How to remove Fopa ransomware, Decrypt .fopa files.

What is Fopa virus?

Fopa virus is a new ransomware that belongs to the family of ransomware called STOP (Djvu). Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts the victim’s files and demands a ransom for decrypting them. The Fopa virus encrypts files, renames them by appending the .fopa extension, and creates files named “_readme.txt” containing the ransom demand message. For example, a file named “image.jpg” will be renamed to “image.jpg.fopa”, a “document.docx” file to “document.docx.fopa”, “invoice.pdf” to “invoice.pdf.fopa”, and so on.

QUICK LINKS

• What is Fopa virus?
• Remove Fopa virus (ransomware)
• Decrypt .fopa files
• Restore .fopa files
• Video Guide

Fopa ransomware is a new malware that is created to encrypt files located on the victim’s computer, and then extort money to decrypt them. Fopa virus sneaks into the system without any visible symptoms, which is why users notice that their computer is infected too late, when the files are already encrypted.

Typically, a ransomware such as Fopa can infect a computer when installing programs downloaded from torrent web-sites as well as when running cracked games, freeware, key generators and other similar software. Upon execution, the virus creates a directory in the Windows system directory, copies itself to this directory, changes some OS settings, and also collects information about the infected computer. After that, Fopa virus tries to connect to its command server. If this succeeds, the virus sends data on the infected computer to the server, and from it receives a key (so-called ‘online key’) necessary for file encryption. If the connection to the command server has not been established, then the virus uses a fixed key (so-called ‘offline key’).

The main difference between an online key and an offline key is that the online key is in the hands of criminals and cannot be found in any way. The offline key is fixed and can be found by security researchers in some cases. This gives hope that the ransomware victims will be able to decrypt files without paying ransom.

.xdb, .wn, .rb, .wpd, .wbc, .pef, .dba, .vpk, .rar, .yml, .sum, .cdr, .doc, .flv, .zabw, .xll, .xml, .wpl, .t12, .mef, .bkf, .odp, .sql, .ws, .z3d, wallet, .wpa, .cas, .epk, .hvpl, .ysp, .js, .wcf, .ptx, .vtf, .bsa, .jpg, .pak, .zi, .wmf, .zip, .upk, .x3f, .wma, .xls, .snx, .dmp, .odc, .xyw, .wsc, .xmind, .x, .xlsx, .zip, .wire, .odt, .txt, .cr2, .wp7, .xmmap, .fpk, .bay, .xxx, .esm, .dbf, .asset, .rtf, .rofl, .wp4, .raf, .qdf, .jpeg, .r3d, .xwp, .das, .d3dbsp, .jpe, .mlx, .wps, .vfs0, .wp6, .wdp, .wp5, .wsd, .xdl, .wm, .wpg, .3dm, .kdb, .wmv, .raw, .lvl, .dazip, .mcmeta, .ibank, .t13, .mp4, .wotreplay, .pdf, .eps, .odm, .xyp, .forge, .webdoc, .mov, .syncdb, .rwl, .kdc, .srf, .itm, .desc, .bik, .zdb, .zif, .w3x, .cfr, .xlsm, .bkp, .itdb, .dng, .m2, .fsh, .dwg, .sb, .wps, .srw, .sis, .apk, .cer, .vcf, .blob, .hkx, .mrwref, .xlgc, .bc6, .wot, .tor, .map, .wma, .zdc, .webp, .nrw, .sidd, .menu, .bar, .slm, .xar, .z, .docx, .iwd, .pptx, .wbz, .lrf, .wb2, .py, .arch00, .rgss3a, .1, .2bp, .der, .gho, .mpqge, .wbk, .sie, .qic, .crt, .wdb, .ltx, .x3d, .sav, .ai, .xls, .x3f, .avi, .wpe, .wbd, .wpd, .erf, .pkpass, .m3u, .xbplate, .crw, .pptm, .hkdb, .wbm, .mddata, .wgz, .wmd, .xlsm, .wpb, .big, .re4, .xlsx, .p7b, .csv, .pem, .bc7, .png, .ybk, .wsh, .wmv, .odb, .xlsb, .sr2, .kf, .rw2, .xy3, .icxs, .p12, .indd, .ztmp, .vpp_pc, .wav, .css, .ntl, .3ds, .lbf, .orf, .sid, .7z, .m4a, .zw, .yal, .svg, .xf, .pfx, .accdb, .xld, .wpt, .mdf, .psk, .pdd, .xbdoc, .iwi, .ppt, .ncf, .y, .docm, .ff, .wp, .wpw, .fos, .gdb, .litemod, .0, .hplg, .wmo, .ods, .layout, .mdb, .p7c, .xlk, .3fr, .arw, .wri, .wbmp, .pst, .db0, .vdf, .1st, .dcr, .xx, .psd, .tax, .dxg, .rim, .mdbackup, .xpm, .sidn

