They will emphasize that NQHD malware has encrypted every file contained in the computer, with the use of very strong and unique encryption key. Therefore, if they hope to ever retrieve their encrypted files, then they would have to pay a certain amount of money as ransom to the cybercriminals before they would decrypt the files. Two emails: support@sysmail.ch and helprestoremanager@airmail.cc will be dropped as well for further correspondence. In addition to that, they will include decryption prices with conditions attached to it, such as possible discounts provided the victim responds ASAP to their demand. They will state that if the victim responds within 72 hours i.e. three days of being notified, they will be entitled to a 50% discount. In other words, instead of paying $980, they will only have to pay $490. However, once three days elapse, only the full payment will be acceptable. Peradventure the victim decides to contact them through the email address, he will be informed that payment can only be made by purchasing cryptocurrency equivalence of the ransom and transferring same to their own wallet address. They obviously opt for this channel in order to cover their tracks and preempt any possibility of being arrested. To assure the victim of their expertise, they may request for any random file to be sent to them for test decryption, but will equally add a clause that such file shouldn’t contain important information. Whatever be the situation, our in-house cybersecurity experts generally advise against any form of ransom payment and this standpoint is also recommended by the FBI. Victims should always remember that paying the ransom does not guarantee that encrypted data will be recovered. Also, whenever ransom is paid to cybercriminals, it encourages them and enhances their capacity to inflict more damage on increased number of victims, thereby enabling a vicious cycle. Worse still, the virus is known to drop Trojans like AZORULT and VIDAR on the compromised computer and these Trojans often steal sensitive personal information such as banking details, browsing history, software login details, cryptocurrency wallets, passwords saved on browser etc. without the victim being aware, thus opening up more chances for possible further blackmail. Victims of STOP/DJVU variant should endeavor to remove NQHD ransomware virus from their computer as quickly as possible. To do this effectively, they can make use of any strong antivirus software while their computer is on Safe Mode/Networking. This mode set up will make it easy for the malware to be detected and removed. However, it is important to make use of trusted antivirus while doing this. If you do not have one, then we recommend going for RESTORO to identify and repair virus damage on Windows OS files.

Ransomware Summary

REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE

Ransomware distribution techniques used by cybercriminals

More often than not, computer users tend to become infected with STOP/DJVU malware variants such as NQHD virus when they download from online malicious torrents. The cybercriminals usually hide the malware in pirated software copies such as key generators or “cracks,” among other illegal license activation tools and they become triggered when users download them on their computers. Some of the most popular ones they upload to different online torrent libraries are listed below:

Cubase;Tenorshare 4ukey;AutoCad;Opera browser;Corel Draw;VMware Workstation;Fifa 20;Adobe Photoshop;League of Legends;Internet Download Manager;KMSPico (illegal Windows activation tool).

Any computer user that has a habit of visiting online torrents libraries should desist from doing so to avoid becoming victim ransomware. Cybercriminals usually take advantage of greedy users who want to download copyrighted software contents illegally, only to end up unleashing dangerous malware on their computer. Aside the risk of falling victim to ransomware, illegally downloading such contents can lead to possible prosecution. Therefore, instead of getting involved in such risky activity, it is much better to pay the license fee as advertised by the original content developers which is significantly lower than the outrageous ransom demands cybercriminals place on their victims. Also, there won’t be any risk of blackmail or loss of sensitive/important data. Another channel used by cybercriminals to spread malware is through malicious email attachments, whereby they create seemingly real messages alongside attachments using certain formats, particularly XLS, PDF or DOCX. They make use of these particular platforms simply because they enable macro functions and JavaScript, which can be used to attach payload that would be triggered when downloaded on a computer. Nevertheless, those that are victims already shouldn’t throw caution to the wind and start seeking for decryption solutions from dubious sites claiming to offer them because such do not exist. On the contrary, cybercriminals behind them have ulterior motives and they usually spread other family variants like ZORAB while offering them as STOP/DJVU decryptors. Downloading them can only worsen an already bad situation.

Further details about the virus

This section explains further about what happens while NQHD ransomware attack is ongoing. It covers the technical aspect of the ransomware attack and the extent to which it affects your computer. The first thing the malware does is to establish build.exe or build2.exe as well as winupdate.exe that is, the prompt that displays fake Windows screen. The malware then makes a connection with https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json before saving the result in geo.json file. Afterwards, it then begins data gathering whereby every relevant detail about the computer will be extracted such as the computer’s geolocation, time zone, zip code, longitude and latitude (geo.json file) as well as hardware and software information into information.txt file, and forwards them to its database/server. Shown below is an image depicting geo.json file. You can also see a screenshot of information.txt created by the ransomware. The malware then makes use of the geolocation information to detect if the computer is located in any of their encryption-exempted countries listed as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Krygyzstan, Syria, Uzbekistan, Kazachstan, Armenia and Tajikistan. If it reads positive, they will abort the operation but if otherwise, they will move to the next stage where it will extract from the server; the online encryption key and also the victim’s ID and would later save them in bowsakkdestx.txt file and to PersonalID.txt file. You can check the images below to see an example of this file. If/when the virus couldn’t extract an online encryption ID; it will resort to the use of an offline encryption ID. The difference between them is that while online ID is unique to each victim, the offline one is uniform for all victims. You can detect if an offline key was used if an ID has t1 characters appearing at the end of it. An offline ID increases the hope of the victim to be able to decrypt .nqhd files someday. More details about this is provided below. The ransomware will at this juncture, commence full data encryption by scanning the entire folders and encrypting the files with Salsa20, and afterwards, it will now lock the encryption using RSA-2048 key. While this process is still ongoing, it will mark each file with a new additional extension. Shown in the image below is a screenshot of _readme.txt ransom note that is dropped in each folder. The next thing it does is to delete all Volume Shadow Copies by leveraging the Command Prompt task as shown below: vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet Before wrapping up the attack, the virus will add a list of domains to the Windows HOSTS file and then sends them to the localhost IP. This move practically prevents the victim from having any access to the blacklisted websites. When the victim tries to visit any of the blacklisted websites, they will encounter DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error message. The simple reason why the cybercriminals do this is to prevent the victim from being able to visit certain online sites that provide advise/support. The ransomware then releases even more malware such as VIDAR or AZORULT Trojan on the already compromised computer.

