.TEST Files Virus (CryptoMix) – How to Remove and Restore Files

This article has been created in order to help you by showing how to remove the .TEST files virus (CryptoMix variant) from your computer and how to restore files that have been encrypted with the .TEST file extension.

New ransomware infection has been reported to infect computers. The virus, using the .TEST file extension has been outlined by researchers to have the .TEST file extension which it appends on the files of the compromised computer. In addition to this, the malware also drops a ransom note, named _HELP_INSTRUCTION.TXT which aims to convince the victims of the virus in order to pay a hefty ransom fee in order to try and restore the AES encrypted files.

Threat Summary

Name	.TEST Files Virus
Type	Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description	Aims to encrypt the files on the infected computer and ask victims to pay ransom in order to restore the encrypted files.
Symptoms	Aims to append the .TEST file suffix on the encrypted files and then drops a ransom note, named _HELP_INSTRUCTION.TXT.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by .TEST Files Virus Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss .TEST Files 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.

Test CryptoMix Ransomware – Spread

For the infection process, the .TEST ransomware virus may use more than one techniques, the main of which may be e-mail spam messages that may be sent to victims. Such e-mails often pretend they come from big companies, like PayPal, DHL, FedEx, Dropbox and others and their goal is to make you trust the deceitful messages within them that often aim to get you to open malicious attachments within the e-mails or click on an URL which eventually leads to the infection itself. Here is an example of how such e-mails appear:

In addition to this, there may be other methods by which the CryptoMix .TEST variant can infect your computer system. One of those methods is known to be via fake files, such as setups, program license activators, key generators as well as other types of seemingly legitimate files.

.TEST Ransowmare – Analysis

Upon the initial infection with the infection file of .TEST ransomware, the malware may begin to drop it’s malicious files in the following Windows folders:

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

As soon as the malicious files of the .TEST files virus are dropped onto the victim’s computers, the ransomware may begin to perform various different activities, such as interfere with the Windows Registry Editor, more particularly modify the following Windows Registry sub-keys:

→ 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

After having done this, the .TEST files virus may also begin to modify various different types of processes and services in Windows, allowing it to obtain administrative power. Then, the .TEST ransomware may execute a script in Windows Command Prompt which stops several Windows processes and in addition to this may delete the Shadow Volume Copies of your computer, hence destroying backup and recovery via Windows. The commands to do these activities are as follows:

→ 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

Then, the malware adds the _HELP_INSTRUCTION.TXT which aims to notify the victim of the ransomware virus that they must contact one of the test757 e-mails in order to pay a a ransom fee.

.TEST Files Virus – Encryption

For the encryption of files, the .TEST files virus may use various different techniques to located the files on your computer. It may scan for the most commonly used files on your computer, which are likely to be videos, documents, images and other types of important files with file extensions, among which may be the following:

“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 .PRF Encoded Files .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 .OBJ R.BMP .DDS .GIF .JPG ..CRX .PLUGIN .FNT .FON .OTF .TTF .CAB .CPL .CUR .DESKTHEMEPACK .DLL .DMP .DRV .ICNS .ICO .LNK .SYS .CFG”

After the files are detected, the .TEST files virus begins to alter aspects of those files by replacing their original code with encrypted data with the AES encryption algorithm. In addition to this, the virus also renames the files with random letters and numbers and adds the .TEST file extension to them, making them appear like the following:

Remove .TEST Files Virus and Restore Encrypted Files

In order to remove the .TEST files virus, it is recommended that you follow the removal instructions below. They are divided in manual or automatic and their primary purpose is to make sure that the .TEST files virus is permanently gone. Be advised that if you lack the experience in removing the .TEST files virus automatically, recommendations by security experts are to perform the removal automatically via an advanced anti-malware software which will automatically scan for and remove the .TEST files virus from your computer completely and protect your computer against future infections.

In addition to this, if you want to restore files that have been encrypted by the .TEST files ransomware, you can try and follow the alternative instructions for file recovery below in step “2. Restore files, encrypted by .TEST Files Virus”. They are created in order to help you restore as many files as possible, but they are no guarantee you will be able to recover all of the data.

Manually delete .TEST Files Virus from your computer

Note! Substantial notification about the .TEST Files Virus threat: Manual removal of .TEST Files Virus 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 .TEST Files Virus files and objects

Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode

1. For Windows 7,XP and Vista. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Fix registry entries created by .TEST Files Virus on your PC.

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.

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.

2. Find malicious files created by .TEST Files Virus on your PC

Find malicious files created by .TEST Files Virus

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.

Automatically remove .TEST Files Virus by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove .TEST Files Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

Remove .TEST Files Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove .TEST Files Virus.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove .TEST Files Virus. Back up your data to secure it against infections and file encryption by .TEST Files Virus in the future.

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 .TEST Files Virus 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.

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

2. Restore files encrypted by .TEST Files Virus

Restore Files Encrypted by .TEST Files Virus

Ransomware infections like .TEST Files Virus aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to directly decrypt. This is why we have suggested several alternative methods that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that they may not be 100% effective but they may help you little or a lot in some situations.

Method 1: Scanning your drive’s sectors by using Data Recovery software.
Another method of restoring your files is by trying to bring back your files via data recovery software. Here are some suggestions for preferred data recovery software solutions:

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

Method 2: Trying Kaspersky and EmsiSoft’s decryptors.
If the first method does not work, we suggest trying to use decryptors for other ransomware viruses, in case your virus is a variant of them. The two primary developers of decryptors are Kaspersky and EmsiSoft, links to which we have provided below:

• Kaspersky Decryptors
• Emsisoft Decryptors

Urgent! It is strongly advisable to first remove the .TEST Files Virus threat before attempting any decryption, since it may interfere with system files and registries. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using an advanced malware removal tool.

Method 3: Using Shadow Explorer

To restore your data in case you have backup set up, it is important to check for shadow copies in Windows using this software if ransomware has not deleted them:

• Shadow Explorer

Method 4: Finding .TEST Files Virus decryption key while it communicates it via a network sniffing software.

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. See how-to instructions below:

Instructions on How to Find Decryption Key for Files Encrypted By Ransowmare

Optional: Using Alternative Anti-Malware Tools

Remove .TEST Files Virus Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove .TEST Files Virus.
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 .TEST Files Virus 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.

Vencislav Krustev

A network administrator and malware researcher at SensorsTechForum with passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cyber security. Strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.

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