.NMCRYPT Files Ransomware Virus – How to Remove + Restore Data

This article has been created in order to help you by explaining how to remove the .NMCRYPT file ransomware from your computer and how to restore .NMCRYPT encrypted files without having to pay ransom.

Another sub-variant of the previously detected .NM4 ransomware (Nmoreira) infection has been detected out in the wild, using the .NMCRYPT file extension. The virus is believed to be a variant of a previously known virus as the “R Cryptovirus”, which is believed to derive from the NMoreira ransomware. It is from the file encryption kind, meaning that the infection aims to encrypt the files on your computer after which set the .NMCRYPT file extension to them and asks the victim to pay a hefty ransom fee to get them to work again. If your computer has been infected by the .NMCRYPT files virus, we recommend that you read this article to learn how to cope with this infection and remove it from your PC plus try to recover your encrypted files afterwards.

Threat Summary

Name	.NMCRYPT Files Virus
Type	Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description	Encrypts the files on your computer and asks that you pay around 7000 USD in BitCoin to get your files to work again.
Symptoms	The .NMCRYPT files virus leaves behind it’s distinctive file extension and a ransom note, called “Recovers your files.html” which takes the victim to a TOR payment site.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by .NMCRYPT Files Virus Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss .NMCRYPT Files 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.

.NMCRYPT Ransomware – How Does It Infect

The main method of infection, used by the .NMCRYPT ransomware has been reported to be via a malicious file posing as the file svchost.exe, reported in VirusTotal by malware researchers to be with the following parameters:

→ SHA-256 – e192995a42b91bd86aa0c5fe5d4e4aaff1b921bdb10946b1ea67565b5d3164da
Name – scvhost.exe
Size – 1.48 MB

The file may come as a result of multiple different types of tactics used by the criminals to result in a successful infection. They may be more aggressive methods, such as spreading the malicious file as a part of e-mail spam messages, whose primary goal is to trick you into opening the e-mail attachment, which is usually a fake Microsoft Word document or another type of file, posing as a legitimate one. These type of e-mails often pretend that they come from important companies, like PayPal, eBay, LinkedIn, Amazon, DHL, FedEx, etc. Once the victim opens the malicious attachment, it uses an infection script that extracts the malicious file on the victim’s computer. The file which may be extracted by such payload droppers is named svchost.exe and it imitates the legitimate svhost.exe process by Windows in order to evade detection.

.NTCRYPT Files Virus – Analysis

The .NTCRYPT files virus is believed to be a variant of the AiraCrop ransomware, likely the 5th iteration, since the 4th one used the extension NM4 (Nmoreira 4).

Once an infection with this virus occurs, it may start to read different information from the infected computer, such as:

• Computer’s name.
• Current registries.
• Volume shadow service’s settings.
• Current computer security settings.

The virus then obtains administrative permissions my taking control of key Windows processes as a result of injecting malicious code in them. It runs the following commands in Windows Shell as an administrator:

→ /c wevtutil cl Application” on {date and time}
/c wevtutil cl security” on {date and time}
/c wevtutil cl setup” on {date and time}
/c wevtutil cl system” on {date and time}
/c vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows \/All \/Quiet” on {date and time}
/c WMIC SERVICE WHERE ‘caption LIKE ‘%Firebird%” CALL STOPSERVICE” on {date and time}
/c WMIC SERVICE WHERE ‘caption LIKE ‘%MSSQL%” CALL STOPSERVICE” on {date and time}
/c WMIC SERVICE WHERE ‘caption LIKE ‘%SQL%” CALL STOPSERVICE” on {date and time}
/c WMIC SERVICE WHERE ‘caption LIKE ‘%Exchange%” CALL STOPSERVICE” on {date and time}
/c WMIC SERVICE WHERE ‘caption LIKE ‘%wsbex%” CALL STOPSERVICE” on {date and time}
/c WMIC SERVICE WHERE ‘caption LIKE ‘%postgresql%” CALL STOPSERVICE” on {date and time}
/c WMIC SERVICE WHERE ‘caption LIKE ‘%BACKP%” CALL STOPSERVICE” on {date and time}
/c WMIC SERVICE WHERE ‘caption LIKE ‘%tomcat%” CALL STOPSERVICE” on {date and time}

As soon as this is done, the ransomware opens the following services in a control manager

• sc.exe
• net1.exe

Then, the .NMCRYPT ransomware spawns the following Windows processes:

• cmd.exe
• wevtutil.exe

The virus manipulates those processes by injecting the following types of scripted commands within them:

→ /c wevtutil cl Application
/c wevtutil cl security
/c wevtutil cl setup
/c wevtutil cl system

These commands are likely a prerequisite to what the .NMCRYPT ransomware does next, which is to drop it’s malicious payload on the victim’s computer. The payload files are colled as follows:

