The NtCrypt Crypter is a dangerous weapon used against computer users worldwide. It infects mainly via phishing email messages. Our article gives an overview of its behavior according to the collected samples and available reports, also it may be helpful in attempting to remove the virus.
Threat Summary
| Name | NtCrypt Crypter |
| Type | Trojan |
| Short Description | The NtCrypt Crypter is a computer virus that is designed to silently infiltrate computer systems. |
| Symptoms | The victims may not experience any apparent symptoms of infection. |
| Distribution Method | Software Vulnerabilities, Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages, Scripts and others. |
| Detection Tool |
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| User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss NtCrypt Crypter. |
NtCrypt Crypter – Distribution Methods
The Ntcrypt Crypter is a recently discovered malware tool which is being offered on the hacker underground markets. The developers have outlined the main ways in which intrusions can be made however other techniques can also be employed. Usually the most popular way is to inject its code into other processes by payload delivery. The captured samples have been shown to borrow code from other famous threats.
It is likely that infections can be made by using the most popular methods:
- Email Phishing Messages — The criminals can attempt to send the virus files via email messages that pretend to be sent by legitimate and well-known companies. They are usually disguised using stolen multimedia content that may look the same as the official messages. The criminals can either attach the files directly or link them in the body contents.
- Infected Documents — The hackers can attach macros that will infect the users with the NtCrypt crypter. This is done via documents across all popular types: text documents, presentations, databases and spreadsheets. As soon as they are opened a notification prompt will appear asking the users to enable them. In most cases the reason quoted to the users is the correct display of the file contents.
- Modified Application Installers — Well-known program installers can be modified in order to lead to the NtCrypt infections. The hackers typically choose applications that are popular with most end users: system utilities, productivity and office apps, creativity suites and even computer games. They are made by taking the legitimate files from their official sources and modifying them with the relevant code.
- File Sharing Networks — Popular software solutions for spreading content like BitTorrent are widely used by computer hackers in order to distribute both pirate and legitimate files. They are a popular outlet for spreading the infected payload carriers.
- Malicious Web Sites — The hackers can generate scam sites that impersonate popular download portals, company landing pages, product sites and other places on the Internet where downloads are usually offered. To make them appear as safe places the criminals can host them on domains with similar sounding domain names to the spoofed ones, as well as self-signed security certificates.
- Browser Hijackers — The other mechanism which is used by the criminals is the embedding of dangerous code into plugins which are made compatible with the most popular web browsers. They are usually spread on the relevant repositories with fake user reviews and developer credentials. The posted descriptions will promise performance enhancement and the addition of new features. Instead as soon as they are installed on the victim systems the virus code wil be implanted. Other malicious actions that will follow include the modification of the default settings in order to redirect the users to a preset hacker-controlled page.
At any point the malware operators can choose to use any other attack method in order to infect their target victims.
NtCrypt Crypter – Detailed Description
When the NtCrypt crypter code has been launched it will start a series of actions that are programmed to infect the target machines without alerting any security services or virus countermeasures into discovering that a malware infection has happened.
The modular engine is decrypted in real-time using a strong cipher which makes it very hard to detect as its signatures cannot be read. The malware is equipped with an advanced security bypass module. The crypter can be programmed to obfuscate its memory strings. Additional behavior that can be triggered by it is to locate security software and disable it. This is done by scanning the memory and local hard drive contents for signs of anti-virus engines, firewalls, virtual machine hosts and debug environments. Advanced samples can be configured to interact with the Windows Volume Manager which allows the engine to interact with any available network shares and removable storage devices.
The NtCrypt crypter can be used as a weapon to deploy other malware samples and it can be further extended with other code. We anticipate that the buyers will add at least some of them in the future releases. Common actions include the following:
- Data Theft — The hackers can use the NtCrypt crypter in order to insert a module that will carry out an information harvesting procedure. It can both expose the identity of the victims by looking out for strings such as a person’s name, address, phone number, location, interests and any stored account credentials. By searching all contents used by web browsers it can also retrieve bookmarks, cookies, search history and site preferences.
- Machine Identification — The engine can harvest sensitive information about the compromised machines which can be used to generate an ID that can differentiate the victim computers. This is done via an algorithm that takes it input values from data sources such as the installed hardware components, user settings and certain operating system conditions.
- Persistent Installation — When configured so the NtCrypt crypter can be programmed to automatically start running as soon as the computer has started running. This is done by manipulating the boot options, configuration files and Windows services. In many cases the victims will not be able to use manual removal guides as access to the recovery options can be disabled.
- Data Removal — The virus engine can be configured to locate and remove important data such as backups, restore points and shadow volume copies. In this case the users will need to resort to a professional-grade data recovery tool in order to effectively restore their data.
As the NtCrypt crypter is primarily used to deliver other threats it can be used in a variety of scenarios. A popular payload that can be spread onto the victim systems is the Trojan module. It creates a persistent connection to a hacker-controlled server which allows the criminals to take over control of the infected computers. This effectively allows them to spy on the victims, steal their files and carry out various malicious actions. Common payloads that are delivered to users include ransomware as well — they will encrypt target user data with a strong cipher and blackmail the victims to pay a decryption fee. Depending on the exact hacker configuration other actions may also follow.
Remove NtCrypt Crypter Completely
To remove NtCrypt Crypter manually from your computer, follow the step-by-step removal tutorial written down below. In case this manual removal does not get rid of the miner malware completely, you should search for and remove any leftover items with an advanced anti-malware tool. Such software can keep your computer secure in the future.
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.
Follow Me:
- Guide 1: How to Remove NtCrypt Crypter from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of NtCrypt Crypter from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove NtCrypt Crypter from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase NtCrypt Crypter from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall NtCrypt Crypter from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove NtCrypt Crypter from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate NtCrypt Crypter from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove NtCrypt Crypter from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove NtCrypt Crypter
Step 2: Uninstall NtCrypt Crypter 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:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by NtCrypt Crypter 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 NtCrypt Crypter 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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of NtCrypt Crypter from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall NtCrypt Crypter 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:
- 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 NtCrypt Crypter 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:
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 2: Scan for and remove NtCrypt Crypter files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as NtCrypt Crypter, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove NtCrypt Crypter from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Erase NtCrypt Crypter from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Uninstall NtCrypt Crypter from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove NtCrypt Crypter from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the NtCrypt Crypter will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate NtCrypt Crypter from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
