Uninstall HakunaMatata virus (Bonus: Decryption Steps) - Virus Removal Instructions

HakunaMatata virus Removal Guide

Description of HakunaMatata virus

Don’t be fooled: HakunaMatata virus is not a child’s play!

Despite the playful use of a famous phrase from ‘The Lion King’ animation for its title, HakunaMatata virus is actually a malicious virus that wreaks havoc on the infected devices. When the parasite makes its way to the system, it immediately implements a malicious script which starts scanning the hard drive, connected storage devices and network shares for particular types of files and encrypts them. Unfortunately, in most cases, this process is irreversible, since the sophisticated algorithms that the virus uses on the files are impossible to decrypt without the special key. The hackers remove this key from the computer once the data encryption is done. Specifically, the HakunaMatata malware uses AES256-bit and RSA-2048 algorithms to block the victims from accessing a number of different files, including Microsoft Office files, archives, video and audio data and even applications. However, ‘Recovers files yako.html.’ is one file that the criminals want you to access and read. This document contains directions, explaining how to recover the encrypted data. Frankly, the hackers offer the victims to pay money in exchange for the personalised decryption key which should supposedly solve all the problems. For the further communication, the criminals employ Bitmessage network, through which they can give orders to the victims, retaining their anonymity. Do not follow these demands and remove HakunaMatata without delay. This is the only way to protect yourself from the financial loss or exposure of your personal details to unreputable third parties. Please note that you should only use reputable antivirus software for the virus elimination. FortectIntego is one of the tools we recommend for this purpose.

HakunaMatata ransomware virus

A fact that remains behind the closed doors is the amount of ransom that the hackers demand from their victims. It is typical for the ransomware creators to demand from 800 to around 2500 USD, but the sum may fluctuate depending on the volume of the encrypted data as well as the importance of the locked files. Sadly, most users are willing to pay as much as they are asked, simply because they have no backup copies of their files. Virtually, this means no way of recovering their data. While the users rarely think ahead and choose to remain on the fringes of security awareness, malware like HakunaMatata thrive, and their creators get richer each day. Nevertheless, it is never too late to begin making changes. You can start off by carrying out HakunaMatata removal and refusing to pay the ransom that the hackers so eagerly demand. Then, you should learn more about how ransomware infections spread and what can be done to make your web browsing more secure. The following paragraph may be a good starting point for that.

Protection against ransomware: where do I begin?

Malicious spam mails fake software updates, bogus software installers and exploit kits are the primary ways HakunaMatata ransomware gets deployed on the victims’ computers. Sadly, there is little chance that you will avoid ransomware attack once you have been selected as its target. Nevertheless, there are some useful tricks you can use to bypass the virus or at least mitigate the consequences of the attack. First, you should keep in mind that best defence against ransomware is its prevention. You should be careful while browsing the web, refrain from running the downloaded software as soon as you install it and be especially attentive with emails received from unfamiliar senders. Generally, HakunaMatata authors are well-aware of the techniques that help to earn users’ trust. These techniques can be used either to convince the victims into downloading malicious email attachments, clicking infected links or online advertisements. It is best that you keep away from such links and obtain a reputable security software to inform you about potentially dangerous websites and shady downloads.

HakunaMatata removal options:

Experts agree that it is best to carry out HakunaMatata removal using reputable antivirus software, such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes. With the help of automatic utilities, the system will be scanned thoroughly what would manually be an impossible task. Besides, antivirus software is a long-term investment. It will not only remove HakunaMatata virus from your computer but also serve in keeping your system secure in the future. Unfortunately, regardless of how sophisticated an anti-malware utility may be, it will not help you recover encrypted files. Nevertheless, you will find a few data recovery techniques at the end of the article.

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What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Security Tools
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Security Tools
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of HakunaMatata virus. Follow these steps

In-depth guide for the HakunaMatata elimination

In case HakunaMatata ransomware virus attempts to block the installation, updating or launching of a security software or anti-malware application, follow the instructions below. This comprehensive guide will assist you in rebooting your computer in Safe Mode from which you should be able to run the antivirus scan already.

