PINY ransomware locks data and demands money in BitcoinThreat Summary Is it possible to decrypt .piny extension files?Avoid shady downloads to prevent ransomware attacksRemove PINY ransomware virus immediately
PINY ransomware virus aims to prevent the victim from accessing files stored on personal or work computer. Therefore, it uses RSA cryptography to lock files. During the encryption process, the virus attempts to communicate with its command and control server and obtain online keys for data encryption. Otherwise, it uses an offline encryption key. Once all files are encrypted, the virus drops ransom notes that briefly explain what happened. The _readme.txt ransom note suggests purchasing .piny decryption software, and the price of it depends on how fast the victim contacts the attackers. If the victim manages to pay within 72 hours (3 days), the price will be lower – $490 in Bitcoin. Otherwise, the price goes up to $980. The ransom note also suggests the victim to test the decryption software. In order to do this, the victim has to send one encrypted file via the provided emails. As a result, the attackers will send a decrypted file back.
Threat Summary
However, one should not expect that paying the ransom will solve all of the issues. PINY file virus isn’t only dangerous because it restricts access to your files. What it also does is it installs Azorult Trojan, infamous for its capabilities to steal login credentials (passwords and other sensitive data) and transmit them to criminals. It is obvious that you must immediately remove PINY ransomware virus along with other malware it installed on your system. You can do this by using the instructions provided at the end of this article.
Is it possible to decrypt .piny extension files?
.PINY extension files can be recovered only under certain circumstances. We will explain this in detail and in an easily understandable way. As mentioned earlier, DJVU ransomware variants use either online or offline keys to encrypt files. You can figure out how your data was encrypted by going to C:/SystemID/PersonalID.txt. If you can find a key that ends in t1, all or part of your data was encrypted with offline key. Please pay attention that all other IDs mean ONLINE ENCRYPTION, and these files can’t be recovered using any third-party decryptors. However, if your files were encrypted by the offline key (ending in t1), you can recover your files as soon as STOP decryptor will be updated. You can find a guide on how to use it here. Please be patient – it takes time. If your .piny extension files were converted using the online key, you can recover data by using data backups. However, you need to make sure to eliminate the virus from the system first.
Avoid shady downloads to prevent ransomware attacks
PINY ransomware, just like the previous ransomware versions such as RIGH, NBES, MKOS, ZOBM and others reach the victims via malicious online downloads. It has been noticed that these viruses hide in software cracks, keygens, and other tools that claim to be capable of activating paid software licenses for free. Please be careful and stay away from such downloads, as they are the straightest way to invite malicious payloads into your PC. Doing so can convert your files into useless data pieces, and you could lose years of work files or memories. However, it is not just the malicious downloads that can carry ransomware executables – you can receive such malware via email spam in a form of document (Word, PDF). You might also be infected if you tend to visit untrustworthy and insecure online websites.
Remove PINY ransomware virus immediately
An urgent PINY ransomware removal will to ensure your safety. You must delete all traces of malicious activity on your computer so that you would be the only one having access to information stored on it. We’re also talking about the elimination of Azorult, which steals private data from your computer. You will also need to change your passwords after erasing malware from the computer. To remove PINY ransomware virus from the system, you need to use one of the methods provided below. To cleanse the system after booting into Windows Safe Mode, consider using a trustworthy antivirus tool. You might want to check reviews here. 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.
Alternative software recommendations
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking
Before you try to remove the 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, see a video tutorial on how to do it: Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10 users Now, you can search for and remove PINY Ransomware 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 malware removal program. In addition, we suggest trying a combination of INTEGO Antivirus (removes malware and protects your PC in real-time) and RESTORO (repairs virus damage to Windows OS files).
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 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. 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.
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