Remove NBWR Ransomware Virus (+DECRYPT .nbwr Files)

Nbwr ransomware is a sort of computer virus that injects your computer, encrypts your documents, and then asks to pay the ransom for file decryption. Besides these unwanted actions, that malware also alters some important settings and can even stop your security tool.

Nbwr virus – what is it?

Nbwr ransomware can correctly be described as a STOP/Djvu malware family. That type of computer virus is targeted at single users. This specification supposes that Nbwr does not carry any type of additional malware, which usually helps ransomware of various other families to take control of your computer. Because of the fact that most users do not have anything valuable , there is no reason to use other malware that increases the risk of failure of the whole ransomware operation.

The typical signs of that ransomware activity is the appearance of .nbwr files in your folders, instead of the files you used to have. The photo.jpg turns into photo.jpg.nbwr, report.xlsx – into report.xlsx.nbwr and so on. You cannot to prevent this process, and can’t open these documents – they are ciphered with pretty strong algorithm.

You can also see various other signs of malware activity. Spontaneously suspended Microsoft Defender and inability to check the well-known anti-malware forums or websites, where the removal and decryption guides are published. You will see how it is conducted in the paragraph below. The removal and decryption guide are also available – check below how to remove Nbwr ransomware and get the .nbwr files back.

How did Nbwr ransomware encrypt my files?

After the injection, the Nbwr ransomware starts a connection with its command and control server. This server is controlled by malware maintainers – people who manage the distribution of this ransomware. Another activity which is conducted by these crooks is answering the email messages of sufferers, who wish to decrypt their files.

The files are ciphered with one of the strongest encryption algorithm – AES-256. The “256” digit in the name of this algorithms means the power of two – 2^256 for this case. 78-digit number of possible decryption password variations – it is unreal to brute force it. As cipher analysts say, it will take more time than our planet can estimate to exist, even in case if you use the most powerful computers. In each folder that contains the encrypted documents, Nbwr virus leaves the _readme.txt file with the following contents:

ATTENTION!

Don't worry, you can return all your files!

All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.

What guarantees you have?

You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.

You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:

https://we.tl/t-WJa63R98Ku

Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that's price for you is $490.

Please note that you'll never restore your data without payment.

Check your e-mail "Spam" or "Junk" folder if you don't get answer more than 6 hours.

To get this software you need write on our e-mail:

support@fishmail.top

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:

datarestorehelp@airmail.cc

Your personal ID:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nevertheless, you can still open some of your documents. The Nbwr ransomware encrypts only the initial 150 KB of each file, but the other piece of this document can be opened. Primarily, it works best with audio/video files, which are surely larger than 150 kilobytes. Not each media player is capable of open these files – WinAmp is the best solution, since it is free and well-tested. First seconds of each recording will be silent – this part is encrypted – but the rest of the file will be accessible like nothing happened.

Is Nbwr ransomware dangerous for my PC?

As it was described several paragraphs above, ransomware is not only about ciphering the files. Nbwr ransomware makes the changes in your computer in order to prevent searching the ransomware removal and file decryption guides. Nbwr virus does not create the software barrier – it just alters the system settings, primarily – networking and security configurations.

Among the networking configurations, the most damaged item is the HOSTS configuration file. This text file has the DNS-address configurations, which are used by the browsers while requesting to the server. If you add a specific DNS-address for the certain site, your web browser will connect that website through that DNS next time. Ransomware alters this file, adding the non-existent DNS, so any of the web browsers will show you the “Unable to resolve the DNS-address” error.

Other changes done by the virus are targeted on prevention of operative detection of itself, and also blocking the installation of the majority of security tools. Nbwr malware makes several modifications in Group Policies – the system setting application which allows to alter the rights of each program. In such a way, ransomware disables the Microsoft Defender and various other antivirus tools, and also prevents the launch of anti-malware installation files.

How did I get infected?

Throughout the whole term while STOP/Djvu family is active, it was using questionable applications as a primary way of ransomware injection. Under the term of questionable software I mean software that are already not controlled by the creator and distributed through the file sharing websites. These applications may be hacked, to make them usable without purchasing any license. Another example of such a program class is various hacking tools – cheat engines, keygens, Windows activation tools and so on.

This kind of software may be spread in many ways – through the web page that offers a downloading link, as well as through the peering networks – ThePirateBay, eMule and so on. All these sources are well-known as the most popular computer piracy resources. People use these pages to get various apps or games for free, even if these programs must be purchased. Nobody can prevent the users who hack these apps from adding malware of some sort to the files of the hacked tool. Hacktools, however, are created for outlaw targets, so their creators can easily insert the virus under the guise of some program element.

These hacked programs, regardless of their source, are one of the most often sources for various malware, and surely the most used one for Nbwr virus. It is better to stop using of it, and not only because of malware spreading risks. Avoiding the license buying is an illegal action, and both hackers and persons who use cracked apps fall under the charge of piracy.

How do I remove Nbwr malware?

The Nbwr malware is extremely hard to remove manually. Really, because of the amount of alterations it makes into your computer, it is almost impossible to spot them all and repair. The best option is to use anti-malware software. But which one to choose?

You can see the advices to make use of Microsoft Defender, which is already in your Windows. Nonetheless, as it was mentioned before, the majority of STOP/Djvu virus examples stop it even before the encryption procedure. Making use of the third-party program is the only possible option – and I can advice you the GridinSoft Anti-Malware as a solution for this case. It has impressive detection abilities, so the malware will not be missed. It is also capable of system recovery, which is heavily needed after the Nbwr virus attack.

To remove Nbwr malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software.

After the ransomware removal, you can go to file decryption. Virus removal is required to prevent the repeating encryption of your files: while Nbwr ransomware is active, it will not pass any unencrypted file.

How to decrypt the .nbwr files?

There are two ways to recover your files after a Nbwr virus attack. First one and the most popular is file decryption. It is conducted with a special tool, designed by Emsisoft, and called Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP/Djvu. This program is free. Analysts update its decryption keys databases as often as possible, so you will surely get your files back, sooner or later.

Another option to get your files back is to try to recover them from your disks. Since Nbwr virus deletes them and substitutes with a ciphered copy, the residue of the files are still kept on the disk. After the deletion, the information about them is wiped from the file system, but not from a disk drive. Special tools, like PhotoRec, are able to recover these files. It is free, too, and may also be used for file recovery in case when you have deleted a thing unintentionally.

Decrypting the .nbwr files with Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu

Download and install Emsisoft Decrypter tool. Agree with its EULA and continue to the interface.

The interface of this program is extremely easy. All you have to do is to select the folder where the encrypted files are stored, and wait. If the program has the decryption key which corresponds to your ransomware case – it will decrypt it.

During the use of Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu, you may observe various error messages. Don’t worry, that does not mean that you did something wrong or a program does not work properly. Each of these errors refer to a specific case. Here is the explanation:

Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [your ID]

The program does not have a corresponding key for your case. You need to wait for some time until the key database will be updated.

No key for new variant online ID: [your ID]

Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible.

This error means that your files are encrypted with an online key. In such a case, the decryption key is unique and stored on the remote server, controlled by crooks. Unfortunately, the decryption 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.

Ransomware uses the offline key to encrypt your files. This key is not unique, so you likely have it in common with another victim. Since offline keys must be collected, too, it is important to keep calm and wait until the analysts team finds one which will fit your case.

Remote name could not be resolved

This error indicates that the program has problems with DNS on your computer. That’s a clear sign of malicious alterations in your HOSTS file. Reset it using the official Microsoft guide.

Recovering the .nbwr files with PhotoRec tool

PhotoRec is an open-source tool, which is designed to recover the deleted or lost files from the disk drive. It checks each disk sector for the residues of deleted files, and then tries to recover them. That app is able to recover the files of more than 400 different formats. Because of the described feature of ransomware encryption mechanism, it is possible to use this tool to get the original, unencrypted files back.

Download PhotoRec from the official website. It is absolutely free, however, its developer warns that he does not guarantee that this program will be 100% effective for file recovery purposes. Moreover, even paid apps can barely give you such a guarantee, because of the chain of random factors that can make the file recovery harder.

Unzip the downloaded archive to the folder you like. Don’t worry because of its name – TestDisk – this is the name of the utility developed by the same company. They decided to spread it together since PhotoRec and TestDisk are often used together. Among the unzipped files, search for qphotorec_win.exe file. Run this executable file.

Before you can start the recovery process, you need to specify several settings. In the drop-down list, choose the logic disk where the files were stored before the encryption.

Then, you need to specify the file formats you need to recover. It may be difficult to scroll all 400+ formats, luckily, they are sorted by alphabetical order.

Finally, name the folder you want to use as a container for recovered files. The program will likely dig out a lot of useless files, which were deleted intentionally, so desktop is a bad solution. The best option is to use the USB-drive.

After these easy manipulations, you may just press the “Search” button (it turns active if you specified all required parameters). The recovery process may take several hours, so keep patient. It is recommended not to use the computer during this term, since you may overwrite some files you are intending to recover.

Frequently Asked Questions