Scorpio ransomware / virus (Simple Removal Guide) - Virus Removal Instructions

Scorpio virus Removal Guide

What is Scorpio ransomware virus?

Scorpio ransomware is yet another malicious program used by extortionists

Scorpio ransomware screenshot

Scorpio ransomware[1] is a new version of Scarab virus, and its main purpose is to encrypt files on victim’s computer to get a ransom. The encryption procedure consists of several essential tasks – finding target files, encrypting them, corrupting their original filenames and adding .[Help-Mails@Ya.ru].scorpio file extensions to them.

Once the files are encrypted, the virus creates and saves IF YOU WANT TO GET ALL YOUR FILES BACK, PLEASE READ THIS.txt file, which happens to be the ransom note. It contains victim’s personal identifier and instructions on how to get the automatic decryptor.

Cyber criminals suggest writing to Help-Mails@Ya.Ru or second email address – alexous@bk.ru for information about data recovery options. The ransom note doesn’t disclose how much money criminals want to receive from the victim, so it is possible that fraudsters tell a different ransom[2] price for each victim.

Cyber crooks behind this ransomware provide an opportunity to test their decryption tools – they ask the victim to provide up to 3 files no larger than 5 Mb in size via email. They promise to deliver decrypted file copies in a reply email.

However, the frauds provide one additional rule – the files shouldn’t contain valuable information, so the victim should not send databases, backups, large excel sheets and similar files to test the decryptor.

Ransomware is simply a virtual extortion tool. We do not recommend you to follow cybercriminals’ instructions because they do not provide any guarantees to you. Even if they have a working data decryptor, it doesn’t mean that you are going to receive it after paying the ransom. Besides, think about the consequences – paying the ransom simply allows criminals to fund their further illegal projects.

We hope that you have a data backup – it allows restoring the majority of corrupted data. If you do not have it, we suggest trying data recovery solutions provided below Scorpio virus removal tutorial. When trying to eliminate the virus, you should be using a professional anti-malware software like FortectIntego because it can clean up your system from dangerous files and programs precisely.

Trying to perform the same task manually, especially without a baggage of certain knowledge about computers and malware, can result in a failure. Before you do anything to remove Scorpio malware, reboot PC using instructions provided below the article.

Scorpio virusScorpio ransomware is the latest version of Scarab ransomware. It encrypts victim's files and adds [email].scorpio file extensions to them.

Tips to keep malicious programs at bay

Users who wish to keep malware like ransomware away from their computers should follow certain tips to keep their computers and data protected. Besides, following these tips can also help you to protect your privacy while surfing the world wide web. For more tips, we suggest visiting NoVirus website[3].

  1. Stay away from suspicious letters that reach your email account. If you do not know the sender of it, do not open email attachments or links that came with it.
  2. Avoid visiting websites that contain a lot of aggressive ads. If you feel that the site triggers a banner or a pop-up whenever you click on something, quit it. Besides, if your computer opens similar ads at random times, you should check your PC for adware.
  3. Enable automatic updates for all programs installed on your computer. This way, you will have the latest and of course, the safest versions of them.
  4. Create a data backup.
  5. Use anti-spyware or anti-malware program. If you do not have it, you can choose FortectIntego or Malwarebytes.
  6. Never disclose your personal information on vague Internet sites. Avoid entering your email address into questionable online forms, because cyber criminals can use it to send deceptive emails to you.

Remove Scorpio ransomware virus and restore your records

Remove Scorpio virus before you try to unlock your files. The easiest way to get rid of the described cyber threat is to install an anti-malware software and let it scan the entire computer system. It will collect all of the virus’ remains and delete them for you. Please do not take the risk of causing more problems by trying to delete the ransomware manually!

After completing the automatic Scorpio removal, you can start thinking about possible data recovery techniques. As we mentioned before, the easiest way to restore all of your files is to import them from a data backup. In case you can’t take advantage of a data backup because you simply do not have it, try data recovery methods described below.

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What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of Scorpio virus. Follow these steps

Manual removal using Safe Mode

To remove Scorpio ransomware from a compromised computer, you need to prepare the machine first. Reboot your PC using instructions prepared by our team, and then download a security program (if you do not have it yet) or update the one you already own and run it.

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
  1. Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
  2. 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.
  3. Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list. Windows 7/XP
Windows 10 / Windows 8
  1. Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
    Settings
  2. Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
    Update and security
  3. On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
  4. Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
  5. Click Restart now.
    Reboot
  6. Select Troubleshoot. Choose an option
  7. Go to Advanced options. Advanced options
  8. Select Startup Settings. Startup settings
  9. Press Restart.
  10. Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking. Enable safe mode

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:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details.
    Open task manager
  3. Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
  4. Right-click and select Open file location.
    Open file location
  5. Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
    End task
  6. Delete the contents of the malicious folder.

Step 3. Check program Startup

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Go to Startup tab.
  3. Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
    Startup

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:

  1. Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
    Disk cleanup
  2. 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).
  3. Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:

    Temporary Internet Files
    Downloads
    Recycle Bin
    Temporary files

  4. Pick Clean up system files.
    Delete temp files
  5. 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 Scorpio using System Restore

  • Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt
    Windows 7 / Vista / XP
    1. Click Start Shutdown Restart OK.
    2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
    3. Select Command Prompt from the list Select 'Safe Mode with Command Prompt'

    Windows 10 / Windows 8
    1. Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
    2. Now select Troubleshoot Advanced options Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
    3. Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window. Select 'Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt'
  • Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
    1. Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter. Enter 'cd restore' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    2. Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again.. Enter 'rstrui.exe' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    3. When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of Scorpio. After doing that, click Next. When 'System Restore' window shows up, select 'Next' Select your restore point and click 'Next'
    4. Now click Yes to start system restore. Click 'Yes' and start system restore
    Once you restore your system to a previous date, download and scan your computer with FortectIntego and make sure that Scorpio removal is performed successfully.

Bonus: Recover your data

Guide which is presented above is supposed to help you remove Scorpio from your computer. To recover your encrypted files, we recommend using a detailed guide prepared by 2-spyware.com security experts.

There are several data recovery options. You can restore the majority of your data using a backup. Alternatively, you can try Data Recovery Pro, Shadow Explorer or Windows Previous Versions feature.

If your files are encrypted by Scorpio, you can use several methods to restore them:

Using data recovery tools

When files get corrupted or deleted, computer users can try various data recovery tools available on the market today. The one that we recommend using is called Data Recovery Pro. Below, you can find a short guide on how to use it.

  • 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 Scorpio ransomware;
  • Restore them.

Using Windows Previous Versions feature

Windows Previous Versions feature can be used in case you created a system restore point in the past.

  • 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”.

Using ShadowExplorer

ShadowExplorer is a tool that might help you to restore those .scorpio file extension files. Remember that it can only work in case the virus left Volume Shadow Copies on your system.

  • 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 Scorpio 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. 

 

About the author
Olivia Morelli
Olivia Morelli - Ransomware analyst

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