The ransom note _readme.txt is left by the criminals on purpose. They use it to explain to the victim that data recovery without the special NILE decryption tool is impossible and can’t be free. Therefore, they suggest purchasing it from them, the sooner, the cheaper. As the note suggests, the victim has three days to contact the criminals to be eligible for 50% discount and receive the decryption tool for $490. Otherwise, the price remains $980. Unfortunately, most of the ransomware victims never receive the suggested decryption tool even if they agree with all demands. In fact, many cybercriminals disappear or try blackmailing for even more money. Keep in mind that cryptocurrency transactions are almost impossible to trace. Thus, the attackers never get punished and keep releasing new versions of dangerous file-encrypting viruses. Our security experts strongly suggest you remove NILE ransomware instead of paying the ransom. Usually, it is exceptionally hard to spot this ransomware attack for regular computer users. The reason behind this is that the developers use disguise techniques to hide the infiltration of the file-encrypting virus. Just as other versions, including NORD, VARI, BOOP, OONN, KOOK, KUUS, ZIPE, PEZI, NLAH, KASP, this ransomware imitates a Windows update process while encrypting data. In other terms, users can be tricked to believe that the winupdate.exe process running on the system is a legitimate one. In fact, it is a well-developed disguise technique.

Ransomware installs password-stealing Trojan

Another notable feature of NILE ransomware is that this virus infiltrates a password-stealing Trojan, AZORULT into the infected computer host. It is designed to gather all private information from the affected computer to the remote server that is controlled by the crooks. Once they gain access to your accounts, they can either use it for their own benefits or sell on the black market. Note that this Trojan shows no signs of the attack. Thus, you might not even be aware that your privacy is at risk. The safe way to clean your system from all potentially dangerous cyber threats is to get RESTORO for NILE ransomware removal or another reputable antivirus software. Malware removal tools are developed to get rid of all malicious files from the computer quickly and safely. You merely need to download it and run a full system scan. Instructions explaining how to boot your computer into Safe Mode and start the procedure are appended at the end of this article. After you completely remove NILE file virus and related malware, then you have two options to restore your data. The easiest one is to get the latest backup copies from the Cloud. If you store them, it is the quickest possible way to get your data back to the primary state. In case you do not have backups, you can read about the alternative STOP/DJVU ransomware decryption methods.

Summary

Live demonstration of this ransomware encrypting data folder is provided below.

Can you recover .nile files?

The absolute 100% of victims of this ransomware want to find out how to decrypt Nile virus files for free. The truth is that only the cybercriminals behind the whole STOP/DJVU malware project have the decryption keys required to restore encrypted files. However, in cases when their malware can’t connect to network during the cyberattack, the virus uses offline encryption, which can be identified by a personal ID string ending in t1. Description: NILE ransomware is a computer virus that encrypts all files on victim’s computer, making it impossible to open them. Target data will be marked with .nile extension after the attack. The virus leaves _readme.txt ransom notes that contain ransom-payment instructions from the cyber criminals who created the virus. Offer price: 980 Currency: USD Operating System: Windows Application Category: Ransomware Author: STOP/DJVU authors You can find this value on your computer, as the ransomware creates it in C:/SystemID/PersonalID.txt file. Please do not count on the value left in the _readme.txt note, because you might have received several personal IDs (in case part of data is encrypted with offline and part of data is encrypted with online key). If your ID or at least one of them ends in t1, you have strong chances to decrypt NILE files using Emsisoft’s decryption tool for STOP/DJVU, as explained below this article or here. Offline keys are already known to previous ransomware versions such as USAM, TABE or VAWE.

Ransomware infection sources

The majority of cyber threats like NILE file virus are distributed via questionable networks and suspicious websites. For example, peer-to-peer (P2P) sites often contain well-known software cracks that are in fact ransomware executables. Therefore, if you download apps from illegal file-sharing sites, you significantly increase the risk of malware infections. We recommend never browsing on such websites and getting software only from authorized distributors. Furthermore, many gaming or video streaming websites include a numerous amount of advertising content. If you visit those websites a lot, you can encounter pop-ups, banners, or redirects to other suspicious pages. It is very popular to create pop-ups that look like legitimate application updates, such as Adobe Flash Player or other popular programs. Unfortunately, those ads are merely designed to infiltrate ransomware or other cyber threats. Never click on them.

