We have prepared this in-depth guide on how to remove EFJI ransomware virus from your computer, and explain how to decrypt or recover your files. Please do not pay the ransom as you can never trust the cybercriminals.

_readme.txt lists cybercriminals’ conditions

EFJI ransomware creators seek money, therefore they use encryption to lock victim’s personal files until a ransom is paid. Once the victim discovers that all files became inaccessible, one will notice _readme.txt file is the only one that opens, and it contains instructions from the criminals on how to decrypt data (convert it back to normal). The _readme.txt file starts with a line reassuring the victim that files are not gone forever and can be restored if criminals’ conditions will be met. To be precise, the criminals want money transferred to them in specific form and way. The criminals state that the victim can still decrypt .efji files if one purchases Bitcoins worth $490 and transfers them to the criminals’ cryptowallet within 3 days. To get full instructions on how to purchase cryptocurrency and the specific wallet address, the note suggests writing to cybercriminals’ email addresses (helpmanager@mail.ch or restoremanager@airmail.cc). The attackers also promise to decrypt one small file as a proof that they actually have the decryption tools on hand. This technique is used by many ransomware authors such as XATI, MMPA, DHARMA or others to convince the victim to pay up sooner.

Why you shouldn’t pay up, according to infosec specialists

Many cybersecurity experts as well as FBI warns not to pay ransoms for cybercriminals. There are many reasons why you shouldn’t, such as:

Cybercriminals behind the ransomware only care about your money. They will try to convince you to pay, and once you do as they say, they will move on to another victim.If you decide to pay, the attackers will know that you are a victim who is willing to listen to their commands. Therefore, they might try to attack you and extort you in some other way in the future (via email phishing or similarly).By paying ransoms to criminals, you sponsor their illegal activities and give them a ticket to luxurious lifestyle as well as well as broadening the scale of their criminal operations. Refuse to pay a ransom!There are chances to recover data for free if you’re affected by offline encryption. Learn more about it by moving to the decrypt section of this post.

We suggest you try the recommended data recovery methods first. You might be lucky if you’re affected by offline and not online encryption (You must check if the file in C:/SystemID/PersonalID.txt ends in t1).

What the ransomware did to your files

Victims of ransomware simply must accept the fact that encrypted files means gone files, especially if one does not have data backups. There are various ransomware variants in the wild, but STOP/DJVU authors are pretty skilled criminals, and their program does not contain any flaws that would allow malware researchers to create .efji decryption tool. Plus, this ransomware uses military-grade encryption algorithm to secure your files and prevent access to them. To understand the concept of ransomware, you should know that encryption algorithms such as RSA or AES, or combinations of both, are used to securely lock confidential information. For example, the majority of information transmitted via Internet is encrypted so that hackers using network sniffer programs wouldn’t be able to read the transferred information. In other words, data encryption is used daily in many information transmission environments. In this scenario, encryption is used by ransomware to extort the victim, by keeping the file decryption key from him and preventing file access until one agrees to pay the ransom. We strongly encourage you to remove EFJI ransomware virus from the system as soon as you can. This malware is extremely dangerous because it is known for installing AZORULT password-stealer on the system and damaging Windows HOSTS file. To remove virus damage and repair damaged system, we strongly recommend installing and scanning the computer with a well-known computer repair software RESTORO. Ransomware-type viruses are actively distributed in both 2019 and 2020, and the acceleration of their attack scope is mainly based on the appearance of Ransomware-as-a-Service model (RaaS). We suggest that you read and implement some of our suggested ransomware prevention methods as soon as possible.

Ransomware distributions: main techniques explained

EFJI ransomware is essentially similar to other malware samples because they all are distributed in quite simple ways that rely on victim’s deception. The majority of ransomware are distributed via deceptive email attachments. The criminals use potential target email lists that can be purchased on the dark web for very small sums of money. The criminals tend to create emails that create a “rush” feeling for the victim. For example, the email suggests opening the attachment which supposedly contains information about a missing or pending payment that needs to be taken care of ASAP. Unfortunately, even if the email attachment appears to be a document, it can contain a malicious script that triggers as soon as the victim enables editing of the file. The script then connects to remote domain and downloads the ransomware payload. The majority of STOP/DJVU ransomware family versions are distributed via illegal downloads that are extremely popular among regular computer users. For instance, many computer users tend to head to untrustworthy torrent websites to get paid software licenses for free using software cracks and keygens. Unfortunately, such downloads are extremely insecure and also extremely likely to contain malware. These files can be downloaded via popular peer-to-peer file sharing agents such as uTottent, zMule and others. Once the victim opens the deceitful keygen or crack file, the ransomware starts encrypting all files on the system. For this reason, we recommend you to always download premium software versions from legitimate websites and purchase license keys rather than searching for illegal cracks or other tools online. Additionally, we suggest opening emails send by trusted senders only.

Remove EFJI ransomware virus and recover your data

You must remove EFJI virus from the system safely. For this reason, we suggest free removal guidelines provided below. These instructions cover everything – from booting the computer in secure environment to reporting the cybercrime to legal authorities as well as free decryption software usage guidelines. After performing EFJI ransomware removal, we suggest you change all of your passwords for accounts saved in your web browser. You must do this in order to protect your online accounts from hacks because the additional malware installed by this ransomware tends to steal login credentials saved in your browser. Finally, follow the file recovery/decryption tutorial provided at the very end of the article. 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 EFJI 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 EFJI 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 EFJI files

Fix and open large EFJI 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. EFJI 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 EFJI files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The EFJI 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 EFJI 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 EFJI 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.