Pezi virus is a 228th version of STOP/DJVU ransomware virus familyThreat SummaryRansomware spreads via spam e-mails or software cracks on P2P networksPezi ransomware removal instructionsDecrypt .pezi files (free decryptor)
At first, the virus imitates a Windows update screen to distract people from the infection. During this time, all information stored on the computer, including pictures, video, audio, and document files are being encrypted with AES-256 cryptography algorithm. PEZI virus and similar ransomware-type threats like ZIPE or SQPC corrupt all files on the computer in order to obtain monetary benefits from the victim, also known as a ransom. Following the infection, it drops _readme.txt file as a ransom note. It explains that the information on the infected computer is encrypted, and the only way to reaccess it, is to pay a ransom. Additionally, cybercriminals warn that there is no other way to get your files back rather than get a decryption tool from them. It is a unique sequence of characters that unlocks files with .pezi file extension. Usually, victims are asked to transfer a desired amount of money to a particular BitCoin account. This payment mechanism is untraceable. Thus, it is impossible to identify the cyber criminals behind this ransomware. According to the victims’ of other versions of this virus, such as ZWER, KKLL, COVM, MZLQ or SQPC, the starting amount of the ransom is $490. However, if the computer user refuses to pay it within 72 hours, it increases to $980. What is more, the ransom note encourages victims to contact the cybercriminals via e-mail. Pezi ransomware virus indicates helpmanager@mail.ch and restoremanager@firemail.cc e-mails as their contact addresses. Even though theoretically there is a low chance to decrypt the infected files, collaborating with cybercriminals may lead to even more losses. Numerous people report that after paying the ransom, they never received a decryption tool. Therefore, those who agree to pay the asked amount of money risk to not only lose their files forever but also suffer from financial damage. Our security experts suggest you to remove Pezi virus and never agree to the attacker’s demands. By paying the ransom, you risk losing your money and supporting cyber crime industry! If you have a backup of your files, you can quickly perform Pezi ransomware removal with professional antivirus software. Our top choice is RESTORO that can easily get rid of the virus. Afterward, you can restore your files using a backup.
Threat Summary
Ransomware spreads via spam e-mails or software cracks on P2P networks
As most of other ransomware variants, this cyber threat reaches its victims either via spam e-mails or downloads from peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. Both ways victims are tricked to download or open links that are embedded with a malicious code to trigger automatic installation of Pezi ransomware. Cybercriminals send an enormous amount of spam e-mails to people. Usually, they imitate legitimate companies and ask to fill a form or log in into user’s account via the provided link. Unfortunately, the link holds a malicious code that starts an automatic installation of the ransomware. Since the spam e-mails look exceptionally legit, even the most advanced computer users can be fooled to click on the displayed link. Therefore, our Geek’s Advice team strongly encourages you to take a good look at the e-mail before clicking on anything. The easiest way to identify an attempt to attack your system is to check the e-mail address. Even though it may contain words of a legitimate company, it can also contain numbers or other characters that reveal a potential cyber attack attempt. Another way to identify a spam e-mail is to look for grammar mistakes or poorly photoshopped logo images. They may contain poor graphics or even simple misspells. Therefore, always look closely before opening or even clicking on any types of electronic letters. Furthermore, Pezi ransomware might try to infiltrate your system via fake software downloads on peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing websites. Usually, these pages offer to download software cracks or other applications obtained illegally. Unfortunately, most cybercriminals take advantage of such sites and distribute ransomware under disguise of a well-known software. Therefore, most people fall into the trap and download a file-encrypting virus instead of a desired and promised application. For this reason, you should avoid trying to get payed software for free at any cost. Instead, protect your computer from cyber attacks and download programs only from verified and official websites.
Pezi ransomware removal instructions
Ransomware-type viruses are the most dangerous ones that can completely corrupt your files. Their elimination requires expertise in IT field and highly developed tech skills. Thus, regular computer users can only remove Pezi virus with the help of a robust antivirus. If you still don’t have a professional security software or the one you have is not powerful enough, we suggest to download RESTORO. It is an expert recommended program that can not only get rid of the ransomware remains, but also repair virus damage. Open the application and run a full system scan. Once it detects the malware-related files and quarantines them, you can perform an automatic Pezi ransomware removal. RESTORO then can fix virus damage and help your computer to go back to normal. Follow the instructions at the end of this article for further information. However, decrypted files require a unique decryption tool. If you don’t have backups, we strongly suggest you read STOP/DJVU decryption article to help you regain access to your data on the infected computer. 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: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. 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. Read full review here. 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.
Alternative software recommendations
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking
Before you try to remove the virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, see a video tutorial on how to do it: Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10 users Now, you can search for and remove Pezi ransomware virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable malware removal program. In addition, we suggest trying a combination of INTEGO Antivirus (removes malware and protects your PC in real-time) and RESTORO (repairs virus damage to Windows OS files).
Method 2. Use System Restore
In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10 users After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won’t be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future. Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.
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Decrypt .pezi files (free decryptor)
If you’re wondering how to decrypt .pezi files, you should download and run STOP Decrypter by Emsisoft (see a full tutorial on how to use it). Once you download the decryptor, agree to its terms and read the provided conditions when the tool CAN and CANNOT decrypt your files. It is a limited decryptor provided as a free service by Emsisoft. In most cases, you can decrypt your files if they were affected by offline key only. Once you start the decryptor, choose a folder to decrypt. At this point, the decryptor will decrypt your files (if encrypted with offline key) or display a message that your files were affected with online key and cannot be recovered. In such case, the only way to restore files affected by Pezi virus is to use data backups.
