This article is created to help you remove BlackRuby ransomware and restore .BlackRuby files via alternative data recovery methods. In case that you want to start the removal right now, go straight to the instructions at the end of the article.
BlackRuby ransomware is a severe threat that plagues the system in order to encode sensitive data and demand a ransom for its decryption. Corrupted files can be recognized by the extension .BlackRuby appended to their names. In a file named how-to-decrypt-files.txt you can find a ransom message that primarily aims to urge you contact hackers at TheBlackRuby@Protonmail.com and transfer a ransom of $650 to their Bitcoin address. In addition BlackRuby ransomware drops XMRig software to mine for Monero cryptocurrency.
Threat Summary
| Name | BlackRuby |
| Type | Ransomware, Cryptovirus |
| Short Description | The ransomware virus encrypts files on your PC and drops a ransom note that demands payment for the decryption of .BlackRuby files. It then drops a Monero miner on the system. |
| Symptoms | This ransomware encrypts your files and then appends the extension .BlackRuby on every encrypted file. A miner malware utilizes system resources to mine for Monero digital curency. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable Files |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
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Malware Removal Tool
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss BlackRuby. |
| 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. |
BlackRuby Ransomware – Distribution
The analyzed BlackRuby ransomware samples point out that an executable file called WINDOWSUI.EXE triggers the infection. How this file could land on your system is via email spam messages, fake software update notifications, compromised third-party installers, malvertising and other shady techniques for ransomware distribution.
Ever since the ransomware went viral, email spam messages are the most preferred way of its distribution. Such emails are usually well crafted by hackers who hope that you will get tricked into installing the ransomware on your system. Common traits of emails carriers of malware are:
- Spoofed email address and sender
- Text messages that attempt to provoke sense of urgency
- File attachment you need to download and see as soon as possible
- In-text link you should follow in order to obtain important information
By opening the compromised file attachment, you automatically grant access to BlackRuby ransomware to your system. The same happens in case that you decide to click on the presented link and visit the web page.
Fake software update notifications may be designed to look exactly as the ones provided by the official product. As an example, you may check our article about a newly discovered pop-up that introduces a fake Java Update. Such notifications usually prompt you to download an executable file on your PC. Beware with any suspicious pop-ups that appear on your screen as they may serve as a gate for the malicious ransomware payload WINDOWSUI.EXE.
BlackRuby Ransomware – Infection Flow
Once BlackRuby ransomware is running on your system it initiates a sequence of malicious actions. In the beginning, it may establish connection with its command and control server in order to arm itself with all the needed files for the attack. There are several essential Windows system folders where the malicious files may be dropped:
- %AppData%
- %Temp%
- %Roaming%
- %Common%
- %System32%
When BlackRuby got all malicious files on the compromised host, it may access the Registry Editor to add specific values under the Run and RunOnce sub-keys. The ransomware targets these two keys because they have the functionality to execute predefined files on each Windows system launch.
Furthermore, by contaminating these keys BlackRuby is able to display its ransom note on the screen at the end of the attack. The ransom note file is called how-to-decrypt-files.txt and could be found on the desktop. It primarily aims to urge you contact hackers at TheBlackRuby@Protonmail.com and transfer a ransom of $650 to their Bitcoin address. However, if you don’t want to lose your money and get tricked again, it is better to try to overcome the problem with the help of reliable and secure solutions.
Below you can read the whole ransom message and see how it looks like:
Black Ruby
=== Identification Key ===
[redacted] === Identification Key ===
[Can not access your files?] Congratulations, you are now part of our family #BlackRuby Ransomware. The range of this family is wider and bigger every day.
Our hosts welcome our presence because we will give them a scant souvenir from the heart of Earth.
This time, we are guest with a new souvenir called “Black Ruby”. A ruby in black, different, beautiful, and brilliant, which has been bothered to extract those years and you must also endure this hard work to keep it. If you do not have the patience of this difficulty or you hate some of this precious stone, we are willing to receive the price years of mining and finding rubies for your relief and other people of the world who are guests of the black ruby.
So let’s talk a little bit with you without a metaphor and literary terms to understand the importance of the subject.
It does not matter if you’re a small business or you manage a large organization, no matter whether you are a regular user or a committed employee, it’s important that you have a black ruby and to get rid of it, you need to get back to previous situation and we need a next step.
The breadth of this family is not supposed to stop, because we have enough knowledge and you also trust our knowledge.
We are always your backers and guardian of your information at this multi-day banquet and be sure that no one in the world can take it from you except for us who extracts this precious stone.
