To put it simply, this ransomware was developed with sole intention to take computer user’s files hostage and demand a ransom in exchange for a tool that could restore them back to normal.

Ransom note explains the attackers’ demands

Through the _readme.txt notes, the attention of the victim would be inclined toward the development and how all their files were encrypted by the DEWD ransomware, including vital documents, videos, photos and other similar files. To establish a communication interface between them, two emails (manager@time2mail.ch and supportsys@airmail.cc) would be dropped as well. In order to persuade the victim to pay the ransom urgently, they will state that cost of the decryption tool would be halved if payment could be made within 72 hours, which brings the ransom fee down to $490. However, once the 3 days “grace period” elapses, only the full ransom fee of $980 would be acceptable. To ensure their identity is not revealed, they will state that the only payment method acceptable by them is through cryptocurrency. So, once the victim indicates the interest of paying the ransom, they would be informed of the particular cryptocurrency platform to use as well as the wallet address to transfer the ransom fee equivalent to. The ransom note will also indicate that victims are at liberty to forward excerpts of the encrypted files to any of the email addresses for possible test decryption. However, they will also state that such a file sample must not contain any important information otherwise, it becomes invalid. The idea behind this is to assure the victim of their ability to restore their encrypted files once they pay the ransom. Regardless, cybersecurity experts, including the FBI, have warned against ransom payment due to certain considerations. They base their verdict on the fact that ransom payment rarely leads to data recovery. Also, doing so inadvertently funds the activities of cybercriminals, and they would equally see the victim as a potential cash cow, thus increasing the chances of being targeted again in the future.

Specifics of STOP/DJVU ransomware variants

Studies conducted by cybersecurity experts on various variants of STOP/DJVU malware have revealed that certain countries are usually exempted from such cyber-attacks. These countries include Belarus, Armenia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Kazachstan and Uzbekistan. The virus then connects with https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json and saves the resulting outcome in a geo.json file (it contains crucial information such as zip code, country, IP address, city, longitude and latitude). Afterwards, it would profile the information it deducted to confirm if it matches with any of the countries they designated as encryption-protected, as listed above, which would determine whether they would continue with the attack or not. To worsen matters, data encryption is not the only threat posed by DEWD virus considering that it is also notorious for installing additional malware, particularly the information-stealing RATs otherwise known as Remote Access Trojans. The most recent ones to be detected alongside STOP/DJVU ransomware variants are AZORULT and VIDAR. The motive is to obtain sensitive private information like passwords, bank account details, browsing history and cryptocurrency wallets etc. which they hope to use in the future in committing more fraud, including blackmail. Additionally, this ransomware deletes Volume Shadow Copies so that the computer user couldn’t restore files easily and also modifies Windows HOSTS file. The latter is updated with a list of URLs mapped to victim’s localhost IP. As a consequence, the computer user might run into DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error when trying to access one of the URLs restricted by the virus. For those that are victims already, it would be in your best interest to remove DEWD ransomware virus as well as any other malware that may have been attached alongside. The recommended way of going about it is to get a trusted antivirus and also initiate a total system scan by first booting your computer system using Safe Mode with Networking as shown below. Afterwards, you should also consider the need to download RESTORO which is very effective in scanning systems in order to repair Windows OS files that were damaged during the cyber-attack.

Ransomware Summary

REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE Screenshot of data folder compromised by the described ransomware. Contents of the _readme.txt ransom note are displayed below.

How to Prevent Ransomware Infiltrations?

Most computer threats typically infiltrate through risk factors such as illegal online downloads, malicious email attachments and fake update tools. However, STOP/DJVU malware variants including DEWD virus are specifically spread through pirated software copies that are often found in torrents platforms and other similar dubious online sites. Evidences provided by previous victims have shown that such STOP/DJVU infections are usually detected following downloads of software contents from online torrents platforms. Based on that, any form of download from such dubious sites is strongly advised against. From our own checks, we discovered that fake versions of some popular software contents are usually used as baits, and listed below are the most common ones:

Adobe Illustrator,Aobe Photoshop,Corel Draw;Adobe Premiere Pro,AutoCad;Cubase;VMware Workstation;League of Legends;Tenorshare 4ukey;Internet Download Manager.

Previous attempts of some computer users to download KMSPico versions had shown that ransomware variants were embedded in them. To remain on the safe side, you’re advised to get your software needs only from the genuine/original software producer or their authorized partners. In addition to that, you should also be cautious when opening emails, especially when such email is unexpected or from unfamiliar sources. In trying to take their victims unawares, cybercriminals now use different deceptive methods. It is not unusual to observe them claiming to be who they are not while attaching files embedded with malware to their email. Such attachments are often created with XLS, PDF or DOCX among similar ones that enable macro functions. Opening them will automatically trigger the release of payload. Before we conclude there is need to reemphasize that victims of STOP/DJVU variants should not make use of ransomware decryption tools that are usually advertised on dubious websites. So far, only DiskTuna and Emsisoft have been confirmed to be effective in decrypting files.

Remove DEWD Ransomware and Decrypt Your Files

To ensure a successful DEWD ransomware removal, you’re advised to take the following steps as listed below. Firstly, you should boot your computer using Safe Mode with Networking option before running a genuine antivirus software. After that, you may consider the need to download RESTORO to help in restoring damaged Windows OS files. If you’ve managed to remove DEWD ransomware virus, it is time to do the following:

Report the incident at the police authorities nearest to you.Make use of data backups in restoring lost files.Study more about STOP/DJVU encrypted files and possible ways they could be repaired.Immediately change all passwords that were previously 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 DEWD 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 DEWD 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 DEWD files

Fix and open large DEWD 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. DEWD 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 DEWD files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The DEWD 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 DEWD 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 DEWD 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.