How to remove KeRanger virus

KeRanger virus – the first OS X ransomware

KeRanger virus is a malicious ransomware-type program, which is set to infect Apple OS X. While this cyber threat is not the first one, which is capable of infecting OS X, it is clear that widely discussed predictions about the immunity of this operating system to ransomware viruses must stop. Just like cyber threats that are designed to encrypt data on Windows operating system (Cryptowall virus, CryptoWall 3.0, Locky, TeslaCrypt and others), KeRanger ransomware is capable of finding the most valuable files and encrypt them. No matter that this virus showed up only on 4 March 2016, it is believed that there are hundreds of Apple users who have already been affected by it.

KeRanger virus spreads in a different way than previously-seen ransomware viruses. According to the latest news, people got infected with this threat thru the latest update of Transmission software, which is a popular BitTorrent client of this software. However, there is no guarantee that it won’t start affecting Mac users thru spam emails, just like the rest of ransomware threats do. When you are infected with KeRanger, you cannot notice it for three days. This amount of time is used by this ransomware to connect with the command control servers using the Tor network. Once it does that, it checks the affected PC system for victim’s files and encrypts them with 2048-bit RSA algorithm. As a rule, people start seeing a huge ransom note when they try to open one of the affected files. Typically, KeRanger virus informs its victim that files are encrypted and that the only way to decrypt them is to pay a ransom, which is 1 Bitcoin or $400. If you can see such warning message on your desktop, you must disconnect your computer from the net to block this virus and the encryption of your data. Of course, the next step should be to remove KeRanger from the system.

We do not recommend you to pay the ransom because that’s how these hackers are capable of inventing new viruses each day. Besides, you can never be sure that this payment will help you to recover your files. It might be that the decryption key is worth nothing, and you can be left with no files on your computer. If you are infected with KeRanger, the first thing that you must do is to disconnect your computer from the Internet and prevent the loss of the data, which hasn’t been encrypted yet. The next of your steps should be the KeRanger removal. You can use FortectIntego for that. In case you discovered the similar ransomware on Windows OS, you should run FortectIntego. However, keep in mind that deleting the ransomware from your computer will not decrypt your files, and they will remain permanently locked. You can recover your files from a backup if you have one since it is by far the most reliable method of keeping your files safe. You can use USB, CD/DVD or external hard drive for this purpose.

How is this virus distributed?

Not a lot is yet known about the-the distribution of this new ransomware virus. However, it has already been announced that the latest update for Transmission software is most likely the one that is used to spread this ransomware. We hope that this update was fixed right after discovering that it is infected, but you can never be sure about that. So, beware that there is no guarantee that the popular freeware you are about to install is safe. To protect yourself, you should use only official sources when installing programs on your device and also keep an updated security software to prevent infiltration of malicious files. Keep in mind that you can never be sure about what hackers are prepared for the next stage and, once you are infected, KeRanger removal will not help you to get your files back.

How can you delete KeRanger virus from your computer?

Even though there is no way to remove KeRanger from your computer without losing your data, you should still consider removing the virus itself along with its related components to avoid additional loss of your important data. Also, almost each of cyber threats can be used for infecting a computer with additional malware in the future, so you should remove it without wasting your time. For this process, a reliable security tool. In this case, we recommend FortectIntego or similar security software, which was designed for Mac OS X. If this virus has affected your Windows OS, you can try FortectIntego. Finally, if the virus is blocking the antivirus software and you cannot get it running, you should follow our detailed instructions provided below, to ensure the most effective KeRanger removal.