RansomwareRemoval Guide

Remove Howareyou Virus (.Howareyou Files Ransomware)

Howareyou Virus – Details

The Howareyou mean a ransomware-type infection. Howareyou was elaborated particularly to encrypt all major file types. As soon as the file is encrypted people are not able to use them. Howareyou adds the “.Howareyou” extension for each file encrypted by it. For example, the file “myphoto.jpg“, once encrypted by Howareyou, will be renamed into “myphoto.jpg.Howareyou“. As quickly as the encryption is completed, Howareyou places a special text file into every folder containing the encrypted data.

The message given by Howareyou text file requesting the ransom is absolutely the same as the statements given by other ransomware virus representatives. It actually points out that the info is encrypted and that the only way to bring back it is to use a a special decryption key. Regretfully, this is definitely true. The kind of cryptography mechanism used by Howareyou is still not correctly examined. Still, it is absolutely specific that each victim might be given the specific decryption key, which is totally distinct. It is difficult to bring back the files without the key available.

Another trick of Howareyou is that the victims cannot gain access to the key. The key is saved on a specific server run by the frauds associated with Howareyou ransomware. To get the key and recover the important info people need to pay the ransom.

Nonetheless, regardless of the asked for amount, people must keep away from paying the ransom virus. Cyber frauds are unfair, so they tend to entirely disregard what their victims feel about the issue, even when the payment reaches their pockets. This is why paying the ransom usually does not give any positive outcome and people simply lose their money for nothing.

We highly recommend 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 Howareyou ransomware and to recover the information data for free. Thus, the only right decision is to recover the lost information from the available backup.

Virus Summary

NameHowareyou Ransomware
File Extension.Howareyou
TypeRansomware
Short DescriptionThe 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.
SymptomsFile 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 Howareyou extension to all the files modified by it.
Distribution MethodSpam Emails, Email Attachments
Removal Tool   GridinSoft Anti-Malware

Remember that the world wide web is now overwhelmed with threats that look comparable to Howareyou ransomware. Harmful programs of such kind are typically elaborated to encrypt important data and to set forth 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 create the special decryption key for information decryption.

Thus, 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 crucial files is to routinely create backups of your important information.

Remember that even if you create such backups, they need to be placed into a special storage utility not connect to your main computer. You may use the USB Memory Stick 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 along with other files, so it’s absolutely not a good storage location.

How did ransomware infect my computer?

There are numerous methods used by online frauds to distribute Howareyou ransom virus. Despite the fact that it doubts how exactly Howareyou injects your computer, there are some leaks through which it may infiltrate the system:

  • integration with third-party software application, especially freeware;
  • spam emails from unidentified senders;
  • sites rendering free hosting services;
  • pirated peer-to-peer (P2P) downloads.

Frequently Howareyou virus may be presented as some genuine software application, for instance, in the pop-ups instructing users to implement some important software application updates. This is the common technique used by online frauds to persuade people into downloading and installing Howareyou infection manually, by methods of their direct participation in the installation process.

In addition, the criminals may refer to various e-mail spam strategies to inject harmful codes into copmuter. So, they may refer to to sending unsolicited spam e-mails with tricky notices promoting users to download the attachments or click on certain download links, for example, the ones motivating users to open some photos, documents, tax reports or invoices.

Needless to mention, opening such documents or clicking on such dangerous links may significantly harm the PC. Fictitious Adobe Flash Player upgrade informs may result in Howareyou virus injection. As for the cracked software, these illegally downloaded programs may also contain harmful codes resulting in Howareyou secret installation. Lastly, injection of Howareyou may occur by methods of Trojans that privately get injected into the system and install destructive utilities without the user’s permission.

Is there any way to prevent the injection of Howareyou ransomware?

Despite the fact that there is no 100% guarantee to avoid your PC from getting infected, there are some pieces of advice we wish to share with with you. First of all, be very careful when you surf the web and particularly while downloading free apps. Stay away from opening suspicious email attachments, especially when the sender of the email is not familiar to you.

Remember that some freeware installers may contain other unwanted utilities in the package, so they may be harmful. Ensure that your current anti-virus and your entire OS is always appropriately updated.

Of course, downloading pirated software is illegal and may lead to essential damage to be made for your PC. For this reason, stay away from downloading cracked software. You are also highly advised to reconsider your existing security software and possibly change to another security solution that can render far better services of protecting your computer.

Below please find the quotation from the Howareyou text file:

Your files have been encrypted and copied to our private servers!
ANY ATTEMPT TO RESTORE YOUR FILES WITH THIRD-PARTY SOFTWARE WILL PERMANENTLY CORRUPT IT.
DO NOT MODIFY ENCRYPTED FILES.
DO NOT RENAME ENCRYPTED FILES.
But keep calm! There is a solution for your problem!
For some money reward we can decrypt all your encrypted files.
Also we will delete all your private data from our servers.
To prove that we are able to decrypt your files we give you the ability to decrypt 2 files for free.
So what is you next step ? Contact us for price and get the decryption software.
Our Mail: dfkjhdkjsdjfgkjdsfhkjskdjfhkj@cock.li
Your ClientId: -
We would share your SENSITIVE DATA in case you refuse to pay.

Screenshot of files with “.Howareyou” extension added by the ransomware:
Howareyou Ransomware - encrypt files with .Howareyou extension

Use GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove Howareyou ransomware from your computer

1.Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:

  GridinSoft Anti-Malware

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.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware
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.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware Setup

3. Press Install button for run GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware Install

3.Once installed, GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically run.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware  Start

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.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware Scan

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.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware Scan Result

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Daniel Zimmermann

Daniel Zimmermann has been writing on security and malware subjects for many years and has been working in the security industry for over 10 years. Daniel was educated at the Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany and currently lives in New York.

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