New Ransomware virus called Mamba also known as HDDCryptor has been discovered via a malicious files, named “141.exe” and “152.exe” that uses AES encryption to fully encrypt a hard drive and not let users to even boot Windows. This new tendency for ransomware viruses is continuing to grow and is not likely to fade away soon. Such encryption prevents the user from completely accessing the hard drive and hence the files in it. This way, it becomes significantly more complicated to try and decrypt your files or restore them using any data recovery software. It simply prevents any access to the hard drive, because it, itself is AES encrypted.
Threat Summary
| Name |
Mamba |
| Type | Ransomware |
| Short Description | The malware encrypts the hard drive of the user with a custom password, denying all access to it. It asks for 1 BTC ransom payment to send a password for encryption. |
| Symptoms | On system boot displays the following ransom note – “You are Hacked ! H.D.D. Encrypted , Contact Us For Decryption Key (w889901665@yandex.com) YOURID: {ID}” |
| Distribution Method | Via an Exploit kit, Dll file attack, malicious JavaScript or a drive-by download of the malware itself in an obfuscated manner. Malicious executables with numbers detected (for example 133.exe). |
| Detection Tool |
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| User Experience | Join our forum to Discuss Mamba 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. |
Mamba Virus – How Does It Infect?
The ransomware is reported by the researcher who discovered it, Renato Marinho to infect users using a malicious executable that has a file name consisting of 3 numbers. The researcher searched a file, called 141.exe which was related to the malware and several detections rendered it as a Ransom_HDDCRYPTOR_A (TrendMicro). What is interesting is how the researchers came to see the ransomware – it attacked a whole company’s network of devices and had a user ID for the computer it encrypted. This is a strong indicator that the Mamba virus may be spread via other, compromised computers with other malware.
Mamba Ransomware – In-Depth Analysis
When further researched and tested on a computer running a Windows 8.1 virtual machine the virus activated and created a folder in C: drive with the following files:
- C:\DC22\dcapi.dll
- C:\DC22\dccon.exe
- C:\DC22\dcinst.exe
- C:\DC22\dcrypt.exe
- C:\DC22\dcrypt.sys
- C:\DC22\log_file.txt
- C:\DC22\Mount.exe
- C:\DC22\netpass.exe
- C:\DC22\netpass.txt
- C:\DC22\netuse.txt
When we checked the name dcrypt ourselves, we have established that it is a project that is completely open source and can be downloaded from Sourceforge. Another program which they may have used is reported by the researchers to be called DiskCryptor. It is essentially a tool that combines several algorithms, creating a password and making it difficult for hackers to access a drive. Well, the joke is on the victim because the hackers have learned to use this free tool to make Mamba ransomware.
After these files are created Windows automatically restarts and the virus obtains different information, like share drive data and other info. Mamba ransomware then installs additional malicious files and services that are running like ghosts on the victim PC. One of the services this virus also creates, was reported by the researchers to be called “DefragmentService”, being located in the following path:
In addition to this, the Mamba Ransomware creates a new user on the encrypted computer as well.
Renato Marinho and his team reported to try and run the dcrypt.exe and other executables, but they report several failed attempts until they finally saw the VM reboot after which the following ransom message was displayed:
The experienced researchers were also able to detect which process caused the encryption, a file named dccon.exe, located in the C:\DC22\ folder. The file executed the following parameters to encrypt the drive:
→ Device: \Device\HarddiskVolume1
SymLink: \\?\Volume{11788659-88c2-11e5-bf9c-806e6f6e6963}
Mount point: C:
Capacity: 39.9 GB
Status: mounted, boot, system
Cipher: AES
Encryption mode: XTS
Pkcs5.2 prf: HMAC-SHA-512
Encrypted portion: 100.000%
This information strongly suggests an AES-512 cipher with an encryption mode of XTS mode may have been used instead of the claimed 2048 by the cyber-criminals on the other side of the e-mail address in the note.
Mamba Ransomware – Conclusion and How to Fix It
Malware researchers are strongly convinced that there is one unified password for all of the encrypted drives, this virus may have encoded so far. Upon contacting the e-mail address they received the following reply:
In case you see the ransom message of this virus, we strongly suggest you NOT to pay any ransom money to cyber-criminals, because, just like Petya and Mischa ransomware variants encrypting hard drives, a solution may be discovered for this virus very soon. In the meantime, we advise you to unplug the hard drive from your computer using the following instructions:
They are created for another virus of the same type, for which there is a decryptor released. You can see step 1 to step 3 in the “Decryption Phase” of the instructions how to remove your hard drive. Then simply keep the hard drive intact and do not try to tamper with it. Instead, we advise you to purchase a new drive in the meantime and install an advanced anti-malware program that will ensure that you are protected in the future. Expect an update with an instructions URL on this article as soon as a free decryption solution is released.
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
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.
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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- Guide 1: How to Remove Mamba from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of Mamba on Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove Mamba in Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase Mamba from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall Mamba from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove Mamba from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate Mamba from Internet Explorer.
- Guide 8: Disable Mamba Push Notifications in Your Browsers.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
How to Remove Mamba from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Mamba
Step 2: Uninstall Mamba 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:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Mamba 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 Mamba 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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Get rid of Mamba from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Mamba 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:
- 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 Mamba 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:
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 Mamba files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Mamba, 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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Remove Mamba 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 Mamba 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 Mamba 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 Mamba 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 Mamba will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Eliminate Mamba 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.
Remove Push Notifications caused by Mamba from Your Browsers.
Turn Off Push Notifications from Google Chrome
To disable any Push Notices from Google Chrome browser, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings in Chrome.
Step 2: In Settings, select “Advanced Settings”:
Step 3: Click “Content Settings”:
Step 4: Open “Notifications”:
Step 5: Click the three dots and choose Block, Edit or Remove options:
Remove Push Notifications on Firefox
Step 1: Go to Firefox Options.
Step 2: Go to “Settings”, type “notifications” in the search bar and click "Settings":
Step 3: Click “Remove” on any site you wish notifications gone and click “Save Changes”
Stop Push Notifications on Opera
Step 1: In Opera, press ALT+P to go to Settings
Step 2: In Setting search, type “Content” to go to Content Settings.
Step 3: Open Notifications:
Step 4: Do the same as you did with Google Chrome (explained below):
Eliminate Push Notifications on Safari
Step 1: Open Safari Preferences.
Step 2: Choose the domain from where you like push pop-ups gone and change to "Deny" from "Allow".
Hello. I just got infected by this and connected the encrypted hard drive to my other PC via SATA cable. I cannot decrypt the drive. Do you have any other solutions?
hey, at the present moment there is no solution but researchers believe that the deecryption password is the same for every encrypted drive. I advise you not to connect the drive to your other computer and not to try and tamper it in any way because you may damage it permanently, especially if it has a fail safe mechanism.
como prevenir el ataque
buen dia, me encriptaron el disco con el virus ransomware que diskcrypotor, pahue y la clave funcioneo pero dentro yo tengo dos discos mas que estan unmounted y cuando los trato de montar me pide unna clave, quiero volver a montarlos y me tira e4
queria saber si en algun lugar del c:]estan estan esos archivos para poder desincrtpar el resto de los disco, gracias\Saludos