This article will aid you to remove CrazyCrypt 2.1 Ransomware. Follow the ransomware removal instructions provided at the end of the article.
CrazyCrypt 2.1 Ransomware is one that encrypts your personal data with a strong cipher and demands money as a ransom to get it restored. The CrazyCrypt 2.1 Ransomware will leave ransomware instructions as text file. Keep on reading the article and see how you could try to potentially recover some of your locked files and data.
Threat Summary
| Name | CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware |
| Type | Ransomware, Cryptovirus |
| Short Description | The ransomware encrypts sensitive user files on your computer system and demands a ransom to be paid to allegedly recover them. |
| Symptoms | The ransomware will encrypt your files and leave a ransom note with payment instructions. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments |
| Detection Tool |
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware. |
| 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. |
CrazyCrypt 2.1 Ransomware – Distribution Techniques
The CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware samples have been captured in a live test campaign which shows that it the threat is probably in an early stage of testing and development. We anticipate that the criminals will use the most popular tactics which are the following:
- Email Phishing Campaigns — The criminals can craft deceiving messages that appear as being sent by a legitimate sender. The spoofed messages may contain the same body contents as the real ones, the only difference may be in the address fields. by interacting with the links or any multimedia content the victims will be redirected to the malicious payload. The file may also be directly attached.
- Dangerous Sites — Fake download sites and popular sites can be crafted in order to fool the visitors into thinking that they have found a legitimate and safe place. Usual victims are search engines, download portals, product landing pages and etc. They are popularly hosted on similar sounding domain names and stolen or self-signed security certificates.
- Dangerous Application Installers — This method relies on the creation of infected installers of software that is frequently downloaded by end users. This includes all sorts of system utility and productivity and office applications. The hackers will take the original files from their official sources and adding in the necessary code.
- Infected Documents — A similar technique is to embed dangerous macros in the most popular document types: text files, spreadsheets, databases and presentations. When they are opened by the victims a notification message will be spawned asking the users to enable the built-in content. The quoted reason is that this is required in order to correctly view the file. If this is done the CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware infection will start.
- Browser Hijackers — They are dangerous web browser extensions which are spread on the repositories of the most popular applications with fake user reviews and developer credentials. They pose as useful additions that can enhance the applications in some way. Whenever they are installed modifications to the browsers will take place — this is done in order to redirect the victims to a hacker-set landing page.
- File Sharing Networks — Popular networks such as BitTorrent can be used to carry both the standalone virus files and the carriers. They are a popular place where both legitimate and pirate data is found.
As the virus is developed further other methods can be used as well.
CrazyCrypt 2.1 Ransomware – Detailed Analysis
The CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware is a test virus which appears to have code taken from several of the popular malware families — Hidden Tear and Jigsaw. The source code of the main engines are available on the hacker underground forums which signals that the developers behind this creation want to make a custom threat of their own.
At the moment it contains only the ransomware engine however we anticipate that the full release will include other components as well. Some of the main ones that are often found with similar threats are the following:
- Data Collection — The ransomware can be programmed to extract sensitive information from the compromised machines. This includes both machine metrics that can be used to create an unique ID for each computer and personal information. This is done by an engine that will be programmed to harvest strings according to the proper category. A complex algorithm will take the necessary values that can identify a given computer and compute them into a single string — the list of installed hardware parts, user settings and operating system conditions. The personal information that can be acquired include the person’s name, address, phone number, interests and account credentials.
- Security Bypass — The CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware can be programmed to search for security software that can interfere with the proper virus deployment. Their real-time engines will be bypassed or entirely removed. The list of potential applications that are usually affected includes anti-virus programs, firewalls, virtual machine hosts and sandbox environments.
- Windows Registry Changes — Most popular ransomware of this type can alter the Windows Registry by creating entries for itself or modifying already existing ones. If values that are used by the operating system are affected then the victims may experience serious performance issues and may have trouble accessing certain services. The changes that are made to third-party applications can lead to unexpected errors during runtime.
- Removal of Data — The engine can be programmed to delete sensitive data such as backups, restore points and shadow volume copies.
- Persistent Installation — The CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware can be set up as a persistent threat that will run every time the computer is powered on. It can also disable access to the boot options and recovery menus. This makes most of the manual user removal guides non-working as they require access to them. In this case a quality anti-spyware solution must be used in order to recover the systems.
Other code can be added in the final versions which can other behavior as well.
CrazyCrypt 2.1 Ransomware – Encryption Process
The CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware will launch the relevant encryption operations when all modules have finished running. Like other similar threats it will use a built-in list of target file type extensions such as the following:
- Backups
- Archives
- Databases
- Images
- Music
- Videos
A lockscreen instance or a pop-up screen will be shown to the victims instead of a ransomware note.
Remove CrazyCrypt 2.1 Ransomware and Try to Restore Data
If your computer system got infected with the CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware virus, you should have a bit of experience in removing malware. You should get rid of this ransomware as quickly as possible before it can have the chance to spread further and infect other computers. You should remove the ransomware and follow the step-by-step instructions guide provided below.
Martin Beltov
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
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Step 1: Scan for CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Ransomware Automatic Removal - Video Guide
Step 2: Uninstall CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware and related malware 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:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully delete most unwanted and malicious programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware 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 CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
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.
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: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware
Step 5: Try to Restore Files Encrypted by CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware.
Method 1: Use STOP Decrypter by Emsisoft.
