Remove HiddenTear 2.0 Ransomware and Restore .isis Files

A ransomware labeling itself as HiddenTear 2.0 is currently spreading around the Internet. The extension the ransomware puts to encrypted files is .isis and makes a file with instructions. The ransomware is part of “educational” series of ransomware, that gives the decryption key in some way. To remove the ransomware and check how you can restore your data, you should read this article to the end.

Threat Summary

Name	HiddenTear 2.0
Type	Ransomware
Short Description	The ransomware uses the AES algorithm and encrypts files placing .isis as an extension to them.
Symptoms	The ransomware does not demand money for decryption but instead creates a file with a randomly-generated password for decryption.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Suspicious Sites
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by HiddenTear 2.0 Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss HiddenTear 2.0.
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.

HiddenTear 2.0 Ransomware – Delivery

HiddenTear 2.0 ransomware is delivered through spam email campaigns. Spam emails have a file attached to them. The malicious code is inside that file. One such file goes by the name “skypetool.exe” and has a very rigid logo resembling the one of Skype, as you can see in the picture. Opening such an attachment and your computer will get infected. In other cases, the ransomware creators make the body of the email contain malicious code, where upon opening the said email the infection is spread.

Sites for social media networks and services about file-sharing might have such malware files as well. The malware creators may have put them there. To avoid most chances of getting infected with this ransomware virus you have to watch out for suspicious files and links, redirects and advertising that tries to trick you into clicking stuff. Anything of unknown origin around the Internet is a potential threat – just keep your eyes open.

HiddenTear 2.0 Ransomware – Description

HiddenTear 2.0 is the name that this ransomware gives itself. It encrypts files and creates a ransom note. An interesting fact is that instead of wanting money or BitCoins as payment, it tells users where they can find their randomly-generated decryption key. Security researchers have concluded that is indeed part of the HiddenTear series of ransomware, and it is presumed this is not a real threat, but done with an educational purpose.

You can never really know what the creators have planned. It can be a test for other ransomware viruses, and encrypting your files without explaining anything and just giving a decryption key is not well-planned for a lesson. Not to mention that it’s the same as real ransomware threats as your files will be encrypted and unusable.

Security researcher Jakub Kroustek from AVG has found this ransomware and has given it the name EduCrypt, because of the ransomware’s nature.

The ransomware could create an entry in the Windows Registry to execute automatic running of itself with every Windows start:

→HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run [exe name]

After encryption, the HiddenTear 2.0 ransomware creates a file named “README.txt” , which contains instructions on how you can restore your files. A decrypter tool is given, but that decrypter still searches for files with the .locked extension and doesn’t work. This is a screenshot of the note:

The ransom note states:

Well hello there, seems you have a virus! Well you are going to get the decryptor which is here http://www.filedropper.com/decrypter_1 Don’t Download Random Shit On The Internet A Hidden .txt File Has Been Created With The Decrypt Password! Find It!..

The text file which is created by the ransomware is called DecryptPassword.txt and contains a 15 symbol decryption key.

The HiddenTear 2.0 ransomware uses the AES algorithm for the encryption of files. File extensions which can get encrypted are the following:

→.jpg, .bmp, .png, .csv, .sql, .mdb, .sln, .php, .asp, .aspx, .html, .txt, .exe, .doc, .docx, .xls, .index, .pdf, .zip, .rar, .css, .lnk, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, .odt, .xml, .psd, .bk, .bat, .mp3,. mp4, .wav, .wma, .avi, .divx, .mkv, .mpeg, .wmv, .mov, .ogg

When the encryption process is complete, each file on your computer will have one, and the same extension as an appendix – .isis. That might be a hint that some ransomware viruses on the Internet gather money for terrorist organizations such as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).

HiddenTear 2.0 ransomware probably deletes Shadow Volume Copies from any Windows operating system. At the end of the article, see what you can do to restore your files back to normal.

Remove HiddenTear 2.0 Ransomware and Restore .isis Encrypted Files

If your computer is infected by the HiddenTear 2.0 ransomware, do not worry as there are ways you can get your files back. This ransomware has unknown intentions – it might be a test for other ransomware. After getting your files back, you should remove it and be prepared with having anti-malware software in case of future breaches to your security. You can find all that below in the step-by-step instructions manual that is provided.

Manually delete HiddenTear 2.0 from your computer

Note! Substantial notification about the HiddenTear 2.0 threat: Manual removal of HiddenTear 2.0 requires interference with system files and registries. Thus, it can cause damage to your PC. Even if your computer skills are not at a professional level, don’t worry. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using a malware removal tool.

1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove HiddenTear 2.0 files and objects.

Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode

1. For Windows 7,XP and Vista. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.

For Windows XP, Vista, 7 systems:

1. Remove all CDs and DVDs, and then Restart your PC from the “Start” menu.
2. Select one of the two options provided below:

– For PCs with a single operating system: Press “F8” repeatedly after the first boot screen shows up during the restart of your computer. In case the Windows logo appears on the screen, you have to repeat the same task again.

– For PCs with multiple operating systems: Тhe arrow keys will help you select the operating system you prefer to start in Safe Mode. Press “F8” just as described for a single operating system.

3. As the “Advanced Boot Options” screen appears, select the Safe Mode option you want using the arrow keys. As you make your selection, press “Enter“.

4. Log on to your computer using your administrator account

While your computer is in Safe Mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear in all four corners of your screen.

Step 1: Open the Start Menu

Step 2: Whilst holding down Shift button, click on Power and then click on Restart.
Step 3: After reboot, the aftermentioned menu will appear. From there you should choose Troubleshoot.

Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu you can choose Advanced Options.

Step 5: After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.

Step 6: Click on Restart.

Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You should choose Safe Mode by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.

2. Find malicious files created by HiddenTear 2.0 on your PC.

Find malicious files created by HiddenTear 2.0

1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. 2. For Windows 7,XP and Vista.

For Newer Windows Operating Systems

Step 1:

On your keyboard press  + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.

Step 2:

Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.

Step 3:

Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:

N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.

For Older Windows Operating Systems

In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:

Step 1:

Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.

Step 2:

After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.

Step 3:

After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.

Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.

3. Fix registry entries created by HiddenTear 2.0 on your PC.

Fix registry entries created by HiddenTear 2.0 on your PC.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries of your computer to change different settings. This is why manual clean up of your Windows Registry Database is strongly recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit lenghty, we recommend following our instructive article about fixing registry entries.

Automatically remove HiddenTear 2.0 by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove HiddenTear 2.0 with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

Remove HiddenTear 2.0 with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove HiddenTear 2.0.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove HiddenTear 2.0.

Step 1:Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is highly 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.

Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to automatically update.

Step1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Scan Computer Now’ button.

Step2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any HiddenTear 2.0 files, click on the ‘Fix Threats’ button to remove them automatically and permanently.

Step3: Once the intrusions on your PC have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart it.

2. Back up your data to secure it against infections and file encryption by HiddenTear 2.0 in the future

Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future

IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data automatically with cloud backup and insure it against any type of data loss on your device, even the most severe. We recommend reading more about and downloading SOS Online Backup .

SOS Online Backup

To back up your files via Windows and prevent any future intrusions, follow these instructions:

1. For Windows 7 and earlier 1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 1. Enabling the Windows Defense Feature (Previous Versions)

1-Click on Windows Start Menu

2-Type Backup And Restore
3-Open it and click on Set Up Backup

4-A window will appear asking you where to set up backup. You should have a flash drive or an external hard drive. Mark it by clicking on it with your mouse then click on Next.

5-On the next window, the system will ask you what do you want to backup. Choose the ‘Let Me Choose’ option and then click on Next.

6-Click on ‘Save settings and run backup’ on the next window in order to protect your files from possible attacks by HiddenTear 2.0.

1-Press Windows button + R

2-In the window type ‘filehistory’ and press Enter

3-A File History window will appear. Click on ‘Configure file history settings’

4-The configuration menu for File History will appear. Click on ‘Turn On’. After its on, click on Select Drive in order to select the backup drive. It is recommended to choose an external HDD, SSD or a USB stick whose memory capacity is corresponding to the size of the files you want to backup.

5-Select the drive then click on ‘Ok’ in order to set up file backup and protect yourself from HiddenTear 2.0.

1- Press Windows button + R keys.

2- A run windows should appear. In it type ‘sysdm.cpl’ and then click on Run.

3- A System Properties windows should appear. In it choose System Protection.

5- Click on Turn on system protection and select the size on the hard disk you want to utilize for system protection.
6- Click on Ok and you should see an indication in Protection settings that the protection from HiddenTear 2.0 is on.

Restoring a file via Windows Defense feature:
1-Right-click on the encrypted file, then choose Properties.

2-Click on the Previous Versions tab and then mark the last version of the file.

3-Click on Apply and Ok and the file encrypted by HiddenTear 2.0 should be restored.

3. Restore files encrypted by HiddenTear 2.0

Restore Files Encrypted by HiddenTear 2.0

Security engineers strongly advise users NOT to pay the ransom money and attempt restoring the files using other methods. Here are several suggestions:

To restore your data, your first bet is to check again for shadow copies in Windows using this software:

Shadow Explorer

If this method does not work, the malware researcher Michael Gillespie posted that his decryption tool is updated and working with the current version of the ransomware:

HiddenTear 2.0 decrypter

Another method of restoring your files is by trying to bring back your files via data recovery software. The ransomware had variants claiming to delete your data if some days pass and you don’t take action or you are unsuccessful with the decryption of your files. Here are some examples of data recovery programs:

• Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery Technicians License(Pro version with more features)
• Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery
• Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery

There is also the technical option to use a network sniffer:

Another way to decrypt the files is by using a Network Sniffer to get the encryption key, while files are encrypted on your system. A Network Sniffer is a program and/or device monitoring data traveling over a network, such as its internet traffic and internet packets. If you have a sniffer set before the attack happened you might get information about the decryption key.

Optional: Using Alternative Anti-Malware Tools

Remove HiddenTear 2.0 Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove HiddenTear 2.0.
Step 1: Download STOPZilla by clicking here.
Step 2: A pop-up window will appear. Click on the ‘Save File’ button. If it does not, click on the Download button and save it afterwards.

Step 3: After you have downloaded the setup, simply open it.
Step 4: The installer should appear. Click on the ‘Next’ button.

Step 5: Check the ‘I accept the agreement’ check circle if not checked if you accept it and click the ‘Next’ button once again.

Step 6: Review and click on the ‘Install’ button.

Step 7: After the installation process has completed click on the ‘Finish’ button.

2. Scan your PC with STOPZilla Anti Malware to remove all HiddenTear 2.0 associated files completely.
Step 1: Launch STOPZilla if you haven’t launched it after install.
Step 2: Wait for the software to automatically scan and then click on the ‘Repair Now’ button. If it does not scan automatically, click on the ‘Scan Now’ button.

Step 3: After the removal of all threats and associated objects, you should Restart your PC.

Berta Bilbao

Berta is the Editor-in-Chief of SensorsTechForum. She is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space.

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