Article, designed to help you remove the Serpent ransomware virus and help restore files encrypted with .serp extension added to them.

Researchers have detected a version of Serpent ransomware still active out in the wild, using the .serp file extension which it adds to the encrypted files. The ransomware infection encrypts the files on the computers compromised by it after which demands a hefty ransom fee to be paid to the users. The demands are written in a ransom note file which is called “README_TO_RESTORE_FILES{random}.txt”. In case you have become a victim of this variant of Serpent ransomware, recommendations are to focus on reading this article carefully to learn how to remove this ransomware infection and try to get your data back.

Threat Summary

Name	Serpent
Type	Ransomware
Short Description	The virus encrypts files on the compromised computer and then demands a hefty ransom fee to be paid in a .txt file.
Symptoms	The victim may not be able to open the files. The .serp file extension is appended to them. Ransom notes are dropped in .html and .txt file formats.
Distribution Method	Via an Exploit kit, Dll file attack, malicious JavaScript or a drive-by download of the malware itself in an obfuscated manner.
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by Serpent Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join our forum to Discuss Serpent.
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.

How Is Serpent Ransomware Distributed

The distribution stage of Serpent ransomware causing infections are usually achieved by sending out spammed e-mail messages that aim for only one – to convince the victim of these infections into opening the malicious attachments of those e-mails or click on web links which lead to infected URLs or files. Such e-mails often contain false statements such as:

• Invoice.
• Suspicious bank account activity.
• A purchase that is made in the name of the account holder.
• Other false claims.

Once the user opens the attachment, infection is inevitable and the virus may download it’s malious payload files on the infected system.

Other infection methods by the Serpent ransomware infection may also include the usage of fake program installers, fake game licensing patches or software key generators. These may be combined with malicious code which when executed causes the infection.

Serpent Ransomware –Infection Activity

Similar to the older version, after infection by the Serpent ransomware virus has become inevitable, the malware begins to perform multiple different activities, the first of which is to situate the following malicious files on the user’s computer, which may be the following:

After having dropped the malicious files, this ransomware infection may attack multiple different Windows processes and either inject malicious code In them or completely shut them down:

→ bootsect.bak
iconcache.db
ntuser.dat
thumbs.db

After stopping any processes that may interfere with encryption, the Serpent ransomware virus may begin to interfere with the Windows Registry entries, making it possible for it’s previously dropped malicious files to run on system start-up. The usually targeted Windows registry keys 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

Serpent Ransomware – Encryption Process

Serpent ransomware is pre-configured to encrypt multiple file types by in the same time carefully avoiding files in Windows’ system folders so that it leaves the operating system intact.

The .serp file virus is believed to attack files with the following file extensions to encrypt them:

The encryption process of Serpent can consist of the usage of the AES-256 encryption algorithm and the RSA cipher to generate unique public and private keys which are used for the decryption of the files. These keys may be sent to the cyber-criminals command and control servers so that they can demand a ransom.

After the encryption has finished, the files may be left in the following way:

After the whole process has finished, the last activity of the virus is to make sure the user knows of it’s presence, by dropping it’s ransom note:

• README_TO_RESTORE_FILES{random}.txt
• README_TO_RESTORE_FILES{random}.html

Remove Serpent Ransowmare and Restore .serp Encrypted Files

For the removal of Serpent ransomware, a good practice is to follow the instructions below. They will help you isolate the virus after which choose whether to look for each setting and file manually or if you do not have experience to perform the removal automatically (recommended).

After removing Serpent ransomware from your computer, it is time to think about the encrypted files. To restore files encoded by Serpent on your computer, we advise checking out the alternative file recovery methods in step “2. Restore files encrypted by Serpent” below.

Manually delete Serpent from your computer

Note! Substantial notification about the Serpent threat: Manual removal of Serpent requires interference with system files and registries. Thus, it can cause damage to your PC. Even if your computer skills are not at a professional level, don’t worry. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using a malware removal tool.

1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Serpent files and objects

Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode

1. For Windows 7,XP and Vista. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Fix registry entries created by Serpent on your PC.

For Windows XP, Vista, 7 systems:

1. Remove all CDs and DVDs, and then Restart your PC from the “Start” menu.
2. Select one of the two options provided below:

– For PCs with a single operating system: Press “F8” repeatedly after the first boot screen shows up during the restart of your computer. In case the Windows logo appears on the screen, you have to repeat the same task again.

– For PCs with multiple operating systems: Тhe arrow keys will help you select the operating system you prefer to start in Safe Mode. Press “F8” just as described for a single operating system.

