I wrote this article to help you remove AngleWare Ransomware. This AngleWare Ransomware removal guide works for all Windows versions.
AngleWare is a ransomware parasite. It is not exactly new, though. As its name applies, AngleWare is an updated variant of the MafiaWare pest, which, in turn, is an updated version of the Hidden Tear project. Pretty much all ransomware piece follow the same pattern. So does AngleWare. Don’t expect any originality from it. It is a ransomware infection and it is just as dreaded as the rest of them. It sneaks into your machine in silence, encrypt your files and extort you for money. This what all ransomware pieces do. Their goal is money. Your money. Their way of getting it, however, it pretty clever and this is why the ransomware family has earned the reputation of the most dangerous one.
How does AngleWare enter without you realizing it? These infections are incredibly sneaky and secretive. They turn to tricks and deception in order to get on board. They are bound to seek your permission, so they ask for it but in a way, you would not realize what you are actually giving green light to. For example, they hide behind spam email messages which look like legitimate ones. Or, bogus program updates, freeware, corrupted pages, malicious third-party ads, etc. However, none of these tricks would work without one more thing. Your carelessness. This is what all infection pray for the most. If you are distracted, negligent and in a rush, you are practically helping them infect you. Be more vigilant. Carefully read what you are agreeing to. Stay away from shady pages. Don’t blindly click on everything that comes your way. Carelessness leads your infections. Don’t forget that.
Once in your machine, AngleWare doesn’t waste time. It performs a quick scan in search of all of your important data and then it locks it. It uses the AES encryption algorithm to render all of your files useless. Your pictures, videos, music, MS Office files, presentations, work-related data, etc. get locked. You cannot use them in any way. Nothing you do frees them. Also, to solidify its hold over you, the ransomware appends the “.AngleWare” extension at the end of each encrypted file. Seeing this new extension means that the encryption process is over and your files are unusable. Renaming them or moving them into another folder does nothing as well. This is where you panic. You probably have some very important information on your PC. Most users do. And now, it is locked. Don’t give it to panic, though. This is exactly what crooks want. If you are scared, you are vulnerable and you are more likely to comply with their demands.
After all of your data is effectively encrypted, AngleWare drops a note for you. The ransom note. It is a TXT file, called READ_ME and you can find it in each folder, containing locked data as well as on your Desktops. The note`s purpose it to clue you in your unpleasant situation. It explains that your files are being kept hostage and, ironically, offers you a solution. Do you see where we are going with this? We are right back to the money part. According to the crooks, the only way of freeing your data is to pay a ransom. Once you do, they will send you a special decryption tool. Supposedly. We cannot stress that word enough. Supposedly, they will send you the tool to decrypt your files. But what if they don’t. Can you trust these people to keep their end of the deal? No. There are no guarantees. They want from you 3 Bitcoins which at the moment equals 3141.27.
As you can see, this is a pretty hefty ransom to pay for something you won’t probably get in the end. But let’s say your data is worth much more and you pay. You give them the money and then what? They may not send you anything. Or, they may send you a tool which doesn’t work. And even if they do give the right one and you free your data, you still lose. All the decryptor does is to remove the encryption, not the infection. AngleWare itself remains on your machine ready to strike again. It can re-encrypt your files hours after freeing them.
Are you going to pay that much money again? How many times are you going to sponsor cybercriminals? All the money you give them they use for nothing but expansion and more malware creation. Not to mention that by paying, you are also jeopardizing your privacy. Crooks have access to your personal and financial data. Is that what you want? End this now. Don’t give these people even a cent of your money. Instead, use our removal guide below and remove the ransomware from your machine once and for all.
AngleWare Ransomware Removal
Method 1: Restore your encrypted files using ShadowExplorer
Usually, AngleWare Ransomware deletes all shadow copies, stored in your computer. Luckily, the ransomware is not always able to delete the shadow copies. So your first try should be restoring the original files from shadow copies.
- Download ShadowExplorer from this link: http://www.shadowexplorer.com/downloads.html.
- Install ShadowExplorer
- Open ShadowExplorer and select C: drive on the left panel
- Choose at least a month ago date from the date field
- Navigate to the folder with encrypted files
- Right-click on the encrypted file
- Select “Export” and choose a destination for the original file
Method 2: Restore your encrypted files by using System Restore
- Go to Start –> All programs –> Accessories –> System tools –> System restore
- Click “Next“
- Choose a restore point, at least a month ago
- Click “Next“
- Choose Disk C: (should be selected by default)
- Click “Next“. Wait for a few minutes and the restore should be done.
Method 3: Restore your files using File Recovery Software
If none of the above method works, you should try to recover encrypted files by using File Recovery Software. Since AngleWare Ransomware first makes a copy of the original file, then encrypts it and deletes the original one, you can successfully restore the original, using a File Recovery Software. Here are a few free File Recovery Software programs:
