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.
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.
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.
Note! Your computer might be affected by WeChat Pay ransomware and other threats.
Threats such as WeChat Pay ransomware may be persistent on your system. They tend to re-appear if not fully deleted. A malware removal tool like SpyHunter will help you to remove malicious programs, saving you the time and the struggle of tracking down numerous malicious files. SpyHunter’s scanner is free but the paid version is needed to remove the malware threats. Read SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy
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.
This article will aid you to remove WeChat Pay Ransomware. Follow the ransomware removal instructions provided at the end of the article.
WeChat Pay Ransomware is one that encrypts your data and demands money as a ransom to get it restored. The WeChat Pay Ransomware will leave ransomware instructions via a lockscreen instance. Keep on reading the article and see how you could try to potentially recover some of your locked files and data.
Threat Summary
Name
WeChat Pay ransomware
Type
Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description
The ransomware encrypts and demands a ransom to be paid to allegedly recover them.
Symptoms
The ransomware will encrypt your files and leave a ransom note with payment instructions.
Distribution Method
Spam Emails, Email Attachments
Detection Tool
See If Your System Has Been Affected by WeChat Pay ransomware
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.
WeChat Pay Ransomware – Distribution Techniques
The reports about the Wechat Pay ransomware showcase that it is distributed mainly via supply-chain attack. By definition this is an attack intrusion that focuses on less-secure elements in a certain company’s infrastructure. Further information about the exact route of infection is not known at this stage.
What we know so far is that this is devised as a special attack against Chinese targets. It is very possible that the route of infection is the installation of infected software package. Such tactics take the legitimate installers of popular applications which are often installed by end users: system utilities, creativity suites and productivity applications or even games. Once they are executed by the engine the WeChat Pay ransomware will be started.
The distributed ransomware carriers have also been found to implement stolen digital certificates from Tencent Technologies. This explains the massive number of affected users which were reported at the onset of the attack campaign.
The known information about the hacker or criminal group behind the WeChat Pay ransomware attacks is a nick name “Luo”. The researchers were able to follow their QQ account number, mobile number, email IDs and their Alipay ID. The WeChat service has suspended the identified account which should stop the attacks coming in with this configuration.
WeChat Pay Ransomware – Detailed Analysis
As soon as the WeChat Pay ransomware is started it will start its built-in sequence of commands as per the current configuration. The analysis of the collected samples shows that one of the first components that are run is the password stealing one. It can scan the local hard drive, installed applications and the operating system environment for the following services: Alipay, NetEase 163 email service, Baidu Cloud Disk, Jingdong (JD.com), Taobao, Tmall , AliWangWang, and QQ.
All collected information that is hijacked will be reported to the criminals via a server connection. The local ransomware will establish a link with the hackers notifying them of the hijacked data. Other consequences of this action also includes the following:
Data Theft — The service connection can be used to hijack user data before they have been encrypted.
System Data Changes — Via this Trojan connection the criminals can manipulate the system by accessing and editing Windows Registry settings belonging both to the operating system and the third-party installed applications. This can result in the inability to launch certain functions or operations, as well as cause severe performance issues.
Additional Malware Infections — If instructed so the WeChat Pay ransomware infection can lead to the delivery of other malware.
Additionally the ransomware engine has been found to generate a report of the installed hardware components and other data that may be useful in analyzing the results of the attack campaign. The collected data may be used to generate a machine infection ID which is associated with every single compromised host.
WeChat Pay Ransomware – Encryption Process
As soon as the prior components have completed execution the actual ransomware engine will be started.
The XOR cipher has been identified to be used against the user data. The captured releases have been found to store the decryption key in the following location:
A lockscreen instance will then be displayed to the victims notifying them that they have to pay a ransomware fee of 110 yuan in order to get access back to their data.
NOTE: A decryptor has been released for the captured early versions. You can attempt file recovery by using it.
Remove WeChat Pay Ransomware and Try to Restore Data
If your computer system got infected with the WeChat Pay 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.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by WeChat Pay ransomware and other threats. Scan Your PC with SpyHunter SpyHunter is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as WeChat Pay ransomware. 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.
To remove WeChat Pay ransomware follow these steps:
1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove WeChat Pay ransomware files and objects
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
Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode
1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.
For Windows XP, Vista and 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 up the Start Menu.
Step 2: Click on the Power button (for Windows 8 it is the little arrow next to the “Shut Down” button) and whilst holding down “Shift” click on Restart.
Step 3: After reboot, a blue menu with options will appear. From them you should choose Troubleshoot.
Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu choose Advanced Options.
Step 5: After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.
Step 6: From the Startup Settings menu, click on Restart.
Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You can choose any of the three Safe Mode options by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.
Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries on your computer to change different settings. This is why cleaning your Windows Registry Database is recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit long and tampering with registries could damage your computer if not done properly you should refer and follow our instructive article about fixing registry entries, especially if you are unexperienced in that area.
2. Find files created by WeChat Pay ransomware on your PC
Find files created by WeChat Pay ransomware
1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. 2. For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.
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.
IMPORTANT! Before starting the Automatic Removal below, 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.
Use SpyHunter to scan for malware and unwanted programs
3. Scan for malware and unwanted programs with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Scan your PC and Remove WeChat Pay ransomware with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for WeChat Pay ransomware and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove WeChat Pay ransomware. Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
Step 1: Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.
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.
Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
Step 1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.
Step 2: 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.
Step 3: If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.
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 with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats. We recommend you to read more about it and to download SOS Online Backup.
4. Try to Restore files encrypted by WeChat Pay ransomware
Try to Restore Files Encrypted by WeChat Pay ransomware
Ransomware infections and WeChat Pay ransomware aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to 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 these methods may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
Method 1: Scanning your drive’s sectors by using Data Recovery software. Another method for 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:
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:
To restore your data in case you have backup set up, it is important to check for Volume Shadow Copies, if ransomware has not deleted them, in Windows using the below software:
Method 4: Finding the decryption key while the cryptovirus sends it over a network via a sniffing tool.
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:
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.
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.
1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7.
2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for WeChat Pay ransomware and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
