Kerkoporta Ransomware is a Greek ransomware that may slither onto your system and encrypt your files in order to extort money from you. This malware infection is supposed to lock your screen, too, however, the sample we tested did not seem like a finished threat so it did not lock the screen and did not encrypt files either. Of course, this does not mean that the version you have been infected with does not finish its dirty job entirely. If you are unlucky, you may lose all your personal files in this malicious attack. Hopefully though, you have a backup of your files that you can use now to restore your encrypted files. You can either keep your backed up files in cloud storage or on a removable hard disk. But do not start transferring your clean files back to your hard drive in a haste because first, you need to remove Kerkoporta Ransomware from your system. As a matter of fact, it is also important since this vicious program can start up automatically every time you launch your Windows. Please continue reading our report if you would like to learn more about this potential danger.
There are two main ways for you to get infected with this ransomware program. First, it is quite likely that you have received a spam mail recently and you did not only open it to read the content but you must have also viewed the attached file. This malware infection is spread as a malicious attachment that can initiate this vicious attack once you click to open this file. This attachment can pose as an image or document file. Its file type icon also makes you believe that it is actually an image or a Word document; however, it is an executable that should not be touched at all. It is quite difficult to spot this spam because it makes sure that it awakes your curiosity about its content. But when you open such a spam, you will not find too much information regarding the allegedly urgent matter its subject field refers to. Therefore, you are left with but one choice: To view the attachment for further details. Since this file is supposed to be a copy of an overdue invoice or other important document, victims cannot resist the temptation. Please note that normally it is not possible to delete Kerkoporta Ransomware without losing your files to encryption. If you are lucky enough to be infected with the test version, it is possible that your files will be untouched.
Second, it is also possible that these cyber criminals attack you via remote desktop protocol and initiate this malicious attack manually once they gain access to your system. You need to make sure that when you have a remote desktop application installed on your computer, it is properly and strongly configured in order to avoid such cyber attacks. Yet another option is to get redirected to malicious websites created with Exploit Kits that can take advantage of your outdated browsers and drivers. Thus, it is important that you always update these programs if you want to prevent crooks from dropping such infections onto your system because you will be left with no choice but to remove Kerkoporta Ransomware from your PC.
This ransomware program creates a WindowsUpdates.lnk file in your "%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup" directory, which makes sure that it starts up automatically with Windows startup. It also copies itself to "%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Update Protocol" and drops further files in this folder. This infection is supposed to lock your screen and encrypt all your personal files. However, as we have mentioned, it is actually possible that your version is not the finished threat and you will be safe from such a disaster. In any case, this ransomware adds a ".encryptedsadly" extension but does not change the file name itself.
When the damage has been done, it displays its ransom note application window that is in Greek. You can change the language by clicking on the "English" button at the bottom. You have to buy an Amazon gift card for $100 and enter its PIN code and then press the "Send" button to send it to these criminals. Then, you are supposed to get an e-mail with the decryption key although we have no idea how these crooks will know your e-mail address since this time, you are not asked to contact them in e-mail or to enter your e-mail address either. As a matter of fact, we do not recommend that you pay these villains any money since there is no guarantee they will send the key. We advise you to remove Kerkoporta Ransomware as soon as possible even if no damage has actually been done.
If your screen is locked, you can try to open your Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc simultaneously and then, kill the malicious process. You can also try to simply press the Alt+F4 combination to exit the application or Alt+Tab to move away from the locked screen. If none of these work, you need to restart your computer in Safe Mode because otherwise, this ransomware program would start up automatically. Once you cleared the lock, you can eliminate all the related files and folders. Please use our instructions below as a reference. But, if you would like to efficiently protect your computer, we advise you to install a reliable anti-malware program, such as SpyHunter.