How to remove Pykw ransomware

Pykw is a ransomware virus that adds the .pykw file name to encrypted data and urges victims to pay a Bitcoin ransom 

Pykw is the name of a malicious application that corrupts people's personal files stored on the PC once it gets installed. It has an in-built AES^[1] or another encryption algorithm, which uses a sophisticated mathematic cipher to restrict users' access to their data, which cannot be unlocked without a decryption key. 

The goal of the Pykw ransomware is to prevent users from accessing the most essential files and then demand them to pay the ransom for the functional decryptor. Such viruses are known as crypto-extortionists, ransomware, file-encoders, and similar names. At the moment, this particular virus is circulating on the Internet via obfuscated files attacked to pirated software or spam email attachments. Thus, experts urge people to restrain from downloading cracks, such as Adobe Acrobat or Photoshop. Besides, do not open emails that have .ZIP, .EXE, .PDF attachments named something like “Order confirmation”. 

Genealogically, Pykw ransomware virus belongs to the huge STOP/Djvu ransomware family. Some of the noteworthy members of this gang are Zwer, Nlah, Moba and the rest of 230 variants in total. The current version marks corrupted files with the .pykw file extension and drop a _readme.txt file as an information “leaflet,” which demands victims to pay the ransom $480/790 in Bitcoins and then contact ransomware managers via helpmanager@mail.ch or restoremanager@firemail.cc emails. 

Djvu ransomware family is regularly augmented. The new variants emerge every week, so the emergence of the Pykw virus has been expected. This version does not deviate much from its ancestors:

• It is distributed via malicious spam email attachments and software cracks in particular;
• Upon infiltration, it stops many Windows system processes from running, including anti-virus;
• It launched an AES or another cipher that scans the machine for compatible file styles (over 200 extensions) and locks all of them using .pykw extension;
• Victims get the _readme.txt note, which contains instructions on how to pay the ransom (only Bitcoins are accepted);
• Those who pay the ransom within 72 hours can use a discount, i.e. the ransom size is double dropped to $480 instead of $790;

A full Pykw ransom note contains the following information:

ATTENTION!

Don’t worry, you can return all your files!
All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.
What guarantees you have?
You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.
You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:
https://we.tl/t-sBwlEg46JX
Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that’s price for you is $490.
Please note that you’ll never restore your data without payment.
Check your e-mail “Spam” or “Junk” folder if you don’t get answer more than 6 hours.

To get this software you need write on our e-mail:
helpmanager@mail.ch

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:
restoremanager@firemail.cc

Your personal ID

The Pykw decryptor is not a cheap piece of software. Criminals evaluate it for $780 and, most probably, there are many people who agree to pay this amount in exchange for unlocking important Microsoft Office documents, file archives, photos, and other data, especially when no backups are available. 

Nevertheless, it is not advisable to pay the ransom. Experts from the NoVirus.uk^[2] team recommends people make a copy of the locked files using a USB stick, hard drive, or cloud storage and then remove Pykw ransomware from the system. It's important to stress the fact that Djvu ransomware family members are programmed to download AZORult trojan as a secondary payload. The latter may install spying software and start recording keystrokes, take screenshots, and perform other activities to get access to the victim's bank accounts. 

In general, the sooner you perform Pykw removal, the chance of getting a banking trojan and experience further losses will decrease. Please note that paying the redemption for criminals is not a guarantee that a fully functional decryptor will reach you. We recommend you to make copies for the .pykw files and send them to the trustworthy ransomware researchers who are working on the Djvu decryption tool and wait for them to find a way to unlock your personal files. 

Until that, we recommend trying alternative Pykw file recovery methods that have been submitted by our security experts. These methods can help you to retrieve separate files. However, do not initiate any file recovery steps before ransomware removal. Once you have backups^[3] for the encrypted files, restart Windows into Safe Mode and run a full scan with a professional anti-virus program. The run a scan with FortectIntego optimization tool to restore your machine's performance and then start the data recovery process. 

Ransomware authors disguise malicious files in popular places, such as P2P networks or shady download sites

Cybersecurity experts stress the fact that the Internet is not a safe place where every content could be trusted. Statistically, dangerous viruses, such as ransomware, trojans, spyware, etc. are typically distributed by means of spam email. Crooks append malicious payload to word documents, zip files, pdf files, etc. and represent them as original content. Usually, these attachments command people to enable Macros to read the content. That's a catch because Macros enabling means the launch of ransomware payload. 

In addition to spam, file-encrypting viruses are often hidden under hyperlinks and adverts positioned on unprotected networks, such as P2P, online gaming, streaming, gambling, pornographic sites, etc. Thus, clicking on any content presented on suchlike websites poses a risk of getting your files locked. 

Another popular ransomware distribution way is pirated files, such as software cracks, game cheats, keygens, license keys, and similar. According to experts and victims' reports on Reddit^[4], Djvu ransomware family members are most frequently distributed this way. Thus, restrain from any illegal online content to protect yourself from cybercrime. 

Do not postpone Pykw ransomware removal and try to restore .pykw files

Every ransomware victim wonders whether to pay the ransom or not. Although most probably criminals have a fully functional Pykw decryptor, no one can guarantee that upon paying the ransom you will get the key. There's a huge risk that you will be left with empty pockets and permanently locked files. 

Therefore, we recommend you to remove Pykw ransomware virus instead and rely on alternative data recovery options. Do not try to eliminate ransomware manually because it's not possible. This type of virus enters the machine in packages that consist of tens of malicious processes. Some of them are responsible for stopping Windows processes, the others for rooting into Windows registries, and the others for performing malicious tasks. All these processes can be stopped by rebooting the machine into Safe Mode with Networking and running a scan with SpyHunterCombo Cleaner, MalwarebytesMalwarebytes, and similar anti-virus tools. 

After a complete Pykw ransomware removal, the Windows system needs a recovery. Corrupted system files, deleted Windows registries, and altered startup processes can lead to errors, BSODs, and slowdowns. Thus, it's advisable to optimize the system using FortectIntego optimization utility.