RIP Ransomware Removal Guide

RIP Ransomware activates itself the moment it successfully enters the computer so that it could then start encrypting users’ files. Once the encryption process is finished, this threat tells these files “rest in peace” by appending a new extension .RIP to each of them. As it is, probably, already clear for you, this ransomware infection has received this name because of the extension it uses. Threats that are placed by specialists into the category of ransomware all seek to receive money from users. RIP Ransomware is no exception. It encrypts users’ personal files and then demands a ransom. In other words, it gives users a reason to make a payment. No matter how badly you need your files back, do not send it to cyber criminals. It is because you do not know whether the decryption tool will be sent to you in exchange for your money. Unfortunately, in most cases, users do not get anything from cyber criminals. This is the first reason you should delete RIP Ransomware immediately and do not pay a cent to the author of this infection. On top of that, there is no doubt that cyber criminals will not stop creating new threats if all users transfer money and cyber crooks get considerable revenue.

All files, no matter what extension, e.g. .jpg, .bmp, and .ppt they have, will be encrypted the second the RIP Ransomware enters the computer. As has been told in the 1st paragraph, you could recognize them from the extension .RIP. Also, you will notice that you cannot open them. Since RIP Ransomware seeks to extort money from you, it drops a ransom note (Important.txt) on Desktop explaining what has happened to files and what to do to get them back. You have probably already found this ransom note on your Desktop if you are reading this article. Unfortunately, we cannot help you to decrypt files. If you are not going to pay money, you can transfer your files from a backup to your computer after the deletion of this infection (this will work only if you have backed up your files before the entrance of this malicious application). Alternatively, you can use a third-party data recovery tool (you can download it from the Internet). Since RIP Ransomware uses the AES-256 cipher, free tools might not help you either, so do not expect much from them. If you find it impossible to decrypt files but you do not want to pay a ransom, you should wait and do not hurry to delete those files – the decryptor might be released soon. Keep in mind that it does not mean that you can keep RIP Ransomware installed on your system. If you do not do anything to erase it, it will keep performing activities on your computer and might even lock your new files. Also, you will see a ransom note opened for you every time you restart your computer. Finally, it might slow down your Internet connection speed since it will keep connecting to the Internet without your permission.

Modifications are not only applied to files stored on the computer, but also the system itself. Researchers at 411-spyware.com have revealed that this threat creates a Value (it will have a random name) in the Run registry key (HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run). Also, it places its executable file on the computer. Unfortunately, there are several different directories it might be placed in, so it is not an easy job to find this malicious file. Believe us, RIP Ransomware is far from other harmful ransomware infections: it does not lock the screen, does not block system utilities, and does not make the Windows OS unusable. Yes, there are threats that act like this, so you should definitely install a security application to protect your computer from other dangerous ransomware infections that are waiting for the opportunity to enter your system.

You will not unlock your files by deleting RIP Ransomware fully, but you still need to do that as soon as possible in order to protect future files from being encrypted again. The removal of this threat is quite a challenging task, especially if you make a decision to erase it manually. Therefore, our specialists suggest using an automatic tool, e.g. SpyHunter. It will not unlock those encrypted files, but it will detect and delete RIP Ransomware together with a bunch of malicious components hiding on the computer.

Remove RIP Ransomware

1. Open the Windows Explorer.
2. Open these directories one after the other to find the bad file (copy and paste the path of the directory in the URL bar at the top and press Enter):

• %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
• %USERPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
• %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
• %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
• %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
• %WINDIR%\Syswow64
• %WINDIR%\System32

3. Delete the malicious file ({randomname}.exe) of the ransomware infection you have found.
4. Press Win+R and enter regedit to launch the Registry Editor.
5. Open HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
6. Right-click on the Value created by the malicious software and click Delete.
7. Find the Important.txt file on Desktop.
8. Remove it.