Do you know what HiddenBeer Ransomware is?
HiddenBeer Ransomware is one of the newest HiddenTear variants. To be more specific, this particular ransomware infection has been developed on the engine of the open-source ransomware infection named HiddenTear. It would be a complete lie if we told you that HiddenBeer Ransomware is a very prevalent threat because it is not. Of course, it does not mean that it cannot enter your system without your knowledge. Infections like HiddenBeer Ransomware are mainly distributed through spam emails and hacked RDP connections, so they might enter any unprotected computer. What we try to say here is that HiddenBeer Ransomware might slither onto your computer even if it is not the most prevalent malicious application. You will definitely notice if you ever encounter this ransomware infection because it immediately encrypts users‘ personal files after the launch. Additionally, you will find your Desktop Wallpaper changed without your knowledge. Ransomware infections do not lock files on users‘ computers just for fun. Cyber criminals develop these tools and use them to obtain money from users. Do not be one of those users who encourage cyber criminals to continue doing their job by sending money to them.
HiddenBeer Ransomware is quite a sophisticated computer threat. It not only encrypts users‘ files and changes their Wallpapers, but also creates a copy of itself, drops a tool for decrypting files, and, finally, places a ransom note (@FILES-HELP-<Users_Computer_name>.txt) on the affected computer. The tool for decrypting files (@FILE-DECRYPTER.exe) is automatically launched and displays a message to users. You will find out that you cannot access your files because they have all been encrypted. You will also be told that they are not encrypted permanently – you can get them decrypted if you pay 100 USD in Bitcoin and then send an email to tr0ning@protonmail.com with your PC name and transaction data.It might seem that paying money to cyber criminals is the quickest and easiest way to get files back, but it is not true. You do not know whether you will get anything from them if you make a payment. If you have copies of those files that have been marked using the .beer filename extension, there is no point in sending money to cyber criminals too – you could easily restore them from a backup yourself. Before you take action to fix your files, you need to remove the ransomware infection first. If you keep HiddenBeer Ransomware active on your system, the chances are high that all these files you fix will be encrypted once again. What about free decryption software? You can give it a shot, but there are, unfortunately, no guarantees that it will fix any encrypted files for you.
HiddenBeer Ransomware screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
As for the HiddenBeer Ransomware distribution, standard distribution methods are used to spread it. First of all, you might find this infection on your system after launching a malicious email attachment. Keep in mind that a malicious attachment might not look harmful at all, so you should be very careful with attachments you open from emails. The same can be said about downloading files from the web. You might download malicious software from a P2P or another shady website, so if you are not going to quit downloading software from random websites, you should at least scan all downloaded files with antimalware/antivirus software before opening them. Last but not least, it is advisable to set secure RDP credentials. If cyber criminals manage to hack them, they might place malware on your PC without your knowledge. This might be the reason you have encountered HiddenBeer Ransomware as well. Last but not least, you must keep a security application enabled on your computer.
If HiddenBeer Ransomware has infiltrated your computer, remove it from your system immediately. The longer you keep it, the more problems it will cause to you. Unfortunately, we cannot promise that it will be very easy to erase it because it drops more than one malicious component on the affected computer. Additionally, it opens a window with a ransom note that can only be closed by killing the malicious process via Task Manager.
How to remove HiddenBeer Ransomware
- Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
- Under Processes, locate the malicious process and kill it.
- Close Task Manager.
- Access your Desktop.
- Delete @FILE-DECRYPTER.exe and @FILES-HELP-<Users_Computer_name>.txt.
- Go to %HOMEDRIVE%\user.
- Remove @Chromium.exe and Chrome.jpg.
- Remove all recently downloaded files you find suspicious.
- Empty Recycle Bin.
In non-techie terms:
HiddenBeer Ransomware is a threat that will turn your life into a disaster – it will lock all your important files, including documents, pictures, and much more if you ever encounter it. The majority of users who encounter ransomware infections keep their PCs completely unprotected and act quite carelessly, for example, download software from untrustworthy websites and open all email attachments they receive. If you have not encountered this infection yet, you can still prevent it from entering your system. Change your online behavior a bit and install a security application on your computer.