The article will help you to remove the Haze ransomware efficiently. Follow the ransomware removal instructions provided at the bottom of this article.
Haze ransomware is a virus. The virus is with screen-locking capabilities and its name is also present in its payload dropper – “HazeRansomeware.exe”. The ransom message that pops up afterward is written in the English language, but English-speaking users are not the only target. For the time being it is considered in development, due to the fact that it doesn’t encrypt. Continue to read down below to see how you could try to potentially restore some of your data files.
Threat Summary
| Name | Haze |
| Type | Ransomware, Virus |
| Short Description | The ransomware is not known to encrypt files for now, but it is a definite possibility in the future. |
| Symptoms | The virus is of the screenlocker variety. No matter if it encrypts or not now, it will still show a ransom note if you get your computer infected, making the screen and PC seem inaccessible. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
Download
Malware Removal Tool
|
User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Haze. |
| 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. |
Haze Ransomware – Delivery Ways
Haze ransomware could be delivered in more than one way. However, the way that is the most widespread is via a payload dropper file which initiates the malicious script for the ransomware. A sample has been spotted by malware researchers and you can preview its analysis available on the VirusTotal service from down below:
The Haze ransomware might be using other ways to deliver the payload file, such as social media and file-sharing sites. Freeware applications found on the Internet could be promoted as helpful but also could hide the malicious script for this virus. Before opening any files after you have downloaded them, you should instead scan them with a security program. Especially if they come from suspicious places, such as emails or links. Also, don’t forget to check the size and signatures of such files for anything that seems out of place. You should read the tips for ransomware prevention provided in our forum.
Haze Ransomware – Technical Overview
The Haze ransomware is a virus, which has been recently discovered. Although the virus is of the screenlocker variety, it will still show a ransom note demanding payment to unlock your files. However, Haze ransomware is not known to encrypt files for now, researchers claim. The virus will pop up a window that serves as a ransom note with instructions that is actually a screen that can lock your computer and block access to your data.
The Haze ransomware could be set to make new registry entries in the Windows Registry to achieve a higher level of persistence. Those entries are usually designed in a way that will start the virus automatically with every launch of the Windows Operating System, like in the example given below:
→“HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run”
The ransom message will load up as a screenlocking image and it can be seen right here below:
The ransom note message states the following:
Welcome to haze Virus
The harddisks of your computer have been locked with a military grade encryption algorthm. There is no way to restore your data without a special key. You can get this key for 25€ if you folow the steps below.
1.Enter your E-Mail address below.
2.Enter a 25€ Paysavecard code below.
3.Click on ok, after a few time you will get a E-Mail from us with the Key.
Enter your E-Mail address: [ ] Enter 25€ Paysavecard code: [ ] Enter your Key: [ ]
Besides that, your desktop background will show the following (at least at first):
The ransom sum that is demanded as payment for allegedly restoring access to your computer is a 25€ Paysavecard. However, you should NOT pay up cybercriminals as that may only serve as a motivation for them. Nobody can guarantee you will get your computer back to normal. As the virus doesn’t necessarily lock your files themselves but just the access to them, it is removable.
Haze Ransomware – Encryption Process
There is no official list with file extensions that the Haze ransomware seeks to encrypt and the article will be duly updated if there are changes regarding that. Encryption doesn’t seem to be present in some variants of the ransomware. The virus might still be in-development and the encryption feature might be added in the near future.
You can preview a list with file extensions that the Haze ransomware probably seeks to encrypt:
→.7z, .bmp, .doc, .docm, .docx, .html, .jpeg, .jpg, .mp3, .mp4, .pdf, .php, .ppt, .pptx, .rar, .rtf, .sql, .tiff, .txt, .xls, .xlsx, .zip
Those files are the most commonly-used ones for most Windows users, which is why the list could be on-point.
To remove the lock on your screen you might get lucky and have a variant that allows interaction such as pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del or accessing your Task manager to kill the ransomware’s process. But with another variant your PC will become inaccessible.
The Haze cryptovirus is more than likely to erase the Shadow Volume Copies from the Windows Operating System by executing the following command:
→vssadmin.exe delete shadows /all /Quiet
If the above-stated command is inputted into the command prompt of the Windows operating system, that will make the encryption process more effective, as one of the main ways for file recovery will be gone. Keep on reading to find out what methods you can try out to potentially restore some of your files.
Remove Haze Ransomware from Your PC
If your computer got infected with the Haze ransomware virus, you should have a bit of experience in removing malware. You should get rid of this ransomware as quickly as possible before it can have the chance to spread further and infect other computers. You should remove the ransomware and follow the step-by-step instructions guide provided below.
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 Haze Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Haze 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 Haze 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 Haze from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Haze
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 Haze 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 Haze 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 Haze 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 Haze 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 Haze.
Ransomware infections and Haze 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 Haze from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Haze 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 Haze:
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 Haze. 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 Haze. 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 Haze 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 Haze. 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 Haze.
Ransomware infections and Haze 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.
Haze FAQ
What is Haze ransomware and how does it work?
Haze 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 Haze ransomware infect my computer?
Via several ways.Haze 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 Haze 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 .Haze files?
You can't. At this point the .Haze 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 .Haze files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
One way to restore files, encrypted by Haze 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 ".Haze" files (Other Methods)?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .Haze 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 Haze 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 Haze ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .Haze files.
Also, keep in mind that viruses like Haze 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.