Remove NQHD Ransomware Virus and Recover Your Files

For victims whose files were encrypted by this variant of ransomware, it will be in your best interest to report the incident to local authorities mandated to handle such issues and also remove NQHD ransomware virus as quickly as possible (the steps provided below can guide you on this). However, always remember to set up your computer on the Safe Mode with Networking option before trying to use antivirus in removing the malware. This option optimizes the process and prevents the malware from hindering the removal. It is also important to note that while there are several genuine antivirus software copies available in the market, there are also lots of ineffective ones. So, you should be wary of the antivirus you’re opting for. Due to this factor, we recommend INTEGO Antivirus because it has proven to be very reliable. The following steps should be taken immediately before or after NQHD ransomware virus removal:

Get in touch with the designated local law enforcement agency assigned to handle cybercrime and related issues.Restore lost data using your backup device but ensure there is no trace of the virus left before plugging any external storage device.Study possible ways one can repair data damaged by STOP/DJVU variants.Replace all existing passwords used on the compromised computer with new ones.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here.

Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking

Before you try to remove NQHD Ransomware Virus virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, if you prefer a video version of the tutorial, check our guide How to Start Windows in Safe Mode on Youtube. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users Now, you can search for and remove NQHD Ransomware Virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable security program such as INTEGO Antivirus. For virus damage repair, consider using RESTORO.

Method 2. Use System Restore

In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won’t be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future.

Alternative software recommendations

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense If you’re looking for an all-in-one system maintenance suite that has 7 core components providing powerful real-time protection, on-demand malware removal, system optimization, data recovery, password manager, online privacy protection and secure driver wiping technology. Therefore, due to its wide-range of capabilities, System Mechanic Ultimate Defense deserves Geek’s Advice approval. Get it now for 50% off. You may also be interested in its full review.

Disclaimer. This site includes affiliate links. We may earn a small commission by recommending certain products, at no additional cost for you. We only choose quality software and services to recommend.

Decrypt NQHD files

Fix and open large NQHD files easily:

It is reported that STOP/DJVU ransomware versions encrypt only the beginning 150 KB of each file to ensure that the virus manages to affect all files on the system. In some cases, the malicious program might skip some files at all. That said, we recommend testing this method on several big (>1GB) files first.

STOP/DJVU decryption tool usage guide

STOP/DJVU ransomware versions are grouped into old and new variants. NQHD Ransomware Virus is considered the new STOP/DJVU variant, just like BPTO, ISWR, ISZA, BPSM, ZOUU, MBTF, ZNSM (find full list here). This means full data decryption is now possible only if you have been affected by offline encryption key. To decrypt your files, you will have to download Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP DJVU, a tool created and maintained by a genius security researcher Michael Gillespie. Note! Please do not spam the security researcher with questions whether he can recover your files encrypted with online key - it is not possible. In order to test the tool and see if it can decrypt NQHD files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The NQHD decryption tool might display several different messages after failed attempt to restore your files. You might receive one of the following messages: Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [example ID] This message typically means that there is no corresponding decryption key in the decryptor’s database. No key for New Variant online ID: [example ID]Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible This message informs that your files were encrypted with online key, meaning no one else has the same encryption/decryption key pair, therefore data recovery without paying the criminals is impossible. Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future. If you were informed that an offline key was used, but files could not be restored, it means that the offline decryption key isn’t available yet. However, receiving this message is extremely good news, meaning that it might be possible to restore your NQHD extension files in the future. It can take a few months until the decryption key gets found and uploaded to the decryptor. We recommend you to follow updates regarding the decryptable DJVU versions here. We strongly recommend backing up your encrypted data and waiting.

Victims of NQHD Ransomware Virus should report the Internet crime incident to the official government fraud and scam website according to their country:

In the United States, go to the On Guard Online website.In Australia, go to the SCAMwatch website.In Germany, go to the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik website.In Ireland, go to the An Garda Síochána website.In New Zealand, go to the Consumer Affairs Scams website.In the United Kingdom, go to the Action Fraud website.In Canada, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.In India, go to Indian National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.In France, go to the Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information.

If you can’t find an authority corresponding to your location on this list, we recommend using any search engine to look up “[your country name] report cyber crime”. This should lead you to the right authority website. We also recommend staying away from third-party crime report services that are often paid. It costs nothing to report Internet crime to official authorities. Another recommendation is to contact your country’s or region’s federal police or communications authority.