We need a two-sided cooperation in developing cybersecurity knowledge. The background to this cooperation is a mutual trust, which will result in peace and tranquility, you must pay $650 (USD) worth of Bitcoins for restore your system to the previous state and you are free to choose to stay in this situation or return to the normal.
Do not forget that your opportunity is limited. From these limits you can create golden situations. Be sure we will help you in this way and to know that having a black ruby does not always mean riches. You and your system are poor, poor knowledge of cybersecurity and lack of security on your system!.
===
[HOW TO DECRYPT FILES] 1. Copy “Identification Key”.
2. Send this key with two encrypted files (less than 5 MB) for trust us to email address “TheBlackRuby@Protonmail.com”.
3. We decrypt your two files and send them to your email.
4. After ensuring the integrity of the files, you must pay $650 (USD) with bitcoin and send transaction code to our email, our bitcoin address is “19S7k3zHphKiYr85T25FnqdxizHcgmjoj1”.
5. You get “Black Ruby Decryptor” Along with the private key of your system.
6. Everything returns to the normal ana your files will be released.
===
[What is encryption?] Encryption is a reversible modification of information for security reasons but providing full access to it for authorised users.
To become an authorised user and keep the modification absolutely reversible (in other words to have a possibility to decrypt your files) you should have an “Personal identification Key”. But not only it. It is required also to have the special decryption software (in your case “Black Ruby Decryptor” software) for safe and complete decryption of all your files and data.
[Everything is clear for me but what should I do?] The first step is reading these instructions to the end. Your files have been encrypted with the “Black Ruby Ransomware” software; the instructions (“how-to-decrypt-files.txt”) in the folders with your encrypted files are not viruses, they will help you. After reading this text the most part of people start searching in the internet the words the “Black Ruby Ransomware” where they find a lot of ideas, recommendation and instructions, it is necessary to realise that we are the ones who closed the lock on your files and we are the only ones who have this secret key to open them.
[Have you got advice?] [*** Any attempts to get back you files with the third-party tools can be fatal for your encrypted files ***] The most part of the tried-party software change data with the encrypted files to restore it but this cases damage to the files.
Finally it will be impossible to decrypt your files, when you make a puzzle but some items are lost, broken or not put in its place – the puzzle items will never match, the same way the third-party software will ruin your files completely and irreversibly. You should realise that any intervention of the third-party software to restore files encrypted with the Black Ruby Ransomware” software may be fatal for your files.
If you look through this text in the internet and realise that something is wrong with your files but you do not have any instructions to restore your files, please contact your antivirus support.
To make it worse BlackRuby ransomware drops XMRig software to mine for Monero cryptocurrency. XMRig is an open source project that is claimed to be the fastest CPU miner for Monero. Once the miner is running on your system, it takes advantage of the processor or the graphics card’s power to generate income in Monero digital currency to hackers. As a result your system becomes sluggish and even crashes at times. Unfortunately, heavy system settings modifications can make the miner hard to detect and remove. That’s why you should utilize a quality anti-spyware solution to remove all files associated with the devastating BlackRuby infection.
BlackRuby Ransomware – Data Encryption
BlackRuby ransomware is primarily designed to scan for predefined types of files and encrypt them by utilizing strong cipher algorithm. After encryption corrupted files are renamed with a long sequence of extensions that follows the pattern:
Encrypted_[random string].BlackRuby
In case of infection, the ransomware can make your documents, images, videos, projects, databases, text files, music and other files that store sensitive information completely unusable.
In addition as most crypto viruses BlackRuby is believed to delete all Shadow Volume copies stored by the Windows system as they can be used as a data recovery way of corrupted .BlackRuby files.
How to Remove BlackRuby Ransomware and Restore Files
Тo remove BlackRuby crypto virus just follow the step-by-step removal guide below which provides both manual and automatic approach. Due to the complexity of ransomware code, security researchers recommend the help of advanced anti-malware tool for maximum efficiency.
Once the removal is complete, alternative data recovery approaches could be also found in the guide. They may be useful for the restore of some .BlackRuby files. Be advised to back up all encrypted files to an external drive before you proceed with the recovery process.
Gergana Ivanova
Highly motivated writer with 5+ years of experience writing for ransomware, malware, adware, PUPs, and other cybersecurity-related issues. As a writer, I strive to create content that is based on thorough technical research. I find joy in the process of creating articles that are easy to understand, informative, and useful. Follow me on Twitter (@IRGergana) for the latest in the field of computer, mobile, and online security.
