.guvara Files Virus (STOP) – WHAT IS IT + Remove It

by Ventsislav Krastev | April 12, 2019 | 2 Comments file-encryption, malware, ransomware, Stop, STOP Ransomware

Threat Summary .guvara Ransomware – How Did I Get It and What Does It Do?Remove .guvara Files Ransomware and Try Restoring Data

What are .guvara files? How to open .guvara files? How to remove STOP ransomware and try to restore .guvara encrypted files?

A new variant of STOP ransomware has been recently detected to use the .guvara file extension which is added to the files, encrypted by it. The virus may attack your computer and change the file extension of your files after encrypting them. The .guvara files cannot be opened and the creators of this virus want you to pay ransom in order to be able to use the files again. This ransom is usually paid out in BitCoin and the crooks threaten victims in their _open_.txt ransom note that they must pay as fast as possible. If your PC has the .guvara files, then we recommend reading this article.

Threat Summary

Name	.guvara Files Virus
Type	Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description	Variant of STOP Ransomware. Encrypts your files and holds them hostage until you pay ransom to be able to use them again.
Symptoms	Files are encrypted and have the .guvara extension aded. They become no longer usable and a ransom note _open_.txt appears.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss .guvara Files Virus.
Data Recovery Tool	Windows Data Recovery by Stellar Phoenix Notice! This product scans your drive sectors to recover lost files and it may not recover 100% of the encrypted files, but only few of them, depending on the situation and whether or not you have reformatted your drive.

.guvara Ransomware – How Did I Get It and What Does It Do?

The main method which is used to spread the .guvara ransomware virus is often spam e-mail messages, like the example below:

These messages often carry the virus file as an e-mail attachment and this virus file may pose as some sort of an important document, like an invoice or a receipt for a purchase the victim may have not even heard of. Not only this, but they may also carry a malicious web link, whose main idea could be to be spread as a result of such e-mails. Such links can often hide behind fake buttons of well-made e-mails that often pretend to imitate e-mails coming from PayPal, eBay, DHL and other big companies.

Another form of distribution of the .guvara ransomware virus is usually if the malware is spread by being uploaded on websites, where it often pretends to be a legitimate type of download file. Such files often turn out to be fake installers of programs, fake portable software, cracks, license activators, patches and other files.

Once having infected your computer, the .guvara ransomware may drop its virus files in it. They are often with random names and could be located in the %AppData% or other system Windows directories. Among the dropped files by the .guvara ransomware is the _open_.txt file, containing the ransom message:

ATTENTION!
Don’t worry, you can return all your files!
All your files documents, photos, databases and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.
What guarantees do we give to you?
You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information
Don’t try to use third-party decrypt tools because it will destroy your files.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours.
=======================================================
To get this software you need write on our e-mail:
blower@india.com

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:
blower@firemail.cc

Your personal ID:
030GHsgdfT7878YsY9gsafa2aeetLxfdZoulAkTNqXPJl8V0kIPOLEikCi047g

The encryption process of the .guvara virus may affect the following types of files;

Documents.
Videos.
Images.
Audio files.
Archives.
Database files.
Other important data.

The ransomware uses the AES cipher for encryption, also known as Advanced Encryption Standard. It encodes the files and generates an assymetric decryption key. This key’s main purpose is to correspond with a special decryption program, which only the crooks behind the .guvara virus have and want you to pay BitCoins for it. After encryption, the files appear like the following:

Besides these activities, the .guvara variant of STOP ransomware could also do the following unauthorized actions on your computer:

Create files.
Create mutexes.
Read and write files.
Delete your backups.
Stop the Windows Recovery Services.
Install other viruses.
Check if it’s running on a virtual drive or if it has infected your PC before.

Remove .guvara Files Ransomware and Try Restoring Data

To remove this virus, we strongly recommend that you do a fresh backup beforehand. This will allow you to save your files from permanent breaking, even if they are encoded. When a decryptor is out, we will update this article, so we also advise that you keep reading it for more information on a free decrypter. In the meantime, you can try and recover files by checking the “Try to restore” step below. It contains several methods that are not 100% effective, but they can at least get some of your files back.

Until then, you should follow the steps below to remove the .guvara virus. If the first two steps do not seem to have much help, then we advise what most experts would – to run a scan on your PC with an advanced malware remediation software. Such anti-malware program will scan your computer and remove all malicious files automatically, plus make sure that viruses, like .guvara STOP ransomware do not come back in the future.

Ventsislav Krastev

Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.

How to Remove .guvara Files Virus from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .guvara Files Virus

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter's malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

1. Hold Windows key() + R

2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

Step 2: Uninstall .guvara Files Virus and related software from Windows

Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:

1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

Step 3: Clean any registries, created by .guvara Files Virus on your computer.

The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by .guvara Files Virus there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:

1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.

Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.

IMPORTANT!
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.

Step 4: Scan for .guvara Files Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .guvara Files Virus.

Ransomware infections and .guvara Files Virus aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that this method may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.

1. Download the reccomended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:

EaseUS Data Recovery Software

Simply click on the link and on the website menus on top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.

Windows Mac OS X

Get rid of .guvara Files Virus from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall .guvara Files Virus and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to .guvara Files Virus:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to .guvara Files Virus. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

6: Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to .guvara Files Virus. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:

Go to Finder.
In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.

In case you cannot remove .guvara Files Virus via Step 1 above:

In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:

2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:

3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as .guvara Files Virus. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.

You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:

→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons

Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.

Click the button below below to download SpyHunter for Mac and scan for .guvara Files Virus:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

Step 3 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .guvara Files Virus.

1. Download the reccomended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:

EaseUS Data Recovery Software

Simply click on the link and on the website menus on top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.

.guvara Files Virus FAQ

What is .guvara Files Virus ransomware and how does it work?

.guvara Files Virus is a ransomware infection - the malicious software that enters your computer silently and blocks either access to the computer itself or encrypt your files.

Many ransomware viruses use sophisticated encryption algorithm how to make your files inaccessible. The goal of ransomware infections is to demand that you pay a ransom payment to get access to your files back.

How does .guvara Files Virus ransomware infect my computer?

Via several ways..guvara Files Virus Ransomware infects computers by being sent via phishing e-mails, containing virus attachment.

This attachment is usually masked as an important document, like an invoice, bank document or even a plane ticket and it looks very convincing to users.

After you download and execute this attachment, a drive-by download occurs and your computer is infected with the ransomware virus.

Another way, you may become a victim of .guvara Files Virus is if you download a fake installer, crack or patch from a low reputation website or if you click on a virus link. Many users report getting a ransomware infection by downloading torrents.

How to open ..guvara Files Virus files?

You can't. At this point the ..guvara Files Virus files are encrypted. You can only open them once they are decrypted.

Decryptor did not decrypt my data. What now?

Do not panic and backup the files. If a decryptor did not decrypt your ..guvara Files Virus files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.

One way to restore files, encrypted by .guvara Files Virus ransomware is to use a decryptor for it. But since it's a new virus, advised that the decryption keys for it may not be out yet and available to the public. We will update this article and keep you posted as soon as this decryptor is released.

How Do I restore "..guvara Files Virus" files (Other Methods)?

Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore ..guvara Files Virus files.

These methods are in no way 100% guarantee that you will be able to get your files back. But if you have a backup, your chances of success are much greater.

How do I get rid of .guvara Files Virus ransomware virus?

The safest way and the most efficient one for the removal of this ransomware infection is the use a professional anti malware software. It will scan for and locate .guvara Files Virus ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important ..guvara Files Virus files.

Also, keep in mind that viruses like .guvara Files Virus ransomware also install Trojans and keyloggers that can steal your passwords and accounts. Scanning your computer with an anti-malware software will make sure that all of these virus components are removed and your computer is protected in the future.

What to Do If nothing works?

There is still a lot you can do. If none of the above methods seem to work for you, then try these methods:

Try to find a safe computer from where you can can login on your own line accounts like One Drive, iDrive, Google Drive and so on.
Try to contact your friends, relatives and other people so that they can check if they have some of your important photos or documents just in case you sent them.
Also, check if some of the files that were encrypted it can be re-downloaded from the web.
Another clever way to get back some of your files is to find another old computer, a flash drive or even a CD or a DVD where you may have saved your older documents. You might be surprised what will turn up.
You can also go to your email account to check if you can send any attachments to other people. Usually what is sent the email is saved on your account and you can re-download it. But most importantly, make sure that this is done from a safe computer and make sure to remove the virus first.

More tips you can find on our forums, where you can also asks any questions about your ransomware problem.

How to Report Ransomware to Authorities?

In case your computer got infected with a ransomware infection, you can report it to the local Police departments. It can help authorities worldwide track and determine the perpetrators behind the virus that has infected your computer. Below, we have prepared a list with government websites, where you can file a report in case you are a victim of a cybercrime:

Cyber-security authorities, responsible for handling ransomware attack reports in different regions all over the world:

Germany - Offizielles Portal der deutschen Polizei
United States - IC3 Internet Crime Complaint Centre
United Kingdom - Action Fraud Police
France - Ministère de l'Intérieur
Italy - Polizia Di Stato
Spain - Policía Nacional
Netherlands - Politie
Poland - Policja
Portugal - Polícia Judiciária
Greece - Cyber Crime Unit (Hellenic Police)
India - Mumbai Police - CyberCrime Investigation Cell
Australia - Australian High Tech Crime Center

Reports may be responded to in different timeframes, depending on your local authorities.

2 Comments

Guillermo Hurtado July 10, 2019 at 10:40 pm

Hola. Gracias por tan buena labor de ayudar a los que estamos sufriendo por esta plaga del ransomware. Tal vez me puedan ayudar. tengo el ransomware extensión GUVARA. descargué el STOPDECRYPTER y dice que tiene soporte para esta extension pero no desencripta nada. coloqué unos archivos encriptados para ensayar en determinada carpeta, también, en otra coloqué un archivo encriptado junto a su copia original, es decir, sin encriptar. pero tampoco hace nada. que podrá estar pasando? gracias por su respuesta.

Reply ↓
Milena Dimitrova July 11, 2019 at 10:49 am

Hi Guillermo,

It appears that currently this version of Stop ransomware is not decryptable. But it is very likely that a decrypter will be developed soon, so you just have to wait a bit longer. We will update our article once a decrypter is available.

Reply ↓