Not all variants of this ransomware can be decrypted for free, but we have added the decryptor used by researchers that is often updated with the variants which become eventually decrypted. You can try and decrypt your files using the instructions below, but if they do not work, then unfortunately your variant of the ransomware virus is not decryptable.
Follow the instructions below to use the Emsisoft decrypter and decrypt your files for free. You can download the Emsisoft decryption tool linked here and then follow the steps provided below:
1 Right-click on the decrypter and click on Run as Administrator as shown below:
2. Agree with the license terms:
3. Click on "Add Folder" and then add the folders where you want files decrypted as shown underneath:
4. Click on "Decrypt" and wait for your files to be decoded.
Note: Credit for the decryptor goes to Emsisoft researchers who have made the breakthrough with this virus.
Method 2: Use data recovery software
Ransomware infections and CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that this method may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
Simply click on the link and on the website menus on the top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.
CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware-FAQ
What is CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware Ransomware?
CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware is a ransomware infection - the malicious software that enters your computer silently and blocks either access to the computer itself or encrypt your files.
Many ransomware viruses use sophisticated encryption algorithms to make your files inaccessible. The goal of ransomware infections is to demand that you pay a ransom payment to get access to your files back.
What Does CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware Ransomware Do?
Ransomware in general is a malicious software that is designed to block access to your computer or files until a ransom is paid.
Ransomware viruses can also damage your system, corrupt data and delete files, resulting in the permanent loss of important files.
How Does CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware Infect?
Via several ways.CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware Ransomware infects computers by being sent via phishing emails, containing virus attachment. This attachment is usually masked as an important document, like an invoice, bank document or even a plane ticket and it looks very convincing to users.
Another way you may become a victim of CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware is if you download a fake installer, crack or patch from a low reputation website or if you click on a virus link. Many users report getting a ransomware infection by downloading torrents.
How to Open .CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware files?
You can't without a decryptor. At this point, the .CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware files are encrypted. You can only open them once they are decrypted using a specific decryption key for the particular algorithm.
What to Do If a Decryptor Does Not Work?
Do not panic, and backup the files. If a decryptor did not decrypt your .CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
Can I Restore ".CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware" Files?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware files.
These methods are in no way 100% guaranteed that you will be able to get your files back. But if you have a backup, your chances of success are much greater.
How To Get Rid of CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware Virus?
The safest way and the most efficient one for the removal of this ransomware infection is the use a professional anti-malware program.
It will scan for and locate CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware files.
Can I Report Ransomware to Authorities?
In case your computer got infected with a ransomware infection, you can report it to the local Police departments. It can help authorities worldwide track and determine the perpetrators behind the virus that has infected your computer.
Below, we have prepared a list with government websites, where you can file a report in case you are a victim of a cybercrime:
Cyber-security authorities, responsible for handling ransomware attack reports in different regions all over the world:
Germany - Offizielles Portal der deutschen Polizei
United States - IC3 Internet Crime Complaint Centre
United Kingdom - Action Fraud Police
France - Ministère de l'Intérieur
Italy - Polizia Di Stato
Spain - Policía Nacional
Netherlands - Politie
Poland - Policja
Portugal - Polícia Judiciária
Greece - Cyber Crime Unit (Hellenic Police)
India - Mumbai Police - CyberCrime Investigation Cell
Australia - Australian High Tech Crime Center
Reports may be responded to in different timeframes, depending on your local authorities.
Can You Stop Ransomware from Encrypting Your Files?
Yes, you can prevent ransomware. The best way to do this is to ensure your computer system is updated with the latest security patches, use a reputable anti-malware program and firewall, backup your important files frequently, and avoid clicking on malicious links or downloading unknown files.
Can CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware Ransomware Steal Your Data?
Yes, in most cases ransomware will steal your information. It is a form of malware that steals data from a user's computer, encrypts it, and then demands a ransom in order to decrypt it.
In many cases, the malware authors or attackers will threaten to delete the data or publish it online unless the ransom is paid.
Can Ransomware Infect WiFi?
Yes, ransomware can infect WiFi networks, as malicious actors can use it to gain control of the network, steal confidential data, and lock out users. If a ransomware attack is successful, it could lead to a loss of service and/or data, and in some cases, financial losses.
Should I Pay Ransomware?
No, you should not pay ransomware extortionists. Paying them only encourages criminals and does not guarantee that the files or data will be restored. The better approach is to have a secure backup of important data and be vigilant about security in the first place.
What Happens If I Don't Pay Ransom?
If you don't pay the ransom, the hackers may still have access to your computer, data, or files and may continue to threaten to expose or delete them, or even use them to commit cybercrimes. In some cases, they may even continue to demand additional ransom payments.
Can a Ransomware Attack Be Detected?
Yes, ransomware can be detected. Anti-malware software and other advanced security tools can detect ransomware and alert the user when it is present on a machine.
It is important to stay up-to-date on the latest security measures and to keep security software updated to ensure ransomware can be detected and prevented.
Do Ransomware Criminals Get Caught?
Yes, ransomware criminals do get caught. Law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, Interpol and others have been successful in tracking down and prosecuting ransomware criminals in the US and other countries. As ransomware threats continue to increase, so does the enforcement activity.
About the CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific malware and restore your encrypted files.
How did we conduct the research on this ransomware?
Our research is based on an independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, and as such, we receive daily updates on the latest malware and ransomware definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the CrazyCrypt 2.1 ransomware ransomware threat is backed with VirusTotal and the NoMoreRansom project.
To better understand the ransomware threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.
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