How to remove NORD Ransomware

Files encrypted by NORD Ransomware: Is there any solution? [Ransomware removal and Data recovery solution]

Threat Summary

Threat Name: NORD Ransomware, .NORD File Virus

Threat Type: Ransomware, File virus, Crypto-Malware

Ransom note: “info.hta” and “ReadMe.txt”

Cybercriminals’ email address: [email protected]

Description: This nasty file virus encrypts all types of files stored in your computer hard drive and demands ransom payment for decryption.

Distribution methods: Malicious emails and attachments, suspicious hyperlinks, fake software updaters, installers and downloaders

Motives of attackers: Aims to collect your personal information and shares it to illegal ones.

Ransomware removal method: To remove NORD Ransomware or similar malware, you can scan your computer with powerful antivirus software.

Data recovery solution: To restore all files locked by ransomware, you can use strong data recovery software.

How did Ransomware install on computer?

Ransomware or other similar malware are distributed through Trojans, malspam campaigns, illegal activation tools, fake software updaters, installers and downloaders, and other third parties’ sources. Scammers or malware programmers use “Email Spam Campaigns” or “Malspam Campaigns” to trigger malware or viruses in machine. They use the name like “Official”, “Priority”, “Important”, “Urgent” and/or other similar keywords as subject/title of emails, which contain some messages along with malicious hyperlinks and attachments. These malicious attachments and/or hyperlinks are designed to execute encryption module in your computer once clicked. On other hand, if you purchase license for software installed in your computer or update it from fake software updaters, then you also download/install harmful malware or viruses in machine.

What is NORD Ransomware? What it does?

NORD Ransomware is another notorious file virus and computer infection that is belongs to “WannaScream Ransomware” family. Like other WannaScream Ransomware’s variants, this dubious crypto-malware operates by locking/encrypting all types of files stored in your computer hard drive by appending its extension, and demands ransom payment for decryption. It renames each file by adding victim’s unique ID, cybercriminals’ email ID and appending .NORD File Extension. After encryption process is finished, “info.hta” or “ReadMe.txt” files as ransom notes are dropped in each folder of your computer that contain encrypted files. If your System is already infected with this type of malware, then you should try to remove NORD Ransomware from System immediately.

The ransom-demanding “ReadMe.txt” ransom note states that all files of your computer have been locked due to security reasons and requires paying certain amount of ransom money in Bitcoin cryptocurrency to decrypt your files. It claims you need to establish the contact with cybercriminals via email address presented in ransom note. The ransom note contain the information NORD Ransomware, how you can recover or decrypt all files locked by ransomware, technical support’s email ID or cybercriminals’ email ID and ransom money details. It also claims that the only way to decrypt or recover your locked files is to purchase & use its decryption keys/tools, and in order to renames locked files manually or use third parties’ decryption software for data recovery, then you will lose your all personal files or data permanently.

As proof that they have right decryption keys/tools, they offer initially free decryption service for some locked files and ask you to send 2-4 encrypted files on email address presented in ransom note. After successful free decryption test, they force you to pay certain amount of ransom money in Bitcoin cryptocurrency to decrypt rest of the files. We recommended you to stop paying certain amount of extortion money to them for decryption. Keep in mind that they are not going to recover or decrypt your locked files at any cases even when ransom money is paid. As per our research, the only way to recover locked files is to restore them from a backup. But before that, it is important to remove NORD Ransomware from System as soon as possible.

Let’s take have a look at message displayed on ransom note:

All your files have been encrypted by Wanna Scream!

due to a security problem with your PC. If you want to restore them, write us to the e-mail [email protected]

Write this ID in the title of your message:-

In case of no answer in 24 hours write us to this e-mail:[email protected]

You have to pay for decryption in Bitcoins. The price depends on how fast you write to us. After payment we will send you the tool that will decrypt all your files.

Free decryption as guarantee

Before paying you can send us up to 5 files for free decryption. The total size of files must be less than 4Mb (non archived), and files should not contain valuable information. (databases,backups, large excel sheets, etc.)

How to obtain Bitcoins

The easiest way to buy bitcoins is LocalBitcoins site. You have to register, click ‘Buy bitcoins’, and select the seller by payment method and price.

hxxps://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins

Also you can find other places to buy Bitcoins and beginners guide here:

hxxp://www.coindesk.com/information/how-can-i-buy-bitcoins/

Attention!

Do not rename encrypted files.

Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss.

Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.

Prevention tips: How to protect your System against ransomware attack?

• Create backup or keep backup of your all personal files stored in computer on some safe external storage device or on cloud storage.
• Keep up-to-date all software installed in your computer including Operating System (OS), antivirus software and other legitimate software.
• Scan the PC for malware or viruses with powerful antivirus software regularly.
• Any hyperlinks and/or attachments presented in spam or irrelevant emails must not be opened.
• You should try to block the senders’ email addresses from sending spam emails
• Hover your mouse over any hyperlinks before click and double-check if the hyperlinks are belongs to some trustworthy sources.

Antimalware Details And User Guide

Click Here For Windows

Click Here For Mac

Step 1: Remove NORD Ransomware through “Safe Mode with Networking”

Step 2: Delete NORD Ransomware using “System Restore”

Step 1: Remove NORD Ransomware through “Safe Mode with Networking”

For Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Boot the PC in “Safe Mode”. Click on “Start” option and continuously press on F8 during the start process until the “Windows Advanced Option” menu appears on the screen. Choose “Safe Mode with Networking” from the list.

