INCANTO ransomware / virus (Decryption Methods Included) - Free Guide
INCANTO virus Removal Guide
What is INCANTO ransomware virus?
INCANTO ransomware blocks access to your files and asks to pay a ransom
INCANTO ransomware is a new computer virus that damages victim’s files using RSA-1024[1] encryption algorithm. As a consequence, the malware leaves a ransom note called !!!GetBackData!!!.txt which contains a message from cyber criminals. They demand paying a ransom[2] to malware authors in order to get access to files again. Criminals leave incantofiles@bitmessage.ch and incantofiles@india.com email addresses as the only way of contacting them.
The first thing that ransomware does after becoming active is scan all folders and files stored in them for valuable data – pictures, documents, videos, audio files and similar. The program that is responsible for data encryption also marks every file it touches with .INCANTO file extension which it adds after the original file extension.
Following a successful data encryption, the malware outputs a message into a text file which it copies to every folder that contained at least one target file. Below you can see part of the ransom note.
All files with .INCANTO extension are encrypted.
Encryption was produced using private key RSA-1024 generated for this computer.
To decrypt your files, you need to obtain private key + decrypt software.
Losing all data you stored on your computer is not a pleasant experience. However, it does not mean that you will get access to it again if you pay the criminals (they are going to ask you to pay a certain sum of money in Bitcoins). Therefore, we recommend you to remove INCANTO virus using anti-malware program. For instance, you can use FortectIntego or SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner.
The malicious virus travels via email
Before we proceed to INCANTO removal, you must learn how ransomware spreads. Malicious spam is known to be the most common malware distribution technique that is likely used for proliferation of this virus as well. We suggest you to follow these simple security tips shared by Zondervirus.nl professionals[3]:
- Be very careful when exploring messages in your email. Before opening any file or link added to the virtual message, ask yourself whether you can trust the sender of the message. Remember that scammers use spoofed emails to trick victims into thinking that the email was sent by a trustworthy person/company.
- Avoid clicking on aggressive Internet ads and never agree to install software updates suggested by shady-looking Internet sites. Remember that offering software updates is one of deceptive advertising techniques that often helps to trick users into installing unnecessary or even malicious programs.
Remove INCANTO ransomware and get access to your files
It is extremely important to remove INCANTO virus as quickly as possible. However, the malware can attempt to stop you from using your security program and block its processes. To successfully eliminate the ransomware, you should reboot your PC in a proper mode first.
INCANTO ransomware removal guidelines are provided below. They will explain to you how to restart your PC in Safe Mode with Networking and delete the malicious components automatically. We’d like to point out that you should not attempt to delete the virus manually as you can overlook some malicious files and leave your machine vulnerable to further malware attacks.
Getting rid of INCANTO virus. Follow these steps
Manual removal using Safe Mode
To kill INCANTO virus, you need to restart your computer using the given instructions first. After doing so, use a reliable security program to find and eliminate malicious files.
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.
Remove INCANTO using System Restore
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Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt
Windows 7 / Vista / XP- Click Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
- When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
-
Select Command Prompt from the list
Windows 10 / Windows 8- Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
- Now select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
-
Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window.
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Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
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Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.
-
Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again..
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When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of INCANTO. After doing that, click Next.
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Now click Yes to start system restore.
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Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.
Bonus: Recover your data
Guide which is presented above is supposed to help you remove INCANTO from your computer. To recover your encrypted files, we recommend using a detailed guide prepared by 2-spyware.com security experts.Unfortunately, malware removal programs (anti-malware, anti-spyware, antivirus) can only delete the virus, but they won't help you to recover you files. In fact, recovery of encrypted data is extremely hard procedure and usually without a decryption key it is not even possible to complete it. However, if you do not have a data backup to use, you can try these techniques:
If your files are encrypted by INCANTO, you can use several methods to restore them:
Run Data Recovery Pro software
Without a data backup, we suggest trying this software. It can help you to restore some of the corrupted files, although it might fail to fix all of the encrypted files.
- 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 INCANTO ransomware;
- Restore them.
Shadow Explore software might help you to restore .incanto files
ShadowExplorer is a program that uses Volume Shadow Copies to restore corrupted files. If you are lucky and the virus did not delete these copies, this software will help you to recover your files.
- Download Shadow Explorer (http://shadowexplorer.com/);
- Follow a Shadow Explorer Setup Wizard and install this application on your computer;
- Launch the program and go through the drop down menu on the top left corner to select the disk of your encrypted data. Check what folders are there;
- Right-click on the folder you want to restore and select “Export”. You can also select where you want it to be stored.
Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from INCANTO and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes
How to prevent from getting ransomware
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
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- ^ RSA Numbers. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia.
- ^ Sam Petulla. Ransomware Attack: This is the Total Paid and How the Virus Spread. NBC News. Breaking News & Top Stories.
- ^ ZonderVirus. ZonderVirus. Malware and Spyware News, Security Tips.