Important! →
The elimination guide can appear too difficult if you are not tech-savvy. It requires some knowledge of computer processes since it includes system changes that need to be performed correctly. You need to take steps carefully and follow the guide avoiding any issues created due to improper setting changes. Automatic methods might suit you better if you find the guide too difficult.

Step 1. Launch Safe Mode with Networking

Safe Mode environment offers better results of manual virus removal

Windows 7 / Vista / XP
  1. Go to Start.
  2. Choose Shutdown, then Restart, and OK.
  3. When your computer boots, start pressing the F8 button (if that does not work, try F2, F12, Del, etc. – it all depends on your motherboard model) a few times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
  4. Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
    Safe Mode option
Windows 10 / Windows 8
  1. Right-click the Start button and choose Settings.
    Settings of the system
  2. Scroll down to find Update & Security.
    Update & security section in settings
  3. On the left, pick Recovery.
  4. Scroll to find Advanced Startup section.
  5. Click Restart now.
    Restarting
  6. Choose Troubleshoot.
    troubleshooting
  7. Go to Advanced options.
    Troubleshooting options
  8. Select Startup Settings.
    Advanced section
  9. Press Restart.
    Choose the Safe Mode
  10. Choose 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking.

Step 2. End questionable processes

You can rely on Windows Task Manager that finds all the random processes in the background. When the intruder is triggering any processes, you can shut them down:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details.
    More options of Task manager
  3. Scroll down to Background processes.
  4. Look for anything suspicious.
  5. Right-click and select Open file location.
    Task manager
  6. Go back to the Process tab, right-click and pick End Task.
  7. Delete the contents of the malicious folder.

Step 3. Check the program in Startup

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard again.
  2. Go to the Startup tab.
  3. Right-click on the suspicious app and pick Disable.
    Disable process

Step 4. Find and eliminate virus files

Data related to the infection can be hidden in various places. Follow the steps and you can find them:

  1. Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
    Disk cleanup option
  2. Select the drive (C: is your main drive by default and is likely to be the one that has malicious files in) you want to clean.
  3. Scroll through the Files to delete and select the following:

    Temporary Internet Files
    Downloads
    Recycle Bin
    Temporary files

  4. Pick Clean up system files.
    Choose the disk clean up
  5. You can also look for other malicious files hidden in the following folders (type these entries in Windows Search and press Enter):

    %AppData%
    %LocalAppData%
    %ProgramData%
    %WinDir%

After you are finished, reboot the PC in normal mode.

Eliminate HakunaMatata using System Restore

Below, we present an additional technique which should help decontaminate the malicious ransomware scripts and launch the antivirus.

  • Step 1: Restart your computer in Safe Mode with Command Prompt
    Windows 7 / Vista / XP
    1. Go to Start Shutdown Restart OK.
    2. As soon as your computer starts, start pressing F8 key repeatedly before the Windows logo shows up.
    3. Choose Command Prompt from the list Choose 'Safe Mode with Command Prompt' option

    Windows 10 / Windows 8
    1. Click on the Power button at the Windows login screen, and then press and hold Shift key on your keyboard. Then click Restart.
    2. Then select Troubleshoot Advanced options Startup Settings and click Restart.
    3. Once your computer starts, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the list of options in Startup Settings. Choose 'Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt' option
  • Step 2: Perform a system restore to recover files and settings
    1. When the Command Prompt window appears, type in cd restore and press Enter. Type 'cd restore' without quotes and hit 'Enter'
    2. Then type rstrui.exe and hit Enter.. Type 'rstrui.exe' without quotes and hit 'Enter'
    3. In a new window that shows up, click the Next button and choose a restore point that was created before the infiltration of HakunaMatata and then click on the Next button again. When 'System Restore' wizard comes up, click 'Next'. Choose a preferable restore point and click 'Next'
    4. To start system restore, click Yes. Hit 'Yes' and start system restore
    After restoring the computer system to an antecedent date, install and check your computer with FortectIntego to uncover any remains of HakunaMatata.

