An infection with the dangerous .0000 Virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove .0000 Virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of .0000 Virus
The .0000 Virus is a new virus which has been sighted in a limited attack campaign. At the moment the security researchers cannot determine the primary infection strategy. We presume that the most widely used tactics are going to be employed.
Among them are the email messages created in an automated way and sent to large lists of potential victims. The .0000 Virus can be directly attached to the messages. This is one of the easiest way for the criminals to attempt the infection. However a lot of email hosting providers usually capture the signatures of the virus and as such discard such messages or label them as dangerous or spam. Other infection methods related to this one is the option of inserting hyperlinks in the body content of the messages. The links are usually labeled as leading to a familiar website or a file of user interest. Redirects can redirect to hacker-controlled sites, infected payloads or other instances that can lead to an .0000 Virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the .0000 Virus. A popular option is the use of infected documents which may be of different types ‒ spreadsheets, rich text documents, presentations and databases. They are modified to initiate the virus once the built-in scripts are run. Usually when the files are opened a notification will ask the users to run the macros (scripts). If this is done the infection follows.
The hacker-controlled sites are specialist portals that have been created either manually or automatically by the criminals behind the .0000 Virus. They can either directly distribute the threat by initiating various scripts or automated operations or link to such instances. Redirects are usually caused by email interaction, ad networks or other browsing activity. However one of the main sources is the availability of browser hijackers. They are malicious addons made for the most popular web browsers ‒ Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, Microsoft Edge and Safari. Once installed they not only infect the users with the malware, but also redirect the victims to a hacker-controlled site. Depending on the configuration the browser hijackers can also steal sensitive information such as any stored passwords, account credentials, history, bookmarks, form data and settings.
Impact of .0000 Virus
Computer security researchers uncovered a new strain of the CryptoMix ransomware family called the .0000 virus. The initial code analysis shows that it is a modification of the original code featuring customizations made by the hacker operators. At the moment there is no information about the identity of the person or collective behind it.
CryptoMix is among the most popular ransomware families having first appeared in the beginning of 2016. Its code is widely available both on the hacker underground markets as well as the general Internet. Strains coming from this malware family are distributed using different channels including exploit kits, email campaigns and infected software installers.
In some cases the virus may behave in a different way according to the infection strategy. The .0000 virus at the moment contains only the base engine and the ransomware component. Like other similar threats it can be further modified to include other components as well. Examples include the following:
- Data Extraction ‒ A series of information stealing activities occur as the .0000 virus starts its system checks. The malware engine starts to scan the infected machine and extracts a variety of data including the available hardware components, installed software and user settings.
- Network Connections ‒ Any active infections are automatically reported to the hacker-controlled servers over the Internet. The initiated network connection can also be used to send commands to the infected computers.
- Stealth Protection ‒ The .0000 virus is capable of protecting itself from discovery by utilizing built-in mechanisms. They can be effective against virtual machines, debugging environments and sandboxes. The malware engine conducts several checks and if such are detected the virus automatically shuts down and deletes itself to evade detection.
- System Modification ‒ As a consequence of the infection and the built-in patterns system modifications are made to the computers. The list includes registry values, configuration files and file modifications. As a result some Windows features might stop working, the users may experience performance issues and applications failure.
CryptoMix can be configured to extract a lot of sensitive information from the compromised computers. This includes reports on the installed hardware components, available applications and user settings. This is analyzed by the built-in engine and every infected host is assigned an unique string called the unique infection ID (UID). Certain Cryptomix strains are known to stop security services and Windows functions by using built-in commands. It is possible that some of the .0000 virus also include this feature.
Changes are made to the Windows registry can be used in several different ways. The first option is to add entries that signal for a present infection. The made modifications can also block certain Windows features or installed application from functioning properly. Complex infection strategies utilize patterns that make it possible for the .0000 virus to be installed as a persistent threat. Such malware automatically inspect the users behavior and actively prevent them from removing the viruses.
When all prerequisite conditions are met the ransomware engine itself is started. Like previous Cryptomix samples the .0000 virus uses a built-in list of target file type extensions. An example list includes the following data:
.sql, .mp4, .7z, .rar, .m4a, .wma, .avi, .wmv, .csv, .d3dbsp, .zip, .sie, .sum, .ibank, .t13,
.t12, .qdf, .gdb, .tax, .pkpass, .bc6, .bc7, .bkp, .qic, .bkf, .sidn, .sidd, .mddata, .itl, .itdb, .icxs,
.hvpl, .hplg, .hkdb, .mdbackup, .syncdb, .gho, .cas, .svg, .map, .wmo, .itm, .sb, .fos, .mov, .vdf, .ztmp,
.sis, .sid, .ncf, .menu, .layout, .dmp, .blob, .esm, .vcf, .vtf, .dazip, .fpk, .mlx, .kf, .iwd, .vpk, .tor,
.psk, .rim, .w3x, .fsh, .ntl, .arch00, .lvl, .snx, .cfr, .ff, .vpp_pc, .lrf, .m2, .mcmeta, .vfs0, .mpqge, .kdb,
.db0, .dba, .rofl, .hkx, .bar, .upk, .das, .iwi, .litemod, .asset, .forge, .ltx, .bsa, .apk, .re4, .sav, .lbf, .slm,
.bik, .epk, .rgss3a, .pak, .big,wallet, .wotreplay, .xxx, .desc, .py, .m3u, .flv, .js, .css, .rb, .png, .jpeg, .txt,
.p7c, .p7b, .p12, .pfx, .pem, .crt, .cer, .der, .x3f, .srw, .pef, .ptx, .r3d, .rw2, .rwl, .raw,
.raf, .orf, .nrw, .mrwref, .mef, .erf, .kdc, .dcr, .cr2, .crw, .bay, .sr2, .srf, .arw, .3fr, .dng, .jpe,
.jpg, .cdr, .indd, .ai, .eps, .pdf, .pdd, .psd, .dbf, .mdf, .wb2, .rtf, .wpd, .dxg, .xf, .dwg, .pst, .accdb,
.mdb, .pptm, .pptx, .ppt, .xlk, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xlsx, .xls, .wps, .docm, .docx, .doc, .odb, .odc, .odm, .odp,
.ods, .odt.
