.stun Files Virus – WHAT IS IT and How to Remove It

What are .stun files? What is the virus, using .stun file extension? How to remove .stun files ransomware? How to try and restore .stun encrypted files?

The .stun files virus is a ransomware that is part of the Dharma family of malware. The virus aims to encrypt the files on the computers it has already infected and then add the .stun file extension to them. Dharma ransomware also leaves the unlockdata@foxmail.com alongside the .stun extension on the encrypted files so that victims can contact them. The aim of Dharma ransomware is to induce fear that you may never see your files again, until you pay ransom to retrieve them. If your files have the .stun ransomware and your computer is infected by Dharma ransomware, you should read the following article.

Threat Summary

Name	.stun Dharma Virus
Type	Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description	Aims to encrypt files on your computer and then extort you into paying ransom to get them to work again.
Symptoms	Files have the .stun extension and cannot be opened.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by .stun Dharma Virus Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss .stun 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.

.stun Files Virus – How Did I Get It and What Does It Do?

The .stun ransomware may enter your computer as a result of you opening its virus file. Such infection fles may be spread either via e-mail as an attachment or by being uploaded on a website, pretending to be a legitimate software download. They often mimick invoices, receipts, documents from a bank, reports, job-related documents, setups for programs, portable software, cracks, patches and many other file types. The goal is to trick you as a potential victim to download and run the files.

Once the .stun variant of Dharma ransomware infects your computer, it may immediately drop the virus files in different Windows directories and under different file names. The most targeted directories often turn out to be:

• %AppData%
• %Local%
• %LocalLow%
• %Temp%
• %Roaming%

After the virus files of the .stun Dharma ransomware variant are already dropped, the virus may obtain administrator rights on the computer it has infected, only to begin encrypting files. The files that may be encrypted by this variant of Dharma ransomware could be of the following file types:

• Videos.
• Images.
• Audio files.
• Documents.
• Archives.

Once Dharma .stun ransomware encrypts your files, they start to appear like the following:

After this variant of Dharma ransomware has finished with its encryption, the ransomware may show the convention ransom note used by it:

To eliminate any chances of you recovering your files via Windows backup and recovery services, Dharma .stun ransomware may execute the following Windows commands that may delete the shadow copies and disable and stop Windows recovery services:

→ sc stop VVS
sc stop wscsvc
sc stop WinDefend
sc stop wuauserv
sc stop BITS
sc stop ERSvc
sc stop WerSvc
cmd.exe /C bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No
cmd.exe /C bcdedit /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures
C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe” /C vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet

Remove Dharma Ransomware and Restore .stun Encrypted Files

Be advised that removing Dharma ransomware may take some skill and time. You can follow the removal steps 1 and 2 below and manually search for and remove the virus files of Dharma ransomware. However, with manual removal you risk damaging your files, because Dharma .stun ransomware may have mechanisms that trigger fail-safe scripts. This is why according to security experts, the best course of action towards removing Dharma ransomware is to skip step 1 and 2 and proceed to remove the virus automatically by downloading an advanced anti-malware program. This tool will not only save you a lot of time compared to manual removal, but it will also effectively and safely delete Dharma .stun ransomware from your computer plus protect it against future infections too.

When it comes to your files, be advised that at this point, files, encrypted with the .stun extension added cannot be decrypted for free. But this does not mean that paying the ransom will solve your problem – it is NOT recommended. Instead, we advise you to backup the .stun files on your computer and wait for a free decryptor to be released by malware analysts. When it has been, we will update this article with a download link. In the meantime, you can try to recover your files by the alternative methods we have posted underneath. They may not be with a 100% recovery success rate, but they might be able to help you get at least some of your files back.

Ventsislav Krastev

Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.

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• Guide 1: How to Remove .stun Dharma Virus from Windows.
• Guide 2: Get rid of .stun Dharma Virus from Mac OS X.

Windows Mac OS X

How to Remove .stun Dharma Virus from Windows.

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Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .stun 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

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1. Hold Windows key() + R

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2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

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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.

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4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

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5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

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Step 2: Uninstall .stun 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:

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1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

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2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

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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.

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Step 3: Clean any registries, created by .stun 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 .stun Dharma Virus there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:

1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

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2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

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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 .stun Dharma Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

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

Download

Malware Removal Tool

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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.

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2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

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3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

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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 .stun Dharma Virus.

Ransomware infections and .stun 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:

Stellar Data Recovery Technician Version

If the above link does not work for you and your region, try the other two links below, that lead to the same product:

Stellar Data Recovery Technician Version (2nd link)

and

Stellar Data Recovery Technician Version

2. On the download page, click on the "Download" button:

3. Click on "Save File" button:

4. Accept all agreements and click "Next":

5. After all the "Next" steps, click on "Install" and then wait for the installation to complete:

6. Run the software. Click on the location to scan for missing or deleted files and click on "Scan":

7. Wait for the scan to complete, it may take some time. Be advised that this scan is not 100% guaranteed to recover all files, but it does have some chance to get your data back:

Windows Mac OS X

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

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Step 1: Uninstall .stun 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:

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2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

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3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to .stun Dharma Virus:

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

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4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

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5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to .stun Dharma Virus. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

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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 .stun Dharma Virus. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

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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 .stun 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 .stun 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.

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Step 2: Scan for and remove .stun Dharma Virus files from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as .stun Dharma Virus, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.

Download

Combo Cleaner

Step 3 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by .stun Dharma Virus on your Mac.

Ransomware for Mac .stun Dharma Virus aims to encode all your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decode, unless you pay money. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files, but only in some cases. 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 Mac app by clicking on the link underneath:

Stellar Data Recovery Technician Version