As we said, ‘Fopa file’ is an encrypted file. To decrypt it, you must use the key and the decryptor. This is reported by the authors of Fopa virus, in a message that they leave on the infected computer. This message is in a file called ‘_readme.txt’. The criminals place such a file in every directory where there is at least one encrypted file. An example of the contents of this file is given below.

The contents of this file are a ransom demand message. Criminals report that all files on the computer are encrypted, and only the key and decryptor can decrypt these files and restore access to their contents. Attackers demand a ransom of $980 in exchange for a key and a decryptor. If the victim is ready to pay the ransom quickly, within 72 hours, the size of the ransom is halved to $490. The authors of the virus offer to decrypt one Fopa file for free and thus prove the possibility that the files can be decrypted.

Text presented in the ransom note:

ATTENTION!

Don’t worry, you can return all your files!
All your files like pictures, databases, documents 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 you have?
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.
You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:
https://we.tl/t-G76puQlxBn
Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that’s price for you is $490.
Please note that you’ll never restore your data without payment.
Check your e-mail “Spam” or “Junk” folder if you don’t get answer more than 6 hours.

To get this software you need write on our e-mail:
support@sysmail.ch

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:
helprestoremanager@airmail.cc

Your personal ID:
0411xxxxxxxx

Threat Summary

Name	Fopa ransomware, Fopa file virus
Type	Ransomware, Crypto malware, Filecoder, File locker, Crypto virus
File extension	.fopa
Ransom note	_readme.txt
Contact	support@sysmail.ch, helprestoremanager@airmail.cc
Ransom amount	$490/$980 in Bitcoins
Detection Names	Trojan.GenericKD, Win32:CrypterX-gen [Trj], Win32.Trojan.Kryptik.jm, Win.Dropper.Generickdz, W32/Injuke.O.gen!Eldorado, A Variant Of Win32/Kryptik.HOQU, Ransom.Win32.STOP.sa, Trojan.MalPack.GS, Trj/GdSda.A, Trojan.Win32.Save.a, BScope.TrojanSpy.Stealer
Symptoms	Encrypted documents, photos and music. Your personal files have odd extension appended at the end of the file name. Files called like ‘_readme.txt’, ‘READ-ME’, ‘_open me’, _DECRYPT YOUR FILES’ or ‘_Your files have been encrypted” in every folder with an encrypted file. Ransom note displayed on your desktop.
Distribution methods	Malicious email attachments. Exploit kits (cybercriminals use ransomware packaged in an ‘exploit kit’ that can find a vulnerability in Browser, PDF reader, Adobe Flash Player, Microsoft Windows operating system). Social media posts (they can be used to entice users to download malware with a built-in ransomware downloader or click a misleading link). Torrent webpages.
Removal	Fopa ransomware removal guide
Decryption	Fopa File Decrypt Tool
Recovery	Fopa File Recovery steps

 

Security researchers confirm that files with .fopa extension are encrypted and to decrypt them you need to use a key and special software – decryptor. Fortunately there is a Fopa File Decypt Tool which was created by Emsisoft and named Stop (djvu) decryptor. This tool allows everyone to decrypt .fopa files completely free. Unfortunately, this decryptor is limited in that it can only decrypt files encrypted with an offline key, files encrypted with an online key cannot yet be decrypted. The reason for this is that only the Fopa ransomware creators have the online key and this key cannot be determined or cracked. In addition to using the Fopa File Decypt Tool from Emsisoft, there are several other ways to restore the content of encrypted files.

The instructions below detail how to remove Fopa ransomware virus, decrypt .fopa files, and also how to recover encrypted files if the free Fopa File Decypt Tool could not decrypt them. Read the entire manual carefully. To make it easier for you to follow the instructions, we recommend that you print it or open it on your smartphone.

How to remove Fopa ransomware virus

Before you start decrypting or recovering .fopa files, you need to remove Fopa ransomware and its autostart entries. This must be done since otherwise the ransomware may re-encrypt the restored files. You can stop the ransomware from working, as it is not difficult to do. Another option is to perform a full system scan using free malware removal tools capable of detecting and removing ransomware infection.

