The intentions behind this computer virus is to extort the computer user; for this matter, the ransomware uses a robust combination of encryption algorithm to render victim’s files useless. The cybercriminals have their hands on so-called decryption keys and software that can decrypt these files. The attackers suggest paying a ransom in exchange for these tools.

Ransom note explains pricing of the decryption tool

After going through the _readme.txt note, the victim would realize that JHBG ransomware has encrypted their entire database with the use of a strong algorithm as well as a unique key. In other words, important files, including documents, videos, photos etc., have all been rendered useless to the owner. They would also provide two email addresses namely manager@time2mail.ch and supportsys@airmail.cc. with suggestions that the victim should reach out to them using any of them. Also included is the amount the victim is expected to pay and the terms associated with it. For instance, they will state that $980 is the ransom fee, but if the victim would be able to pay within 72 hours, he would only be required to pay half of it i.e., $490. However, once 3 days elapses, only the full ransom fee would be acceptable. Their terms and conditions wouldn’t end there; the victim would be informed that payment can only be made through cryptocurrency whereby the exact crypto equivalent of the ransom fee would have to be transferred to a wallet address of their choice. The obvious reason why they use such anonymous medium is to preempt possible attempts by law enforcement agents who may want to track the ransom paid to them. In order to convince the victim about their level of expertise and make them pay without further hesitation, they may request for excerpts from the encrypted file be forwarded to them for test decryption. However, they would also add a caveat that such excerpt must not contain information they could perceive as crucially important to the victim. Whatever be the case, cybersecurity experts including the FBI have cautioned victims of cyber-attacks not to pay ransom, no matter the pressure mounted on them. It should be noted that paying ransom does not guarantee that encrypted data would be recovered. Also, paying ransom would only enrich cybercriminals and they might even target the victim again in the future to extort more money from them.

Geo-specific ransomware and additional risks associated

Cybersecurity researchers monitoring STOP/DJVU ransomware variants have detected that these viruses were programmed to exempt certain countries located in the Baltic region and Middle East, particularly Ukraine, Russia, Kazachstan, Syria, Belarus, Tajikistan, Armenia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The virus will then make a connection with https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json before saving the response in geo.json file and would contain details like IP address, country, zip code and city, as well as longitude and latitude. The virus will then analyze the details to confirm if the computer under attack is located in any of the exempted countries listed above, and the outcome will determine if the attack will proceed or not. It is important to note that data encryption is not the only danger associated with JHBG virus considering the fact that it is also known for installing other information-stealing malware known as Remote Access Trojans (RATs). The most recent Trojans detected alongside STOP/DJVU ransomware are AZORULT and VIDAR. The ability of the cybercriminals in using this method to extract sensitive personal data such as passwords, cryptocurrency wallets, banking details, and browsing history etc. could lead to further criminal acts such as blackmails or financial scams. For those who may have fallen victim already, it would be in your best interest to remove JHBG ransomware virus as soon as possible. The effective way of doing this is to boot the infected computer using the Safe Mode with Networking option as explained in this article before applying a reliable antivirus. You should also consider the necessity of downloading RESTORO and using it to scan the computer in order to repair damaged Windows OS files.

Ransomware Summary

REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE Files encrypted by this ransomware appear like this in folders: Contents of _readme.txt ransom note are showcased below. Personal ID is removed for identity protection.

How to Prevent Malicious Malware Infections?

The primary methods cybercriminals use in distributing ransomware are through illegal software uploads on online torrents and pirated software key generators/tools, as well as malicious email attachments.Reports from previous victims of STOP/DJVU ransomware attacks have shown that such incidents usually occur after downloads are made from malicious online torrents, especially those seeking to obtain fake license keys. Some of the most common pirated software contents used in luring victims are listed below:

AutoCad;Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop/Premiere Pro;Corel Draw;Cubase;Tenorshare 4ukey;VMware Workstation;League of Legends;Internet Download Manager.

The victims thought it was a clever act to bypass paying the requisite fees, but they didn’t realize that malware was deceptively embedded in them. To avoid such unsavory situations, we recommend that downloads should only be made from genuine sites such as those owned by the original content producers or their affiliated agents only. In addition to that, to prevent malware infections, you have to be extremely careful when opening random emails. Cybercriminals now use disingenuous means to fool their victims and get them infected. They may even impersonate as individuals or popular brands with genuine intentions when sending emails but will attach files embedded with malware. Such files are often crafted using PDF, DOCX or XLS among similar ones with macro function abilities. Once such files are opened, they instantly trigger virus infection. Weird looking or unsolicited emails, typo errors, spoofed sender’s address etc. should serve as a red flag. Before we conclude, victims should shun websites that claim to offer solutions for STOP/DJVU ransomware attacks because they are most likely fraudulent. So far, only tools from Emsisoft and DiskTuna have proven effective against the virus.

