Remove Santa ransomware

Is this a serious infection

The ransomware known as Santa ransomware is classified as a very damaging infection, due to the possible harm it could cause. While ransomware has been a widely covered topic, it is probable it is your first time running into it, thus you might not know the harm it might do. If a powerful encryption algorithm was used to encrypt your data, you’ll be unable to open them as they’ll be locked. Ransomware is classified as a very dangerous threat because decrypting data may be not possible.

There is also the option of paying the ransom but for reasons we’ll mention below, that would not be the best idea. Giving into the demands doesn’t automatically lead to decrypted files, so there is a possibility that you may just be wasting your money. It would be naive to think that crooks will feel any obligation to help you recover files, when they have the option of just taking your money. You should also keep in mind that the money will go into future criminal projects. Would you really want to support something that does billions of dollars in damage. When victims give into the demands, data encoding malware becomes more and more profitable, thus attracting more people who wish to earn easy money. Situations where you could lose your files could happen all the time so backup would be a better purchase. If you had backup available, you may just uninstall Santa ransomware virus and then recover data without being worried about losing them. And if you are wondering how you managed to acquire the file encoding malicious software, its spread methods will be discussed further on in the report in the following paragraph.

How Santa ransomware spread

Ransomware is generally distribution via spam email attachments, malicious downloads and exploit kits. Quite a lot of file encrypting malicious software depend on user negligence when opening email attachments and more sophisticated methods are not necessary. Nevertheless, some ransomware could be distributed using more elaborate ways, which need more effort. Crooks write a rather convincing email, while using the name of a known company or organization, attach the malware to the email and send it off. You will generally encounter topics about money in those emails, as those kinds of sensitive topics are what users are more prone to falling for. If crooks used a known company name such as Amazon, people lower down their guard and might open the attachment without thinking if crooks simply say there’s been questionable activity in the account or a purchase was made and the receipt is added. When you are dealing with emails, there are certain signs to look out for if you wish to guard your computer. Before anything else, check who the sender is and whether they could be trusted. And if you do know them, double-check the email address to make sure it’s actually them. Look for grammatical or usage mistakes, which are generally pretty glaring in those emails. Another pretty obvious sign is your name not used in the greeting, if a real company/sender were to email you, they would definitely use your name instead of a typical greeting, such as Customer or Member. Out-of-date software vulnerabilities might also be used for infection. All programs have vulnerabilities but usually, software creators fix them when they become aware of them so that malware can’t take advantage of it to infect. However, judging by the amount of systems infected by WannaCry, clearly not everyone is that quick to install those updates for their software. It’s highly crucial that you install those patches because if a vulnerability is serious, Severe weak spots may be easily used by malware so make sure you update all your software. Patches could install automatically, if you do not wish to trouble yourself with them every time.

How does Santa ransomware act

Soon after the ransomware infects your device, it will scan your device for specific file types and once they’ve been identified, it’ll encrypt them. Initially, it may not be obvious as to what is going on, but when your files can’t be opened as normal, it should become clear. You’ll see that the encoded files now have a file extension, and that possibly helped you identify the data encrypting malicious program. In many cases, file decryption might impossible because the encryption algorithms used in encryption may be quite difficult, if not impossible to decipher. A ransom notification will be placed in the folders with your files or it’ll appear in your desktop, and it should explain how you should proceed to restore files. The decryption program offered will not be for free, obviously. If the ransom amount is not specified, you’d have to use the given email address to contact the hackers to find out the amount, which could depend on how much you value your files. For the reasons we have already discussed, we do not encourage paying the ransom. Before you even think about paying, try all other options first. Maybe you’ve stored your files somewhere but just forgotten about it. It could also be possible that you would be able to discover a decryption tool for free. If the ransomware is decryptable, a malware specialist might be able to release a program that would unlock Santa ransomware files for free. Before you decide to pay, look into a decryption utility. A smarter investment would be backup. If backup is available, you could recover data after you delete Santa ransomware fully. If you want to protect your device from file encoding malware in the future, become aware of how it may get into your system. You primarily have to keep your software up-to-date, only download from safe/legitimate sources and not randomly open files attached to emails.

Santa ransomware removal

If the is still present on your computer, you will need to get an anti-malware software to terminate it. If you have little knowledge when it comes to computers, unintentional harm could be caused to your system when trying to fix Santa ransomware manually. An anti-malware tool would be a smarter choice in this situation. This utility is beneficial to have on the device because it will not only ensure to fix Santa ransomware but also stopping one from entering in the future. Find and install a trustworthy utility, scan your device to identify the threat. However, the tool isn’t capable of restoring data, so do not expect your data to be recovered once the infection has been terminated. After the ransomware is gone, it’s safe to use your device again.

Offers

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More information about SpyWarrior and Uninstall Instructions. Please review SpyWarrior EULA and Privacy Policy. SpyWarrior scanner is free. If it detects a malware, purchase its full version to remove it.

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Quick Menu

Step 1. Delete Santa ransomware using Safe Mode with Networking.

• Windows 8/8.1/10
• Windows XP/7/Vista

Remove Santa ransomware from Windows 7/Windows Vista/Windows XP

1. Click on Start and select Shutdown.
2. Choose Restart and click OK.
3. Start tapping F8 when your PC starts loading.
4. Under Advanced Boot Options, choose Safe Mode with Networking.
5. Open your browser and download the anti-malware utility.
6. Use the utility to remove Santa ransomware

Remove Santa ransomware from Windows 8/Windows 10

1. On the Windows login screen, press the Power button.
2. Tap and hold Shift and select Restart.
3. Go to Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Start Settings.
4. Choose Enable Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking under Startup Settings.
5. Click Restart.
6. Open your web browser and download the malware remover.
7. Use the software to delete Santa ransomware

Step 2. Restore Your Files using System Restore

• Windows 8/8.1/10
• Windows XP/7/Vista

Delete Santa ransomware from Windows 7/Windows Vista/Windows XP

1. Click Start and choose Shutdown.
2. Select Restart and OK
3. When your PC starts loading, press F8 repeatedly to open Advanced Boot Options
4. Choose Command Prompt from the list.
5. Type in cd restore and tap Enter.
6. Type in rstrui.exe and press Enter.
7. Click Next in the new window and select the restore point prior to the infection.
8. Click Next again and click Yes to begin the system restore.

Delete Santa ransomware from Windows 8/Windows 10

1. Click the Power button on the Windows login screen.
2. Press and hold Shift and click Restart.
3. Choose Troubleshoot and go to Advanced options.
4. Select Command Prompt and click Restart.
5. In Command Prompt, input cd restore and tap Enter.
6. Type in rstrui.exe and tap Enter again.
7. Click Next in the new System Restore window.
8. Choose the restore point prior to the infection.
9. Click Next and then click Yes to restore your system.