HACK Virus – Details
The HACK stands for a ransomware-type infection. The virus comes from the Dharma ransomware family. HACK was elaborated particularly to encrypt all major file types. Once the file is encrypted people are not able to use them. HACK adds the “.HACK” extension for each file encrypted by it. For example, the file “myphoto.jpg“, as soon as encrypted by HACK, will be renamed into “myphoto.jpg.HACK“. As soon as the encryption is finished, HACK places a special text file into every folder containing the encrypted data.The message given by HACK text file requesting for the ransom is definitely the same as the statements given by other ransomware virus representatives coming from the Dharma type. It actually points out that the information is encrypted which the only way to bring back it is to use a an unique decryption key. Regretfully, this is absolutely true. The type of cryptography mechanism used by HACK is still not appropriately examined. Still, it is definitely particular that each victim may be given the specific decryption key, which is completely distinct. It is impossible to restore the files without the key available.
Another trick of HACK is that the victims cannot access to the key. The key is stored on a specific server run by the frauds connected with HACK ransomware. To get the key and recover the important information people need to pay the ransom.
HACK encrypted your documents, but that might not be the only damage done to you. The ransomware might still be hidingon your computer. To identify whether this holds true, we suggest downloading GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
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Nevertheless, regardless of the requested amount, people need to stay away from paying the virus. Cyber frauds are not fair, so they tend to entirely disregard what their victims feel about the problem, even when the payment reaches their pockets. This is why paying the ransom usually does not give any positive result and people simply waste their money for nothing.
We highly encourage that you do not contact these crooks and absolutely do not transfer money into their accounts. It is said to admit that there are no utilities able to crack HACK ransomware and to recover the data data for free. Thus, the only right decision is to recover the lost information from the available backup.
Virus Summary
| Name | HACK Ransomware |
| File Extension | .HACK |
| Type | Ransomware |
| Family | Dharma |
| Short Description | The ransomware encrypts all the data stored on your system and requires a ransom to be paid on your part supposedly to recover your important files. |
| Symptoms | File encryption by the ransomware is performed by means of the AES and RSA encryption algorithms. Once the encryption is completed, the ransomware adds its special HACK extension to all the files modified by it. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments |
| Similar Infections | 0day, Zoh, Kjh |
| Removal Tool | GridinSoft Anti-Malware |
Bear in mind that the internet is now overwhelmed with threats that look comparable to HACK ransomware. It is similar 0day and many other ransomware-type threats. Malicious programs of such kind are generally elaborated to encrypt important information and to state the need prior to the user to pay the ransom. The peculiarity of all such ransomware threats is that all apply a similar algorithm to generate the unique decryption key for data decryption.
Hence, as long as the ransomware is still being developed or has some hidden bugs, by hand recovering the information is merely not feasible. The only way to prevent the loss of your important information is to frequently create backups of your important information.
Remember that even if you create such backups, they must be placed into a special storage utility not connect to your main computer. You may use the USB Flash Drive or external hard drive for this purpose, or refer to the help of the cloud storage. If you save your backup files on your common system they may be encrypted together with other files, so it’s definitely not a good storage location.
How did ransomware infect my PC?
There are several ways used by online scams to distribute HACK ransomware. Despite the fact that it is uncertain how precisely HACK injects your system, there are some leaks through which it may infiltrate the system:
- integration with third-party apps, especially freeware;
- spam emails from unknown senders;
- websites rendering free hosting services;
- pirated peer-to-peer (P2P) downloads.
Frequently HACK virus may exist as some genuine software, for instance, in the pop-ups advising users to execute some essential software updates. This is the common trick used by online scams to persuade people into downloading and installing HACK infection manually, by methods of their direct participation in the installation process.
In addition, the criminals might refer to various email spam tactics to inject destructive codes into Windows PC. So, they may refer to to sending unsolicited spam emails with tricky notices promoting users to download the attachments or click on certain download links, for example, the ones encouraging users to open some receipts, files, tax reports or invoices.
Needless to mention, opening such documents or clicking on such dangerous links may badly harm the PC. Fictitious Adobe Flash Player update alerts may result in HACK ransom injection. As for the cracked applications, these illegally downloaded programs may likewise consist of destructive codes causing HACK secret installation. Lastly, injection of HACK may occur by ways of Trojans that secretly get injected into the system and install destructive utilities without the user’s authorization.
Is there any method to prevent the injection of HACK ransom virus?
Even though there is no 100% guarantee to prevent your computer from getting infected, there are some pieces of recommendations we want to share with with you. To start with, be really careful when you surf the web and particularly while downloading totally free apps. Keep away from opening suspicious email attachments, especially when the sender of the email is not familiar to you.
Remember that some freeware installers may include other unwanted utilities in the package, so they may be destructive. Make sure that your current anti-virus and your entire operating system is always duly updated.
Obviously, downloading pirated software is illegal and may result in necessary damage to be produced your PC. Hence, stay away from downloading cracked software. You are also strongly recommended to reconsider your existing security software and potentially change to another security solution that can render much better services of defending your system.
Screenshot of files with “.HACK” extension added by the ransomware:
Use GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove HACK ransomware from your computer
1.Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
2. Double-click on the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-ag.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your computer.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
3. Press Install button for run GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
3.Once installed, GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically run.
4. Wait for the GridinSoft Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your computer for Win Speedup 2018 and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so we suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
5. Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has completed, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.
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