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Step 1: Scan for BlackRuby with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Ransomware Automatic Removal - Video Guide
Step 2: Uninstall BlackRuby and related malware 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 delete most unwanted and malicious programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by BlackRuby 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 BlackRuby 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.
Step 4: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove BlackRuby
Step 5: Try to Restore Files Encrypted by BlackRuby.
Method 1: Use STOP Decrypter by Emsisoft.
Not all variants of this ransomware can be decrypted for free, but we have added the decryptor used by researchers that is often updated with the variants which become eventually decrypted. You can try and decrypt your files using the instructions below, but if they do not work, then unfortunately your variant of the ransomware virus is not decryptable.
Follow the instructions below to use the Emsisoft decrypter and decrypt your files for free. You can download the Emsisoft decryption tool linked here and then follow the steps provided below:
1 Right-click on the decrypter and click on Run as Administrator as shown below:
2. Agree with the license terms:
3. Click on "Add Folder" and then add the folders where you want files decrypted as shown underneath:
4. Click on "Decrypt" and wait for your files to be decoded.
Note: Credit for the decryptor goes to Emsisoft researchers who have made the breakthrough with this virus.
Method 2: Use data recovery software
Ransomware infections and BlackRuby 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.
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.
BlackRuby-FAQ
What is BlackRuby Ransomware?
BlackRuby 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 algorithms 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.
What Does BlackRuby Ransomware Do?
Ransomware in general is a malicious software that is designed to block access to your computer or files until a ransom is paid.
Ransomware viruses can also damage your system, corrupt data and delete files, resulting in the permanent loss of important files.
How Does BlackRuby Infect?
Via several ways.BlackRuby Ransomware infects computers by being sent via phishing emails, 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.
Another way you may become a victim of BlackRuby 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 .BlackRuby files?
You can't without a decryptor. At this point, the .BlackRuby files are encrypted. You can only open them once they are decrypted using a specific decryption key for the particular algorithm.
What to Do If a Decryptor Does Not Work?
Do not panic, and backup the files. If a decryptor did not decrypt your .BlackRuby files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
Can I Restore ".BlackRuby" Files?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .BlackRuby files.
These methods are in no way 100% guaranteed that you will be able to get your files back. But if you have a backup, your chances of success are much greater.
How To Get Rid of BlackRuby Virus?
The safest way and the most efficient one for the removal of this ransomware infection is the use a professional anti-malware program.
It will scan for and locate BlackRuby ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .BlackRuby files.
Can I 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.
Can You Stop Ransomware from Encrypting Your Files?
Yes, you can prevent ransomware. The best way to do this is to ensure your computer system is updated with the latest security patches, use a reputable anti-malware program and firewall, backup your important files frequently, and avoid clicking on malicious links or downloading unknown files.
Can BlackRuby Ransomware Steal Your Data?
Yes, in most cases ransomware will steal your information. It is a form of malware that steals data from a user's computer, encrypts it, and then demands a ransom in order to decrypt it.
In many cases, the malware authors or attackers will threaten to delete the data or publish it online unless the ransom is paid.
Can Ransomware Infect WiFi?
Yes, ransomware can infect WiFi networks, as malicious actors can use it to gain control of the network, steal confidential data, and lock out users. If a ransomware attack is successful, it could lead to a loss of service and/or data, and in some cases, financial losses.
Should I Pay Ransomware?
No, you should not pay ransomware extortionists. Paying them only encourages criminals and does not guarantee that the files or data will be restored. The better approach is to have a secure backup of important data and be vigilant about security in the first place.
What Happens If I Don't Pay Ransom?
If you don't pay the ransom, the hackers may still have access to your computer, data, or files and may continue to threaten to expose or delete them, or even use them to commit cybercrimes. In some cases, they may even continue to demand additional ransom payments.
Can a Ransomware Attack Be Detected?
Yes, ransomware can be detected. Anti-malware software and other advanced security tools can detect ransomware and alert the user when it is present on a machine.
It is important to stay up-to-date on the latest security measures and to keep security software updated to ensure ransomware can be detected and prevented.
Do Ransomware Criminals Get Caught?
Yes, ransomware criminals do get caught. Law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, Interpol and others have been successful in tracking down and prosecuting ransomware criminals in the US and other countries. As ransomware threats continue to increase, so does the enforcement activity.
About the BlackRuby Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this BlackRuby 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 BlackRuby 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.
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.
backup always!!!