.0000 Files Ransomware Virus – Remove and Restore Encrypted Data

This article aims to help you by explaining more about plus how to remove the .0000 CryptoMix ransomware variant from your computer and how to restore files that have been encrypted by this virus.

Yet another variant of the CryptoMix ransomware family has surfaced out in the wild, appending the .0000 file extension to the files which are encrypted by the malware. The virus then drops a ransom note, named _HELP_INSTRUCTION.TXT which asks victims to contact the cyber-criminals on one of 4 anonymous e-mail addresses. Upon contact, the victims are requested to pay a hefty ransom fee in order to restore their encrypted files back to their original and working state. If you are one of the victims of .0000 ransomware, it is strongly recommended that you read this article and hence learn how to remove this CryptoMix ransomware variant and restore your files without having to pay ransom.

Threat Summary

Name	.0000 CryptoMix
Type	Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description	Aims to encrypt the files on the infected computer and then asks victims to contact the cyber-crooks and pay them to get the files decoded.
Symptoms	Files are no longer openable and are with changed names and added .0000 file extension. Ransom note, named _HELP_INSTRUCTION.TXT is dropped on the desktop of the user’s PC.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by .0000 CryptoMix Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss .0000 CryptoMix.
Data Recovery Tool	Windows Data Recovery by Stellar Phoenix Notice! This product scans your drive sectors to recover lost files and it may not recover 100% of the encrypted files, but only few of them, depending on the situation and whether or not you have reformatted your drive.

.0000 Files Virus – How Does It Infect Computers

The .0000 files virus aims to perform various different types of activities in order to successfully infect a given computer system. The primary one of those is to obfuscate the infection file of the .0000 ransomware in order to avoid detection by malware. This file may then be sent to victims via multiple different methods, including spammed e-mail messages which pretend that the infection file is a legitimate document, such as:

• Invoice.
• .PDF files
• Microsoft Office documents.
• Banking statements.
• Purchase receipts.

The e-mails which are being sent, distributing the infection file of .0000 CryptoMix ransomware variant may also contain deceitful messages within them, for example:

In addition to via e-mail, the malicious files of .0000 CryptoMix ransomware may also be spread other methods, such as fake key generator files, fake software setups and other files that may be uploaded online as legitimate downloads.

.0000 CryptoMix Ransomware – More Information

There is not much that differs the .0000 file ransowmare from the other CryptoMix variants it derives from. The malware drops it’s malicious files on the victim’s computer upon infecting it by either downloading them from a remote host or extracting them in an obfuscated manner. The malicious files that are dropped by the .0000 files virus may have different names and are usually located in the commonly targeted Windows folders:

After those files are dropped on the computer of the victim, the CryptoMix ransomware may perform various different activities, starting with:

• Creating mutexes.
• Touching system files and processes.
• Modifying registry sub-keys in the Windows Registry Editor. Deleting the Shadow Volume copies and disabling System recovery.

Regarding the registry editor and the Windows registry sub-keys, the .0000 CryptoMix variant may attack the Run and RunOnce Windows Registry sub-keys. This may result in the ransomware’s encryption file running automatically on system boot. The registry keys which may be attacked by it, have the following locations:

→ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

After having modified the registry editor, the .0000 ransomware may also delete the shadow volume copies of your computer by running the following commands as an administrator in your Windows Command prompt without this appearing visually on your screen:

→ bcdedit /set bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures
bcdedit /set recoveryenabled No
bcdedit /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures
bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No
vssadmin delete shadows /for= [/oldest | /all | /shadow=] [/quiet]

The virus also makes sure that it’s presence is known on your computer by adding the _HELP_INSTRUCTION.TXT ransom note, which has the following contents:

Hello!
Attention! All Your data was encrypted!
For specific informartion, p1ease send us an emai] with Your 10 number:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Please send emai] to al email addresses! we will help You as soon as possible!
DECRYPT-ID-

.0000 Files Virus Encryption Process

The encryption of the .0000 files ransomware is conducted in the same way as other CryptoMix variants. The virus begins by having a pre-configured set of file extensions which it scans for in order to encrypt them. These file extensions belong ot the most often used file types, like videos, archives, documents, images and others, for example:

