Geek's Advice

Elvis ransomware corrupts makes your files inaccessible

Elvis is the name of yet another virus from Dharma ransomware family. It operates by encrypting and renaming victim’s files on a computer, therefore making them completely inaccessible. After the encryption process is carried out, the virus shows a popup window and creates FILES ENCRYPTED.txt ransom note. You can easily identify affected files since their names are changed – this ransomware appends victim’s ID, elvisdark@aol.com email address and .Elvis extension to the original file name. For example, a file named a.docx will be changed to a.docx.id-D756Y641[ElvisDark@aol.com].Elvis after the encryption.

This guide explains how to complete Elvis ransomware removal safely and provide information regarding file recovery options.

Contents of the ransom note

Once opened the ransom note, the user is greeted with an unambiguous message – your files have been encrypted and inaccessible. According to the cybercriminals, you need to write a message to one of the provided emails – ElvisDark@aol.com or help447@tuta.io. The message in the popup is a little bit more informative. It provides your encryption ID and forbids the user from using any third-party software to unlock the files since it might permanently damage them or cause yet another scam. Once contacted, the hackers will demand a ransom for the decryption of your files.

Unfortunately, most of the ransomware cases are not favorable to the victim. This is due to the fact, ransomware virus’ developers use military-grade ciphers to encrypt the data. In essence, this means, that files affected by Elvis virus get encaoded by AES+RSA cryptography. This kind of cipher is particularly hard to break manually since it uses both asymmetric and symmetric encryption algorithms. Dealing with such a task might take an enormous amount of time and resources.

Sometimes developers of the ransomware viruses leave bugs or flaws inside their code that can be exploited in the victim’s favor. However, this is not the case for Elvis ransomware yet. Although paying the ransom might seem like the most logical solution, especially if you lost really valuable files, we advise you strongly against it.

You shouldn’t pay the ransom or contact the developers of Elvis ransomware altogether. This is due to the fact, that cybercriminals simply cannot be trusted. There are numerous cases of people getting scammed even after they pay the ransom. It is important to realize that cybercriminals are completely profit-driven. This means, that if they see an opportunity to extort you even more, they will definitely use it.

Secondly, ransomware infections are becoming more common and dangerous. By meeting hackers’ demands, you contribute to an ever-growing problem that is concerning security specialists all across the world.

Ransomware distribution methods

Most of the ransomware types get proliferated using a few main methods. Elvis ransomware is no exception. You could get it due to a malspam campaign. To explain it shortly, malspam is a social engineering scheme that is designed to trick people into downloading malware unknowingly.

Hackers send thousands of deceitful emails to random internet users. These emails are might be disguised as various business, job offers, resumes, special deals, fake cyberthreat alerts, etc.

These messages usually urge the user to open/download a file attached to them (which, again, could come in various formats from .pdf to .exe) or to click a specific link. Once this is done, the ransomware tries to intrude into your system and make changes to it – if you do not have sufficient virus protection, it is likely that your system will get corrupted.

The other method that is used by hackers regularly is planting the virus on various untrustworthy file-sharing platforms and sites like eMule, Torrent, etc. Likewise, Elvis ransomware might be disguised as crack, keygen, software activation tool, etc. So, every time you are deciding whether to try to get a certain piece of software illegally, think twice – potential damages done to your system far outweigh the benefits.

Avoiding getting infected by ransomware

You need to keep in mind a few things to evade any potential ransomware infection – no matter whether it’s from Dharma family like Elvis virus, or a different type of ransomware (originating STOP/DJVU family, for example). Firstly, pay close attention when checking your emails – spam recognizing algorithms are getting better on every email service provider, but it could still slip through into your normal inbox. Never open any suspicious-looking emails and links or files inside of them. Secondly, always choose a trustworthy and legitimate source for downloading something. Do not use unverified file-sharing platforms or websites.

Create backups regularly. This will ensure that no matter what cyberattack you might suffer – your files will still be kept safe. For the highest level of security, we recommend keeping the backup files in separate hardware that is disconnected from your PC and network. It is important to note, that you should run your backup only when you are assured, that this ransomware and all of its associated contents are removed from your system. If this is not the case, your backup files might get corrupted by ransomware as well.

Safely remove Elvis ransomware

If you see any signs of being infected with this ransomware, you need to take immediate action to get rid of it before it does even more damage to your system. Removing malware from your PC might seem like a lengthy and bothersome process, but it is crucial, that you follow the steps attentively. Therefore, we recommend employing professional automatic tools for Elvis virus removal.

Be sure to check whether there is additional damage done to your PC even after the removal and take necessary actions to restore it – RESTORO is a perfect tool for that. To remove Elvis ransomware, follow the steps given below:

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:

STEP 1. REMOVE AUTOMATICALLY WITH ROBUST ANTIVIRUS

REMOVE & PROTECT WITH INTEGO

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.

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STEP 2. REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER

DOWNLOAD RESTORO

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.

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Alternative software recommendations

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

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System Mechanic Ultimate Defense

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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.

Matt Corey

Matt Corey is passionate about the latest tech news, gadgets and everything IT. Matt loves to criticize Windows and help people solve problems related to this operating system. When he’s not tinkering around with new gadgets he orders, he enjoys skydiving, as it is his favorite way to clear his mind and relax.