How to remove Desolator Ransomware and decrypt .desolated files

What is Desolator Ransomware

Desolator Ransomware is a highly disruptive type of malware that falls into the ransomware category, known for its ability to forcibly encrypt personal and business files on compromised systems with the intent of extorting money from its victims. After execution, Desolator systematically scans and locks important data—such as documents, images, databases, and archives—and then appends a unique .desolated extension to each affected file, making conventional access impossible. This extension instantly signals to victims that their files have been hijacked, e.g., resume.docx becomes resume.docx.desolated. Employing robust cryptographic algorithms, generally believed to be either AES or RSA or a combination of both based on ransomware trends, Desolator ensures that unauthorized decryption is practically unfeasible without the attacker-supplied key. Adding psychological pressure, it alters the system’s desktop wallpaper and leaves a prominent ransom note titled RecoverYourFiles.txt in all notable folders, providing detailed instructions for contacting the criminals, testing the decryption on a single file, and outlining the 48-hour deadline before purported data destruction occurs. The note threatens permanent data loss if tampering with encrypted files or third-party tools is detected, discouraging attempts at self-recovery. Communication channels provided include a Tor website and Session Messenger, catering to a sense of professionalism and privacy from the attackers. Often, Desolator will claim the encryption is impossible to reverse without their help, instilling urgency and fear as negotiation tactics to force the ransom payment.

Currently, no official or public decryption tools exist for Desolator Ransomware, owing to the lack of cryptographic flaws and the remote storage of decryption keys on attackers' servers. Victims searching for solutions on reputable sites like the No More Ransom project come up short, as security researchers have yet to recover or reverse-engineer the required keys or discover generic weaknesses in the malware’s encryption implementation. Therefore, decrypting .desolated files without engaging directly with the attackers is not an option, and relying on third-party or paid "file recovery" services often leads to scams or further vulnerabilities. Security professionals, including those at PCRisk, strongly discourage ransom payments not just on principle, but due to the high incidence of fraud and non-delivery even after the demanded ransom is sent. File recovery, in this case, depends solely on restoring clean backups created prior to infection; users are advised to regularly maintain disconnected backups to prevent such total data loss. Attempts to brute-force or use random decryptors on Desolator-encrypted files can permanently damage them, leading to irreversible corruption. Until law enforcement or cybersecurity experts publicly break the encryption or gain access to private keys—scenarios which are exceedingly rare—users’ only viable recourse remains system cleaning, prevention, and restoring from secure backups.

How Desolator Ransomware infects computers

Desolator Ransomware primarily infects computers through a combination of phishing and social engineering tactics, which often involve tricking users into downloading malicious attachments or clicking on deceptive links. These attachments or links can be found in spam emails that masquerade as legitimate correspondence from trusted sources, thereby prompting unsuspecting users to open them. Once executed, the ransomware installs itself on the system and begins encrypting files, appending a ".desolated" extension to affected files. Additionally, Desolator can be spread through compromised websites, malicious advertisements, and untrustworthy download sources, such as unofficial software repositories or peer-to-peer networks. The ransomware is also capable of propagating via backdoor trojans, which exploit system vulnerabilities to install Desolator covertly. To mitigate the risk of infection, users should exercise caution when handling unsolicited emails, avoid downloading software from unreliable sites, and ensure their systems are protected with up-to-date security software.

1. Download Desolator Ransomware Removal Tool
2. Get decryption tool for .desolated files
3. Recover encrypted files with Stellar Data Recovery Professional
4. Restore encrypted files with Windows Previous Versions
5. Restore files with Shadow Explorer
6. How to protect from threats like Desolator Ransomware

Desolator Ransomware files:


RecoverYourFiles.txt
{randomname}.exe


Desolator Ransomware registry keys:

no information

How to decrypt and restore .desolated files

Use automated decryptors

Download Kaspersky RakhniDecryptor

Use the following tool from Kaspersky called Rakhni Decryptor, that can decrypt .desolated files. Download it here:

Download RakhniDecryptor

There is no purpose to pay the ransom because there is no guarantee you will receive the key, but you will put your bank credentials at risk.

Dr.Web Rescue Pack

Famous antivirus vendor Dr. Web provides free decryption service for the owners of its products: Dr.Web Security Space or Dr.Web Enterprise Security Suite. Other users can ask for help in the decryption of .desolated files by uploading samples to Dr. Web Ransomware Decryption Service. Analyzing files will be performed free of charge and if files are decryptable, all you need to do is purchase a 2-year license of Dr.Web Security Space worth $120 or less. Otherwise, you don't have to pay.

If you are infected with Desolator Ransomware and removed from your computer, you can try to decrypt your files. Antivirus vendors and individuals create free decryptors for some crypto-lockers. To attempt to decrypt them manually, you can do the following:

Use Stellar Data Recovery Professional to restore .desolated files

1. Download Stellar Data Recovery Professional.
2. Click Recover Data button.
3. Select the type of files you want to restore and click Next button.
4. Choose the location where you would like to restore files from and click Scan button.
5. Preview found files, choose ones you will restore and click Recover.

Download Stellar Data Recovery Professional

Using Windows Previous Versions option:

1. Right-click on infected file and choose Properties.
2. Select Previous Versions tab.
3. Choose a particular version of the file and click Copy.
4. To restore the selected file and replace the existing one, click on the Restore button.
5. In case there are no items in the list, choose an alternative method.

Using Shadow Explorer:

1. Download Shadow Explorer program.
2. Run it, and you will see a screen listing of all the drives and the dates that shadow copy was created.
3. Select the drive and date that you want to restore from.
4. Right-click on a folder name and select Export.
5. In case there are no other dates in the list, choose an alternative method.

If you are using Dropbox:

1. Login to the Dropbox website and go to the folder that contains encrypted files.
2. Right-click on the encrypted file and select Previous Versions.
3. Select the version of the file you wish to restore and click on the Restore button.

How to protect computer from viruses, like Desolator Ransomware, in future

1. Get special anti-ransomware software

Use ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware

Famous antivirus brand ZoneAlarm by Check Point released a comprehensive tool, that will help you with active anti-ransomware protection, as an additional shield to your current protection. The tool provides Zero-Day protection against ransomware and allows you to recover files. ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware is compatible with all other antiviruses, firewalls, and security software except ZoneAlarm Extreme (already shipped with ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware) or Check Point Endpoint products. The killer features of this application are: automatic file recovery, overwrite protection that instantly and automatically recovers any encrypted files, file protection that detects and blocks even unknown encryptors.

Download ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware

2. Back up your files

As an additional way to save your files, we recommend online backup. Local storage, such as hard drives, SSDs, flash drives, or remote network storage can be instantly infected by the virus once plugged in or connected to. Desolator Ransomware uses some techniques to exploit this. One of the best services and programs for easy automatic online backup is iDrive. It has the most profitable terms and a simple interface. You can read more about iDrive cloud backup and storage here.

3. Do not open spam e-mails and protect your mailbox

Malicious attachments to spam or phishing e-mails are the most popular method of ransomware distribution. Using spam filters and creating anti-spam rules is good practice. One of the world leaders in anti-spam protection is MailWasher Pro. It works with various desktop applications and provides a very high level of anti-spam protection.

Download MailWasher Pro