CrY-TrOwX ransomware - How to remove

CrY-TrOwX ransomware virus is a variant, based on the widely-exploited Hidden Tear open source code. Therefore, it is categorized among such Hidden-Tear-based crypto infections like Katafrack and WanaDie. For short, CrY-TrOwX virus can be referred to as simply CrY due to its payload of CrY.exe. Its detection is not difficult as as many security tools are already updated to detect this variant. The following labels are all referring to this ransomware threat: Gen:Heur.Ransom.HiddenTears.1, FileRepMetagen [Malware], Win32.Trojan.WisdomEyes.16070401.9500.9905 and etc. More or less, all anti-virus tools will regard it as malicious.

CrY-TrOwX crypto-virus is based on Hidden Tear project and appends .locked extension

Even without going into further analysis of CrY-TrOwX crypto-malware, we can suggest that is is not a sophisticated ransomware. One of the dead-giveaways is the fact that it is based on Hidden Tear. However, the hints of poor-quality do not end there. It appears that hackers left their Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) wide open. Security researchers cannot believe that crooks left their public email in the code which is a rather sloppy mistake. Were amateurs attempting to play extortionists? If so, they failed.

The author of CrY-TrOwX crypto-virus is indicated to be by a person, going by the username of “ismail”. The extension that the encoded data is supposed to be marked is .locked. This feature is also very standard as a long line of ransomware threats have exploited this extension: Cyber Police Locker, jCandy and RedBoot.

The ransom of this virus is READ_AND_CRY.txt. The text in it is very short and victims receive very little information about the fee of decryption. They are encouraged to communicate with hackers via an email address of [email protected]. If you do message them, the crooks are presumably going to inform you of the ransom and the bitcoin wallet they manage (Bitcoins strategic place in ransomware). Whatever you do, do not pay the ransom. This will only show hackers that they can continue to play extortionists and demand money from innocent victims.

Possible decryption techniques for files, marked with .locked extension

If your operating system has become compromised by CrY-TrOwX crypto-virus, we suggest you to not to panic. Do you have other sources of the files you lost due to encryption? Have you stored them in USB flash drives or online storage units beforehand? If yes, then do not hesitate to remove the infection and retrieve all the data you lost. However, if this option is not available to you, the situation gets more tricky.

There is no official decrypter for the latter ransomware. However, you could try the universal file-recovery tools that we recommend at the end of this article. You should also check whether hackers removed Shadow Volume Copies: if not, you could be able to recover files without any unnecessary hassle. For the future, please backup your digital data. With the number of ransomware viruses growing, we have to state that this action is crucial for you safety.

Prevention of ransomware viruses like CrY-TrOwX malware

CrY-TrOwX crypto-virus might have been distributed via deceptive email letters. If you find that you have been contacted by an unknown source, please do not download attachments or click on links. If you do this, malicious software could easily enter your operating system and do severe damage. In addition to this, it is important that you stay away from unknown websites and avoid interacting with online pop-ups. Otherwise, malicious software could also start bothering your device.

For the purpose of keeping operating system virus-free, we recommend installing an anti-malware tool which would protect you at all costs. Spyhunter is a reliable program which will definitely protect your device from malicious software. Install it, run regular scans and enjoy a safe browsing experience. It will also show no mercy to parasites that will manage to enter your computer.

How to recover CrY-TrOwX ransomware encrypted files and remove the virus

Step 1. Restore system into last known good state using system restore

1. Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt:

for Windows 7 / Vista/ XP

• Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
• Press F8 key repeatedly until Advanced Boot Options window appears.
• Choose Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

for Windows 8 / 10

• Press Power at Windows login screen. Then press and hold Shift key and click Restart.
• Choose Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Settings and click Restart.
• When it loads, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the list of Startup Settings.

 

2.Restore System files and settings.

• When Command Prompt mode loads, enter cd restore and press Enter.
• Then enter rstrui.exe and press Enter again.
• Click “Next” in the windows that appeared.
• Select one of the Restore Points that are available before CrY-TrOwX ransomware has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of CrY-TrOwX ransomware

After restoring your system, it is recommended to scan your computer with an anti-malware program, like Spyhunter and remove all malicious files related to CrY-TrOwX ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore CrY-TrOwX ransomware affected files using Shadow Volume Copies

If you do not use System Restore option on your operating system, there is a chance to use shadow copy snapshots. They store copies of your files that point of time when the system restore snapshot was created. Usually CrY-TrOwX ransomware tries to delete all possible Shadow Volume Copies, so this methods may not work on all computers. However, it may fail to do so. Shadow Volume Copies are only available with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. There are two ways to retrieve your files via Shadow Volume Copy. You can do it using native Windows Previous Versions or via Shadow Explorer. a) Native Windows Previous Versions Right-click on an encrypted file and select Properties → Previous versions tab. Now you will see all available copies of that particular file and the time when it was stored in a Shadow Volume Copy. Choose the version of the file you want to retrieve and click Copy if you want to save it to some directory of your own, or Restore if you want to replace existing, encrypted file. If you want to see the content of file first, just click Open.

b) Shadow Explorer It is a program that can be found online for free. You can download either a full or a portable version of Shadow Explorer. Open the program. On the left top corner select the drive where the file you are looking for is a stored. You will see all folders on that drive. To retrieve a whole folder, right-click on it and select “Export”. Then choose where you want it to be stored.

Step 4. Use Data Recovery programs to recover CrY-TrOwX ransomware encrypted files

There are several data recovery programs that might recover encrypted files as well. This does not work in all cases but you can try this:

• We suggest using another PC and connect the infected hard drive as slave. It is still possible to do this on infected PC though.
• Download a data recovery program.
• Install and scan for recently deleted files.

Note: In many cases it is impossible to restore data files affected by modern ransomware. Thus I recommend using decent cloud backup software as precaution. We recommend checking out Carbonite, BackBlaze, CrashPlan or Mozy Home.