• ProPlusWW.xml.NMCRYPT
• pkeyconfig-office.xrm-ms.NMCRYPT
• OWOW32WW.cab.NMCRYPT
• ProPsWW.cab.NMCRYPT
• Office32WW.xml.NMCRYPT
• ProPsWW2.cab.NMCRYPT

The files, which pretend to be legitimate Microsoft office data files, are actually the malicious modules of the ransomware. As soon as this is done, the ransomware may touch key files within the Windows’s system directory, in order to change settings of Windows by modifying their structure. The files touched by this infection are reported to be the following:

→ %Windows%\SysWOW64\rsaenh.dll”
%Windows%\Globalization\Sorting\SortDefault.nls
%Windows%\AppPatch\sysmain.sdb
%Windows%\SysWOW64\cmd.exe
%Windows%\Globalization\Sorting\SortDefault.nls”
%Windows%\AppPatch\sysmain.sdb”
%Windows%\SysWOW64\wevtutil.exe”
%Windows%\SysWOW64\en-US\wevtutil.exe.mui”
%Windows%\Globalization\Sorting\SortDefault.nls”

The virus then begins to use the WMIC.exe process for remote access-related activities. It does this by taking advantage of the process, to read the following running services and processes:

• Firebird
• MSSQL
• SQL
• Exchange
• Wsbeex
• Posgresql
• Backup
• Tomcat
• SharePoint
• SBS

If the .NMCRYPT ransomware detects those processes, the virus immediately stops them from running, by using the WMIC.exe with the command “WMIC SERVICE WHERE {NAME} CALL STOPSERVICE”.

The malware does not stop there and it then corrupts the vssadin.exe file in order to delete the shadow volume copies of the infected computer by directly modifying it with the following bytes written directly into the .exe:

→ 7111d9017a3bd801ab8b02007f950200fc8c0200729602006cc805001ecdd5017d26d501

When the virus finishes this, it also drops it’s ransom note file, which is named “Recovers your files.html” and looks like the following image:

The creators of this virus instruct the victim within the ransom note to visit a login page where after they have entered their unique key, they may enter only to see more instructions on how to pay an extremely large sum of money to get their files back:

The difference with the older version of the virus, is that now the crooks want more money (around 7000 USD), suggesting that the virus may target institutions, like government or private organizations’ facilities. And to further stress the importance of paying, they have even added support for the victim via live chat, where they do not reply immediately, but after several hours of writing to them.

.NMCRYPT Ransomware – How Does It Encrypt

The .NMRCRYPT ransomware is believed to scan for the most widely used types of files, like documents, videos, images, audio files and even database files and archives. The ransomware DOES NOT attack files that belong to Windows and also files that have the following file extensions:

→ .bat, .dll, .exe, .ini, .lnk, .msi, .scf

The .NMCRYPT files virus also excludes the following folders or files from encryption:

AppData AVAST Software AVG AVIRA Atheros CONFIG.SYS ESET HakunaMatata IO.SYS MSDOS.SYS NTUSER.DAT NTDETECT.COM Atheros Realtek Recovers files yako.html Recovers your files.html TeamViewer Winrar lntemet Explorer Chrome Firefox Opera Windows boot bootmgr java

The .NMCRYPT ransomware is believed to use the strongest combination of encryption algorithms to encipher files, known as RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) and AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), where the virus uses AES to encrypt the files, resulting in an asymmetric key being generated and the malware also uses the RSA cipher to encode the AES decryption keys. After the encryption has finished, the files appear like the following:

Remove .NMCRYPT Files Virus and Try Restoring Your Data

In order to remove this ransomware infection from your computer, it is advisable to follow the removal instructions underneath this article. They have been created with the primary purpose to help you delete the malicious files and objects of this malware either manually or automatically, based on what you prefer doing. Be advised that an advanced anti-malware tool is recommended for automatic removal by security researchers as the more effective method which will not only remove this virus, but will also completely secure your computer in the future too.

If you want to restore files that have been encrypted by this version of NMoreira ransomware, we advise you to follow the alternative file recovery steps underneath this article In step “2. Restore files, encrypted by .NMCRYPT Files Virus”. They may not be 100% solution to your problem, but may help you to recover as many files as possible.

Manually delete .NMCRYPT Files Virus from your computer

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

Find malicious files created by .NMCRYPT Files 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 .NMCRYPT Files Virus by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove .NMCRYPT Files Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

Remove .NMCRYPT Files Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

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

Restore Files Encrypted by .NMCRYPT Files Virus

Ransomware infections like .NMCRYPT Files 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 .NMCRYPT Files 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 .NMCRYPT Files 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 .NMCRYPT Files Virus Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove .NMCRYPT Files 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 .NMCRYPT Files 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

A network administrator and malware researcher at SensorsTechForum with passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cyber security. Strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.

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