The ransom note informs the victim that all files including pictures, videos, documents, archives and other important files were encrypted with “strongest algorithm” and can only be decrypted with software offered by the ransomware developers. The crooks suggest contacting them via provided emails for further information, including how to pay the ransom. It is a known fact that the attackers ask to receive the ransom in cryptocurrency to preserve the anonymity. In addition, they suggest attaching one encrypted file to test the decryption tool and promise to reply with a decrypted file version. This is done in order to encourage the victim pay the ransom as quickly as possible. On top of that, the note suggests that the victim will “never restore data without payment.” Additionally, the criminals offer a 50% discount for the YTBN ransomware decryption tool if the victim contacts them and pays the ransom within first 72 hours. In this case, the ransom price will be $490. Otherwise, the full price is $980. Paying ransom to cybercriminals is a strict no due to many reasons repeatedly emphasized by cybersecurity professionals:

Paying the ransom doesn’t always mean restoring your data successfully. Failure to decrypt data might occur due to changes in decryption tool, loss of private decryption key on criminals’ end or any alteration to files on yours.Criminals might try to extort more money from you after receiving the first payment.Paying the ransom might be illegal in your country.Transferring money to criminals means keeping this crime industry alive. The ransomware operators collect millions in ransoms each year – do not let them thrive!

Ransomware silently installs information-stealing Trojan

YTBN ransomware is known to install AZORULT Trojan on the system. Of course, this isn’t mentioned in the _readme.txt note dropped by the ransomware. This Trojan is extremely dangerous as its functionality is very versatile and can be used to steal various kinds of sensitive information from victim’s computer, such as:

Browsing history;Login credentials;Skype chat history;Cryptocurrency wallets;Steam and Telegram login details;Browser cookies.

Additionally, this malware can execute various commands as desired from the cybercriminal who controls it remotely. For example, the attacker can perform actions such as viewing files, downloading or deleting them, drop malware and more. The list of virtual crimes that can be performed with the help of this malware is lengthy. For this reason, you should protect your computer and your privacy as soon as possible. We recommend you to remove YTBN ransomware virus and AZORULT using trustworthy malware removal software of your choice. In addition, we recommend scanning with RESTORO to repair virus damage on Windows OS files.

Threat Summary

Specifics of STOP/DJVU ransomware distribution

YTBN ransomware virus spreads using a technique inherent for all STOP/DJVU versions, including the most recent ENFP, EKVF and others. This malware family is known to use a very particular technique without combining several ones like other ones do. It awaits in illegal torrent downloads mainly, such as software or game cracks, key generation tools, or KMSPico. That said, the primary targets of this virus is people who try to bypass software license fee by downloading illegal and “cracked” versions, hoping to activate premium features for free. The success of this technique also relies on victims’ willingness to ignore security software warnings about potentially malicious torrent download. Therefore, even if the victim gets alerted about a malicious download, one proceeds to open it anyway. This results in a complete data encryption on one’s computer. Additionally, we’d like to mention that downloading illegal or copyright-protected files is the quickest way to infect your PC with a variety of malware, such as remote access Trojans, cryptocurrency miners, password stealers, viruses, spyware and other unwanted programs. We strongly recommend supporting content and software creators and obtaining such products from official sources only.

Avoiding other ransomware strains

Some recent scams try to trick the victim into clicking a potentially dangerous link by saying there’s a parcel on this way, suggesting to track the delivery in real-time. It is important to mention that the attached file can be malicious, no matter its format – the criminals can inject malicious scripts into a wide range of files nowadays, including JavaScript, Word, PDF, ACE or Excel files. Our recommendation is to stay away from emails that you didn’t wait for or ones that seem completely unexpected. If possible, contact the sender or the said company behind it (make sure you google its contact details and not use the ones provided in the message) to confirm that the email is legit. Remember – even if the sender’s email seems legit, it can be spoofed. Finally, another popular technique to spread similar malware is packing it with fake software update installers. These can hide in fake Adobe Flash Player or Java updates advertised on untrustworthy websites. Remember – most of the time, these ads are deceptive and meant to infect your computer with a bouquet of unwanted software. For this reason, you should only download software or updates from confirmed sources only. For more information about ransomware protection practices, see this post.

Remove YTBN ransomware virus and decrypt or repair your files

The guidelines presented below will help you to remove YTBN ransomware virus safely. Make sure you use a trustworthy anti-malware software for the virus removal. We also strongly recommend finalising the system purification using RESTORO, which helps to repair virus damage on Windows OS files. Once YTBN virus removal is done, please change all of your passwords for accounts saved in your browsers, also apps like Telegram or Steam. This is advised due to the possibility of information theft by the Azorult Trojan. Additionally, we suggest reporting Internet crime incident to an institution responsible for handling such events in your country. We have also added a file decryption/repair guide below. 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 YTBN 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 YTBN 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 YTBN files

Fix and open large YTBN 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. YTBN 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 YTBN files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The YTBN 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 YTBN 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 YTBN 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.