Kaspersky Restore Utility May 2026

| File Type | Ransomware A (Legacy) | Ransomware B (Modern, full-overwrite) | Ransomware C (Delete+TRIM) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Small .txt files | 92% recovery | 0% (overwritten) | 0% | | .jpg photos | 78% recovery | 12% (partial headers) | 3% (fragments) | | .docx (ZIP structure) | 65% recovery | 0% | 0% | | .pdf | 81% recovery | 8% | 1% |

Most people know Kaspersky for its antivirus engine (and the geopolitical noise surrounding it). Few know about a small, standalone tool quietly sitting in their installation directory that can perform digital necromancy. kaspersky restore utility

After testing it against three different ransomware strains (including one that overwrote files with zeros), here is everything you need to know—when it works, when it fails, and how to use it like a forensic analyst. Let’s clear up the biggest misconception immediately. | File Type | Ransomware A (Legacy) |

Keep a copy of restore.exe on a USB drive before you get infected. If you wait until after, downloading it onto the compromised machine might overwrite the very sectors you need to recover. Let’s clear up the biggest misconception immediately

TL;DR: The Kaspersky Restore Utility is not a backup tool. It is a forensic-grade, signature-agnostic file-carving engine designed to resurrect data from drives that ransomware has deliberately tried to destroy. If you think your encrypted files are gone forever, this is your last line of defense.