have mentioned that Cry9 removal has to be performed using professional antivirus or malware removal software. However, we haven’t explained why. File-encrypting viruses are complicated and tricky cyber infections. Thus, trying to detect and eliminate malware-related components is not an easy task. Honestly, only experienced IT experts can complete this task without causing damage. If you try to remove Cry9 manually, you can delete crucial system files. Indeed, this kind of computer infections is capable of camouflaging themselves by using the names of legitimate system processes and files. For this reason, we highly recommend choosing one of these tools and perform a system scan: FortectIntego, SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes. If you cannot install or run a system scan, follow our prepared guidelines.