by Ventsislav Krastev + | April 17, 2017 | 0 Comments .aes-ni file extension, file-encryption, malware, ransomware

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Note! Your computer might be affected by AES-NI Virus and other threats.

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Ventsislav Krastev

Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.

Threat Summary

Name	AES-NI Virus
Type	Ransomware
Short Description	Encrypts important documents and other files on computers it infects. Asks for a ransom to be paid.
Symptoms	The victim may see a ransom note, named !!! READ THIS – IMPORTANT !!!.txt and the files encrypted with and added .aes-ni file extension.
Distribution Method	Via an Exploit kit, Dll file attack, malicious JavaScript or a drive-by download of the malware itself in an obfuscated manner.
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by AES-NI Virus Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join our forum to Discuss AES-NI Virus.
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.

AES-NI Ransomware – Infection Process

The infection file of the AES-NI ransomware may be a heavily obfuscated JavaScript that is malicious or a dropper file. It may also be a Trojan horse or other malware, such as botnet that has previously compromised the victim PC.

The distribution of the infection file may be conducted via massive spam e-mail campaigns that aim for one thing only – to trick users into either clicking on the malicious file or a malicious web link that is embedded within the body of the e-mail sent. One example of such message can be seen below:

Besides e-mail, cyber-criminals who are behind the AES-NI infection may authorize themselves to upload malicious files on file-sharing websites, like torrent sites, for example. Such files may be presented to the user as key generators to activate a license for a given program or a crack or patch for different software.

Other infection methods may include attacks via fake updates or as a result of a malicious browser redirect. Such can happen if the user has an ad-supported potentially unwanted application, also known as PUA.

Once an infection has happened, by any of those scenarios, AES-NI ransomware’s malicious files may be dropped on the infected computer. They include:

!!! READ THIS – IMPORTANT !!!.txt
.key.aes_ni files
Exectuable files located in the %System Drive%, %AppData% or %Windows% folders.

.Aes-ni File Virus – Infection Activity

Besides the primary malicious files of AES-NI, the virus may also create duplicate files or support modules of different file types (.dll, .tmp, .vbs, .bat, .exe) that may be located in the following Windows directories:

%AppData%
%Roaming%
%Local%
%LocalLow%
%SystemDrive%
%Windows%
%System32%

The activity of the virus may also include the modifications of Windows Registry sub-keys in a way that the malicious executable that encrypts files runs on system start-up. The keys targeted for this 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

In those keys, the AES-NI virus may create custom value strings with the path to the malicious files, so if you are removing the virus manually, you can open the key and see where the malicious file is located.

The AES-NI virus also performs a check of the location of the compromised computer, and if the computer is from one of the former Soviet Union countries, the AES-NI ransomware self-deletes and does not encrypt any files.

Other activities of the AES-NI ransomware infection may include the modification of the Window Shadow copies via the following administrative Winodws Command prompt command lines:

→ process call create “cmd.exe /c
vssadmin.exe delete shadows /all /quiet
bcdedit.exe /set {default} recoveryenabled no
bcdedit.exe /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures

The Encryption Process of AES-NI Ransomware

To encrypt files, this ransomware virus uses the so-called ECB encryption mode. This encryption mode includes several different encryption sequences. The mode is also known as Electronic Code Book mode. This mode is used when more than one block of data with the same key is encrypted once. The encryption algorithm for the ECB mode is called Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and is the strongest AES-256 bit. Then , the AES-NI ransomware may combine the file encryption with the RSA algorithm which generates a unique decryption key for each file or set of files. The decryption keys may then be sent via encrypted connection to the servers of the cyber-criminals who are behind AES-NI ransomware.

Among the files encrypted by AES-NI ransomware may be the following:

Documents.
Music.
Videos.
Recordings.
Images.
Database files.

