This article has been created in order to explain how you can remove Dharma ransomware’s .betta files variant from your computer and how you can try and restore .betta encrypted files.
And here we are, covering yet another variant of the Dharma ransomware virus – a malware strain which aims to get users to pay a hefty ransom fee in return for their personal files. The ransomware virus aims to use advanced encryption after it infects users’ computers and then use this encryption to extort victims for their files. The files, which are encrypted carry the .betta file extension in the following format – filename.id-93H2310.[ backtonormal@foxmail.com].betta. After the encryption is done,Dharma also drops a ransom note file, which aims to notify the victims of what has happened to their files. If your computer has been infected by this variant of Dharma ransomware, please read this article as it will help you remove this Dharma variant and show you how you can try to restore files, encrypted by it.
Threat Summary
| Name | .betta Dharma Virus |
| Type | File Encryption Ransomware |
| Short Description | A new iteration of the Dharma/CrySiS ransomware viruses. Utilizes sophisticated encryption mode on data of infected machines in order to extort victims to pay in BitCoin for their encrypted files. |
| Symptoms | Encrypts documents, images, videos and other important files and adds the .betta file suffix plus a unique ID and the e-mail to pay the ransom. |
| 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 .betta Dharma 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. |
.betta Dharma Ransomware – Information Database:
.betta Dharma Virus – How Does It Infect
Various methods in relation to Dharma ransomware virus have been detected so far. One of them is to spread the virus via spammed e-mail messages. Such e-mails may pretend to be various legitimate types of files:
- Invoices.
- Receipt.
- Important banking document.
- Password change notification.
- Other important files.
These e-mails may be created in a very cunning way, for example, they may imitate e-mails that may be coming from legitimate types of organizations, like:
- eBay.
- PayPal.
- Dropbox.
- Banks and companies.
The primary malicious file that has been detected(https://www.virustotal.com/#/file/1b1fdf8bc5d2d39ac6e90aba18b44f6cc4fe26c93bcf09ce1d98793b1c1f132f/behavior) in association with Dharma ransomware to be with the following indicators of compromise:
→ SHA-256: 1b1fdf8bc5d2d39ac6e90aba18b44f6cc4fe26c93bcf09ce1d98793b1c1f132f
Size: 624 KB
Besides via e-mail, the infection may also be spread as a result of being uploaded on various suspicious sites in the form of a malicious JavaScript web link and redirect. This is very typical for compromised sites that cause numerous redirections or for adware programs that may have affected your computer.
If spread by a file, that is uploaded online, the malicious infection module of Dharma may pose as some sort of a game patch, software activator, crack, key generator, portable program and other forms of seemingly useful programs.
Dharma .betta Virus – Activity
Once installed on the victim’s computer, the Dharma ransomware’s .betta variant may act in very close way to the other variants of Dharma, belonging to the .cezar family. So far, we have been covering Dharma ransomware for quite some time now and there have been a lot of iterations of the virus with new one being released each week:
- Dharma .wallet variant.
- Dharma .arena variant.
- Dharma .cezar variant(used to make this version).
- Dharma .arrow variant.
- Dharma .onion version.
- Dharma .java virus.
- Dharma .block variant.
- Dharma .cobra variant.
- Dharma .bip variant (latest before .combo)
- Dharma v2 variant (a strange one).
After an infection with Dharma’s .betta variant takes place, the malware may drop it’s payload in the following Windows Directories:
- %AppData%
- %Local%
- %Roaming%
- %LocalLow%
- %Temp%
The files that are dropped may have different file names and these names are often random ones.
