Do you know what Pedro Ransomware is?
Pedro Ransomware is a dangerous computer infection that wants to steal your money. It tries to make you think that you have to pay a ransom fee to restore your files. However, paying is never an option because it would only help these criminals create more malware and infect more users in the future. You need to remove Pedro Ransomware from your system right now. If manual removal is not your cup of tea, you can always terminate a program with a licensed antispyware tool. In fact, investing in a powerful security application is something that you should definitely do.
Pedro Ransomware is not the first program in its group. It is an updated STOP Ransomware or Kiratos Ransowmare, and it is also very similar to Cetori Ransomware. All these programs share similar features, behavioral patterns, and appearance. They also will enter your system in a very similar manner.
As far as we know, Pedro Ransomware employs spam emails and corrupted RDP connections to spread around. Users receive files that look like normal documents, and they do not think twice before opening them. However, the moment they do that, they launch the infection.
Therefore, it is necessary to scan the received files with a security tool before you open it. Most of the time, you are probably sure that the files you download are genuine. But if you receive those files from unknown senders, or the file comes with a random message that feels a little bit out of place, you should definitely check the legitimacy of the file before you interact with it. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. It might seem that we are emphasizing caution too much, but if this is how you can avoid a ransomware infection, so be it.
That being said, if Pedro Ransomware still manages to enter your system, there is no need to panic. Of course, the program is not decryptable yet, so you may encounter some difficulties when you look for ways to restore your files. However, if you regularly back your files on a cloud drive or you have an external hard drive; it shouldn’t be a problem to get most of your files back. You might also find the most recent files on your mobile device, your flash drive, or your inbox. Whichever it might be, there are usually ways to restore at least part of your files.
As far as the file encryption goes, Pedro Ransomware works like most of the other programs in the group. It scans the system looking for the files it can affect, and when the encryption is complete, you can be sure that most of your files will be locked. Aside from encrypting your files, it also adds an extension to the filenames. For example, a cat.jpeg file after the encryption would look like cat.jpeg.pedro. In a sense, this works like a ransomware stamp that tells you which files were affected. Although all the file icons change automatically anyway because the system can no longer read them.
Every single folder that has encrypted files also receives a ransom note in the TXT format file. The ransom note is there to tell you how to restore your files. According to Pedro Ransomware, you should do the following:
Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that’s price for you is $490.
Please note that you’ll never restore your data without payment.
Check your e-mail “Spam” or “Junk” folder if you don’t get answer more than 6 hours.
Do you really have to contact these criminals though? The answer is: NO. Keep your money to yourself and remove Pedro Ransomware right away. If you think that manual removal is too challenging, please feel free to acquire a powerful security tool that will terminate Pedro Ransomware for you automatically.
Once your system is clean again, you should do everything in your power to avoid similar infections in the future. Also, make sure to back up your files because you can never know when they could be held hostage again. You shouldn’t take any chances when it comes to your data security.
How to Remove Pedro Ransomware
- Delete the downloaded file that launched the infection.
- Remove the _readme.txt ransom note.
- Press Win+R and the Run prompt will open.
- Type %LOCALAPPDATA% into the Open box. Click OK.
- Delete the recent random named folder and then the script.ps1 file.
- Press Win+R and enter regedit. Press OK.
- Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
- On the right side, right-click the SysHelper value and choose Delete.
- Run a full system scan with SpyHunter.
In non-techie terms:
Pedro Ransomware is your regular ransomware infection. It locks your files and then asks you to pay money to get them back. There is no guarantee that paying would help you restore your files though. You need to remove Pedro Ransomware today, and then look for other file recovery options. You should also learn more about ransomware distribution methods to avoid similar infections in the future. Should you have more questions about this issue, please feel free to drop us a comment.