What is HrHr ransomware? And how does it implement its attack?

HrHr ransomware is a new crypto-malware designed to lock files in infected computers and demands a ransom to its victims. This ransomware threat was recently reported to be causing problems in the cyber community as it affects many computer users.
Once it is able to invade a targeted PC, HrHr ransomware will start to search the entire drive of the system looking for certain files to lock. Based on the analysis done by security experts, HrHr ransomware encrypts files that have these extensions:
.VBS, .EXE, .CMD, .DOCM, .PNG .PSD .PSPIMAGE .TGA .THM .TIF .TIFF .YUV .AI .EPS .PS .SVG .INDD .PCT .PDF .XLR .XLS .XLSX .ACCDB .DB .DBF .MDB .PDB .SQL .APK .APP .BAT .CGI .COM .EXE .GADGET .JAR .PIF .WSF .DEM .GAM .NES .ROM .SAV CAD Files .DWG .DXF GIS Files .GPX .KML .KMZ .ASP .ASPX .CER .CFM .CSR .CSS .HTM .HTML .JS .JSP .PHP .RSS .XHTML. DOC .DOCX .LOG .MSG .ODT .PAGES .RTF .TEX .TXT .WPD .WPS .CSV .DAT .GED .KEY .KEYCHAIN .PPS .PPT .PPTX, .INI .PRF Encoded Files .HQX .MIM .UUE .7Z .CBR .DEB .GZ .PKG .RAR .RPM .SITX .TAR.GZ .ZIP .ZIPX .BIN .CUE .DMG .ISO .MDF .TOAST .VCD SDF .TAR .TAX2014 .TAX2015 .VCF .XML Audio Files .AIF .IFF .M3U .M4A .MID .MP3 .MPA .WAV .WMA Video Files .3G2 .3GP .ASF .AVI .FLV .M4V .MOV .MP4 .MPG .RM .SRT .SWF .VOB .WMV 3D .3DM .3DS .MAX .OBJ R.BMP .DDS .GIF .JPG .CRX .PLUGIN .FNT .FON .OTF .TTF .CAB .CPL .CUR .DESKTHEMEPACK .DLL .DMP .DRV .ICNS .ICO .LNK .SYS .CFG
After it finds the files with the extensions listed above, HrHr ransomware will encrypt them using a strong encryption algorithm and append the .hrhr extension on each one of the files. Following file encryption, HrHr ransomware will drop the help.txt file containing the following ransom note:
“Hello. Your files have been encrypted.
For help, write to this e-mail:
[email protected]
Attach to the letter 1-2 files (no more than 3 MB) and your personal key.
If within 24 hours you have not received a response, you need to follow the following instructions:

1. a) Download and install TOR browser: https://www.torproject.org/download/download-easy.html.en
2. b) From the TOR browser, follow the link: torbox3uiot6wchz.onion
3. c) Register your e-mail (Sign Up)
4. d) Write us on e-mail:

[email protected]
ATTENTION: e-mail ([email protected]) accepts emails, only with e-mail registered in the TOR browser at torbox3uiot6wchz.onion
Your personal key:”
In addition to the encryption, HrHr ransomware may also drop additional malicious files to modify some system settings in the infected system.
Despite the current state of your important files, paying the ransom is still not recommended. Just know that cybercriminals are called cyber criminals for a reason – they can’t and will never be trusted. So it’s best to try other recovery options rather than succumb to these crooks’ demands.
How does HrHr ransomware disseminate its malicious payload?
HrHr ransomware disseminates its malicious payload using spam emails. The email containing the malicious payload aims to convince users into not only installing the Tor browser but also using an encrypted email service called “TorBox which is only available on the Onion network. So the next time you open any suspicious emails, you should know better and delete the email right away. One of the telltale signs that the email is actually a malware-laden one is that the contents of the email will contain some file with the double extension, i.e. invoice.pdf.exe, and its message full of grammatical errors will convince you to download the attachment.
Eliminating HrHr ransomware is not that easy so you have to follow the removal guide below to successfully remove this crypto-malware.
Step 1: Tap Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to launch the Task Manager.
Step 2: Go to Processes and look for the malicious process of HrHr ransomware then right click on it and select End Process or End Task.

Step 3: Close the Task Manager and open Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.
Step 4: Look for dubious programs that might be related to HrHr ransomware and then Uninstall it/them.
Step 5: Tap Win + E to launch File Explorer.
Step 6: After opening File Explorer, navigate to the following directories below and look for HrHr ransomware’s malicious components such as get_my_files.txt and remove them all.

• %TEMP%
• %APPDATA%
• %DESKTOP%
• %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
• C:\ProgramData\local\

Step 7: Close the File Explorer.
Before you proceed to the next steps below, make sure that you are tech savvy enough to the point where you know exactly how to use and navigate your computer’s Registry. Keep in mind that any changes you make will highly impact your computer. To save you the trouble and time, you can just use PC Cleaner Pro, this system tool is proven to be safe and excellent enough that hackers won’t be able to hack into it. But if you can manage Windows Registry well, then, by all means, go on to the next steps.
Step 8: Tap Win + R to open Run and then type in regedit in the field and tap enter to pull up Windows Registry.

Step 9: Navigate to the listed paths below and look for the registry keys and sub-keys created by HrHr ransomware.

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\
• HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

Step 10: Delete the registry keys and sub-keys created by HrHr ransomware.
Step 11: Close the Registry Editor.
Step 12: Empty your Recycle Bin.
Try to recover your encrypted files using the Shadow Volume copies
Restoring your encrypted files using Windows’ Previous Versions feature will only be effective if Creeper ransomware hasn’t deleted the shadow copies of your files. But still, this is one of the best and free methods there is, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
To restore the encrypted file, right-click on it and select Properties, a new window will pop-up, then proceed to Previous Versions. It will load the file’s previous version before it was modified. After it loads, select any of the previous versions displayed on the list like the one in the illustration below. And then click the Restore button.

To make sure that HrHr ransomware is completely removed and that nothing is left behind, use the following antivirus program. To use it, refer to the instructions below.
Perform a full system scan using SpyRemover Pro. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
2. After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

3. To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
4. Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
5. Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

6. If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
7. Type in explorer http://www.fixmypcfree.com/install/spyremoverpro

A single space must be in between explorer and http. Click OK.

8. A dialog box will be displayed by Internet Explorer. Click Run to begin downloading the program. The installation will start automatically once a download is done.

9. Click OK to launch it.
10. Run SpyRemover Pro and perform a full system scan.

11. After all the infections are identified, click REMOVE ALL.

12. Register the program to protect your computer from future threats.