It is very important to scan the computer for malware, as security researchers found that spyware could be installed on the infected computer along with the Fopa ransomware. Spyware is a very dangerous security threat as it is designed to steal the user’s personal information such as passwords, logins, contact details, etc. If you have any difficulty removing the Fopa virus, then let us know in the comments, we will try to help you.

To remove Fopa ransomware, follow the steps below:

1. Kill Fopa virus
2. Disable Fopa Start-Up
3. Delete Fopa Task
4. Remove Fopa virus File

Kill Fopa ransomware

Press CTRL, ALT, DEL keys together.

Click Task Manager. Select the “Processes” tab, look for something suspicious that is the Fopa ransomware then right-click it and select “End Task” or “End Process” option. If your Task Manager does not open or the Windows reports “Task manager has been disabled by your administrator”, then follow the guide: How to Fix Task manager has been disabled by your administrator.

It is not difficult to detect a process related to the Fopa ransomware. When looking for a malicious process, pay attention to the process icon and its name. Most often, this ransomware has a process name in the following format: 4-characters.tmp.exe or 4-characters.exe. For example: 7533.tmp.exe, A4b1.exe, CD15.tmp.exe, 19b2.exe. The process name can also contain “(32 bit)”. If you do not find a process with a similar name in the list of processes, then most likely the Fopa ransomware has finished working. But keep in mind, if you do not remove the ransomware autostart entries, as demonstrated below, and do not delete its file, then after a while it may start again, and if it finds unencrypted files, immediately encrypt them.

Disable Fopa ransomware Start-Up

Select the “Start-Up” tab, look for something similar to the one shown in the example below, right click to it and select Disable.

Close Task Manager.

Delete Fopa ransomware Task

Type “Task Scheduler” in the search bar. Click Task Scheduler app in the search results. Click “Task Scheduler Library” in the left panel. On the right panel, right-click to “Time Trigger Task” and select Delete.

Close Task Scheduler.

Delete Fopa virus File

Run Task Manager and select the “Start-Up” tab. Right click to the Fopa ransomware Start-Up entry and select Open File Location as shown below.

A directory containing one file will open in front of you, this file is the Fopa ransomware. It needs to be removed. If you try to delete it immediately, then you will not succeed, since this file is protected from deletion.

To delete this file, you need to do the following. Right-click on the file, select Properties. In the window that opens, select Security tab. Next, click the Advanced button below. A window will open as shown in the following example.

Click Disable inheritance. In the Block inheritance dialog box that opens, select the first item (Convert inherited permissions…) as shown below.

In the Permission entries list, select “Deny Everyone”, click Remove button and then OK. Close the file properties window. You should now be able to remove the Fopa ransomware File. Right-click on the file and select Delete.

Scan computer for malware

Zemana Anti-Malware is a malware removal tool that performs a scan of a personal computer and displays if there are existing trojans, ransomware, adware, worms, spyware and other malicious software residing on your computer. If malware is found, Zemana can automatically remove it. It does not conflict with other antimalware and antivirus apps installed on your computer.

Visit the page linked below to download Zemana Free installer named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup on your PC system. Save it to your Desktop.

Start the installation package after it has been downloaded successfully and then follow the prompts to set up this utility on your PC.

During installation you can change some settings, but we recommend you do not make any changes to default settings.

When installation is complete, this malware removal tool will automatically start and update itself. You will see its main window like below.

Now press the “Scan” button for checking your computer for the Fopa ransomware virus related folders,files and registry keys. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your PC system and the speed of your computer. During the scan Zemana will detect threats exist on your computer.

After Zemana completes the scan, a list of all threats found is prepared. In order to delete all items, simply click “Next” button.

Zemana will begin to remove Fopa virus, other malicious software, worms and trojans. Once finished, you can be prompted to restart your PC to make the change take effect.

In order to be 100% sure that the computer no longer has the Fopa ransomware, we recommend using the Kaspersky virus removal tool (KVRT). Kaspersky virus removal tool is free and easy to use. It can detect and remove ransomware viruses, spyware, PUPs, worms, trojans, adware and other malware. KVRT is powerful enough to find and delete malicious registry entries and files that are hidden on the computer.

Download Kaspersky virus removal tool (KVRT) on your Microsoft Windows Desktop from the link below.

