Pezi Ransomware Removal Guide

Do you know what Pezi Ransomware is?

Pezi Ransomware is a threat from the Stop Ransomware family. It means that the malicious application is one among many infections that are based on Stop Ransomware. If you want to know what this new variant does and how it may enter your system, we encourage you to read the rest of this report. If you decide to erase Pezi Ransomware, we also recommend checking our removal guide available below the article. It shows how users might be able to erase the malware manually. Of course, if you do not feel experienced enough to manually deal with an infection, it is best to employ a reputable antimalware tool that could take care of it. If you need more help or want to ask anything about the malicious application, feel free to leave us a message in the comments section.

First, we ought to talk about how Pezi Ransomware might appear on your computer. The truth is that their victims often launch such malicious applications. Of course, no one would willingly open such a threat knowing that it would encrypt all of their files. However, cybercriminals can disguise malware installers well enough to trick users into launching them unknowingly. For instance, malicious launchers may look like documents, pictures, software installers, and so on. Thus, you may not be able to tell whether a file is harmful or not just by looking at it. The best way to figure it out is to scan the encountered file with a reputable antimalware tool. On the other hand, if you do not want to come across data that could be dangerous, it is advisable to watch out for spam emails or messages from unknown senders, file-sharing websites, and questionable pop-ups or advertisements.

What happens if Pezi Ransomware is launched? The malicious application should encrypt all of the victim’s pictures, various documents, and other personal files. If a file gets encrypted, it should receive a second extension called .pezi. If you wonder whether removing this extension could unlock the files marked by it, unfortunately, the answer is no. The only way to open the malware’s encrypted files is to decrypt them, and, sadly, you cannot do so if you do not have special decryption tools. The hackers behind Pezi Ransomware claim to have them but based on the message that the malware creates after encrypting files, hackers demand ransom in exchange for decryption tools. They claim that users who contact them in 72 hours can pay 490 US dollars instead of paying the full price, which is 980 US dollars.

Why we do not think it would be a good idea to deal with cybercriminals? That is because there are no guarantees that they will send what they promise. In other words, there is a possibility that hackers could scam you, and if it happens, your money would be lost in vain. If you decide that you do not want to take any chances, you could move on to the malware’s deletion. Our researchers say that erasing Pezi Ransomware manually could be a tricky task. Still, if you wish to try it, we can offer the removal instructions below for guidance. The other way to remove Pezi Ransomware is to scan your system with a reputable antimalware tool like SpyHunter.

Erase Pezi Ransomware

1. Restart your computer in Safe Mode with Networking.
2. Click Windows Key+E.
3. Navigate to the suggested paths:
   %TEMP%
   %USERPROFILE%Desktop
   %USERPROFILE%Downloads
4. Find a file opened when the device got infected, right-click the malicious file, and select Delete.
5. Find these paths:
   %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data
   %LOCALAPPDATA%
6. See if you can find the listed data in both mentioned folders:
   {random name}.exe
   script.ps1
7. If you do find these files, right-click them, and choose Delete.
8. Navigate to the same locations again:
   %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data
   %LOCALAPPDATA%
9. Look for folders with long random names, for example, dfebd084-11fb-41be-bfb2-da7e291a4873; right-click them and choose Delete.
10. Locate this particular path: %WINDIR%\System32\Tasks
11. Search for a folder or a file called Time Trigger Task, right-click it, and choose Delete.
12. Exit File Explorer.
13. Press Windows Key+R, type Regedit, and choose OK.
14. Navigate to this path: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
15. Look for a value name that could be related to the malicious application, for example, SysHelper.
16. Right-click this value name and press Delete.
17. Close the Registry Editor.
18. Empty Recycle bin.
19. Restart the computer.

In non-techie terms:

Pezi Ransomware is a threat that takes your files as hostages as it encrypts them with a robust encryption algorithm, which is why they become locked. The malicious application's creators programmed the malware to leave a ransom note, which contains instructions on how to contact the hackers and explain that victims have to pay ransom to receive decryption tools. The bad news is that there are no guarantees that you will get your decryption tools even if you put up with all the demands. Since hackers ask to pay ransom fist, there is not knowing if they will feel like fulfilling their promises afterward. If you do not want to take any chances, we advise against paying the ransom. You could get your data back by replacing it with backup copies, but for this option to be available, you have to have backup copies. If you do, we advise deleting Pezi Ransomware from your system before you transfer your backup data. As you see, there is a risk that the malware could restart with Windows and start the encryption process again, so leaving it unattended would be risky.