Missing Files

[BradleyGas]

I have lost all my word and excel documents from my computer. What seems to have happened is that something called CryptoWall has downloaded itself to my computer - 3 icons added to my desktop. The instructions seem to suggest they're enctypted and I can only get them back by purchasing their software. As you'll appreciate, I'm not keen.

Can anyone help with this?

[hc4361]

Download and run the free version of this:
https://www.malwarebytes.org/mwb-download/

[hc4361]

Ah. The link I gave you will remove the trojan but not decrypt your files. Have you got backups?

[BradleyGas]

Afraid not hc4361

[hc4361]

Try the system restore method described here from half way down the page:
https://www.pcrisk.com/removal-guides/7844-cryptowall-virus

[TTG]

If s/r fails to get your files back, what version of Office do you have? It might be a version that makes auto backups. https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Recover-an-Office-file-4bddecb7-bf4f-4aad-b1b3-dab1633b5bbf?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&;ad=US

[TTG]

The saved versions might not have the extension .xlsx docx etc so might be recoverable.

[Berniecuddles2]

dont know if this will help you

[BradleyGas]

Microsoft XP TTG. Thanks for all the reponses, I'll look into the later.

[VHG]

>>Afraid not hc4361

You are running an old unsupported version of Windows that is no longer getting security updates...

AND

You don't make backups.

I am sorry but you have done nothing to protect yourself from this sort of attack.

Buy a new PC with a supported version of Windows on it AND in future make regular backups.

That can be as simple as just copying your files to an external hard drive every so often, its not difficult.