.gocr Files Virus – How to Remove It + Restore Files

Read this post to learn how to remove the .gocr files ransomware virus and how to recover .gocr encrypted files on your computer.

Yet another ransomware virus has been reported to infect users and encrypt their files, this time adding the extension .gocr as a suffix to the encoded files. The virus stedoes this in order to convince the victims that their only option to open their files again is to pay a hefty ransom fee in BitCoin to the cyber-criminals behind it. If your computer has been infected and your files are encrypted with the .gocr file extension added to them, we recommend you to read this article thoroughly.

How Can You Keep .gocr file virus Ransomware Away from Your Device?

When it comes to advanced forms of cryptomalware like .gocr file virus, it is always better to take the necessary precautionary measures rather than to try to fix your PC afterwards. The main problem regarding these parasites is that the removal of the virus may not fix the damage. Even if there are no traces of .gocr file virus left, your valuable personal data may remain unreadable. Fortunately, if you are careful during your surfing sessions, you should be able to protect yourself from various cyber threats efficiently. It is worth mentioning that the developers of dangerous malware like .gocr file virus are becoming more and more ingenious, so the ultimate protection is to have an advanced anti-malware solution.

.gocr file virus relies on drive-by downloads to enter without the knowledge of the PC user. There are two ways for this Trojan to enter. First, the person may authorize the installation without knowing that he is about to load a virus. Second, .gocr file virus may become active after the person clicks on some corrupt link or email attachment when he doesn’t expect to download any software at all. If you don’t want to risk letting advanced ransomware like .gocr file virus enter, you should never download programs from randomly appearing sites. You should perform this task solely from the legitimate official platforms, where it is guaranteed that you will not download any harmful application. You should also be very careful when you receive email attachments from people you don’t know. The hackers may deploy various complex Trojans via spam email campaigns, because this way they reach thousands of people quickly and cheaply. It is also advisable to be vigilant when you connect external devices to your machine. If you attach a USB infected with .gocr file virus, it may quickly spread to the computer without asking you for permission.

What Will Be the Consequences After .gocr file virus Ransomware Enters?

.gocr file virus performs a complex encryption process via advanced ciphers, which makes all personal files inaccessible. However, this operation takes time. If you click on a corrupt email attachment or download fake software updates, which contain .gocr file virus, you may not experience any issues during the first few hours. Once the Trojan modifies the structure of your data, you will notice a lockdown message on your desktop. From this moment on, it will not be possible to open the locked files. If you lack a recent backup, you may lose crucial documents, photos, images, presentations, videos or other information. The only files that .gocr file virus may spare will likely be associated with essential Windows processes. If they get modified as well, your whole PC may fail to launch, which means the hackers will never receive any payments. You can easily find out which files are encrypted by .gocr file virus by their extension .aleta.The hackers want you to contact them this way and pay the ransom.

What to Do If You Notice the Ransom Note of .gocr file virus?

When you encounter the lockdown message, it means that your PC has already been encrypted. Even if you feel like you have no other choice but to pay, you should not do it. First and most important, even if you send the hackers your money, they may not unlock your PC. And since the Bitcoin system doesn’t allow refunds, you will not be able to get your money back. Second, your cash will increase the motivation of the hackers to develop more cyber threats like .gocr file virus ransomware.

There are a few ways that may help you recover the lost data for free. Although this Trojan sometimes deletes the shadow volume copies, you should still attempt to restore your PC to a date prior the infection. You should also try some free decryptors, but there is no guarantee that they will be efficient. The most important step is to eliminate .gocr file virus as soon as possible or else it may spread to other machines and cause more damage. It will be a challenge even for the experts to delete all traces of this ransomware manually, so you should consider using a dedicated anti-malware application.

How to Remove .gocr file virus Ransomware and Back Up My Data

The removal process of this virus may prove to be a tricky one. This is primarily because the virus may be involved in several different stages of operation that create mutexes, registry entries and files on your computer. All of the objects created by .gocr file virus Ransomware may be difficult to remove manually and In some situations may even cause harm to your computer. The safest way to remove malicious files, according to experts is to use an advanced tool that hunts specifically for these type of ransomware infections and removes them. Such tool will not get your files back but will scan your computer automatically and delete the virus as fast as possible so that your PC is safe. And after the removal, you can try using some other third-party methods to restore files that have been encrypted by .gocr file virus Ransomware while you wait for antivirus vendors to develop a decrypter.

Booting in Safe Mode

For Windows:
1) Hold Windows Key and R
2) A run Window will appear, in it type “msconfig” and hit Enter
3) After the Window appears go to the Boot tab and select Safe Boot

Cut out .gocr file virus in Task Manager

1) Press CTRL+ESC+SHIFT at the same time.
2) Locate the “Processes” tab.
3) Locate the malicious process of .gocr file virus, and end it’s task by right-clicking on it and clicking on “End Process”

Eliminate .gocr file virus‘s Malicious Registries

For most Windows variants:
1) Hold Windows Button and R.
2) In the “Run” box type “Regedit” and hit “Enter”.
3) Hold CTRL+F keys and type .gocr file virus or the file name of the malicious executable of the virus which is usually located in %AppData%, %Temp%, %Local%, %Roaming% or %SystemDrive%.
4) After having located malicious registry objects, some of which are usually in the Run and RunOnce subkeys delete them ermanently and restart your computer. Here is how to find and delete keys for different versions.
For Windows 7: Open the Start Menu and in the search type and type regedit –> Open it. –> Hold CTRL + F buttons –> Type .gocr file virus Virus in the search field.
Win 8/10 users: Start Button –> Choose Run –> type regedit –> Hit Enter -> Press CTRL + F buttons. Type .gocr file virus in the search field.

Automatic Removal of .gocr file virus

DOWNLOAD REMOVAL TOOL FOR .gocr file virusThe free version of SpyHunter will only scan your computer to detect any possible threats. To remove them permanently from your computer, purchase its full version. Spy Hunter malware removal tool additional information/SpyHunter Uninstall Instructions

Recover files encrypted by the .gocr file virus Ransomware.

Method 1: Using Shadow Explorer. In case you have enabled File history on your Windows Machine one thing you can do is to use Shadow Explorer to get your files back. Unfortunately some ransomware viruses may delete those shadow volume copies with an administrative command to prevent you from doing just that.

Method 2: If you try to decrypt your files using third-party decryption tools. There are many antivirus providers who have decrypted multiple ransomware viruses the last couple of years and posted decryptors for them. Chances are if your ransomware virus uses the same encryption code used by a decryptable virus, you may get the files back. However, this is also not a guarantee, so you might want to try this method with copies of the original encrypted files, because if a third-party program tampers with their encrypted structure, they may be damaged permanently. Here are the vendors to look for:

• Kaspersky.
• Emsisoft.
• TrendMicro.

Method 3: Using Data Recovery tools. This method is suggested by multiple experts in the field. It can be used to scan your hard drive’s sectors and hence scramble the encrypted files anew as if they were deleted. Most ransomware viruses usually delete a file and create an encrypted copy to prevent such programs for restoring the files, but not all are this sophisticated. So you may have a chance of restoring some of your files with this method. Here are several data recovery programs which you can try and restore at least some of your files: