This article aims to help you remove the Gruxer ransomware infection and restore the AES encrypted files by this ransomware virus.
A ransomware infection going by the name GruxEr has been reported to encrypt the files on the computers it infects and then demand a ransom of $250 in BitCoin from the victims to get the files back. The virus has been detected at the beginning of May 2017 and it has been reported to wreak havoc ever since. It drops a ransom note which asks victims not to shut down their computer or else the files will be permanently lost. In case your computer has been infected by the GruxEr ransomware threat, you should read the following article thoroughly to learn how to remove it from your computer and restore files encrypted by this infection. Be advised to attempt anything suggested in this article and it’s instructions solely at your own risk!
GruxEr Ransomware – How Does It Spread
The distribution of GruxEr ransomware has been reported to be conducted in multiple different methods. The primary methods of those is via spreading a Trojan-type of executable via fake updates, game patches, key generators or other online file sharing services. The executable of GruxEr ransomware has been detected to be the following:
As soon as the malicious executable of GruxEr ransomware has been opened, the virus drops multiple files on the victim’s computer, predominantly located in %Temp% directory. The files are reported to have the following name:
- GRUXER.EXE
- TEARS.EXE
- WORM.EXE
One of the files hints of a possible method of spreading the GruxEr ransomware via a worm infection, which is particularly dangerous. The main reason for this is that worms unlike other malware may spread automatically from a computer to computer via open ports of the network or automatically generated requests.
GruxEr Ransomware – In Depth Analysis
Believed to use the HiddenTear source code for file encryption, called Tears, the virus initially begins to block the screen of the user’s computer using the GRUXER.EXE module. The blocked screen has the following ransom note:
Your documents, photos, databases and other important files have been encrypted with the strongest encryption known to man. And is secured with a unique key, generated for this computer. The private decryption key is stored on a secret Internet server and nobody can decrypt your files until you pay to obtain your key.
You must pay $250 in Bitcoin to the bitcoin address below.If you do not have Bitcoin visit the site Localbitcoins and purchase $250 USD worth of bitcoin. Within 2 minutes of recieveing your payment, an automated bot will send your computer your personal decryption key.
You have 72 hours to submit the payment. If you do not send the money within the provided time, all your files will be permanently crypted and no one will ever be able to recover them.
After this, the GruxEr virus encrypts the files on the compromised computer and it’s final phase is to keep spreading by a .JPG infection worm, via the WORM.EXE module. This infector looks for JPG files and rewrites the beginning of those files using PNG file architecture.
GruxEr Ransomware – Encryption Process
The process of encrypting files is performed via the TEARS.EXE module. When it is activated, it begins to apply the AES encryption algorithm which generates a decryption key afterwards. The files that the virus may target are believed to be the following types:
→ “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”Source:fileinfo.com
After it encrypts the files on the compromised computers, the virus may add the following text in their strings:
“Files has been encrypted with hidden tear
Send me some bitcoins or kebab
And I also hate night clubs desserts, being drunk.”
Fortunately files encrypted by this ransomware virus may be decryptable, since it is part of the hidden tear ransomware viruses. But first, it is very important to remove the files that are malicious from your computer and the registry objects as well as other settings. To do this, we advise you to follow the instructions underneath.
Remove GruxEr Ransomware
Before begging to remove GruxEr from your computer, we strongly suggest that you extract the encrypted files. However, the ransomware appends a lockscreen via the GRUXER.EXE module. And what is worse is that the virus warns you that the files will be permanently lost if your computer is shut down. This is believed to be a scareware message, but we strongly advise not to rely on this information.
The best course of action is to turn off your computer by force, by cutting the power to it, whether it is via the power source or battery (laptop). Then, we advise following the below-mentioned steps:
1. Download a live operating system on your computer which boots from a flash drive. Make sure the live OS is Windows and has what is known as AntiWinLocker which unlocks folders of Windows if you boot from a live OS and bypasses user accounts. One of those live Windows OS’s is called Windows 7 LiveCD [Xemom1]. You can find it on many torrent sites.
2. Install the live OS on a flash drive via software, such as Rufus. If you are having difficulty using rufus, you can follow the instructions on our forum. Use a safe PC, not the one you just turned off.
