Ransomware which is associated with the .7h9r file extension has been reported to affect users on a massive scale. The ransomware uses an extremely strong file encryption to encode the files of infected users. In addition to that, 7h9r leaves a ransom note and asks users to contact [email protected] address for negotiation on the payoff of the files. All users who have been affected by this ransom virus should immediately remove it from their computer instead of paying any ransom. To decode your files, unfortunately, direct decryption is so far impossible unless the ransom is paid. However, we will update this article as soon as there is a decryptor released and in the meantime you may want to try using the step-by-step instructions posted in this article to use several methods to go around direct decryption and try to restore your files.
Threat Summary
| Name | 7h9r |
| Type | Ransomware |
| Short Description | The ransomware encrypts files with the RSA or AES algorithms and asks a ransom for decryption. |
| Symptoms | Files are encrypted and become inaccessible. A ransom note with instructions for paying the ransom shows as a “README_.txt” file. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments, File Sharing Networks. |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by 7h9r
Download Malware Removal Tool |
| User Experience | Join our forum to Discuss 7h9r 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. |
7h9r Ransomware – Distribution Method
To infect users with a relatively high success rate, 7h9r crypto ransomware may use different strategies. One of the most often used strategies is via spam e-mail messages. Since most e-mail services tend to scan for and block malicious attachments, 7h9r ransomware may use URLs that redirect to the malicious Web link which may infect users via several methods:
- Drive-by download of malicious files.
- Malicious JavaScript.
- An Exploit Kit attack.
7h9r Ransomware – Malicious Activity Overview
The notorious 7h9r Ransomware virus has been reported by several researchers to create malicious files typically in one of the following Windows directories:
After this has been done, 7h9r ransomware virus may modify the registry editor of Windows with a purpose of running its malicious encryption module when Windows starts. The usually targeted keys for this are the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
After running, the encryptor begins to encrypt files that contain the following file extensions:
After encrypting the files, 7h9r Ransomware makes sure that the user knows what he or she is dealing with. It adds its trademark – the .7h9r extension and an encrypted file appears with a removed icon and a name, similar to the following example:
→ New Text Document.txt.7h9r
After this, 7h9r begins to communicate. It drops a “README_.txt” file which states the following ransom message:
→ “Your files were encrypted. If you want to decrypt them you must send code WE8765twx1009jdR|742|0|2 to email [email protected]
Then you will receive all necessary instructions. Attempts to decipher on their own will not lead to anything good, except irretrievable loss of information.
If you still want try to decipher them, please make a copy of files, this is our life hacking for you. (If you change the file we can’t decrypt them in future)” Source: Infected User
In brief, this ransomware is most likely created to convince users to contact the e-mail of the cyber-criminals to beg for their files. Upon contact, the crooks may provide instructions on how to make a ransom payoff most likely in BitCoin after which the cyber-criminals may provide a decryption key. So far, it is a mystery on what algorithm has been used to encrypt the files, but researchers believe that the AES and RSA may be utilized in combination.
Remove 7h9r Ransomware Completely and Try To Restore Encoded Files
To successfully and permanently remove this ransomware, you are welcome to follow our instructions below. They are separated in manual (for advanced users) and automatic(for beginners) depending on the experience you have with removing ransomware. For maximum effectiveness, we advise using the automatic approach because the ransomware may also create other concealed files which may contain random names and be difficult to discover. Having an advanced anti-malware tool takes care of that for you swiftly and safely without causing damage to the encoded data.
To try and get access back to your files, we advise you to go around direct decryption and follow the alternative methods below. If you are going to, bear in mind that they are not 100% effective and may not work fulfill your expectation. However, we have had cases of users who were able to recover portions of their files using them. The bottom line for 7h9r ransomware is that you should always backup your data on another device, encrypt it yourself to hide it, or store it in the cloud or choose any other method to have an extra copy out there because safety is a priority.
Manually delete 7h9r from your computer
Note! Substantial notification about the 7h9r threat: Manual removal of 7h9r 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. For Windows 7,XP and Vista.
2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
Automatically remove 7h9r by downloading an advanced anti-malware program
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove 7h9r.
1. For Windows 7 and earlier
STOPZilla Anti Malware