Bonus: Restore your files

Using the tutorial provided above you should be able to eliminate HakunaMatata from the infected device. novirus.uk team has also prepared an in-depth data recovery guide which you will also find above.

After the HakunaMatata removal the next thing on the list is data recovery. Of course this process will be incomparably more difficult for the users who have no backup copies of their files stored anywhere outside the infected computer. However, even if you are among those unlucky users, you can still try out a couple of techniques and, hopefully, recover at least a part of your files. Besides, there is also a possibility that some day, the experts will come up with a free data recovery tool, so it is also useful to make copies of the encrypted documents and save them to an external storage device.

There are a couple of methods you can apply to recover data encrypted by HakunaMatata:

Method 1: Data Recovery Pro

Data Recovery Pro offers an automatic way of restoring encrypted data. Initially, the software was created to help users recover accidentally deleted or damaged files. The good news is that the experts have updated the program to deal with ransomware affected files as well. These steps below explain how this tool can be applied for the data recovery.

  • Download Data Recovery Pro;
  • Install Data Recovery on your computer following the steps indicated in the software’s Setup;
  • Run the program to scan your device for the data encrypted by HakunaMatata ransomware;
  • Recover the data.

Method 2: Windows Previous Versions feature

If you have been lucky (or smart) enough to activate the System Restore function before HakunaMatata virus attack, Windows Previous Versions feature may be a technique that could help your files without having to pay the ransom for the malware creators. However, we should focus only on the most important documents that you want to recover, since this feature is not designed to roll back the entire system to its original state.

  • Right-click on the encrypted document you want to recover;
  • Click “Properties” and navigate to “Previous versions” tab;
  • In the “Folder versions” section look for the available file copies. Choose the desired version and press “Restore”.

Method 3: ShadowExplorer

Though HakunaMatata virus is a truly nasty infection, there is a chance that it does not delete Shadow Volume Copies of the encrypted documents and leaves you a ray of hope of retrieving your files using the ShadowExplorer. You may use this tool following these instructions:

  • Download Shadow Explorer (http://shadowexplorer.com/);
  • Install Shadow Explorer on your computer following the instructions in the software’s Setup Wizard;
  • Run the program. Navigate to the menu on the top-left corner and select a disk containing your encrypted files. Look through the available folders;
  • When you find the folder you want to recover, right-click it and select “Export”. Also, choose where the recovered data will be stored.

It is strongly recommended to take precautions and secure your computer from malware attacks. To protect your PC from HakunaMatata and other dangerous viruses, you should install and keep a powerful malware removal tool, for instance, FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.

How to prevent from getting ransomware

Securely connect to your website wherever you are

Sometimes you may need to log in to a content management system or server more often, especially if you are actively working on a blog, website, or different project that needs constant maintenance or that requires frequent content updates or other changes. Avoiding this problem can be easy if you choose a dedicated/fixed IP address. It's a static IP address that only belongs to a specific device and does not change when you are in different locations. 

VPN service providers such as Private Internet Access can help you with these settings. This tool can help you control your online reputation and successfully manage your projects wherever you are. It is important to prevent different IP addresses from connecting to your website. With a dedicated/fixed IP address, VPN service, and secure access to a content management system, your project will remain secure.

Reduce the threat of viruses by backing up your data

Due to their own careless behavior, computer users can suffer various losses caused by cyber infections. Viruses can affect the functionality of the software or directly corrupt data on your system by encrypting it. These problems can disrupt the system and cause you to lose personal data permanently. There is no such threat if you have the latest backups, as you can easily recover lost data and get back to work.

It is recommended to update the backups in parallel each time the system is modified. This way, you will be able to access the latest saved data after an unexpected virus attack or system failure. By having the latest copies of important documents and projects, you will avoid serious inconveniences. File backups are especially useful if malware attacks your system unexpectedly. We recommend using the Data Recovery Pro program to restore the system.

About the author
Jake Doevan
Jake Doevan - Do not waste your precious time dealing with computer virus infections alone

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