In this article, you will find more information about .promos files virus as well as a step-by-step guide on how to remove malicious files from an infected system and how to potentially recover files encrypted by this ransomware.
In case that you see the extension .promos at the end of the names of your files and cannot open them, your system has been infected by a version of STOP ransomware. The threat is named after the extension it uses to mark locked files – .promos files virus. For more details about the decryption of .promos files, the ransomware drops a ransom message and demands a ransom fee. Keep up with the article to find more details on the removal of this threat and the recovery process of encrypted files.
Threat Summary
| Name | .promos Files Virus |
| Type | Ransomware, Cryptovirus |
| Short Description | A data locker ransomware that encrypts valuable data and demands ransom payment for a decryption solution. |
| Symptoms | Important files are encoded and renamed with the extension .promos The access to their information is restricted. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool | User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss .promos 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. |
.promos Files Virus – Distribution
The main infection vector used by authors of .promos files virus is likely to be the malspam. Malspam (spam emails that deliver malicious code) is a commonly used technique used for the spread of ransomware like .promos. There are several common components that are typical of these emails:
- An URL address presented in the form of an in-text link, button, image, banner or other form. Once loaded in the browser the web page associated with this link usually triggers an automatic download process of the malicious ransomware payload. After downloading the payload the same page usually activates specific scripts that execute it directly on your PC.
- An attachment that contains the malware in it. Usually, according to the text message this file should be reviewed as soon as possible due to the importance of its information. The moment you open it on your device is the moment when you trigger the infection process with .djvu files virus. This file may be a familiar type of file such as .rar, .zip, .7z, .docx When infected such a file could be set to evade active security measures and complete the attack without leaving you any chance of detecting the malicious activities it performs on the background.
Since the security of your device and your data is of paramount importance we recommend you to use the help of free online scanners like VirusTotal and ZipeZip every next time you receive a questionable email that contains any of the mentioned components. With the help of these scanners, you will easily identify whether the components are malicious or not.
.promos Files Virus – Overview
The ransomware named .promos files virus has been identified as a strain of
STOP threat family. While infecting computer systems, the ransomware corrupts the settings of some essential components. The process is realized with the help of a bunch of malicious files which it could create in some of the following folders:
- %AppData%
- %Local%
- %LocalLow%
- %Roaming%
- %Temp%
The Registry Editor is a component that is likely to be affected by STOP .promos cryptovirus. Since there are registry keys that have the functionality to auto-execute files and processes, ransomware threats like .promos often misuse them to gain persistence on the infected system. To achieve this, the threat accesses Run and RunOnce registry keys and adds its malicious values under them. Once added under the registry key Run, these malicious values enable the automatic load of ransomware files on each system start.
At the end of the attack, a ransom note file could be automatically loaded on the screen. The message presented by this file attempts to trick you into contacting hackers for more details about a ransom payment. Like previous STOP ransomware versions, .promos files virus could create a message that reads the following:
———————————————- ALL YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED ———————————————–
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:Reserve e-mail address to contact us:
Your personal ID:
[redacted 43 alphanumeric chars]
Let us warn you that hackers could send you broken decryption key even if you pay them the demanded ransom. The good news is that security experts have managed to crack the code of almost all variants of this ransomware family and released a decryption tool. Eventually, it may work for the recovery of .promos files as well. You can download it via the Decryption Tool link. The tool requires a pair of an original file and its encrypted version.
.promos Files Virus – Encryption Process
When .promos files virus reaches the data encryption stage, it activates a built-in encryption module which is designed to transform the code of target files with the help of two sophisticated cipher algorithms – AES and RSA. The completion of this process leaves corrupted files out of order.
Once the original code of a target file is transformed, the file receives the extension .promos. Unfortunately, the ransomware is likely to encode all files that keep sensitive information of yours. Among these files may be all:
- Audio files
- Video files
- Document files
- Image files
- Backup files
- Banking credentials, etc
Remove .promos Files Virus and Data
The so-called .promos files virus is a threat with highly complex code designed to corrupt both system settings and valuable data. So the only way to use your infected system in a secure manner again is to remove all malicious files and objects created by the ransomware. For the purpose, you could use our removal guide that reveals how to clean and secure your system step by step. In addition, in the guide, you will find several alternative data recovery approaches that may be helpful in attempting to restore files encrypted by STOP .promos ransomware. We remind you to back up all encrypted files to an external drive before the recovery process.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has a bachelor's degree in Marketing. She has been with the STF team for five years, researching malware, reporting on the latest computer infections, and following digital marketing trends.
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- Guide 1: How to Remove .promos Files Virus from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of .promos Files Virus from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove .promos Files Virus from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase .promos Files Virus from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall .promos Files Virus from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove .promos Files Virus from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate .promos Files Virus from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove .promos Files Virus from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .promos Files Virus
Step 2: Uninstall .promos 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:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.Step 3: Clean any registries, created by .promos 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 .promos Files Virus there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
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.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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of .promos Files Virus from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall .promos Files Virus and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- 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 .promos 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:
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.
Step 2: Scan for and remove malware from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts, programs and malware, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove .promos Files Virus from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Erase .promos Files Virus from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Uninstall .promos Files Virus from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove .promos Files Virus from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the .promos Files Virus will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate .promos Files Virus from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
