This article has been created in order to help you by explaining how to remove Creeper Virus virus from your computer system and how to restore
The Creeper virus is a new malware threat that has just been discovered by the security community. The analysis reveals that it is not part of any of the popular malware families and follows the typical ransomware behavior patterns. It targets the commonly used user data using the built-in cipher. The processed data is renamed with the .creeper extension.
Threat Summary
| Name | Creeper |
| Type | Ransomware, Cryptovirus |
| Short Description | The main goal of the Creeper Virus is to encrypt sensitive user files and extort the victims for a ransom fee payment. |
| Symptoms | The Creeper Virus component processes target files and renames them with the .creeper extension. |
| 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
|
User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Creeper. |
| 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. |
Creeper Virus – Infection Process
The Creeper virus is distributed using the most popular delivery tactics. The hacker controllers can make use of email messages that utilize social engineering tactics. There are two main types that are considered by the criminals:
- Hyperlinks — These email messages contain links to malware-hosted instances on hacker-controlled sites. The victims are sent links that look like items of interest.
- File Attachments — The hackers can also attempt to use another social engineering strategy by sending out malware files that are disguised as files of interest.
The social engineering tactics can use two additional approaches. The first one is the inclusion of the malware code in documents. They can be of different types (rich text documents, spreadsheets and presentations) and they usually pose as invoices, letters, contracts and etc. Once they are opened by the victims a notification prompt will be spawned. It asks them users to enable the built-in macros. If this is done the virus infection follows.
The other tactic relies on the distribution of malware software installers. They are essentially modified setup files taken from the legitimate sites which are modified to include the dangerous code.
Another strategy relies on browser hijackers that represent malware browser plugins. They are usually made compatible with the most popular applications: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Safari and Opera. Once they are downloaded to the victim’s computer the virus infection is started.
Creeper Virus – Analysis and Activity
The Creeper virus is a dangerous new malware that has been discovered by the security experts. At the moment no correlation with any of the famous malware families has been identified, this means that it is very likely that the threat is produced by the hacker or criminal collective behind it. It is possible that the samples may have been purchased from the hacker underground forums as well.The full security analysis is not yet complete and at the moment the full array of possible malware interactions is not known. We suspect that the virus and any of its future iterations may perform a dangerous array of hacker modifications.
The infection may begin with an information gathering that can harvest sensitive information from the compromised systems. Usually the data is classified into two main groups — anonymous data that usually consists of information related to the operating system configuration settings and the hardware components. The personal data gathered can directly expose the victim’s identity by looking out for strings related to their names, addresses, interests, location, email adresses, passwords and account credentials.
The next step would be to use the gathered information in order to scan the system for any installed instances that can interfere with its execution. This includes anti-virus products, sandbox and debugging environments and virtual machine hosts. The threat can bypass or entirely remove their real-time engines to protect itself. If it finds that it is unable to do so it can remove itself to remove infection.
System modifications that can impact the system include the modification of the Windows registry. Such changes can lead to severe performance issues and can impact the correct execution of certain applications and system services. The criminals can also opt to modify the boot options by removing the ability to access the recovery menu. This prevents the victims from using it to remove the persistent threat.
Advanced forms of ransomware like this one are also capable of removing the shadow volume copies of the discovered data – this makes it very difficult for the users to recover it. Further damage can be caused if the threat interacts with the Windows volume manager — this would allow it to impact any connected removable storage devices and network shares as well.
If a network connection is made to the hacker-controlled servers it can be used to overtake control of the affected machines, as well as deliver additional threats.
Creeper Virus — Encryption Process
As soon as the Creeper virus has finished the execution of the prior components it starts the ransomware engine. It uses a list of built-in extensions that usually target the most popular types of data:
- Archives
- Backups
- Images
- Videos
- Music
- Documents
- Databases
As a result all affected data is renamed with the .creeper extension. A ransomware note is produced in a file called DECRIPT_MY_FILES.txt which has the following contents:
Decrypting your files is easy. Take a deep breath and follow the steps below.
1 ) Make the proper payment.
Payments are made in Monero. This is a crypto-currency, like bitcoin.
You can buy Monero, and send it, from the same places you can any other
crypto-currency. If you’re still unsure, google ‘monero exchange’.
Sign up at one of these exchange sites and send the payment to the address below.
Payment Address (Monero Wallet):
46WDbj1YCQrCfAGW37AJi3Ljr86waWBP1GwoRCeAGcR49xtNvRWpVyXQsqWDxW4qaQ5SxnDB4VnJZRhNaYHuvkAdVaeLeMM
2 ) Farther you should send the following code: *** to email address skgrhk2018@tutanota.com.
Then you will receive all necessary key.
