Deleting Kerkoporta Ransomware (/Screen Locker/Crypto-Malware/Ransomware)

What is Kerkoporta ransomware? And how does it execute its attack?

Kerkoporta ransomware, also known as EncryptedSadly, is a new ransomware infection in Greek which is currently on the loose, infecting computers using different methods. It aims to encrypt the files on the infected computer. This malware was created using Visual Studio 2017 environment. According to the recent reports from LosVirus.es experts, the latest version of Kerkoporta ransomware is still not capable of proper encryption. However its screen-locking function works flawlessly so its victims still won’t be able to use their infected computers. It also modifies the Windows Registry settings so that when you start your PC, your screen will be locked and inaccessible. Aside from that, Kerkoporta also drops a WindowsUpdates.exe file to block access to data and encode information. Even though it seems to target Greek users that does not mean that it won’t infect other users as it spreads using different methods.
The moment it enters the system, it immediately scans the entire drive of the computer looking for the following file extensions:
.PNG .PSD .PSPIMAGE .TGA .THM .TIF .TIFF .YUV .AI .EPS .PS .SVG .INDD .PCT .PDF .XLR .XLS .XLSX .ACCDB .DB .DBF .MDB .PDB .SQL .APK .APP .BAT .CGI .COM .EXE .GADGET .JAR .PIF .WSF .DEM .GAM .NES .ROM .SAV CAD Files .DWG .DXF GIS Files .GPX .KML .KMZ .ASP .ASPX .CER .CFM .CSR .CSS .HTM .HTML .JS .JSP .PHP .RSS .XHTML. DOC .DOCX .LOG .MSG .ODT .PAGES .RTF .TEX .TXT .WPD .WPS .CSV .DAT .GED .KEY .KEYCHAIN .PPS .PPT .PPTX ..INI .PRF Encoded Files .HQX .MIM .UUE .7Z .CBR .DEB .GZ .PKG .RAR .RPM .SITX .TAR.GZ .ZIP .ZIPX .BIN .CUE .DMG .ISO .MDF .TOAST .VCD SDF .TAR .TAX2014 .TAX2015 .VCF .XML Audio Files .AIF .IFF .M3U .M4A .MID .MP3 .MPA .WAV .WMA Video Files .3G2 .3GP .ASF .AVI .FLV .M4V .MOV .MP4 .MPG .RM .SRT .SWF .VOB .WMV 3D .3DM .3DS .MAX .OBJ R.BMP .DDS .GIF .JPG ..CRX .PLUGIN .FNT .FON .OTF .TTF .CAB .CPL .CUR .DESKTHEMEPACK .DLL .DMP .DRV .ICNS .ICO .LNK .SYS .CFG
During the encryption, it appends the .encryptedsadly extension to the damaged files. The ransomware then locks the screen of the affected computer which contains its ransom message. Here’s the ransom note translated to English:
“OH NO
What happened ?
All your personal files have been encrypted!
What to do ?
Buy an amazon gift card of 100$ type the code below and you will get your dectryption key on your email
WARNING: Any false credentials or attempts to remove the ransomware will result in further damage”
How does Kerkoporta ransomware spread?
Kerkoporta spreads as a fake Windows Update on malicious websites. Usually, you can encounter such fake updates when you visit suspicious websites that offers false updates through a pop-up or a malicious ad.
Delete Kerkoporta ransomware through the removal guide below.
Step 1: Restart your PC to Safe Mode with Networking.

Step 2: Enable the disabled Windows features.

Press Win + R keys to launch Run.
Type in msc in the box and press Enter to open Group Policy.
Under Group Policy, navigate to:
1. User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System
After that, open Prevent access to the command prompt.
Select Disable to enable cmd
Click the OK button
After that, go to:
1. Configuration\Administrative Templates\System
Double click on the Prevent Access to registry editing tools.
Choose Disabled and click OK.
Navigate to :
1. User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System>Ctrl+Alt+Del Options
Double click on Remove Task Manager.
And then set its value to Disabled.

Step 3: After opening the Task Manager, look for Kerkoporta ransomware’s malicious process, right click on it and select End Process or End Task.

Step 4: Close the Task Manager and open Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.
Step 5: Look for Windows Update Protocol and other dubious programs that might by related to Kerkoporta ransomware and then Uninstall it/them.

Step 6: Tap Win + E to launch File Explorer.
Step 7: After opening File Explorer, navigate to the following locations below and look for Kerkoporta ransomware’s malicious components such as Windows Update.exe, Windows Update Protocol and WindowsUpdate.lnk as well as the malicious executable file responsible for installing the crypto-malware in your computer.

%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
%USERPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Step 8: Close the File Explorer.
Before you proceed to the next steps below, make sure that you are tech savvy enough to the point where you know exactly how to use and navigate your computer’s Registry. Keep in mind that any changes you make will highly impact your computer. To save you the trouble and time, you can just use PC Cleaner Pro, this system tool is proven to be safe and excellent enough that hackers won’t be able to hack into it. But if you can manage Windows Registry well, then by all means go on to the next steps.
Step 9: Tap Win + R to open Run and then type in regedit in the field and tap enter to pull up Windows Registry.

Step 10: Navigate to the listed paths below and look for the registry keys and sub-keys created by Kerkoporta ransomware.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

Step 11: Delete the registry keys and sub-keys created by Kerkoporta ransomware.
Step 12: Close the Registry Editor.
Step 13: Empty your Recycle Bin.
Try to recover your encrypted files using their Shadow Volume copies
Restoring your encrypted files using Windows’ Previous Versions feature will only be effective if Kerkoporta hasn’t deleted the shadow copies of your files. But still, this is one of the best and free methods there is, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
To restore the encrypted file, right-click on it and select Properties, a new window will pop-up, then proceed to Previous Versions. It will load the file’s previous version before it was modified. After it loads, select any of the previous versions displayed on the list like the one in the illustration below. And then click the Restore button.

To make sure that Kerkoporta is completely removed and that nothing is left behind, use the following antivirus program. To use it, refer to the instructions below.
Perform a full system scan using SpyRemover Pro. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
After that, the BIOSscreen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Optionuse the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Boxwill show up.
Type in explorer http://www.fixmypcfree.com/install/spyremoverpro

A single space must be in between explorer and http. Click OK.

A dialog box will be displayed by Internet Explorer. Click Run to begin downloading the program. Installation will start automatically once download is done.