File encryption is a safety feature that you get on your PC which allows you to lock the important files so that only you can view their content and not anyone else. But it’s a problem when the encryption is done by the ransomware without you knowing. In this case, you cannot access the content of your files because you don’t have the password needed to open the encryption.
If you don’t have good anti-virus software installed on your computer then you may face such issues on a regular basis. But don’t worry we can help you recover the encrypted files that were deleted or made inaccessible by virus attacks.
Quick links to specific parts of the article:
- How Virus Attack Encryption Works
- Recover Encrypted Files
- Tips To Protect Your Files From Getting Encrypted By Virus Attacks
- Final Verdict
- FAQs
How Virus Attack Encryption Works
Mostly when an encryption-causing malware attacks your computer, it does not encrypt the original file rather it creates a copy of it and encrypts the copied file while deleting the original file. So basically the encrypted file that you see on the screen is a duplicate file.
Therefore, by using data recovery software that allows you to recover data deleted due to various data loss scenarios including virus attacks you can recover the original file.
Recover Encrypted Files
There are two ways to recover a file that has been infected by malware. The first is through the system backup while the second is by using a data recovery software that allows you to recover virus-infected files. We are going to see both the methods in this article, so stay tuned and we ensure that you will be surely able to recover the virus-infected files.
1. Recover Encrypted Files Using System Restore
Before we start with recovering the encrypted files using data recovery software, if you have created system backup on your computer then you can recover the files for free without any third-party software. When you create a system backup it creates restore points of important files on your computer so that you can restore them in the case of file corruption, encryption, or deletion.
Here are the steps you need to follow in order to restore the encrypted file to an earlier stage i.e. before they were infected by the malware.
1. Go to Start and select the Settings option (Gear icon) from the menu.
2. Now, from the Windows Settings panel select the Update & Security option.
3. Next select Backup from the left side panel and then under Backup using file history click on More options.
4. Now here you need to select the option Restore files from a current backup.
After this, a Window will pop up, here you can search for your desired file and choose a version to restore based on your requirements.
Note: This method only works if you have created a system backup on your computer.
2. Using Data Recovery Tool
If you have deleted the encrypted file by mistake or a file becomes inaccessible due to a ransomware attack you can use a data recovery software that lets you recover an encrypted file with ease. You can use any good data recovery software for Windows or Mac for this purpose but we would recommend EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. It can effectively recover files that were attacked by the Locky virus, such as TrojanEncoder, CryptoLocker, Malicious_Behavior.VEX, and other malware.
Here’s how to use this software to recover a deleted encrypted file.
1. Launch the software and choose the location from where you have lost the file. You can also select a specific folder or externally connected storage device to recover encrypted files from it. Once you have selected the file location hit on the Scan button to start the scanning process.
2. Based on the size of the storage location it may take some time to scan your encrypted files, so be patient. Once the scanning is complete, you can simply double click on any file and see the preview of it.
3. After seeing the preview if you want to recover the file you can simply select it and click on the Recover button to restore the files on your computer.
Note: You should not recover the files to the same location it was lost from, this may overwrite the original files.
So that’s how you can recover deleted encrypted files using a data recovery tool.
Tips To Protect Your Files From Getting Encrypted By Virus Attacks
Here are some tips that you can follow in order to keep your computer and files stored on it protected from virus attacks.
- Always use good anti-virus software on your computer. On Windows you get Windows Defender software for free, make sure you keep it enabled and updated.
- Never open links sent by an unknown sender on your email because the link may contain malware.
- Do not download content or software from a fishy or spammy site as such sites contain higher risks of virus attack.
- Always keep a backup of your important data so that in case of a virus attack you can recover important files back without using data recovery software.
Final Verdict
Ransomware attacks are increasing day by day and scammers are using these as their secret weapons to steal your identity. Such virus attacks may delete or encrypt your important data files which may be of great importance to you. Therefore having good anti-virus software installed on your computer is a must but if your files are still encrypted by ransomware then you can recover the encrypted files back using the methods shared in this article.
FAQs
How Do I Change A File From Encrypted To Normal?
The only way to change an encrypted file back to normal is by decrypting it using the password which was set while encrypting it.
How To Recover A Deleted Encrypted File?
To recover a deleted encrypted file you will need to use a good data recovery software like EaseUS data recovery software.
How Do I Recover Encrypted Files In Windows 10?
On Windows 10 you can recover an encrypted file using system restore points.
