Best Ransomware Removal Tools | eSecurityPlanet

Ransomware is everywhere these days, sowing fear in the hearts of IT and business leaders.

And studies support this perception, showing that ransomware is increasing in both prevalence and effectiveness. Recent research from Positive Technologies examined the cyber threat landscape in the second quarter of 2021 and found that ransomware attacks are reaching “stratospheric” levels, accounting for 69% of all malware attacks, a huge jump from 39% in the second quarter of 2020.

Attacks against corporate assets such as servers and network equipment are on the rise. QNAP network drives, used to aggregate large amounts of corporate and personal data, have faced an increasing number of attacks.

Email was the primary method of spreading malware in organizations (58%), followed by the compromise of computers, servers, and network equipment (33%).

All of this adds up to bad news for IT teams in just about every vertical. Employee training, fixes and multiple layers of defense remain of critical importance. But increasingly, organizations must anticipate the possibility of the worst happening, which involves ransomware-proof backups and ransomware removal tools and services. Here we are going to focus on the removal tools.

Best ransomware removal tools

We’ve looked at a number of ransomware removal, blocking, and prevention tools to come up with the following list. Many are enterprise-level tools, but a few are consumer-centric tools that can work well for small teams or remote branch offices, and in areas where IT support isn’t all it should. to be.

Mcafee

McAfee applies various preventative pre-execution models and overlays them on intelligence signals to prevent ransomware infections. Prevention usually also relies on blocking tools used in the early stages of infection cycles based on the initial identification of the vector. In the event that a ransomware is successful, there are a number of behavioral and technical heuristics for early identification of ransomware as well as deception techniques that serve as a deterrent and minimize the impact.

Main features of McAfee

• Ability to use a range of sensor signals from a variety of perspectives including URL protection, exploit prevention, heuristics (static and dynamic), endpoint and cloud machine learning, as well as behavioral and deceit-based approaches
• Rollback remediation, via MVISION Unified Cloud Edge (a unified CASB and SASE offering), as a recovery mechanism after ransomware infection
• Protect yourself against cloud threats and configuration errors
• Enforce Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies on data in the cloud
• Prevent unauthorized sharing of sensitive data
• Detect compromised accounts, insider threats and malware
• Gain visibility into unauthorized applications and control their functionality
• Check for configuration errors against industry benchmarks and automatically change settings

EnigmaSoft

SpyHunter by EnigmaSoft detects threats like malware and ransomware on a system and claims to remove all traces of them. It even provides a free ransomware removal tool, although it comes with a few conditions that may make the user opt for the paid version.

Main features of EnigmaSoft

• Free Remover allows correction and deletion for found results
• Quick malware scan for quick and easy threat detection
• Enhanced multi-layered analysis with vulnerability detection
• Integrated individual support for Spyware HelpDesk
• Find, identify, remove and block malware
• Adapt and update as malware continues to evolve and become more sophisticated to escape detection by Antimalware / Antivirus programs
• Can remove Trojans, ransomware, worms, viruses, rootkits, adware, potentially unwanted programs and other objects
• Scans to identify programs on systems that may contain reported vulnerabilities

Kaspersky

Kaspersky has a No Ransom site that offers the latest decryptors, ransomware removal tools, and ransomware protection information (Europol also operates a free decryption tools site). These are available free of charge. The company also offers a comprehensive security suite that includes these services and Endpoint Discovery and Response (EDR) functionality.

Key features of Kaspersky

• Protection against hackers, viruses and malware
• Payment protection and privacy tools that protect from all angles
• Free VPN with up to 300MB of traffic per day
• Free Kaspersky Password Manager Premium
• Offers a long list of decryptors, including those for shade, rakhni, rannoh, CoinVault, wildfire, and xorist
• Blocks common and complex threats like viruses, malware, ransomware, spy apps and other hacking tricks
• Locates device vulnerabilities and threats
• Block cyber threats before they set in
• Isolates and removes immediate dangers

Total VA

TotalAV offers several tools with ransomware protection, including WebShield and the TotalAV Total Security suite. They are a first line of defense against counterfeit, fraudulent, phishing and spoofing websites created to damage devices, compromise security and even steal personal information.

Key features of TotalAV

• Multi-device compatibility for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices

• Blocks ads, pop-ups and notifications

• Check downloads, installations and executables for viruses and threats

• Planning the scan

• Monitors email addresses and informs of potential compromises

Sophos

The Sophos virus removal tool detects all types of malware, including viruses, spyware, rootkits, ransomware, and Conficker, and brings systems back to working order. It has direct access to virus data from SophosLabs, a global network of threat researchers, ensuring that even the most recent viruses are detected and removed.

Key Sophos Features

• Free download that works on the desktop
• Has over 100 million users worldwide
• Includes the same security features that are available in Sophos Enduser Protection
• Analyzing and cleaning up user memory
• Analysis and cleaning of kernel memory
• File Analysis
• Identifies and removes malware from a single endpoint

Norton

Norton offers multiple layers of protection for devices and online privacy for small groups. It uses an annual subscription model. Products range from virus protection that also recovers ransomware to comprehensive security suites that bundle AV, ransomware protection and more.

Main features of Norton

• Real-time protection against existing and emerging malware threats on devices
• Secure VPN to allow anonymous and secure browsing with a no-logging feature
• Bank grade encryption to help secure information such as passwords and personal data
• Dark web monitoring
• Password Management which stores and manages passwords, credit card information, and other credentials
• 50 GB automatic and secure cloud backup

BitDefender

Another which is much more than a dedicated ransomware removal tool. It is a suite of security tools and corrective actions suitable for a team of up to 10 people. In addition to malware detection and removal, it offers unlimited VPN traffic and priority support.

Key Features of BitDefender

• Detection to stop sophisticated cyber threats
• Multi-layered ransomware protection to protect files
• Unlimited and secure VPN traffic for online privacy
• Minimal impact on system performance
• Real-time data protection
• Network and advanced threat protection
• Prevention of web attacks
• Anti-phishing, spam and fraud prevention

Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes Endpoint Detection and Response fights ransomware every step of the attack chain with a mix of signature and unsigned technologies.

Key features of Malwarebytes

• Proactively detects and blocks attempts to compromise application vulnerabilities and remotely executes code on the endpoint
• Leverages machine learning, which has been deployed with an aggressive new anomaly detection model to identify suspicious executables
• Ransomware Rollback Technology Goes Back In Time To Reverse Ransomware Impact By Leveraging Just-In-Time Backups
• Information on risk exposure, including basic steps to protect a business from ransomware through education
• Offers best practice recommendations to prevent ransomware from damaging systems
• Engine remediation binding

Ransomware ID

This tool identifies which ransomware has encrypted the data. This service is strictly for identifying what type of ransomware may have encrypted your files. It will try to point you in the right direction and tell you if there is a known way to decrypt your files. This one won’t necessarily remove everything, but it does help find out what’s going on and who is behind the attack.

Key features of ID ransomware

• Uploaded files are immediately analyzed against the signature database
• If any results are found, they are immediately deleted
• If no results are found, the downloaded files can be shared with malware analysts to help with future detections or the identification of new ransomware.
• The data is uploaded to the server via SSL, which means that the connection cannot be intercepted by a third party

Supervisor

WatchGuard’s Endpoint Security Platform provides protection with minimal complexity through an Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) and Endpoint Discovery and Response (EDR) approach. The company acquired Panda Security over a year ago and has integrated its endpoint security products into the WatchGuard Cloud management and visibility platform.

Main features of Watchguard

• WatchGuard Total Security Suite, available with all Firebox appliances, provides defenses against malware and ransomware
• Security controls such as WebBlocker, APT Blocker, and Host Ransomware Prevention detect and prevent common methods of ransomware attacks
• DNS filtering
• A range of firewall appliances that include ransomware protection

Further reading:

Best Backup Solutions for Ransomware Protection

Could you be a ransomware target? Here’s what attackers are looking for