Ransomware is a growing threat in every part of the digital landscape, from smartphones to commercial networked systems. Ransomware locks computers and encrypts data, scrambling files and demanding a fee in exchange for decryption. These attacks have rapidly grown into a large and profitable activity over recent years. Criminals have reinvested a percentage of their profits into developing more advanced tools that evade detection. The most effective protection against ransomware is having a comprehensive backup policy. These attacks are dependent on the victim having no other copies of their files. A good, reliable backup allows the would be victim to simply restore their files (after a system clean of course).

Whilst this is certainly the most effective way to mitigate the effect of ransomware, if you don’t have those backups and are infected, this advice will be too late. However, the good news is that with efforts from the security industry there is an increasing chance you may be able to get your files back.

Ransomware Removal Tools

In many cases, unfortunately, it’s not possible to decrypt your files in the wake of a ransomware attack. However, the encryption used by some infections can be broken with free downloadable tools. Here are three ransomware recovery suites that may be able to restore your files.

AVG Ransomware Decryption

AVG is one of the most familiar names in anti-malware. Their suite of free ransomware decryption tools is small but quite effective against a number of attacks.

AVG updates their tools frequently, making them a good choice if you fall prey to any of the threats on this list.

Avast

Avast is another big name in security software, popular for its free and low-cost malware prevention solutions. Its suite of ransomware decryption tools is rather more comprehensive than AVG’s. 

Emsisoft

Emsisoft offers an even more extensive array of downloadable decryption tools, including descriptions that will help you identify the ransomware affecting your computer. Infections covered by the current Emsisoft decryption suite include:

When seeking ransomware decryption tools, it’s important to avoid downloads from untrusted sources, as these may cause further security issues. Only use utilities offered by recognised security software providers like those mentioned above. With one or more of these tools, and a little luck, you may be able to recover your encrypted files.

For more information on the latest tools and keys, visit the free website https://www.nomoreransom.org.