Carbonite Support > Recovering from Crypto Viruses...

Recovering from Crypto Viruses and Other Ransomware

Summary:

CryptoLocker / Crypto Virus is a virus that encrypts your files and holds them for ransom unless you pay a fee to unlock them. If you have CryptoLocker and are unable to access your files, you should contact Carbonite Customer Care for help restoring a clean copy of your backed up files.

Solution:

The sections below are collapsed. Please click a section title to open / close the appropriate section.

How to Determine if You Have the CryptoLocker Virus

If you have the CryptoLocker / Crypto Virus on your computer, a pop-up like the one below will appear and report that your files are locked.

CryptoLocker Window: Your personal files are encrypted!

CryptoVirus also locks and modifies the files, which prevents you from opening or accessing them.

If both symptoms are appearing on your computer, your computer is likely infected with ransomware.

How to Recover from the CryptoLocker Virus

If you have suffered from the CryptoLocker virus and need to restore your files, you will need to contact Carbonite Customer Care for further assistance. However, you should follow these steps beforehand to perform a successful recovery:

  1. If you can still operate the infected computer, enter Recover Mode or uninstall Carbonite to protect your backup.
  2. Remove the virus from your computer. Restoring clean files from Carbonite does not remove the virus and could potentially make the virus spread further.
    • If you would like assistance with removing the virus, please contact a local technician.
  3. Ensure you have access to the original or replacement computer and contact Customer Care for a specialist to start a restore of your data.
    • Crypto-Recovery Team Hours: Monday - Friday from 9:00am to 7:00pm
Feedback