.bip Files Virus (Dharma Ransomware) – Remove and Restore Files

This article has been made in order to best explain to you how you can remove the latest version of Dharma ransomware virus and explain how you can recover as many encrypted files as possible, containing the .bip file extension.

We have encountered reports from multiple victims about new iteration of the notorious Dharma ransomware. The malware has the .bip file extension embedded to it and it’s main goal is to conduct a lot of malicious activities, which results in leaving your files encrypted with a combination of several encryption algoritms. These ciphers aim to render your files to remain no longer able to be opened and looking like the following: Filename.id{ID-here}.[[email protected]].bip. The malware also leaves behind a ransom note file, named FILES ENCRYPTED.txt, which aims to convince victims into paying a hefty ransom fee to recover their files back to normal. If your computer has fallen victim to the .bip version of Dharma, we advise that you read this article since it contains information that can help you to recover your encrypted files without paying ransom.

Threat Summary

Name	.bip Dharma Virus
Type	File Encryption Ransomware
Short Description	A new iteration of the Dharma/CrySiS ransomware viruses. Utilizes sophisticated encryption mode on data of infected machines in order to extort victims to pay in BitCoin for their encrypted files..
Symptoms	Encrypts documents, images, videos and other important files and adds the .bip file suffix plus a unique ID and the e-mail to pay the ransom.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by .bip Dharma Virus Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss .bip Dharma 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.

.bip Files Virus – How Does It Infect

In order to effectively infect the computers of victims, the .bip files virus uses a rather often used mean of distribution – via e-mails automatically sent to victims, in other words spam. These type of messages aim to convince victims to open a malicious attachment via trusting in its content in the sense that it is a legitimate document of some sort, for example:

• An invoice for a purchase.
• Banking statement document.
• Receipt of a purchase.
• Orders which you may or may not have conducted.
• Other important files.

The e-mails which are sent, carry the infection file of Dharma ransomware, using the .bip file extension are made as if they come from people who are employees of companies in order to convince victims into opening them, for instance:

In addition to this, besides via e-mails of a spamming origin, the latest Dharma ransomware iteration could be spread via other means as well, such as claiming to be legitimate setups of software, keygens, patches or fixes for games and other software license activation files. If you look to download software online for free, we recommend that you always check the software via online scanners, like VirusTotal.

Dharma .bip Files Virus – Malicious Activity

When the infection with this ransomware virus has taken place on your computer, the initial action of it is to conduct preparation type of activities, such as:

• To create mutexes.
• Interact with the Windows Registry Editor.
• Delete system backups and shadow copies.
• Change the wallpaper or automatically schedule the ransom note file to open on your desktop.
• It may touch some of the Windows key files in order to obtain administrative privileges.

The main malicious file of the .bip variant of Dharma ransomware has been reported to be an executable type of file, with the following name and signature:

SHA-256:044d3d36c7e7377e29da769397b3e173b21acc2a07a676c377d0335c36e0e01f
Name:detrimentalnue.exe
File size:431 KB
Source:VirusTotal

After the .bip version of Dharma ransomware has already dropped it’s infection file on the computers of victims, it may drop its payload files into the following directories of Windows:

• %Local%
• %Roaming%
• %AppData%
• %Temp%
• %Windows%

After doing so, the .bip iteration of the Dharma virus may also begin to interact with the Windows Registry Editor. The malware may add Windows Registry entries in the Run and RunOnce registry sub-keys of Windows, with the following location:

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

These registry sub-keys are mainly the ones used if you want to run programs on Windows start-up and Dharma ransomware uses them to set it’s own settings to run the malicious files and other modules of it which perform nefarious activities on the infected PC automatically when you start Windows. One of those activities is to delete the Windows shadow volume copies, which is done via a script that is automatically executed and runs the following commands in Windows Command Prompt:

→ bcdedit /set bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures
bcdedit /set recoveryenabled No
bcdedit /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures
bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No
vssadmin delete shadows /for={volume} /oldest /all /shadow={ID of the Shadow} /quiet

The ransomware virus aims to perform multiple different types of activities in order to make sure the victim knows it’s presence. This includes dropping it’s ransom note in the files of the victim’s computer, which appears like the following:

Dharma .bip Ransomware – Encryption Process

Just like other variants of Dharma , this iteration uses the AES (advanced encryption standard) cipher that is classified as a Suite.B encryption algorithm and also used by the NSA for encrypting eyes-only types of files. This algorithm changes the data on the files of your computer so that they become no longer able to be opened. This activity then results in the Dharma ransomware leaving the files on your computer to seem as if they are corrupt and they cannot be opened by any form of software in the future.

The Dharma virus performs a scan before encrypting your files since the malware looks for types of files that contain the most often used file extensions, such as:

“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 .PRFEncodedFiles .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 .OBJR.BMP .DDS .GIF .JPG ..CRX .PLUGIN .FNT .FON .OTF .TTF .CAB .CPL .CUR .DESKTHEMEPACK .DLL .DMP .DRV .ICNS .ICO .LNK .SYS .CFG”

The .bip files variant of Dharma is clever enough not to encrypt files in those folders:

• %Windows%
• %System32%
• %System%
• %Local%
• %Temp%
• %Program Files%

This is a preventive measure to leave your computer intact while you cannot use your important documents. The files which are encrypted by Dharma ransomware start to appear like the following image shows:

After they are encrypted, the .bip files can no longer be opened via any program and their code structure has been replaced with data from the AES encryption cipher. This cipher generates an asymmetric decryption key which can be used only by the cyber-criminals in a special type of software designed to decrypt those files. So the only chance of getting all the files back is by either the crooks releasing the decryption key to the public, malware researchers cracking the virus and locating a master decryption key or you paying the ransom. But do not despair and do not support them by paying the ransom – there are other ways via which you can try and recover .bip encrypted files as well. Keep reading this article to understand how to remove the .bip variant of Dharma ransomware and get your files back.

Remove Dharma Ransomware and Restore .bip Encrypted Files

Removing Dharma ransomware is the best method to go for and a recommended way to do it is via following the instructions underneath this article. They have been created to explain step by step how to remove Dharma ransomware manually if you have the time and experience in malware removal. If not, the we’d advise you what most experts advise users – to download an advanced anti-malware software. This type of software will effectively make sure to get rid of all of the malicious files that are associated with the .bip file version of Dharma ransomware and protect your PC against future infections automatically.

If you want to restore files, encrypted with the .bip file extension, do not despair, because there are several alternative methods which you can try. They are located in step “2. Restore files encrypted by .bip Dharma Virus” and they have been created in order to help you restore as many files as possible without having to pay the ransom, even though there is not 100% chance you may be able to recover all of your files, encrypted by this malware.

Manually delete .bip Dharma Virus from your computer

Note! Substantial notification about the .bip Dharma Virus threat: Manual removal of .bip Dharma Virus 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 .bip Dharma Virus 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 .bip Dharma Virus 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 .bip Dharma Virus on your PC

Find malicious files created by .bip Dharma Virus

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 .bip Dharma Virus by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove .bip Dharma Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

Remove .bip Dharma Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove .bip Dharma Virus.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove .bip Dharma Virus. Back up your data to secure it against infections and file encryption by .bip Dharma Virus 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 .bip Dharma Virus 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 .bip Dharma Virus

Restore Files Encrypted by .bip Dharma Virus

Ransomware infections like .bip Dharma Virus 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 .bip Dharma Virus 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 .bip Dharma Virus 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 .bip Dharma Virus Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove .bip Dharma Virus.
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 .bip Dharma Virus 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

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.

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