Now, a windows homescreen appears on the desktop and work-station is now working on “Safe mode with networking”.

For Windows 8 Users: Go to the “Start Screen”. In the search results select settings, type “Advanced”. In the “General PC Settings” option, choose “Advanced startup” option. Again, click on the “Restart Now” option. The work-station boots to “Advanced Startup Option Menu”. Press on “Troubleshoot” and then “Advanced options” button.  In the “Advanced Option Screen”, press on “Startup Settings”. Again, click on “Restart” button. The work-station will now restart in to the “Startup Setting” screen. Next is to press F5 to boot in Safe Mode in Networking.

For Windows 10 Users: Press on Windows logo and on the “Power” icon. In the newly opened menu, choose “Restart” while continuously holding “Shift” button on the keyboard. In the new open “Choose an option” window, click on “Troubleshoot” and then on the “Advanced Options”. Select “Startup Settings” and press on “Restart”. In the next window, click on “F5” button on the key-board.

Step 2: Delete NORD Ransomware using “System Restore”

Log-in to the account infected with NORD Ransomware. Open the browser and download a legitimate anti-malware tool. Do a full System scanning. Remove all the malicious detected entries.

In case if you cannot start the PC in “Safe Mode with Networking”, Try using “System Restore”

• During the “Startup”, continuously press on F8 key until the “Advanced Option” menu appears. From the list, choose “Safe Mode with Command Prompt” and then press “Enter”

• In the new opened command prompt, enter “cd restore” and then press “Enter”.

• Type: rstrui.exe and Press “ENTER”

• Click “Next” on the new windows

• Choose any of the “Restore Points” and click on “Next”. (This step will restore the work-station to its earlier time and date prior to NORD Ransomware infiltration in the PC.

• In the newly opened windows, press on “Yes”.

Once your PC gets restored to its previous date and time, download the recommended anti-malware tool and perform a deep scanning in order to remove NORD Ransomware files if they left in the work-station.

In order to restore the each (separate) file by this ransomware, use “Windows Previous Version” feature. This method is effective when “System Restore Function” is enabled in the work-station.

Important Note: Some variants of NORD Ransomware delete the “Shadow Volume Copies” as well hence this feature may not work all the time and is applicable for selective computers only.

How to Restore Individual Encrypted File:

In order to restore a single file, right click on it and go to “Properties”. Select “Previous Version” tab. Select a “Restore Point” and click on “Restore” option.

In order to access the files encrypted by NORD Ransomware, you can also try using “Shadow Explorer”. In order to get more information on this application, press here.

Important: Data Encryption Ransomware are highly dangerous and it is always better that you take precautions to avoid its attack on your work-station. It is advised to use a powerful anti-malware tool in order to get protection in real-time. With this help of “SpyHunter”, “group policy objects” are implanted in the registries in order to block harmful infections like NORD Ransomware.

Also, In Windows 10, you get a very unique feature called “Fall Creators Update” that offer “Controlled Folder Access” feature in order to block any kind of encryption to the files. With the help of this feature, any files stored in the locations such as “Documents”, “Pictures”, “Music”, “Videos”, “Favorites” and “Desktop” folders are safe by default.

It is very important that you install this “Windows 10 Fall Creators Update” in your PC to protect your important files and data from ransomware encryption. The more information on how to get this update and add an additional protection form rnasomware attack has been discussed here.

How to Recover the Files Encrypted by NORD Ransomware?

Till now, you would have understood that what had happed to your personal files that got encrypted and how you can remove the scripts and payloads associated with NORD Ransomware in order to protect your personal files that has not been damaged or encrypted until now. In order to retrieve the locked files, the depth information related to “System Restore” and “Shadow Volume Copies” has already been discussed earlier. However, in case if you are still unable to access the encrypted files then you can try using a data recovery tool.

Use of Data Recovery Tool

This step is for all those victims who have already tries all the above mentioned process but didn’t find any solution. Also it is important that you are able to access the PC and can install any software. The data recovery tool works on the basis of System scanning and recovery algorithm. It searches the System partitions in order to locate the original files which were deleted, corrupted or damaged by the malware. Remember that you must not re-install the Windows OS otherwise the “previous” copies will get deleted permanently. You have to clean the work-station at first and remove NORD Ransomware infection. Leave the locked files as it is and follow the steps mentioned below.

Step1: Download the software in the work-station by clicking on the “Download” button below.

Step2: Execute the installer by clicking on downloaded files.

Step3: A license agreement page appears on the screen. Click on “Accept” to agree with its terms and use. Follow the on-screen instruction as mentioned and click on “Finish” button.

Step4: Once the installation gets completed, the program gets executed automatically. In the newly opened interface, select the file types that you want to recover and click on “Next”.

Step5: You can select the “Drives” on which you want the software to run and execute the recovery process. Next is to click on the “Scan” button.

Step6: Based on drive you select for scanning, the restore process begins. The whole process may take time depending on the volume of the selected drive and number of files. Once the process gets completed, a data explorer appears on the screen with preview of that data that is to be recovered. Select the files that you want to restore.

Step7. Next is to locate the location where you want to saver the recovered files.