After the downloading process is finished, double-click on the Kaspersky virus removal tool icon. Once initialization procedure is done, you will see the KVRT screen as displayed in the figure below.

Click Change Parameters and set a check near all your drives. Press OK to close the Parameters window. Next click Start scan button to look for Fopa virus and other known infections. This procedure can take some time, so please be patient. While the Kaspersky virus removal tool tool is checking, you may see number of objects it has identified as being infected by malware.

Once KVRT completes the scan, Kaspersky virus removal tool will open you the results as shown on the image below.

When you are ready, press on Continue to start a cleaning procedure.

How to decrypt .fopa files

All files with .fopa extension are encrypted and the only way to access their contents is to decrypt them. To decrypt .fopa files, you need to use a unique key and the Fopa File Decypt Tool. As we said above, Emsisoft company was able to create a decryptor and found a way in some cases to determine the key that was used to encrypt the files. This allows victims of the virus to decrypt .fopa files for free.

To decrypt .fopa files, use free Fopa File Decypt Tool

• Download Fopa File Decypt Tool from the following link.
  STOP Djvu decryptor
• Scroll down to ‘New Djvu ransomware’ section.
• Click the download link and save the decrypt_STOPDjvu.exe file to your desktop.
• Run decrypt_STOPDjvu.exe, read the license terms and instructions.
• On the ‘Decryptor’ tab, using the ‘Add a folder’ button, add the directory or disk where the encrypted files are located.
• Click the ‘Decrypt’ button.

Fopa File Decypt Tool is a free software that can decrypt files that were encrypted with an offline key, as Emsisoft found a way to determine this key. Unfortunately, files encrypted with an online key cannot yet be decrypted. The online key is unique to each infected computer, and at the moment there is no way to find this key. Of course, criminals have this key, but we do not think that paying a ransom is a way to decrypt .fopa files. In the case when the files are encrypted with an online key, there is a chance to restore the encrypted files using alternative methods, which are described below.

How to find out which key was used to encrypt files

Below we will demonstrate how to find out the type of key with which files were encrypted. This is very important, since knowing the type of key you can understand if you can decrypt .fopa files for free using the Fopa File Decypt Tool. We recommend using the second method, as it is more accurate.

Find out the type of key using ‘_readme.txt’ file

• Open the ransom demand message (‘_readme.txt’ file).
• Scroll down to the end of the file.
• There you will see a line with the text ‘Your personal ID’.
• Below is a line of characters that starts with ‘0411’ – this is your personal id.

Find out the type of key using ‘PersonalID.txt’ file

• Open disk C.
• Open directory ‘SystemID’.
• Open file named ‘PersonalID.txt’. This file lists ‘Personal ID’s that match the keys that the virus used to encrypt files.

The ‘Personal ID’ is not a key, it is an identifier related to a key that was used to encrypt files. If the ID ends with ‘t1’, then the files are encrypted with an offline key. If the ID does not end with ‘t1’, Fopa ransomware virus used an online key. If you could not figure out how to determine which key was used to encrypt files, then we can help. Just write a request here or in the comments below.

Fopa File Decrypt Tool : “No key for New Variant online ID”

If, when you try to decrypt .fopa files, Fopa File Decrypt Tool reports:

No key for New Variant online ID: *
Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible

It means that your files are encrypted with an ‘online key’ and their decryption is impossible, since only the fopa authors have the key necessary for decryption. In this case, you need to use alternative methods listed below to restore the contents of encrypted files.

Fopa File Decrypt Tool : “No key for New Variant offline ID”

If, during decryption of .fopa files, Fopa File Decrypt Tool reports:

No key for New Variant offline ID: *t1
Notice: this ID appears be an offline ID, decryption MAY be possible in the future.

It means the following: your files are encrypted with an ‘offline key’, but the key itself has not yet been obtained by security researchers, in this case, you need to be patient and wait a while, in addition, you can also use alternative ways for recovering encrypted data.

If for some reason you were unable to decrypt the encrypted files, then We recommend to follow the news on our Facebook or YouTube channels. So you ‘ll know right away that it ‘s possible to decrypt .fopa files.

This video step-by-step guide will demonstrate How to use STOP Djvu decryptor to Decrypt encrypted files.

How to restore .fopa files

If your files are encrypted with .fopa extension, then there is a chance that you can recover the files without decryption. We recommend using PhotoRec and ShadowExplorer that are designed to find and recover lost and deleted data. Mostly such programs are paid, but these tools can restore your files for free. Each of these tools has helped many times to recover files after ransomware infection in what would seem to be the most hopeless cases. We want to remind you that before you try to recover files, you need to check your computer for ransomware using free malware removal tools. It is very important to find the Fopa virus and completely remove it.

