Remove HHUY Ransomware Virus (+DECRYPT .hhuy Files)

Hhuy ransomware is a type of computer virus that infiltrates your system, encrypts your documents, and then asks to pay the ransom for file decryption. Besides these unpleasant activities, that virus also modifies some important settings and can even disable your anti-malware program.

Hhuy ransomware – what is it?

Hhuy virus can correctly be classified as a STOP/Djvu ransomware family. That type of virus is aimed on single users. This feature supposes that Hhuy does not carry any sort of additional malware, which usually helps ransomware of other families to take control of your PC. Because of the fact that the majority users do not have anything valuable , there is no need to use other viruses that increases the risk of failure of the whole ransomware injection.

The typical signs of that virus activity is the emersion of .hhuy files in your folders, instead of the files you used to have. The photo.jpg turns into photo.jpg.hhuy, report.xlsx – into report.xlsx.hhuy and so on. You are not able to stop this action, and can’t open these files – they are ciphered with quite strong cipher.

You can also see different other signs of malware activity. Suddenly blocked Microsoft Defender and inability to check the popular anti-malware forums or sites, where the malware removal and file decryption guides are published. You will see how it is conducted in the paragraph below. The malware removal and decryption guide are also available – check below how to remove Hhuy ransomware and get the .hhuy files back.

How did Hhuy ransomware encrypt my files?

After the malware injection, the Hhuy ransomware creates a connection with its command and control server. This server is controlled by virus maintainers – people who manage the spreading of this malware. Another activity which is performed by these crooks is answering the email messages of sufferers, who wish to get their files back.

The documents are ciphered with one of the strongest encryption algorithm – AES-256. The “256” digit in the name of this algo means the power of two – 2^256 for this case. 78-digit number of possible decryption keys variations – it is not real to brute force it. As analysts say, it will take more time than the Earth can approximately exist, even when you use the most powerful computers. In each folder that contains the encrypted documents, Hhuy 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 Hhuy virus encrypts only the first 150 KB of each file, but the rest of this file can be accessed. Primarily, it works best with audio/video files, which are likely bigger than 150 kilobytes. Not each media player is able to 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 Hhuy ransomware dangerous for my PC?

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

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

Other modifications done by the ransomware are aimed at prevention of operative detection of itself, and also disabling the installation of the majority of anti-malware programs. Hhuy virus implements several modifications in Group Policies – the system configuration interface which gives you the right to modify the abilities of each program. In such a way, the virus disables the Microsoft Defender and various other anti-malware tools, and also blocks 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 programs that are already not controlled by the creator and distributed through the file sharing websites. These apps may be cracked, to make them usable without buying any license. Another example of such a program type is various hacking tools – cheat engines, keygens, Windows activation tools and so on.

These software may be distributed in different ways – through the site that offers a downloading link, or through the peer-to-peer networks – ThePirateBay, eMule and so on. All these sources are well-known as the biggest computer piracy resources. Folks use these sites to get a wide range of apps or games for free, even if these programs must be purchased. No one can stop the users who crack these programs from adding viruses of some type to the files of the hacked tool. Hacktools, however, are created for outlaw targets, so their developers may easily add the ransomware under the guise of some program element.

These hacked apps, regardless of their source, are one of the most often carriers for various viruses, and 100% the most widespread one for Hhuy ransomware. It is better to stop making use of it, and not only because of virus installation risks. Avoiding the license buying is an illegal action, and both hackers and persons who make use of hacked programs fall under the charge of piracy.

How do I remove Hhuy ransomware?

The Hhuy malware is very hard to wipe out manually. Really, because of the number of alterations it makes in your PC, it is almost unreal to spot them all and repair. The best decision is to make use of antivirus software. But which one to choose?

You may read the advices to make use of Microsoft Defender, that is already inside of your computer. Nonetheless, as it was mentioned before, the majority of STOP/Djvu malware examples stop it even before the ciphering procedure. Using the third-party tool is the only possible option – and I can offer you the GridinSoft Anti-Malware as a solution for that case. It has impressive detection abilities, so the virus will not be missed. It is also capable of system recovery, that is heavily needed after the Hhuy virus attack.

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

After the ransomware removal, you can go to file decryption. Malware removal is needed to prevent the repeating encryption of your files: while Hhuy ransomware is active, it will not miss any unencrypted file.

How to decrypt the .hhuy files?

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

Another option to get your files back is to try to recover them from your disks. Since ransomware deletes them and substitutes with an encrypted copy, the residue of the files are still stored on the disk. After the removal, the information about them is removed from the file system, but not from a disk. 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 some files unintentionally.

Decrypting the .hhuy 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 .hhuy files with PhotoRec tool

PhotoRec is an open-source tool, which is created 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