3. As the “Advanced Boot Options” screen appears, select the Safe Mode option you want using the arrow keys. As you make your selection, press “Enter“.

4. Log on to your computer using your administrator account

While your computer is in Safe Mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear in all four corners of your screen.

Step 1: Open the Start Menu

Step 2: Whilst holding down Shift button, click on Power and then click on Restart.
Step 3: After reboot, the aftermentioned menu will appear. From there you should choose Troubleshoot.

Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu you can choose Advanced Options.

Step 5: After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.

Step 6: Click on Restart.

Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You should choose Safe Mode by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries of your computer to change different settings. This is why manual clean up of your Windows Registry Database is strongly recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit lenghty, we recommend following our instructive article about fixing registry entries.

2.Find malicious files created by Serpent on your PC

Find malicious files created by Serpent

1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. 2. For Windows 7,XP and Vista.

For Newer Windows Operating Systems

Step 1:

On your keyboard press  + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.

Step 2:

Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.

Step 3:

Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:

N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.

For Older Windows Operating Systems

In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:

Step 1:

Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.

Step 2:

After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.

Step 3:

After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.

Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.

Automatically remove Serpent by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove Serpent with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

Remove Serpent with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove Serpent.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove Serpent. Back up your data to secure it against infections and file encryption by Serpent in the future.

Step 1:Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is highly 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.

Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to automatically update.

Step1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Scan Computer Now’ button.

Step2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any Serpent files, click on the ‘Fix Threats’ button to remove them automatically and permanently.

Step3: Once the intrusions on your PC have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart it.

Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future

IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data automatically with cloud backup and insure it against any type of data loss on your device, even the most severe. We recommend reading more about and downloading SOS Online Backup .

SOS Online Backup

2. Restore files encrypted by Serpent

Restore Files Encrypted by Serpent

Ransomware infections like Serpent aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to directly decrypt. This is why we have suggested several alternative methods that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that they may not be 100% effective but they may help you little or a lot in some situations.

Method 1: Scanning your drive’s sectors by using Data Recovery software.
Another method of restoring your files is by trying to bring back your files via data recovery software. Here are some suggestions for preferred data recovery software solutions:

• Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery Technicians License(Pro version with more features)
• Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery
• Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery

Method 2: Trying Kaspersky and EmsiSoft’s decryptors.
If the first method does not work, we suggest trying to use decryptors for other ransomware viruses, in case your virus is a variant of them. The two primary developers of decryptors are Kaspersky and EmsiSoft, links to which we have provided below:

• Kaspersky Decryptors
• Emsisoft Decryptors

Urgent! It is strongly advisable to first remove the Serpent threat before attempting any decryption, since it may interfere with system files and registries. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using an advanced malware removal tool.

Method 3: Using Shadow Explorer

To restore your data in case you have backup set up, it is important to check for shadow copies in Windows using this software if ransomware has not deleted them:

• Shadow Explorer

Method 4: Finding Serpent decryption key while it communicates it via a network sniffing software.

Another way to decrypt the files is by using a Network Sniffer to get the encryption key, while files are encrypted on your system. A Network Sniffer is a program and/or device monitoring data traveling over a network, such as its internet traffic and internet packets. If you have a sniffer set before the attack happened you might get information about the decryption key. See how-to instructions below:

Instructions on How to Find Decryption Key for Files Encrypted By Ransowmare

Optional: Using Alternative Anti-Malware Tools

Remove Serpent Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove Serpent.
Step 1: Download STOPZilla by clicking here.
Step 2: A pop-up window will appear. Click on the ‘Save File’ button. If it does not, click on the Download button and save it afterwards.

Step 3: After you have downloaded the setup, simply open it.
Step 4: The installer should appear. Click on the ‘Next’ button.

Step 5: Check the ‘I accept the agreement’ check circle if not checked if you accept it and click the ‘Next’ button once again.

Step 6: Review and click on the ‘Install’ button.

Step 7: After the installation process has completed click on the ‘Finish’ button.

2. Scan your PC with STOPZilla Anti Malware to remove all Serpent associated files completely.
Step 1: Launch STOPZilla if you haven’t launched it after install.
Step 2: Wait for the software to automatically scan and then click on the ‘Repair Now’ button. If it does not scan automatically, click on the ‘Scan Now’ button.

Step 3: After the removal of all threats and associated objects, you should Restart your PC.

Vencislav Krustev

A network administrator and malware researcher at SensorsTechForum with passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cyber security. Strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.

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