Nbes Ransomware - How to remove

Nbes ransomware is a new ransomware infection in the Djvu family. It encrypts your files, making them unopenable, and it might install some dangerous malware. Though there is no straightforward way to get your files back (unless you had backups), there are definitely a few things to try that might help you restore some (or even all) of your data.

Short memo in Nbes ransomware:

Dangers of Nbes	Encrypts files, installs a trojan, can result in data being stolen and money being lost
Similar threats	Merl, Gesd, Righ
How to remove Nbes ransomware	Unblock websites, use an anti-malware scanner (SpyHunter)
How to restore the files	Make backups of the encrypted files, restore your files from a backup, use the free decrypter, use data recovery and the other methods

Infection symptoms

Nbes encrypts your files, which basically turns data into gibberish and prevents you or your programs from being able to read those files.

So, the main symptom of a Nbes ransomware infection is your files having the “nbes” extension and refusing to open even if you get rid of the extension (which is not advised). The ransomware changed those filenames to mark that they’ve already been encrypted. Nbes also creates a bunch of ransom notes called “_readme” in which the criminals tell you to pay $490 if you want to get the fix.

Nbes might not have locked all of your files. Some, especially ones deep inside folders, are left by the ransomware for last and might not have been affected. Also, you might not find the ransom notes. If your antivirus program interrupted Nbes or if the ransomware didn’t work properly, the symptoms might not totally fit.

Nbes ransomware is part of the Djvu family and these ransomware infections have been seen installing a trojan called Azorult. Which means that you may also experience its symptoms in addition to Nbes.

Azorult can install adware and other malware, which would end with your browser behaving erratically, you seeing pop-ups including fake virus alerts, new bloatware, and your computer being slower than usual. It could download a bunch of malware on your computer and install hard-to-remove parasites on it. But Azorult is best known as being a data stealer – it steals usernames, passwords, crypto wallets, and takes shots of your screen. The symptoms would be your online accounts being hacked, their associated credit cards – abused.

How Nbes spreads

Most likely, you got Nbes from using a fake download page to get free programs or by pirating some software. Some victims are hesitant to admit it honestly, but the people behind Nbes have been able to turn Djvu into one of the most widespread ransomware families in the world by just uploading infected files in torrent sites, sometimes working with established members of communities. Chacking and hacking tools like KMSPico have featured in the stories of Djvu victims a lot, but other cracked software has also been mentioned.

Some people don’t admit how they got this ransomware, but there’s no doubt as to how Nbes infects computers. The ransomware may run with a little bit of a delay after the infected program and it usually displays a fake Windows Update window. It might run multiple times and it might change your system settings to block a bunch of cybersecurity-focused sites like ours.

If you find Nbes or another ransomware infection in your system and you don’t immediately know what to do, just turn your computer off. It used to be enough to disable the internet connection, and Nbes does use the internet to get your unique encryption key (unique keys are used so that one victim’s decryption key doesn’t unlock everyone else’s files). But even without internet connection, it encrypts your files using a non-unique offline key.

How to remove Nbes and restore your files

How to restore your files

There is a decrypter for files looked by Djvu and it was developed by Emsisoft. It only works in limited circumstances and is not a viable solution for most victims. Check the C:\SystemID\PersonalID.txt file for any keys ending in “t1” as that’s usually an indication that the offline key was used and that some of your files might be decoded by the decrypter in the future.

Luckily, there are other ways to get some of your files back without decryption.

First, it’s important to mention that backups should always be used. If you put copies of your files on a storage device that is not connected to your computer, that would protect them from ransomware, and from your drive breaking or even your computer being stolen. You can upload your files to the cloud, keep them on a separate drive, or use another solution that’s convenient to you. And if you did have backups before the Nbes infection, you can just restore your files from it, after you delete the ransomware.

If you didn’t use your computer much after getting Nbes ransomware, you might be able to use data recovery or shadow volume copies. Methods of file recovery are described in the following section of this article.

There is a small possibility that all the decryption keys will be recovered one day. If you don’t mind waiting, you can keep the Nbes encrypted files. Don’t edit them in any way, just keep them somewhere safe. They can’t hurt your computer or do anything, so you don’t need to worry.

You might be able to open some of the encrypted files, such as certain types of audio and video files. To be as fast as possible, Nbes only encrypts portions of large files, so only a few seconds of audio or footage may be lost. Other big files might also be partially recoverable.

However, there might be no way to fix your “.nbes” files without contacting the criminals. And doing that is not only expensive, but also risky and potentially dangerous: the criminals might not give you a decrypter after you pay them and they might attack you again later.

How to remove Nbes ransomware

If you need to, make backups of some of your encrypted files and ransom notes. Then, use a reliable anti-malware scanner, for example, SpyHunter for PC to get rid of Nbes ransomware. Some anti-malware programs delete any files that have to do with ransomware, so be careful with the settings.

If there was other malware installed on your computer, remove that, too. You might also want to change your passwords after your device is clean. Some victims of Djvu ransomware have had their online accounts hacked.

Important -- edit the hosts file to unblock security websites

TL DR : The hosts file is edited to block security sites Before the virus can be removed, it's necessary to fix the hosts file (the file which controls which addresses connect to which IPs). That is the reason the majority of security websites is inaccessible when infected with this particular parasite. This infection edits this file to stop certain websites, including anti-malware download sites, from being accessed from the infected computer, making browsers return the "This site can't be reached" error. Luckily, it's trivial to fix the file and remove the edits that were made to it.

Find and edit the hosts file

The hosts file can be found on C:/Windows/System32/Drivers/etc/hosts. If you don't see it, change the settings to see hidden files.

1. In the Start Menu, search for Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel, find Appearance and Personalization.
3. Select Folder Options.
4. Open the View tab.
5. Open Advanced settings.
6. Select "Show hidden files...".
7. Select OK.

Open this file with administrator privileges.

1. Open the Start Menu and enter "notepad".
2. When Notepad shows up in the result, right-click on it.
3. In the menu, choose "Run as administrator"
4. File->Open and browse for the hosts file.

The hosts file should look like this: Delete additional lines that they connect various domain names to the wrong IP address. Save the file.

Download and run the antivirus program

After that, download antivirus programs and use them to remove the ransomware, the trojan, and other malware. Spyhunter (https://www.2-viruses.com/reviews/spyhunter/dwnld/).

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to recover Nbes 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 Nbes Ransomware has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Nbes 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 Nbes Ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Nbes 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 Nbes 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 Nbes 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.