3. The final step is to follow these instructions in order to boot your computer without risk. This can happen if you remove it’s hard drive and attach it to another safe PC so that you can access the encrypted files and copy them to the Safe PC.
We prefer to give you the “hands-on approach” because it is less complicated and can bypass any Windows login screens, etc. But for this to work, you will need the following tools:
Now it is time to get down to business. Before beginning, bear in mind that even if you have a desktop PC, the instructions do not differ much, because the same principles are applied. We have decided to perform those instructions for laptops because they are most widely spread amongst other PCs.
Step 1: Remove the battery from your laptop and unscrew the screws from it to remove the hard drive, like the pictures below display:
Step 2: Make sure to extract the module with SATA conversion board and port and insert the SATA drive into it.
Step 3: Connect the drive to your computer. It should display as a “Removable Disk” or “Local Drive” with a drive letter other than your original drives. (ex. G:, E:, F:)
Step 4: Copy your files. Now all that is left for you is to access your files, depending on where they are located. If your drive has two partitions, you will see this as two removable drives connected to your computer. In case you keep all your important files in only one partition, and cannot find them on the primary drive, you should go to the following location to access your profile:
There you should be able to see all of your profile’s folders:
After having done this, we advise you to copy the files onto an external drive or better – write them on a disk so that they are safe and unmodifiable by any malware or crashes that may occur on your computer.
Then, you can boot your computer into Safe Mode and safely remove the virus files, by following the instructions down below. Malware researchers strongly advise to remove the Lockscreen first, by locating the string ScreenSaver:
HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop
To open the Windows registry editor, first boot in Safe Mode:
Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode
1. For Windows 7,XP and Vista.
2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.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 after-mentioned 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.
Then hold the WIN + R keys and in the box type regedit. From it’s search bar on the top right, you can type the registry string names for the screensaver. When you remove it, you may remove the lockscreen.
Then you can restart your computer and remove the malware. The best method to remove GruxEr is to scan your computer with an advanced anti-malware software. This will help you to completely get rid of the threat and all settings it has changed.
Automatically remove GruxEr by downloading an advanced anti-malware program
Remove GruxEr with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove GruxEr.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove GruxEr.
Back up your data to secure it against infections and file encryption by GruxEr in the future.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 GruxEr 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 .
After removing the virus, you can now begin to decrypt the backed up encrypted files by following the decryption instructions below.
How to Decrypt Files Encrypted by GruxEr
The file-decryption process of HiddenTear ransomware viruses, like GruxEr is not as difficult, but you need to be prepared and do it from a safe computer that is powerful. Let’s begin!
Step 1: Download the HiddenTear BruteForcer by clicking on the button below and open the archive:
Step 2: Extract the program onto your Desktop or wherever you feel comfortable to easily access it and open it as an administrator:
Step 3: After opening it, you should see the main interface of the brute force. From there, choose “Browser Sample” to select a sample encrypted file of the type of ransomware you are trying to decrypt:
Step 4: After this select the type of ransomware from the down-left expanding menu:
Step 5: Click on the Start Bruteforce button. This may take some time. After the brute forcing is finished and the key is found, copy it and save it somewhere on your PC in a .txt file, you will need it later.
Step 6: Download the HiddenTear Decryptor from the download button below:
Step 7: Extract it and open it, the same way with HiddenTear Bruteforcer. From it’s primary interface, paste the key copied from the BruteForcer, write the type of extension being used by the ransomware and click on the Decrypt button as shown below:
After these steps have been completed, you should immediately copy your files to an external device so that they are safe. After this has been done, we strongly recommend completely wiping your drives and reinstalling Windows on the affected machine.
GruxEr Decryption – Conclusion
Viruses like the GruxEr variants are becoming more and more common. Researchers, publish many projects online with the goal to stop ransomware, but this represents an opportunity to coders that develop ransomware and either start infecting users with it or put it up for sale in the deep web. With the expanding of ransomware variants lately, we predict seeing even more infected systems than the year 2015. This is why we advise you to follow our recommendations for securing your computer below:
Advice 1: Make sure to read our general protection tips and try to make them your habit and educated others to do so as well.
Advice 2: Install an advanced anti-malware program that has an often updated real-time shield definitions and ransomware protection.