After the encryption process has completed, the AES-NI ransomware sets a custom file extension to the encrypted files and they appear like the following:

The final step of the encryption process is to notify the victim of the encrypted files. This happens by dropping the ransom note of the virus, named !!! READ THIS – IMPORTANT !!!.txt. It has the following content:

==========================# aes-ni ransomware #==========================
█████╗ ██████╗██████╗ ███╗ ██╗ ██╗
██╔═██╗██╔═══╝██╔═══╝ ████╗ ██║ ██║
██████║█████╗ ██████╗███╗██╔██╗██║ ██║
██╔═██║██╔══╝ ╚═══██║╚══╝██║╚████║ ██║
██║ ██║██████╗██████║ ██║ ╚███║ ██║
╚═╝ ╚═╝╚═════╝╚═════╝ ╚═╝ ╚══╝ ╚═╝
SORRY! Your files are encrypted.
File contents are encrypted with random key (AES-256 bit; ECB mode).
Random key is encrypted with RSA public key (2048 bit).
We STRONGLY RECOMMEND you NOT to use any “decryption tools”.
These tools can damage your data, making recover IMPOSSIBLE.
Also we recommend you not to contact data recovery companies.
They will just contact us, buy the key and sell it to you at a higher price.
If you want to decrypt your files, you have to get RSA private key.
In order to get private key, write here:
[email protected]
Also there is one fast way to contact us.
If you are familiar with Jabber, write us to JID: [email protected] (it is Jabber, not e-mail address!)
You can get Jabber account for example at https://www.xmpp.jp/signup
IMPORTANT: In some cases malware researchers can block our e-mails.
If you did not receive any answer on e-mail in 48 hours,
please do not panic and write to BitMsg (https://bitmsg.me) address:
BM-2cVgoJS8HPMkjzgDMVNAGg5TG3bb1TcfhN
or create topic on https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ and we will find you there.
Also it will be better if you download Tor browser here: https://www.torproject.org/download/download-easy.html.en
Download, install and run it; then visit our site (from Tor browser): http://kzg2xa3nsydva3p2.onion/index.php
Please do not visit this site from standard browser: it just will not open. You need Tor Browser to open .onion sites.
There is a form, you can write us there if all e-mails are blocked and we will contact you very fastly.
If someone else offers you files restoring, ask him for test decryption.
Only we can successfully decrypt your files; knowing this can protect you from fraud.
You will receive instructions of what to do next.
You MUST refer this ID in your message:
{Unique ID}Also you MUST send all “.key.aes_ni” files from C:\ProgramData if there are any.
==========================# aes-ni ransomware #==========================

Source: id-ransomware-blogspot.bg

Remove .AES-NI Virus and Get Your Data Back

Before removing the AES-NI ransomware, it is strongly recommended to back up all your files. Then, we advise following the removal instructions down below. They are carefully designed to help isolate the threat first and remove it second. For maximum effectiveness, experts strongly advise removing AES-NI ransomware automatically by performing a scan with a particular anti-malware software. It will also protect the system in the future.

For the restoration of the files, keep following this article, as a free decryptor is yet to be released. However, you can still restore chunk of the files by using some of the alternative methods for file recovery below in step “2. Restore files encrypted by AES-NI Virus”.

Note! Your computer system may be affected by AES-NI Virus and other threats.
Scan Your PC with SpyHunter
SpyHunter is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as AES-NI Virus.
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.

To remove AES-NI Virus follow these steps:

1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove AES-NI Virus files and objects

Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode

1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7.

2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.

Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.

For Windows XP, Vista and 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 up the Start Menu.

Step 2: Click on the Power button (for Windows 8 it is the little arrow next to the “Shut Down” button) and whilst holding down “Shift” click on Restart.

Step 3: After reboot, a blue menu with options will appear. From them you should choose Troubleshoot.

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

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

Step 6: From the Startup Settings menu, click on Restart.

Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You can choose any of the three Safe Mode options by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries on your computer to change different settings. This is why cleaning your Windows Registry Database is recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit long and tampering with registries could damage your computer if not done properly you should refer and follow our instructive article about fixing registry entries, especially if you are unexperienced in that area.

2. Find files created by AES-NI Virus on your PC

Use SpyHunter to scan for malware and unwanted programs

3. Scan for malware and unwanted programs with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

4. Try to Restore files encrypted by AES-NI Virus