What is Elbie ransomware
This ransomware works in the same way as similar programs of this type: virus enters the system in a stealthy way and looks for important files on the victim’s system in order to use them to infect the computer. Elbie belongs to the Phobos family. When virus encodes all the important files of the user, it adds the extension “.Elbie” to files so that users can no longer use them. After that, the files are under the scammer`s control. To take advantage of this provision, Elbie creates a file “info.hta” , which contains a note from developers of virus:
All your files have been encrypted!
All your files have been encrypted due to a security problem with your PC. If you want to restore them, write us to the e-mail antich154@privatemail.com
Write this ID in the title of your message –
In case of no answer in 24 hours write us to this e-mail:rikyrank113@protonmail.com
You have to pay for decryption in Bitcoins. The price depends on how fast you write to us. After payment we will send you the tool that will decrypt all your files.
Free decryption as guarantee
Before paying you can send us up to 5 files for free decryption. The total size of files must be less than 4Mb (non archived), and files should not contain valuable information. (databases,backups, large excel sheets, etc.)
How to obtain Bitcoins
The easiest way to buy bitcoins is LocalBitcoins site. You have to register, click ‘Buy bitcoins’, and select the seller by payment method and price.
hxxps://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins
Also you can find other places to buy Bitcoins and beginners guide here:
hxxp://www.coindesk.com/information/how-can-i-buy-bitcoins/
Attention!
Do not rename encrypted files.
Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss.
Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.
This note informs victims that all their files are encrypted and cannot be decrypted without a tool that can only be provided by developers of Elbie, it must be done as soon as possible, because the price of the decryption tool depends on how quickly the users turn to scammers.
If your computer is infected with this program and your files have the .Elbie extension, we recommend using the removal instructions. See below.
There are 2 options for solving this problem. The first is to use an automatic removal utility that will remove the threat and all instances related to it. Moreover, it will save you time. Or you can use the Manual Removal Guide, but you should know that it might be very difficult to remove Elbie ransomware manually without a specialist’s help.
If for any reason you need to recover deleted or lost files, then check out our article Top 5 Deleted File Recovery Software
Elbie Removal Guide
Remember that you need to remove Elbie Ransomware first and foremost to prevent further encryption of your files before the state of your data becomes totally useless. And only after that, you can start recovering your files. Removal must be performed according to the following steps:
- Download Elbie Removal Tool.
- Remove Elbie from Windows (7, 8, 8.1, Vista, XP, 10) or Mac OS (Run system in Safe Mode).
- Restore Elbie files
- How to protect PC from future infections.
How to remove Elbie ransomware automatically:
Norton is a powerful antivirus that protects you against malware, spyware, ransomware and other types of Internet threats. Norton is available for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android devices. We recommend you to try it.
If you’re Mac user – use this.
Manual Elbie Removal Guide
Here are step-by-step instructions to remove Elbie from Windows and Mac computers. Follow these steps carefully and remove files and folders belonging to Elbie. First of all, you need to run the system in a Safe Mode. Then find and remove needed files and folders.
Uninstall Elbie from Windows or Mac
Here you may find the list of confirmed related to the ransomware files and registry keys. You should delete them in order to remove virus, however it would be easier to do it with our automatic removal tool. The list:
Elbie.dll
_readme.txt
readme.txt
Windows 7/Vista:
- Restart the computer;
- Press Settings button;
- Choose Safe Mode;
- Find programs or files potentially related to Elbie by using Removal Tool;
- Delete found files;
Windows 8/8.1:
- Restart the computer;
- Press Settings button;
- Choose Safe Mode;
- Find programs or files potentially related to Elbie by using Removal Tool;
- Delete found files;
Windows 10:
- Restart the computer;
- Press Settings button;
- Choose Safe Mode;
- Find programs or files potentially related to Elbie by using Removal Tool;
- Delete found files;
Windows XP:
- Restart the computer;
- Press Settings button;
- Choose Safe Mode;
- Find programs or files potentially related to Elbie by using Removal Tool;
- Delete found files;
Mac OS:
- Restart the computer;
- Press and Hold Shift button, before system will be loaded;
- Release Shift button, when Apple logo appears;
- Find programs or files potentially related to Elbie by using Removal Tool;
- Delete found files;
How to restore encrypted files
You can try to restore your files with special tools. You may find more detailed info on data recovery software in this article – recovery software. These programs may help you to restore files that were infected and encrypted by ransomware.
Restore data with Stellar Data Recovery
Stellar Data Recovery is able to find and restore different types of encrypted files, including removed emails.
- Download and install Stellar Data Recovery
- Choose drives and folders with your data, then press Scan.
- Select all the files in a folder, then click on Restore button.
- Manage export location. That’s it!
Aiseesoft Data Recovery
Aiseesoft Data Recovery recovers deleted files (like photos, documents, emails, audio, video), and also recovers from a computer, hard drive, flash drive, memory card, digital cameras. Recover from accidental deletion, formatted partition, hard drive problem, RAW hard drive, computer crash
We hope this guide was helpful to you. Feel free to leave a comment and tell us what recovery software was (or wasn’t) effective in your case.
How to prevent ransomware infection?
It is always rewarding to prevent ransomware infection because of the consequences it may bring. There are a lot of difficulties in resolving issues with encoders viruses, that’s why it is very vital to keep a proper and reliable anti-ransomware software on your computer. In case you don’t have any, here you may find some of the best offers in order to protect your PC from disastrous viruses.
Malwarebytes
SpyHunter is a reliable antimalware removal tool application, that is able to protect your PC and prevent the infection from the start. The program is designed to be user-friendly and multi-functional.
