The cybercriminals will follow-up by sending ransom notes known as _readme.txt, and contained in it is information about everything that was happening, i.e. the ransomware attack, encryption of data and why the victim would have to pay certain fees as ransom to enable them receive decryption tools from the cybercriminals. However, there is no assurance that such decryption tool is indeed available or effective.

Cybercriminals demand a ransom for data decryption

It usually comes as a rude shock to computer users when they suddenly realize that important files such as documents, pictures, infographics, videos, etc., have become unreadable. Depending on how important the encrypted files are to the computer user and whether there is availability of backup copies, the user may become desperate to try to recover the files. Of course, the computer user will notice the notes that the virus dropped in each computer folder. These notes deliver a message from cybercriminals with proposal how such unpleasant situation could be solved. The note briefly mentions what has happened and suggests that the computer user has to contact the ransomware operators using two email addresses, namely: support@bestyourmail.ch and supportsys@airmail.cc for further details on how to solve the situation. The note also mentions that the victim has to pay for data decryption tools kept by the attackers. In other words, the ransomware operators try to extort the computer user after locking all of files as hostages. Should the victim decide to send them an email indicating they’re eager to have their files restored, the cybercriminals would, at this point, state how much that was required to be paid as a ransom fee and the terms attached to it. Although they would fix the ransom fee at $980 but to make the victim pay ASAP, they would claim that half of the amount i.e. $490 would be accepted by them provided the victim must be able to transfer it within a maximum of 72 hours (3 days) of being told to do so. Once the deadline is up, only the maximum ransom fee acceptable.  To further complicate issues for the victim, the only form of payment acceptable to the cybercriminals is the use of cryptocurrency. The cybercriminals typically avoid conventional payment methods like bank payment or direct money transfer because they understand that what they’re doing is a criminal offence and is punishable by law. So, they insist on anonymous payment methods like the use of crypto. Nevertheless, the FBI and other top cybersecurity experts have warned that demands from cybercriminals should never be honored. There are several reasons given by them for the prohibition of ransom payment but here are the major ones: 

The law prohibits ransom payment in any form.Paying ransom encourages cybercriminals to continue attacking others.It doesn’t guarantee file recovery.Cybercriminals usually target paying victims again in the future in order to extort more money from them. More funds at the disposal of cybercriminals enable them to increase their capacity to do more harm more significant number of people.

More interesting details about this threat

From our observations, we realized that although this group operates worldwide, there are selected countries they designated as exempted. We couldn’t decipher why they took such decision but the countries are: Ukraine, Belarus, Syria, Tajikistan, Russia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazachstan.  Once the DKRF ransomware virus compromises a computer, the next thing it does is to ascertain its geolocation. This is derived by connecting with https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json before processing the data in the geo.json file where personal details like IP address, country, city or town, zip code, longitude and latitude. These pieces of information would help it to determine the exact location of the computer. If it indicates positive to any of the aforementioned countries, it would reconsider its mission but otherwise, it would proceed to the next stage in the encryption process.  Although much attention is being paid to the destructive effects of DKRF ransomware virus, but it is by no means the only threat associated with it. There are other secondary but less known Trojans that are usually transported alongside the primary virus. They’re aptly referred as RATs or Remote Access Trojans. Their own priority is quite different from the primary virus and focuses on stealing sensitive personal information like cryptocurrency wallets, banking details, passwords, browsing history and software login credentials. The computer user would not be aware of their presence but once the information gets to the cybercriminals, they would leverage it to commit further criminal acts.  Therefore, it is imperative to remove DKRF ransomware virus as well as other variants of STOP/DJVU once they’re observed in any computer. What you have to do is to start the infected computer using Safe Mode with Networking option. Meanwhile, you should also have genuine software copy handy and scan it accordingly. After removing the virus, you may as well as download and use RESTORO to restore some of the damaged operating system files.

Ransomware Summary

REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE

How to Safeguard Your Computer against STOP/DJVU Ransomware Virus

Cybercriminals are always trying to infect as many computers as possible, and they often exploit the greed of freeloaders who don’t like paying for their software needs. They would rather visit online torrent platforms to download cloned activation tools, pirated key generators, fake software games and utility software contents etc. Such illegal activities should be shunned to avoid triggering ransomware attack. Also, computer users should be wary of emails from spoofed or unrecognized sources because they could be embedded with malware. Such emails and attachments shouldn’t be opened.  Cybercriminals habitually pirate software contents that are in high demand so they could embed malware in them and distribute to more significant number of users. Here are some of the popular software copies often pirated by them: 

VMware Workstation;Adobe Illustrator AutoCad;Cubase;3DMark;Wondershare Filmora;Tenorshare 4ukey;Corel Draw;League of Legends;Internet Download Manager.