Remove JHBG Ransomware Virus, Decrypt Your Files

To ensure a secure way to remove JHBG ransomware virus, you should boot your computer using the Safe Mode with Networking option before installing and scanning a reliable antivirus on it. You’re strongly advised to make use of only antivirus software copies with a proven track record of excellence. In addition, consider downloading RESTORO for repairing virus-damaged Windows OS files. Now that JHBG ransomware virus has been effectively removed, you should do the following:

Get in touch with the police station nearest to you and report the incident.Look for any available backup device and restore as many lost files as possible.Study more about ways that STOP/DJVU-encrypted files could be decrypted or repaired.Immediately change all passwords that were typed into the compromised computer.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here.

Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking

Before you try to remove JHBG Ransomware Virus virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, if you prefer a video version of the tutorial, check our guide How to Start Windows in Safe Mode on Youtube. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users Now, you can search for and remove JHBG Ransomware Virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable security program such as INTEGO Antivirus. For virus damage repair, consider using RESTORO.

Method 2. Use System Restore

In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won’t be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future.

Alternative software recommendations

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense If you’re looking for an all-in-one system maintenance suite that has 7 core components providing powerful real-time protection, on-demand malware removal, system optimization, data recovery, password manager, online privacy protection and secure driver wiping technology. Therefore, due to its wide-range of capabilities, System Mechanic Ultimate Defense deserves Geek’s Advice approval. Get it now for 50% off. You may also be interested in its full review.

Disclaimer. This site includes affiliate links. We may earn a small commission by recommending certain products, at no additional cost for you. We only choose quality software and services to recommend.

Decrypt JHBG files

Fix and open large JHBG files easily:

It is reported that STOP/DJVU ransomware versions encrypt only the beginning 150 KB of each file to ensure that the virus manages to affect all files on the system. In some cases, the malicious program might skip some files at all. That said, we recommend testing this method on several big (>1GB) files first.

STOP/DJVU decryption tool usage guide

STOP/DJVU ransomware versions are grouped into old and new variants. JHBG Ransomware Virus is considered the new STOP/DJVU variant, just like BPTO, ISWR, ISZA, BPSM, ZOUU, MBTF, ZNSM (find full list here). This means full data decryption is now possible only if you have been affected by offline encryption key. To decrypt your files, you will have to download Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP DJVU, a tool created and maintained by a genius security researcher Michael Gillespie. Note! Please do not spam the security researcher with questions whether he can recover your files encrypted with online key - it is not possible. In order to test the tool and see if it can decrypt JHBG files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The JHBG decryption tool might display several different messages after failed attempt to restore your files. You might receive one of the following messages: Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [example ID] This message typically means that there is no corresponding decryption key in the decryptor’s database. No key for New Variant online ID: [example ID]Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible This message informs that your files were encrypted with online key, meaning no one else has the same encryption/decryption key pair, therefore data recovery without paying the criminals 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. If you were informed that an offline key was used, but files could not be restored, it means that the offline decryption key isn’t available yet. However, receiving this message is extremely good news, meaning that it might be possible to restore your JHBG extension files in the future. It can take a few months until the decryption key gets found and uploaded to the decryptor. We recommend you to follow updates regarding the decryptable DJVU versions here. We strongly recommend backing up your encrypted data and waiting.

Victims of JHBG Ransomware Virus should report the Internet crime incident to the official government fraud and scam website according to their country:

In the United States, go to the On Guard Online website.In Australia, go to the SCAMwatch website.In Germany, go to the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik website.In Ireland, go to the An Garda Síochána website.In New Zealand, go to the Consumer Affairs Scams website.In the United Kingdom, go to the Action Fraud website.In Canada, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.In India, go to Indian National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.In France, go to the Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information.

If you can’t find an authority corresponding to your location on this list, we recommend using any search engine to look up “[your country name] report cyber crime”. This should lead you to the right authority website. We also recommend staying away from third-party crime report services that are often paid. It costs nothing to report Internet crime to official authorities. Another recommendation is to contact your country’s or region’s federal police or communications authority.