Infected with Cerber? Need to decrypt your files?

What is Cerber

Cerber is ransomware virus that encrypts your documents, images and music with AES encryption and adds .cerber extension to every encrypted file. After this virus asks for 1.24 bitcoins (~$500) for decryption service. After infecting PC, Cerber virus creates 3 files (#DECRYPT MY FILES#.txt, #DECRYPT MY FILES#.html, #DECRYPT MY FILES#.vbs), that contain instructions to decrypt your files in different format and link to online “Cerber Decryptor”. If ransom is not paid in 7 days, amount of ransom doubles. Currently, there no free decryption tools available, but there few methods to help you decrypt .cerber files described below. Read the article below to learn how to remove Cerber and restore your files.

Update: Use following service to identify the version and type of ransomware you were attacked by: ID Ransomware. Also check following website for possible decryptor: Emsisoft Decryptors.

Update: Use Trend Micro Ransomware File Decryptor to decrypt .cerber files. Download it using button below in this article.

How Cerber infected your PC

Cerber uses spam e-mails to infect users computers. Virus is hidden inside archived documents attached to such e-mails. If user downloads this archive and opens .doc or .xls file, it will ask to enable macros support by hand. Once uses does it there is no way back because it will download small executable very fast and will run it to encrypt files in user folders. Antiviruses have a small chance to catch Cerber virus as it is constantly modified. The only way to protect your computer from such threats is use antiviruses with crypto-protection like HitmanPro.Alert with CryptoGuard.

What to do if you are infected with Cerber virus?

First of all don’t panic. Follow these easy steps below.

1. Start your computer in Safe Mode with networking. To do that, restart your computer, before your system starts hit F8 several times. This will stop system from loading and will show Advanced boot options screen. Choose Safe mode with networking option from the options list using up and down arrows on your keyboard and hit Enter.
2. Log in to the system infected with the Cerber virus. Launch your Internet browser and download a reliable anti-malware program and start a full system scan. Once the scan is complete, review scan results and remove all entries detected.

Recommended Solution:

Norton is a powerful removal tool. It can remove all instances of newest viruses, similar to Cerber – files, folders, registry keys.

 

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Step 2: Remove following files and folders of Cerber:

Remove following registry entries:

HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\SCRNSAVE.EXE "%AppData%\{2ED2A2FE-872C-D4A0-17AC-E301404F1CBA}\{randomname}.exe"
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun "%AppData%\{2ED2A2FE-872C-D4A0-17AC-E301404F1CBA}\{randomname}.exe"
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\Run "%AppData%\{2ED2A2FE-872C-D4A0-17AC-E301404F1CBA}\{randomname}.exe"
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\{randomname} "%AppData%\{2ED2A2FE-872C-D4A0-17AC-E301404F1CBA}\{randomname}.exe"
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\{randomname} "%AppData%\{2ED2A2FE-872C-D4A0-17AC-E301404F1CBA}\{randomname}.exe"

Remove following files:

%AppData%\{2ED2A2FE-872C-D4A0-17AC-E301404F1CBA}\{randomname}.exe

How to decrypt files infected by Cerber (.cerber files)?

Use automated decryption tools

There is ransomware decryptor from Trend Micro that may decrypt .cerber2 files. It is free and may help you restore files encrypted by Cerber2. Download it here:

Download Trend Micro Ransomware File Decryptor

There is currently no other automated decryption tool for .cerber files, but that doesn’t mean that you need to pay the ransom. We track the topic and will add any new decryption tool available in this part of the article. Now you can try to use manual methods to restore and decrypt .cerber files.

Decrypt .cerber files manually

Restore the system using System Restore

Although, latest versions of Cerber remove system restore files, this method may help you partially restore your files. Give it a try and use standard System Restore to revive your data.

1. Initiate the search for ‘system restore‘
2. Click on the result
3. Choose the date before the infection appearance
4. Follow the on-screen instructions

Roll the files back to the previous version

Previous versions can be copies of files and folders created by Windows Backup (if it is active) or copies of files and folders created by System Restore. You can use this feature to restore files and folders that you accidentally modified or deleted, or that were damaged (in our case – encrypted by Cerber). This feature is available in Windows 7 and later versions.

1. Right-click the file and choose Properties
2. Open the Previous Version tab
3. Select the latest version and click Copy
4. Click Restore

Restore .cerber files using shadow copies

1. Download and run Shadow Explorer.
2. Select the drive and folder where your files are located and date that you want to restore them from.
3. Right-click on folder you want to restore and select Export.
4. Once the scanning process is done, click Recover to restore your files.

Protect your computer from ransomware

Most modern antiviruses can protect your PC from ransomware and crypto-trojans, but thousands of people still get infected. There are several programs that use different approach t protect from ransomware and lockers. One of the best is HitmanPro.Alert with CryptoGuard. You may already know HitmanPro as famous cloud-based anti-malware scanner. Check out ultimate active protection software from SurfRight.

Download HitmanPro.Alert with CryptoGuard

Information provided by: Alexey Abalmasov