Considering the risk involved, it is not advisable to download software contents from online torrent platforms to avoid becoming a victim of ransomware attack. Instead, it is better to visit the official web pages of the copyright owners or their authorized marketers. The amount you may be asked to pay is always insignificant compared to the outrageous ransom fees cybercriminals would demand from their victims. Also, you won’t risk losing important files.   Cybercriminals also prefer to make use of files such as PDF, XLS and DOCX among similar ones in their emails and attachments because they make it easy for them to spread malware. Computer users should also avoid opening any email with spoofed addresses.  For victims of STOP/DJVU ransomware virus, please disregard online adverts claiming to have decryption solutions. Most of them are fake and often used by cybercriminals to spread other forms of malware. Only Emsisoft and DiskTuna brands have shown promising results in creating functional data decryption/repair tools.

How to Remove DKRF Ransomware & Decrypt or Restore Files

When trying to remove DKRF ransomware, remember to set your computer on Safe Mode with Networking before activating your antivirus. This would enable it to work optimally. In addition, our team recommends downloading RESTORO to repair virus-damaged Windows OS components. After you complete DKRF virus removal, you should take the steps outlined below: 

Report the incident to the police;Use backup device to restore lost files. Study how STOP/DJVU affected files could be repaired.Replace all passwords that were used on the compromised computer.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here.

Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking

Before you try to remove DKRF Ransomware Virus virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, if you prefer a video version of the tutorial, check our guide How to Start Windows in Safe Mode on Youtube. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users Now, you can search for and remove DKRF Ransomware Virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable security program such as INTEGO Antivirus. For virus damage repair, consider using RESTORO.

Method 2. Use System Restore

In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won’t be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future.

Alternative software recommendations

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense If you’re looking for an all-in-one system maintenance suite that has 7 core components providing powerful real-time protection, on-demand malware removal, system optimization, data recovery, password manager, online privacy protection and secure driver wiping technology. Therefore, due to its wide-range of capabilities, System Mechanic Ultimate Defense deserves Geek’s Advice approval. Get it now for 50% off. You may also be interested in its full review.

Disclaimer. This site includes affiliate links. We may earn a small commission by recommending certain products, at no additional cost for you. We only choose quality software and services to recommend.

Decrypt DKRF files

Fix and open large DKRF files easily:

It is reported that STOP/DJVU ransomware versions encrypt only the beginning 150 KB of each file to ensure that the virus manages to affect all files on the system. In some cases, the malicious program might skip some files at all. That said, we recommend testing this method on several big (>1GB) files first.

STOP/DJVU decryption tool usage guide

STOP/DJVU ransomware versions are grouped into old and new variants. DKRF Ransomware Virus is considered the new STOP/DJVU variant, just like BPTO, ISWR, ISZA, BPSM, ZOUU, MBTF, ZNSM (find full list here). This means full data decryption is now possible only if you have been affected by offline encryption key. To decrypt your files, you will have to download Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP DJVU, a tool created and maintained by a genius security researcher Michael Gillespie. Note! Please do not spam the security researcher with questions whether he can recover your files encrypted with online key - it is not possible. In order to test the tool and see if it can decrypt DKRF files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The DKRF decryption tool might display several different messages after failed attempt to restore your files. You might receive one of the following messages: Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [example ID] This message typically means that there is no corresponding decryption key in the decryptor’s database. No key for New Variant online ID: [example ID]Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible This message informs that your files were encrypted with online key, meaning no one else has the same encryption/decryption key pair, therefore data recovery without paying the criminals is impossible. Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future. If you were informed that an offline key was used, but files could not be restored, it means that the offline decryption key isn’t available yet. However, receiving this message is extremely good news, meaning that it might be possible to restore your DKRF extension files in the future. It can take a few months until the decryption key gets found and uploaded to the decryptor. We recommend you to follow updates regarding the decryptable DJVU versions here. We strongly recommend backing up your encrypted data and waiting.

Victims of DKRF Ransomware Virus should report the Internet crime incident to the official government fraud and scam website according to their country:

In the United States, go to the On Guard Online website.In Australia, go to the SCAMwatch website.In Germany, go to the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik website.In Ireland, go to the An Garda Síochána website.In New Zealand, go to the Consumer Affairs Scams website.In the United Kingdom, go to the Action Fraud website.In Canada, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.In India, go to Indian National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.In France, go to the Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information.

If you can’t find an authority corresponding to your location on this list, we recommend using any search engine to look up “[your country name] report cyber crime”. This should lead you to the right authority website. We also recommend staying away from third-party crime report services that are often paid. It costs nothing to report Internet crime to official authorities. Another recommendation is to contact your country’s or region’s federal police or communications authority.