PNG .PSD .PSPIMAGE .TGA .THM .TIF .TIFF .YUV .AI .EPS .PS .SVG .INDD .PCT .PDF .XLR .XLS .XLSX .ACCDB .DB .DBF .MDB .PDB .SQL .APK .APP .BAT .CGI .COM .EXE .GADGET .JAR .PIF .WSF .DEM .GAM .NES .ROM .SAV CAD Files .DWG .DXF GIS Files .GPX .KML .KMZ .ASP .ASPX .CER .CFM .CSR .CSS .HTM .HTML .JS .JSP .PHP .RSS .XHTML. DOC .DOCX .LOG .MSG .ODT .PAGES .RTF .TEX .TXT .WPD .WPS .CSV .DAT .GED .KEY .KEYCHAIN .PPS .PPT .PPTX ..INI .PRF Encoded Files .HQX .MIM .UUE .7Z .CBR .DEB .GZ .PKG .RAR .RPM .SITX .TAR.GZ .ZIP .ZIPX .BIN .CUE .DMG .ISO .MDF .TOAST .VCD SDF .TAR .TAX2014 .TAX2015 .VCF .XML Audio Files .AIF .IFF .M3U .M4A .MID .MP3 .MPA .WAV .WMA Video Files .3G2 .3GP .ASF .AVI .FLV .M4V .MOV .MP4 .MPG .RM .SRT .SWF .VOB .WMV 3D .3DM .3DS .MAX .OBJ R.BMP .DDS .GIF .JPG ..CRX .PLUGIN .FNT .FON .OTF .TTF .CAB .CPL .CUR .DESKTHEMEPACK .DLL .DMP .DRV .ICNS .ICO .LNK .SYS .CFG

After detecting the files, the malware uses the AES encryption algorithm in order to encrypt the files. This process replaces the data from the original files with data from the encrypted file types. After doing this, the .0000 ransomware generates a unique AES decryption key. This key is assymetric and just like the XZZX ransomware variant of CryptoMix, the .0000 ransomware uses 11 RSA-1024 encrption keys to encrypt the AES assymetric key, used for the encryption of your files. This gives the .0000 ransomware the ability to work as an offline virus without even communicating with the cyber-criminals allowing their command and control server to be exposed.

After the encryption process of this CryptoMix ransomware variant has completed, the malware adds the .0000 file extension to the encrypted files and then completely renames them, so that you won’t be able to recognize which file is the most important to you. The files begin appearing like shown in the image below:

How to Remove .0000 Files Virus and Protect Yourself + Restore Files

In order to remove the .0000 ransomware variant of CryptoMix, reccomendations are to focus on on following the removal instructions which we have suggested down below. They are created to help you remove the .0000 ransowmare manually if you have malware removal experience or automatically, which is the most preferred method, according to malware analysts. This is because downloading an advanced anti-malware software and scanning your PC with it automatically will allow you to remove all of the malicious files related to the .0000 file ransomware and protect your computer against future infections in real-time.

If you want to restore files that have been encrypted by the .0000 CryptoMix ransomware variant, it is reccomended that you try out the alternative file recovery methods down below in step “2.Restore files encrypted by .0000 CryptoMix”. They are specifically created in order to help you recovery as many files as you can without having to pay the ransom and trust cyber-criminals with your money.

Manually delete .0000 CryptoMix from your computer

Note! Substantial notification about the .0000 CryptoMix threat: Manual removal of .0000 CryptoMix requires interference with system files and registries. Thus, it can cause damage to your PC. Even if your computer skills are not at a professional level, don’t worry. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using a malware removal tool.

1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .0000 CryptoMix files and objects

Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode

1. For Windows 7,XP and Vista. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Fix registry entries created by .0000 CryptoMix on your PC.

For Windows XP, Vista, 7 systems:

1. Remove all CDs and DVDs, and then Restart your PC from the “Start” menu.
2. Select one of the two options provided below:

– For PCs with a single operating system: Press “F8” repeatedly after the first boot screen shows up during the restart of your computer. In case the Windows logo appears on the screen, you have to repeat the same task again.

– For PCs with multiple operating systems: Тhe arrow keys will help you select the operating system you prefer to start in Safe Mode. Press “F8” just as described for a single operating system.

3. As the “Advanced Boot Options” screen appears, select the Safe Mode option you want using the arrow keys. As you make your selection, press “Enter“.

4. Log on to your computer using your administrator account

While your computer is in Safe Mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear in all four corners of your screen.

Step 1: Open the Start Menu

Step 2: Whilst holding down Shift button, click on Power and then click on Restart.
Step 3: After reboot, the aftermentioned menu will appear. From there you should choose Troubleshoot.

Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu you can choose Advanced Options.

Step 5: After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.

Step 6: Click on Restart.

Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You should choose Safe Mode by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries of your computer to change different settings. This is why manual clean up of your Windows Registry Database is strongly recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit lenghty, we recommend following our instructive article about fixing registry entries.

2.Find malicious files created by .0000 CryptoMix on your PC

Find malicious files created by .0000 CryptoMix

1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. 2. For Windows 7,XP and Vista.

For Newer Windows Operating Systems

Step 1:

On your keyboard press  + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.

Step 2:

Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.

Step 3:

Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:

N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.

For Older Windows Operating Systems

In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:

Step 1:

Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.

Step 2:

After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.

Step 3:

After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.

Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.

Automatically remove .0000 CryptoMix by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove .0000 CryptoMix with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

Remove .0000 CryptoMix with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove .0000 CryptoMix.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove .0000 CryptoMix. Back up your data to secure it against infections and file encryption by .0000 CryptoMix in the future.

Step 1:Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is highly recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter.

Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to automatically update.

Step1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Scan Computer Now’ button.

Step2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any .0000 CryptoMix files, click on the ‘Fix Threats’ button to remove them automatically and permanently.

Step3: Once the intrusions on your PC have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart it.

Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future

IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data automatically with cloud backup and insure it against any type of data loss on your device, even the most severe. We recommend reading more about and downloading SOS Online Backup .

SOS Online Backup

2. Restore files encrypted by .0000 CryptoMix

Restore Files Encrypted by .0000 CryptoMix

Ransomware infections like .0000 CryptoMix aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to directly decrypt. This is why we have suggested several alternative methods that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that they may not be 100% effective but they may help you little or a lot in some situations.

Method 1: Scanning your drive’s sectors by using Data Recovery software.
Another method of restoring your files is by trying to bring back your files via data recovery software. Here are some suggestions for preferred data recovery software solutions:

• Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery Technicians License(Pro version with more features)
• Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery
• Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery

Method 2: Trying Kaspersky and EmsiSoft’s decryptors.
If the first method does not work, we suggest trying to use decryptors for other ransomware viruses, in case your virus is a variant of them. The two primary developers of decryptors are Kaspersky and EmsiSoft, links to which we have provided below:

• Kaspersky Decryptors
• Emsisoft Decryptors

Urgent! It is strongly advisable to first remove the .0000 CryptoMix threat before attempting any decryption, since it may interfere with system files and registries. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using an advanced malware removal tool.

Method 3: Using Shadow Explorer

To restore your data in case you have backup set up, it is important to check for shadow copies in Windows using this software if ransomware has not deleted them:

• Shadow Explorer

Method 4: Finding .0000 CryptoMix decryption key while it communicates it via a network sniffing software.

Another way to decrypt the files is by using a Network Sniffer to get the encryption key, while files are encrypted on your system. A Network Sniffer is a program and/or device monitoring data traveling over a network, such as its internet traffic and internet packets. If you have a sniffer set before the attack happened you might get information about the decryption key. See how-to instructions below:

Instructions on How to Find Decryption Key for Files Encrypted By Ransowmare

Optional: Using Alternative Anti-Malware Tools

Remove .0000 CryptoMix Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove .0000 CryptoMix.
Step 1: Download STOPZilla by clicking here.
Step 2: A pop-up window will appear. Click on the ‘Save File’ button. If it does not, click on the Download button and save it afterwards.

Step 3: After you have downloaded the setup, simply open it.
Step 4: The installer should appear. Click on the ‘Next’ button.

Step 5: Check the ‘I accept the agreement’ check circle if not checked if you accept it and click the ‘Next’ button once again.

Step 6: Review and click on the ‘Install’ button.

Step 7: After the installation process has completed click on the ‘Finish’ button.

2. Scan your PC with STOPZilla Anti Malware to remove all .0000 CryptoMix associated files completely.
Step 1: Launch STOPZilla if you haven’t launched it after install.
Step 2: Wait for the software to automatically scan and then click on the ‘Repair Now’ button. If it does not scan automatically, click on the ‘Scan Now’ button.

Step 3: After the removal of all threats and associated objects, you should Restart your PC.

Vencislav Krustev

A network administrator and malware researcher at SensorsTechForum with passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cyber security. Strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.

More Posts - Website