NZMR Ransomware – Remove It and Restore Your Files

This article will help you remove NZMR ransomware in full. Follow the ransomware removal instructions at the end of the article.

NZMR is a cryptovirus that is based on the code of both EDA2 and HiddenTear open-source ransomware projects. The cryptovirus could place an extension to files after encrypting them, but that is not evident as of yet. The ransom sum it wants is 500 US dollars. Continue to read below to see how you could try to potentially restore some of your data and files.

Threat Summary

Name	NZMR
Type	Ransomware
Short Description	The ransomware is a variant of HiddenTear and EDA2, which are both open-source ransomware viruses. It encrypts files on your computer and will store a ransom message on your PC afterward.
Symptoms	The ransomware will encrypt your files and display a ransom note message on your Desktop in the form of an image and also place a copy that is in a text file.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by NZMR Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss NZMR.
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.

NZMR Ransomware – Infection Ways

NZMR ransomware could spread its infection in various ways. A payload dropper which initiates the malicious script for this ransomware is being spread around the World Wide Web, and researchers have gotten their hands on a malware sample. If that file lands on your computer system and you somehow execute it – your computer device will become infected. You can see the detections of such a file on the VirusTotal service:

NZMR ransomware might also distribute its payload file on social media and file-sharing services. Freeware found on the Internet which is presented as useful might also be hiding the malicious script for the cryptovirus. Refrain from opening files right after you have downloaded them. You should first scan them with a security tool, while also checking their size and signatures for anything that seems out of the ordinary. You should read the tips for preventing ransomware found in our forum section.

NZMR Ransomware – Technical Information

NZMR is a virus that encrypts your files and extorts you to pay a ransom to get them back to normal. Malware researchers have confirmed that it is a variant of the HiddenTear project.

NZMR ransomware could make entries in the Windows Registry to achieve persistence, and could launch or repress processes in a Windows environment. Such entries are typically designed in a way to launch the virus automatically with each start of the Windows operating system.

Below, you can see the ransom message that shows after encryption is done:

That ransom message reads the following:

YOUR COMPUTER IS HACK
ALL FILE THIS COMPUTER IS CRYPT
IF YOU WANT TO RECOVER YOUR FILES BEFORE THEY ARE REMOVED. YOU HAVE 24 HOURS TO SEND $ 500 TO THE DIRECTION OF BITCOIN THAT IS INDICATED BELOW:
ADDRESS: 1Dh6zY9U1V3XJELDh8hQdox3eR765XyR4H
ONCE YOU MAKE THE SENDING CONTACT BY EMAIL TO THE SOGUIENTE ADDRESS:
E-mail: [email protected]
PROVIDE YOUR DATA FOR THE RECOVERY OF LOCKED FILES
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
TEAM NZMR

The above ransom message of the NZMR ransomware states that your files are encrypted. Instructions are written on how to potentially get your data back by paying a ransom equal to 500 US dollars. You shouldn’t do either as nobody could give you a guarantee for your files getting restored afterward. Furthermore, giving money to cybercriminals will likely motivate them to create more ransomware or do similar criminal activities.

NZMR Ransomware – Encryption Process

As NZMR virus is a variant of both the HiddenTear and EDA2 open-source ransomware projects, it would probably seek to encrypt files with the following extensions:

→.txt, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .pdf, .pps, .ppt, .pptx, .odt, .gif, .jpg, .png, .db, .csv, .sql, .mdb, .sln, .php, .asp, .aspx, .html, .xml, .psd, .frm, .myd, .myi, .dbf, .mp3, .mp4, .avi, .mov, .mpg, .rm, .wmv, .m4a, .mpa, .wav, .sav, .gam, .log, .ged, .msg, .myo, .tax, .ynab, .ifx, .ofx, .qfx, .qif, .qdf, .tax2013, .tax2014, .tax2015, .box, .ncf, .nsf, .ntf, .lwp

Files that get encrypted could probably receive the same extension appended to them which could be .nzmr but that is not evident as of yet. The encryption algorithm that is used is believed to be AES since it is a variant of HiddenTear and EDA2.

The NZMR file cryptovirus could be set to erase all the Shadow Volume Copies from the Windows operating system with the help of the following command:

→vssadmin.exe delete shadows /all /Quiet

In case the command stated above is executed that would make the encryption process more efficient as it will dismiss one of the ways for restoring your data. You could keep on reading below to see how you can potentially recover your data.

Remove NZMR Ransomware and Restore Files

If your computer got infected with the NZMR ransomware, 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.

Manually delete NZMR from your computer

Note! Substantial notification about the NZMR threat: Manual removal of NZMR 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 NZMR 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 NZMR 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 NZMR on your PC

Find malicious files created by NZMR

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 NZMR by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove NZMR with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

Remove NZMR with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

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

Restore Files Encrypted by NZMR

Ransomware infections like NZMR 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 NZMR 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 NZMR 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 NZMR Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

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

Berta Bilbao

Berta is the Editor-in-Chief of SensorsTechForum. She is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space.

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