How to remove NILE ransomware virus

Ransomware viruses are highly advanced cyber threats that need skills to eliminate them. Unfortunately, regular computer users do not have the knowledge to safely remove NILE ransomware virus from their computers on their own. Thus, you either need to get in-person help from a specialist or use a professional malware removal software. Our top recommendation is RESTORO. Additionally, some file-encrypting viruses are capable to modify the certain Windows hosts file to prevent you from accessing security tools. In this case, you need to boot your system into Safe Mode to start the NILE ransomware removal process. You can learn how to begin by reading the instructions at the end of this article. Be aware that you must follow each step very attentively. Once you are finished with the elimination, you can start considering ways how you will restore your data. The easiest option is to simply use backup copies that you have stored on an external device. If you do not have those, feel free to read about alternative possible ways to decrypt STOP/DJVU ransomware files. OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here.

Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking

Before you try to remove NILE ransomware virus virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, if you prefer a video version of the tutorial, check our guide How to Start Windows in Safe Mode on Youtube. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users Now, you can search for and remove NILE ransomware virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable security program such as INTEGO Antivirus. For virus damage repair, consider using RESTORO.

Method 2. Use System Restore

In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won’t be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future.

Alternative software recommendations

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense If you’re looking for an all-in-one system maintenance suite that has 7 core components providing powerful real-time protection, on-demand malware removal, system optimization, data recovery, password manager, online privacy protection and secure driver wiping technology. Therefore, due to its wide-range of capabilities, System Mechanic Ultimate Defense deserves Geek’s Advice approval. Get it now for 50% off. You may also be interested in its full review.

Disclaimer. This site includes affiliate links. We may earn a small commission by recommending certain products, at no additional cost for you. We only choose quality software and services to recommend.

Decrypt NILE files

Fix and open large NILE files easily:

It is reported that STOP/DJVU ransomware versions encrypt only the beginning 150 KB of each file to ensure that the virus manages to affect all files on the system. In some cases, the malicious program might skip some files at all. That said, we recommend testing this method on several big (>1GB) files first.

STOP/DJVU decryption tool usage guide

STOP/DJVU ransomware versions are grouped into old and new variants. NILE ransomware virus is considered the new STOP/DJVU variant, just like BPTO, ISWR, ISZA, BPSM, ZOUU, MBTF, ZNSM (find full list here). This means full data decryption is now possible only if you have been affected by offline encryption key. To decrypt your files, you will have to download Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP DJVU, a tool created and maintained by a genius security researcher Michael Gillespie. Note! Please do not spam the security researcher with questions whether he can recover your files encrypted with online key - it is not possible. In order to test the tool and see if it can decrypt NILE files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The NILE decryption tool might display several different messages after failed attempt to restore your files. You might receive one of the following messages: Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [example ID] This message typically means that there is no corresponding decryption key in the decryptor’s database. No key for New Variant online ID: [example ID]Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible This message informs that your files were encrypted with online key, meaning no one else has the same encryption/decryption key pair, therefore data recovery without paying the criminals is impossible. Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future. If you were informed that an offline key was used, but files could not be restored, it means that the offline decryption key isn’t available yet. However, receiving this message is extremely good news, meaning that it might be possible to restore your NILE extension files in the future. It can take a few months until the decryption key gets found and uploaded to the decryptor. We recommend you to follow updates regarding the decryptable DJVU versions here. We strongly recommend backing up your encrypted data and waiting.

Victims of NILE ransomware virus should report the Internet crime incident to the official government fraud and scam website according to their country:

In the United States, go to the On Guard Online website.In Australia, go to the SCAMwatch website.In Germany, go to the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik website.In Ireland, go to the An Garda Síochána website.In New Zealand, go to the Consumer Affairs Scams website.In the United Kingdom, go to the Action Fraud website.In Canada, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.In India, go to Indian National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.In France, go to the Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information.

If you can’t find an authority corresponding to your location on this list, we recommend using any search engine to look up “[your country name] report cyber crime”. This should lead you to the right authority website. We also recommend staying away from third-party crime report services that are often paid. It costs nothing to report Internet crime to official authorities. Another recommendation is to contact your country’s or region’s federal police or communications authority.