As a result all processed files are renamed with the .0000 extension. The ransomware note is crafted in the generic _HELP_INSTRUCTION.TXT file that reads the following messsage:
Hello!
Attention! All your data was encrypted!
For specific informartion, please send us an email with Your ID number:
We recommend that all users abstain from communicating with the hackers and use our full .0000 Virus removal guide below to recover their data and delete the active infections.
Remove .0000 Virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the .0000 Virus requires being familiar with system files and registries. Removing important data accidentally can lead to permanent system damage. If you don’t feel comfortable with manual instructions, download a powerful anti-malware tool that will scan your system for malware and clean it safely for you.
SpyHunter anti-malware tool will diagnose all current threats on the computer. By purchasing the full version, you will be able to remove all malware threats instantly. Additional information about SpyHunter / Help to uninstall SpyHunter
.0000 Virus – Manual Removal Steps
Start the PC in Safe Mode with Network
This will isolate all files and objects created by the ransomware so they will be removed efficiently. The steps bellow are applicable to all Windows versions.
1. Hit the WIN Key + R
2. A Run window will appear. In it, write msconfig and then press Enter
3. A Configuration box shall appear. In it Choose the tab named Boot
4. Mark Safe Boot option and then go to Network under it to tick it too
5. Apply -> OK
Remove .0000 from Windows
Here’s a way to remove the program. This method will work regardless if you’re on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP. Simply selecting the program and pressing delete won’t work, as it’ll leave a lot of small files. That’s bad because these leftovers can linger on and cause all sorts of problems. The best way to delete a program is to uninstall it. Here’s how you can do that:
1. Hold the “Windows” button (It’s between CTRL and Alt on most keyboards) and press “R”. You’ll see a pop-up window.
2. In the textbox, type “appwiz.cpl”, then press“ Enter ”.
3. The “Programs and features” menu should now appear. It’s a list of all the programs installed on the PC. Here you can find the program, select it, and press “Uninstall“.
Remove .0000 Virus From Your Browser
Before resetting your browser’s settings, you should know that this action will wipe out all your recorded usernames, passwords, and other types of data. Make sure to save them in some way.
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1. Start Mozilla Firefox. In the upper right corner, click on the Open menu icon and select “Add-ons“.
2. Inside the Add-ons Manager select “Extensions“. Search the list of extensions for suspicious entries. If you find any, select them and click “Remove“.
3. Click again on the Open menu icon, then click “Options“.
4. In the Options window, under “General” tab, click “Restore to Default“.
5. Select “Search” in the left menu, mark the unknown search engine and press “Remove”.
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1. Start Google Chrome. On the upper-right corner, there a “Customize and Control” menu icon. Click on it, then click on “Settings“.
2. Click “Extensions” in the left menu. Then click on the trash bin icon to remove the suspicious extension.
3. Again in the left menu, under Chrome, Click on “Settings“. Go under “On Startup” and set a new page.
4. Afterward, scroll down to “Search“, click on “Manage search engines“.
5. In the default search settings list, find the unknown search engine and click on “X“. Then select your search engine of choice and click “Make default“. When you are ready click “Done” button in the right bottom corner.
2. In the “Manage add-ons” window, bellow “Add-on Types“, select “Toolbars and Extensions“. If you see a suspicious toolbar, select it and click “Remove“.
3. Then again in the “Manage Add-ons” window, in “Add-on Types“, Select “Search Providers“. Chose a search engine and click “Set as default“. Select the unknown search engine and click “Remove and Close”.
4. Open the Tools menu, select “Internet Options”.
5. In the “General” tab, in “Home page”, enter your preferred page. Click “Apply” and “OK”.
Repair Windows Registry
1. Again type simultaneously the WIN Key + R key combination
2. In the box, write regedit and hit Enter
3. Type the CTRL+ F and then write the malicious name in the search type field to locate the malicious executable
4. In case you have discovered registry keys and values related to the name, you should delete them, but be careful not to delete legitimate keys
Click for more information about Windows Registry and further repair help
