.0000 Files Ransomware Virus – Remove and Restore Encrypted Data

by Ventsislav Krastev | November 20, 2017 | 0 Comments file-encryption, malware

Threat Summary .0000 Files Virus – How Does It Infect Computers .0000 CryptoMix Ransomware – More Information .0000 Files Virus Encryption Process How to Remove .0000 Files Virus and Protect Yourself + Restore Files

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 malware 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:
y0000@tuta.io
y0000@protonmai1.com
y0000@yandex.com
y0000@yandex.com
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.

Ventsislav Krastev

Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.

How to Remove .0000 CryptoMix from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .0000 CryptoMix

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter's malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

1. Hold Windows key() + R

2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

Step 2: Uninstall .0000 CryptoMix and related software from Windows

Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:

1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

Step 3: Clean any registries, created by .0000 CryptoMix on your computer.

The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:

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

You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by .0000 CryptoMix there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:

1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.

Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.

IMPORTANT!
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.

Step 4: Scan for .0000 CryptoMix with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is 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. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Get rid of .0000 CryptoMix from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall .0000 CryptoMix and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to .0000 CryptoMix:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to .0000 CryptoMix. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

6: Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to .0000 CryptoMix. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:

Go to Finder.
In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.

In case you cannot remove .0000 CryptoMix via Step 1 above:

In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:

2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:

3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as .0000 CryptoMix. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.

You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:

→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons

Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.

Step 2: Scan for and remove .0000 CryptoMix files from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as .0000 CryptoMix, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.

Click the button below below to download SpyHunter for Mac and scan for .0000 CryptoMix:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove .0000 CryptoMix from Google Chrome.

Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu

Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"

Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.

Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Erase .0000 CryptoMix from Mozilla Firefox.

Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window

Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.

Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"

Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Uninstall .0000 CryptoMix from Microsoft Edge.

Step 1: Start Edge browser.

Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.

Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".

Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.

Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove .0000 CryptoMix from Safari.

Step 1: Start the Safari app.

Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.

Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".

Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.

Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.

Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.

A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the .0000 CryptoMix will be removed.

How to Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.

Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.

Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Eliminate .0000 CryptoMix from Internet Explorer.

Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.

Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'

Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.

Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.

Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.