Once the virus has dropped it’s main payload, it begins it’s malicious activities. For starters, Dharma ransomware opens and interacts with the following Windows files to likely obtain administrator rights:
→ C:\WINDOWS\system32\winime32.dll
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ws2_32.dll
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ws2help.dll
C:\WINDOWS\system32\psapi.dll
C:\WINDOWS\system32\imm32.dll
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lpk.dll
C:\WINDOWS\system32\usp10.dll
C:\WINDOWS\system32\comctl32.dll
C:\WINDOWS\system32\shell32.dll
C:\WINDOWS\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.2600.5512_x-ww_35d4ce83\comctl32.dll
C:\WINDOWS\WindowsShell.Manifest
C:\WINDOWS\system32\MSCTF.dll
C:\WINDOWS\system32\MSCTFIME.IME
Once this is done, the .betta Dharma ransomware may also open and modify the following Windows Registry sub-keys:
→ \Registry\Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\996E.exe
\Registry\MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Option
\Registry\Machine\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Safer\CodeIdentifiers
\REGISTRY\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Safer\CodeIdentifiers\TransparentEnabled
\REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Safer\CodeIdentifiers
\Registry\Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\ole32.dll
\Registry\Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\oleaut32.dll
\Registry\Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\version.dll
\Registry\Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\comctl32.dll
\Registry\Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\SHELL32.dll
But Dharma ransomware does not stop there. The ransomware is also clever enough to open the ShimCacheMutex and also create the following mutexes:
→CTF.LBES.MutexDefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500
CTF.Compart.MutexDefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500
CTF.Asm.MutexDefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500
CTF.Layouts.MutexDefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500
CTF.TMD.MutexDefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500
CTF.TimListCache.FMPDefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500MUTEX.DefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500
When done, the Dharma ransom virus also loads the following Runtime modules:
→ imm32.dll
Cmctl32.dll
C:\WINDOWS\system32\MSCTF.dll
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ msctfime.ime
C:\WINDOWS\system32 \ole32.dll
Among the files dropped by Dharma ransomware’s .betta virus variant is the malware’s ransom note file, which looks like the following:
Dharma .betta Ransomware – Encryption
Just like other Dharma variants, this version for the virus also skips encrypting files in important Windows directories, like:
- %System%
- %Local%
- %Temp%
- %Windows%
- %System32%
- %Program Files%
To encrypt the files, the .betta version of Dharma ransomware first scans for the files it aims to encrypt. The virus looks for often used files and targets them based on their file extensions:
“PNG .PSD .PSPIMAGE .TGA .THM .TIF .TIFF .YUV .AI .EPS .PS .SVG .INDD .PCT .PDF .XLR .XLS .XLSX .ACCDB .DB .DBF .MDB .PDB .SQL .APK .APP .BAT .CGI .COM .EXE .GADGET .JAR .PIF .WSF .DEM .GAM .NES .ROM .SAV CAD Files .DWG .DXF GIS Files .GPX .KML .KMZ .ASP .ASPX .CER .CFM .CSR .CSS .HTM .HTML .JS .JSP .PHP .RSS .XHTML. DOC .DOCX .LOG .MSG .ODT .PAGES .RTF .TEX .TXT .WPD .WPS .CSV .DAT .GED .KEY .KEYCHAIN .PPS .PPT .PPTX ..INI .PRFEncodedFiles .HQX .MIM .UUE .7Z .CBR .DEB .GZ .PKG .RAR .RPM .SITX .TAR.GZ .ZIP .ZIPX .BIN .CUE .DMG .ISO .MDF .TOAST .VCD SDF .TAR .TAX2014 .TAX2015 .VCF .XML Audio Files .AIF .IFF .M3U .M4A .MID .MP3 .MPA .WAV .WMA Video Files .3G2 .3GP .ASF .AVI .FLV .M4V .MOV .MP4 .MPG .RM .SRT .SWF .VOB .WMV 3D .3DM .3DS .MAX .OBJR.BMP .DDS .GIF .JPG ..CRX .PLUGIN .FNT .FON .OTF .TTF .CAB .CPL .CUR .DESKTHEMEPACK .DLL .DMP .DRV .ICNS .ICO .LNK .SYS .CFG”
Once Dharma ransomware has detected the files it wants to encrypt, the virus then applies the Advanced Encryption Standard cipher, also known as AES encryption. This cipher generates a unique asymmetric encryption key, the outcome of which is that the file can no longer be opened. After encryption, Dharma ransomware leaves the files looking like the following image:
Remove Dharma Ransomware and Restore .betta Encrypted Files
Before starting the removal process of Dharma ransomware, be prepared for anything and always backup your files!
In order to remove this virus variant of Dharma ransomware, we would recommend that you follow the removal instructions underneath this article. They have been divided in manual and automatic removal methods with the main purpose of giving you the opportunity to try the removal yourself. If however, you do not feel confident that you will be able to remove this variant of Dharma ransomware in full or if you lack the malware removal experience the most suitable approach according to security researchers is to use an advanced anti-malware software for automatic removal.
If you want to try and restore files, encrypted by Dharma ransomware, we recommend that you read the alternative methods for file recovery in step “4. Try to Restore files encrypted by .betta Dharma Virus” underneath. They may not be a 100% working file recovery solution, but with their aid you may be able to recover some or most of your files.
Ventsislav Krastev
Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.
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Step 1: Scan for .betta Dharma Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Ransomware Automatic Removal - Video Guide
Step 2: Uninstall .betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus
Step 5: Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .betta Dharma Virus.
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 .betta Dharma Virus 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.
.betta Dharma Virus-FAQ
What is .betta Dharma Virus Ransomware?
.betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus Infect?
Via several ways..betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus 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 ..betta Dharma Virus files?
You can't without a decryptor. At this point, the ..betta Dharma Virus 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 ..betta Dharma Virus files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
Can I Restore "..betta Dharma Virus" Files?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore ..betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important ..betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this .betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus 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.
como recupero los archivos?