Skull ransomware virus. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
Skull ransomware is another menace to the virtual community
Skull ransomware is a new virus that was discovered by Michael Gillespie. The virus is a file-encrypting program that appends a random extension to victim’s files and leaves How_To_Decrypt_Your_Files.html ransom note. Currently, it is unknown whether files locked by this ransomware can be decrypted
The ransom note contains an iframe tag[1] that leads to adartmark[.]com/blog_howto.html site. The note traditionally greets the victim with a standard message about encryption:
All your files have been encrypted!
If you read this file, that’s mean all your files was encrypted by the Skull Ransomware.
Surprisingly, the criminals provide even three Bitcoin wallet addresses. They demand $400 in Bitcoins[2] as a ransom, asking to write to their email address – skull.and.bones2017@protonmail.com. The victim should provide the following details:
- Transaction number;
- The wallet address from which the payment was made;
- Full computer’s hostname.
However, at the very end of the ransom note, criminals warn the victim that the Skull ransomware decrypter “can bug,” meaning that it might fail to work. We highly recommend you not to pay a ransom to fraudsters who might fail to provide you with a working decrypter.
To protect your computer from further cyber attacks and to continue using it again, remove Skull virus immediately. For that, we recommend using tools like Reimage, although you can count on Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytes Malwarebytes as well. You can find more security-related tips and malware removal tricks on Novirus.uk site[3].
Select 'Safe Mode with Networking'
Select 'Enable Safe Mode with Networking'
Select 'Safe Mode with Command Prompt'
Select 'Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt'
Enter 'cd restore' without quotes and press 'Enter'
Enter 'rstrui.exe' without quotes and press 'Enter'
When 'System Restore' window shows up, select 'Next'
Select your restore point and click 'Next'
Click 'Yes' and start system restore
Ways to get infected
Regular computer users can unexpectedly become victims of ransomware and seek for Skull Ransomware removal after opening a compromised email attachment. Be extremely careful when browsing through your emails because one day you might come across a letter from cyber criminals.
There will be almost no signs of deception, whatsoever. You must be very vigilant to spot details that reveal falseness in such emails. One of the most common signs is mistakes all over the message body and in the subject of the email.
Another easy way to allow fraudsters to infect your computer is to use it without having the latest software updates. Software updates are released not only to improve programs by adding interesting and outstanding features but also to patch security vulnerabilities in them.
Without them, fraudsters can exploit old flaws in programs as soon as you visit a website containing an exploit kit. Such attacks can be prevented using anti-malware software and, as previously mentioned, applying software updates.
Remove Skull ransomware
Do not wait any longer to remove Skull virus from a compromised PC. To ensure a successful removal of the malicious program, use the guidelines created by anti-malware experts. You can find them right below the article.
After Skull ransomware removal, think about ways to recover your files. You can try tools listed down below, although some of them might fail to help you. In fact, the most efficient way of recovering your files is using a data backup – clearly, if you have it.
To remove Skull virus, follow these steps:
Remove Skull using Safe Mode with Networking
Use the provided guidelines to remove Skull malware from your personal or work computer.
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Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Networking
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 Safe Mode with Networking 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 Networking in Startup Settings window.
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Step 2: Remove Skull
Log in to your infected account and start the browser. Download Reimage or other legitimate anti-spyware program. Update it before a full system scan and remove malicious files that belong to your ransomware and complete Skull removal.
If your ransomware is blocking Safe Mode with Networking, try further method.
Remove Skull 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.
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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 Skull. 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 Skull from your computer. To recover your encrypted files, we recommend using a detailed guide prepared by 2-spyware.com security experts.If your files are encrypted by Skull, you can use several methods to restore them:
Try decrypting your files with Data Recovery Pro
Data Recovery Pro is a software that might help you to recover your file. Follow the given guidelines to make it do its job.
- 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 Skull ransomware;
- Restore them.
Search for VSS
VSS is a service that automatically creates so-called “Shadow Copies” of your files on Windows computers. If the virus decided to leave them on your system, you will recover your files for free. Use this software to use Volume Shadow Copies for a quick data restoration:
- 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 Skull and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as Reimage, Malwarebytes MalwarebytesCombo Cleaner or Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytes Malwarebytes
About the author
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References
- ^ HTML iframe Tag. W3Schools Online Web Tutorials. Optimized for Learning, Testing and Training.
- ^ Brian Fung. What you need to know about bitcoin after the WannaCry ransomware attack. Washington Post. Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis.
- ^ Novirus. NoVirus. Malware and Spyware News, Security Tips.