Emsisoft Howto Pewcrypt
Uploaded by
Morrison27Emsisoft Howto Pewcrypt
Uploaded by
Morrison27How to use the Emsisoft Decryptor
for PewCrypt
IMPORTANT! Be sure to quarantine the malware from your system first, or it may repeatedly lock
your system or encrypt files. If your current antivirus solution fails to detect the malware, it can
be quarantined using the free trial version of Emsisoft Anti-Malware. If your system was
compromised through the Windows Remote Desktop feature, we also recommend changing all
passwords of all users that are allowed to login remotely and check the local user accounts for
additional accounts the attacker might have added.
The decryptor requires access to the AES.key file left by the malware, typically on the infected user’s
desktop.
How to decrypt your files
1. Download the decryptor from the same site that provided this “How To” document.
2. Run the decryptor as an administrator. The license terms will show up, which you have to agree
to by clicking the “Yes” button:
EMSISOFT www.emsisoft.com Page 1 / 4
3. After accepting the terms, select the AES.key file by clicking the “Browse” button. Then click the
“Start” button.
4. The decryptor will display the reconstructed encryption details once the recovery process has
finished. The display is purely informational to confirm that the required encryption details have
been found:
EMSISOFT www.emsisoft.com Page 2 / 4
5. Once the license terms are accepted, the primary decryptor user interface opens:
6. By default, the decryptor will pre-populate the locations to decrypt with the currently connected
drives and network drives. Additional locations can be added using the “Add” button.
7. Decryptors typically offer various options depending on the particular malware family. The
available options are located in the Options tab and can be enabled or disabled there. You can
find a detailed list of the available Options below.
EMSISOFT www.emsisoft.com Page 3 / 4
8. After you have added all the locations you want to decrypt to the list, click the “Decrypt” button
to start the decryption process. The screen will switch to a status view, informing you about the
current process and decryption status of your files:
9. The decryptor will inform you once the decryption process is finished. If you require the report
for your personal records, you can save it by clicking the “Save log” button. You can also copy it
straight to your clipboard to paste it into emails or forum posts if you are asked to.
Available decryptor options
The decryptor currently implements the following options:
Keep encrypted files
Since the ransomware does not save any information about the unencrypted files, the decryptor
can’t guarantee that the decrypted data is identical to the one that was previously encrypted.
Therefore, the decryptor by default will opt on the side of caution and not remove any
encrypted files after they have been decrypted. If you want the decryptor to remove any
encrypted files after they have been processed, you can disable this option. Doing so may be
necessary if your disk space is limited.