Recover .fopa files using Shadow Explorer

Modern versions of the Windows OS have one very useful feature. The Windows automatically makes copies of the files you use. These copies are called ‘Shadow Volume Copies’ and are not directly visible to the user. ShadowExplorer will allow you to get easy access to these files, and thus restore the original state of encrypted files. Of course, not everything is so simple, unfortunately very often ransomware deletes these copies, thus preventing the simple recovery of encrypted files. But in some cases, copies of the files remain and allow for quick file recovery. Therefore, our opinion, you need to try this method.

Installing the ShadowExplorer is simple. First you’ll need to download ShadowExplorer on your Windows Desktop by clicking on the link below.

When downloading is done, open a directory in which you saved it. Right click to ShadowExplorer-0.9-portable and select Extract all. Follow the prompts. Next please open the ShadowExplorerPortable folder as shown on the image below.

Run the ShadowExplorer tool and then choose the disk (1) and the date (2) that you wish to restore the shadow copy of file(s) encrypted by the Fopa crypto malware as shown in the following example.

Now navigate to the file or folder that you want to recover. When ready right-click on it and click ‘Export’ button like below.

This video step-by-step guide will demonstrate How to recover encrypted files using Shadow Explorer.

Restore .fopa files using PhotoRec

There is another very good way to recover .fopa files – use a tool that finds and restores deleted files. We recommend using PhotoRec. This is one of the few programs that allows you to do this for free. The reason that allows you to recover encrypted files using this method is simple – when you or any program, including the ransomware, deletes a file, this file is not deleted, the Windows OS marks it as deleted and hides it. PhotoRec finds such deleted files and restores them. Thus, at the output, you get files in an unencrypted state. The only thing I want to draw your attention to is that the less you used your computer after ransomware infection, the higher your chance of recovering encrypted files.

Download PhotoRec by clicking on the link below. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.

When downloading is done, open a directory in which you saved it. Right click to testdisk-7.0.win and choose Extract all. Follow the prompts. Next please open the testdisk-7.0 folder as displayed on the screen below.

Double click on qphotorec_win to run PhotoRec for Windows. It will display a screen similar to the one below.

Choose a drive to recover like below.

You will see a list of available partitions. Select a partition that holds encrypted personal files as displayed in the figure below.

Click File Formats button and specify file types to recover. You can to enable or disable the recovery of certain file types. When this is complete, click OK button.

Next, press Browse button to choose where restored photos, documents and music should be written, then click Search. We strongly recommend that you save the recovered files to an external drive.

Count of recovered files is updated in real time. All restored files are written in a folder that you have chosen on the previous step. You can to access the files even if the restore process is not finished.

When the recovery is done, click on Quit button. Next, open the directory where restored personal files are stored. You will see a contents as displayed on the image below.

All recovered files are written in recup_dir.1, recup_dir.2 … sub-directories. If you are searching for a specific file, then you can to sort your restored files by extension and/or date/time.

This video step-by-step guide will demonstrate How to recover encrypted files using PhotoRec.

How to protect your PC from Fopa ransomware

Most antivirus apps already have built-in protection system against the crypto malware. Therefore, if your personal computer does not have an antivirus program, make sure you install it. As an extra protection, run the HitmanPro.Alert. All-in-all, HitmanPro.Alert is a fantastic tool to protect your personal computer from any ransomware. If ransomware is detected, then HitmanPro.Alert automatically neutralizes malware and restores the encrypted files. HitmanPro.Alert is compatible with all versions of Windows OS from Microsoft Windows XP to Windows 10.

Please go to the following link to download HitmanPro.Alert. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop or in any other place.

After the downloading process is done, open the file location. You will see an icon like below.

Double click the HitmanPro Alert desktop icon. When the tool is opened, you will be shown a window where you can choose a level of protection, as displayed on the image below.

Now press the Install button to activate the protection.

Finish words

This guide was created to help all victims of Fopa ransomware virus. We tried to give answers to the following questions: how to remove Fopa ransomware; how to decrypt .fopa files; how to recover encrypted files; what is an online key and what is an offline key. We hope that the information presented in this manual has helped you.

If you have questions, then write to us, leaving a comment below. If you need more help with Fopa related issues, go to here.