Jokers House ransomware / virus (Removal Guide) - Recovery Instructions Included
Jokers House virus Removal Guide
What is Jokers House ransomware virus?
Jigsaw-inspired Jokers House ransomware encrypts data and demands a ransom
Jokers House virus is a new crypto-ransomware [1] which belongs to the Jigsaw virus family. Since the virus has just emerged on the web, the ways in which it operates are still rather obscure. Nevertheless, its purpose of infecting computers is obvious and needs no further investigation: the virus developers want to make use of the unsuspecting victims and earn some easy money. Just like its predecessor, this ransomware encrypts victim’s files using complex encryption algorithm [2] which makes them inaccessible and appends .Contact_TarineOZA@Gmail.com_ extensions to each affected component. As you may already guess, the victims are expected to contact the criminals via TarineOZA@gmail.com email address if they want to get access to their data decryption key. Unfortunately, the hackers will not give it away for free. They demand 100 dollar ransom to be sent to them via Bitcoin [3]. According to the ransom note that the virus drops on the computer, every hour of not paying up will cost the victim one file. The virus sets an automatic stopwatch which counts down the time until each file is deleted. Besides, the criminals warn that trying to close the virus executable or shutting down the computer will result in the loss of 1000 files. We still don’t know whether these claims are actually true, and the program works just like the hackers planned it to, but we highly recommend not to have any business with them. If you remove Jokers House properly, you won’t lose your files and will be able to recover them using some alternative tools. You should start the elimination by running your computer in Safe Mode without networking and running a reputable antivirus utility to remove the malicious files from your PC.
Looking at its design, Jokers House is very similar to Jigsaw. It uses the same timer to countdown the time until file destruction, and the text in the ransom note also fills the window in the same “typing” manner as it did in the previous virus versions. What differs, in this case, is the choice of the name and the character that the virus suppose to present. In the original, it was the maniac called Jigsaw, and now it’s the famous DC Comic character Joker [4]. If the extortionists keep on using such techniques — they must definitely work. Luckily, Jigsaw and its versions do not seem to be much of a challenge for the malware experts who have already managed to come up with Jigsaw decryptor in the past. The decryptor was updated with each version that followed the original, so we can expect a new update which will include the Joker virus some time soon. In the meanwhile, you can take your time to perform a scrupulous Jokers House removal.
Keeping backups is the best way to protect your data
Jokers House is still in its initial stages of distribution, so it is important to talk about how to protect your computer from its potential attack. You may use anti-malware utilities or other security software to prevent the virus from entering your PC, but the problem is that you may accidentally allow the malware on your computer yourself after downloading some rogue software or opening an infected email attachment. Thus, a more reasonable option is to protect your data itself rather than try to fend off the virus from. And there is nothing that ransomware creators hate more than the clever users who have copies of their files saved where the malicious ransomware code can’t reach them [5]. Keep backup copies of your files stored on external HDDs, USBs or other storage drives, and you will not have to bother about Jokers House ransom demands.
Jokers House removal requires running system in Safe Mode
To remove Jokers House virus properly and without causing any more damage to the system, it is important to restart your computer in Safe Mode without Networking. This way, the malicious virus code will not be able to reach its Command & Control center from which it received orders to destroy your files. Then, you will be able to run an antivirus utility from your system or a flash drive and allow it to execute Jokers House removal. Do not try to fight the virus yourself! You never know if the malware is not programmed to rig your computer entirely after it senses a risk of being destroyed.
Getting rid of Jokers House virus. Follow these steps
Manual removal using Safe Mode
To run your computer in Safe Mode and decontaminate Jokers House follow these instructions:
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 Jokers House using System Restore
Another way to prepare for a safe ransomware disposal is described below. Scan your computer with antivirus afterwards to remove the virus
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 Jokers House. 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 Jokers House from your computer. To recover your encrypted files, we recommend using a detailed guide prepared by 2-spyware.com security experts.The virus is currently undecryptable but you can use the following recovery solutions to try rolling back files for free.
If your files are encrypted by Jokers House, you can use several methods to restore them:
Make use of Data Recovery Pro and restore access to your files
Data Recovery Pro is an automatic data recovery tool using which you should be able to recover some of your encrypted files. So why not give it a go? Try Data Recover Pro out following this short guide:
- 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 Jokers House ransomware;
- Restore them.
Put Windows Previous Version feature to use and recover files
The instructions below will explain how to use the Windows Previous Version feature for the data recovery purposes
- Find an encrypted file you need to restore and right-click on it;
- Select “Properties” and go to “Previous versions” tab;
- Here, check each of available copies of the file in “Folder versions”. You should select the version you want to recover and click “Restore”.
Recover data encrypted by Joker House with ShadowExplorer
Joker House may not destroy the backup copies of your files saved on the system (a.k.a. Volume Shadow Copies). If you are lucky, you will recover your files with ShadowExplorer.
- 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.
Jokers House decryptor
You may use Jigsaw decryptor to recover files encrypted by Jokers House. If the decryptor does not work, make sure you check back on it again later. Its authors may update it to suite Jokers House.
Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from Jokers House and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes
How to prevent from getting ransomware
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
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- ^ Crypto-ransomware. F-secure. Cyber Security Solutions for your Home and Business.
- ^ Alexandra Gheorghe. How does ransomware work? The ultimate guide to understanding ransomware. HotForSecurity. The blog on the sizzling world of computer security: steamy stories from the dynamic world of internet fraud, scams, malware and gossip.
- ^ Sean Sullivan. Bitcoin friction is ransomware’s only constraint. F-secure. Cyber Security Solutions for your Home and Business.
- ^ Joker (comics). Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia.
- ^ How to hackup your computer. BackBlaze. Unlimited online Backup and cloud storage services.