Prices :
Days : Monero : Offer Expires
0-2 : 3 : 03/01/18
3-5 : 5 : 03/04/18
Note: In 6 days your password decryption key gets permanently deleted.
You then have no way to ever retrieve your files. So pay now.
How to Remove Creeper Virus and Restore .creeper Encrypted Files
In order to make sure that this malware is permanently gone from your computer, you should follow the manual or automatic removal instructions down below. If you have the experience in removing ransomware manually, we advise you to focus on the first 2 steps from the manual removal and to look for the registry files which we have explained in the analysis part above. Otherwise, if you want a more automatic and faster solution and lack the expertise in malware removal, we urge you to download an advanced anti-malware program, which aims to automatically perform the removal operation of Creeper ransomware and secures your computer against future infections in real-time.
If you want to restore files that have been encrypted by this ransomware infection, we advise you to try out the alternative tools for file recovery down below in step “2. Restore files encrypted by .creeper Files Virus”. They may not guarantee fully that you will recover all of the files, but if you haven’t reinstalled your OS already, there is a good chance that you might just restore them.
Martin Beltov
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
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Attention! SensorsTechForum strongly recommends that all malware victims should look for assistance only by reputable sources. Many guides out there claim to offer free recovery and decryption for files encrypted by ransomware viruses. Be advised that some of them may only be after your money.
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.
About the Creeper Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Creeper 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 Creeper 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.
References
1. How to Recognize Spam Emails with Ransomware
2. How Does Ransomware Encryption Work?
3. How to Decrypt Ransomware Files
4. Ransomware Getting Greedier and Bigger, Attacks Increase by 40%
5. 1 in 5 Americans Victim of Ransomware
How to Remove Creeper from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Creeper
1. Hold Windows Key + R.
2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.
3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".
4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.
5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.
Step 2: Uninstall Creeper 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:
1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.
2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.
3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Creeper 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 Creeper there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.
2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.
3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.
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: Scan for Creeper with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.
2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.
4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.
Video Guide for Automatic and Fast Removal
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Creeper.
Ransomware infections and Creeper 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.
1. Download the recommended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:
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.
Step 6: How to Restore Files Encrypted by Ransomware (Video Guide)
Get rid of Creeper from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Creeper 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:
2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:
3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to Creeper:
4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.
5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to Creeper. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash
”.
6. Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference.
Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to Creeper. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
7. Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:
- 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 Creeper 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:
1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:
2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:
3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as Creeper. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.
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 3 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Creeper.
Ransomware infections and Creeper 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.
1. Download the recommended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:
Simply click on the link and on the website menus on top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.
Creeper FAQ
What is Creeper ransomware and how does it work?
Creeper 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 algorithm how 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.
How does Creeper ransomware infect my computer?
Via several ways.Creeper Ransomware infects computers by being sent via phishing e-mails, 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.
After you download and execute this attachment, a drive-by download occurs and your computer is infected with the ransomware virus.
Another way, you may become a victim of Creeper 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 .Creeper files?
You can't. At this point the .Creeper files are encrypted. You can only open them once they are decrypted.
Decryptor did not decrypt my data. What now?
Do not panic and backup the files. If a decryptor did not decrypt your .Creeper files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
One way to restore files, encrypted by Creeper ransomware is to use a decryptor for it. But since it's a new virus, advised that the decryption keys for it may not be out yet and available to the public. We will update this article and keep you posted as soon as this decryptor is released.
How Do I restore ".Creeper" files (Other Methods)?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .Creeper files.
These methods are in no way 100% guarantee that you will be able to get your files back. But if you have a backup, your chances of success are much greater.
How do I get rid of Creeper ransomware virus?
The safest way and the most efficient one for the removal of this ransomware infection is the use a professional anti malware software. It will scan for and locate Creeper ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .Creeper files.
Also, keep in mind that viruses like Creeper ransomware also install Trojans and keyloggers that can steal your passwords and accounts. Scanning your computer with an anti-malware software will make sure that all of these virus components are removed and your computer is protected in the future.
What to Do If nothing works?
There is still a lot you can do. If none of the above methods seem to work for you, then try these methods:
- Try to find a safe computer from where you can can login on your own line accounts like One Drive, iDrive, Google Drive and so on.
- Try to contact your friends, relatives and other people so that they can check if they have some of your important photos or documents just in case you sent them.
- Also, check if some of the files that were encrypted it can be re-downloaded from the web.
- Another clever way to get back some of your files is to find another old computer, a flash drive or even a CD or a DVD where you may have saved your older documents. You might be surprised what will turn up.
- You can also go to your email account to check if you can send any attachments to other people. Usually what is sent the email is saved on your account and you can re-download it. But most importantly, make sure that this is done from a safe computer and make sure to remove the virus first.
More tips you can find on our forums, where you can also asks any questions about your ransomware problem.
How to 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.