.betta Dharma Ransomware – How to Remove It

by Ventsislav Krastev | October 22, 2018 | 1 Comment Dharma, file-encryption, ransomware

Threat Summary .betta Dharma Ransomware – Information Database:.betta Dharma Virus – How Does It Infect Dharma .betta Virus – Activity Dharma .betta Ransomware – Encryption Remove Dharma Ransomware and Restore .betta Encrypted Files

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 Download 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

.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

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:

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

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.

How to Remove .betta Dharma Virus from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .betta Dharma Virus

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter's malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

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".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

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 .betta Dharma Virus 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 .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:

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.

IMPORTANT!
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 .betta Dharma Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is 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. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

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.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .betta Dharma Virus.

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.

1. Download the reccomended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:

EaseUS Data Recovery Software

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.

Windows Mac OS X

Get rid of .betta Dharma Virus from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall .betta Dharma Virus and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

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 .betta Dharma Virus:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

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 .betta Dharma Virus. 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 .betta Dharma Virus. 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 .betta Dharma Virus 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:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

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 .betta Dharma Virus. 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.

Click the button below below to download SpyHunter for Mac and scan for .betta Dharma Virus:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

Step 3 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .betta Dharma Virus.

1. Download the reccomended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:

EaseUS Data Recovery Software

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.

.betta Dharma Virus FAQ

What is .betta Dharma Virus ransomware and how does it work?

.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 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 .betta Dharma Virus ransomware infect my computer?

Via several ways..betta Dharma Virus 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 .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. At this point the ..betta Dharma Virus 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 ..betta Dharma Virus files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.

One way to restore files, encrypted by .betta Dharma Virus 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 "..betta Dharma Virus" files (Other Methods)?

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% 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 .betta Dharma Virus 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 .betta Dharma Virus ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important ..betta Dharma Virus files.

Also, keep in mind that viruses like .betta Dharma Virus 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.