Spy Hunter scanner will only detect the threat. If you want the threat to be automatically removed, you need to purchase the full version of the anti-malware tool.Find Out More About SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool / How to Uninstall SpyHunter
Advice 3: Seek out and download specific anti-ransomware software which is reliable.
Advice 4: Backup your files using one of the methods in this article.
Advice 5: : Make sure to use a secure web browser while surfing the world wide web.
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.
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Attention! SensorsTechForum strongly recommends that all malware victims should look for assistance only by reputable sources. Many guides out there claim to offer free recovery and decryption for files encrypted by ransomware viruses. Be advised that some of them may only be after your money.
As a site that has been dedicated to providing free removal instructions for ransomware and malware since 2014, SensorsTechForum’s recommendation is to only pay attention to trustworthy sources.
How to recognize trustworthy sources:
- Always check "About Us" web page.
- Profile of the content creator.
- Make sure that real people are behind the site and not fake names and profiles.
- Verify Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter personal profiles.
About the GruxEr Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this GruxEr 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 GruxEr 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.
References
1. How to Recognize Spam Emails with Ransomware
2. How Does Ransomware Encryption Work?
3. How to Decrypt Ransomware Files
4. Ransomware Getting Greedier and Bigger, Attacks Increase by 40%
5. 1 in 5 Americans Victim of Ransomware
How to Remove GruxEr from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove GruxEr
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".
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 GruxEr 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 GruxEr 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 GruxEr 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.
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 GruxEr with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.
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.
Video Guide for Automatic and Fast Removal
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by GruxEr.
Ransomware infections and GruxEr 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.
1. Download the recommended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:
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.
Step 6: How to Restore Files Encrypted by Ransomware (Video Guide)
Get rid of GruxEr from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall GruxEr and remove related files and objects
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 GruxEr:
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 GruxEr. 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 GruxEr. 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 GruxEr 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:
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 GruxEr. 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 3 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by GruxEr.
Ransomware infections and GruxEr 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.
1. Download the recommended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:
Simply click on the link and on the website menus on top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.
GruxEr FAQ
What is GruxEr ransomware and how does it work?
GruxEr 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 algorithm how 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.
How does GruxEr ransomware infect my computer?
Via several ways.GruxEr Ransomware infects computers by being sent via phishing e-mails, 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.
After you download and execute this attachment, a drive-by download occurs and your computer is infected with the ransomware virus.
Another way, you may become a victim of GruxEr 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 .GruxEr files?
You can't. At this point the .GruxEr files are encrypted. You can only open them once they are decrypted.
Decryptor did not decrypt my data. What now?
Do not panic and backup the files. If a decryptor did not decrypt your .GruxEr files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
One way to restore files, encrypted by GruxEr ransomware is to use a decryptor for it. But since it's a new virus, advised that the decryption keys for it may not be out yet and available to the public. We will update this article and keep you posted as soon as this decryptor is released.
How Do I restore ".GruxEr" files (Other Methods)?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .GruxEr files.
These methods are in no way 100% guarantee that you will be able to get your files back. But if you have a backup, your chances of success are much greater.
How do I get rid of GruxEr ransomware virus?
The safest way and the most efficient one for the removal of this ransomware infection is the use a professional anti malware software. It will scan for and locate GruxEr ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .GruxEr files.
Also, keep in mind that viruses like GruxEr ransomware also install Trojans and keyloggers that can steal your passwords and accounts. Scanning your computer with an anti-malware software will make sure that all of these virus components are removed and your computer is protected in the future.
What to Do If nothing works?
There is still a lot you can do. If none of the above methods seem to work for you, then try these methods:
- Try to find a safe computer from where you can can login on your own line accounts like One Drive, iDrive, Google Drive and so on.
- Try to contact your friends, relatives and other people so that they can check if they have some of your important photos or documents just in case you sent them.
- Also, check if some of the files that were encrypted it can be re-downloaded from the web.
- Another clever way to get back some of your files is to find another old computer, a flash drive or even a CD or a DVD where you may have saved your older documents. You might be surprised what will turn up.
- You can also go to your email account to check if you can send any attachments to other people. Usually what is sent the email is saved on your account and you can re-download it. But most importantly, make sure that this is done from a safe computer and make sure to remove the virus first.
More tips you can find on our forums, where you can also asks any questions about your ransomware problem.
How to 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.