Qbx Cryptovirus - How to remove

Qbx is a new virus that infects computers through Remote Desktop or malicious spam emails. This virus can potentially cost a person their all files. The criminals behind Qbx ask for thousands of dollars to restore the files they encrypted, but it’s never guaranteed that they’ll actually keep to their word and restore the locked files once the encryption is paid.

Qbx is a member of Dharma/CrySiS, a ransomware strain that has existed for years and spawned viruses like Arena, Arrow, and Dharma. And though Dharma has had its decryption keys leaked online, most versions of Dharma/CrySiS, including Qbx, don’t have free decryptors available.

What happened to the files?

File encryption can be used to lock files from people who do not have the password. An encrypted file can be seen, viewed, known about, but the information within cannot be extracted — the contents of an encrypted file look like gibberish. A password or a decryption key is needed to see the real contents of the file. Editing an encrypted file might just lead to irreversible damage. Qbx encrypts files similarly, but with the malicious goal of making money from victims desperate to get access to their own files.

The encryption algorithms used by Qbx include public-key cryptography, which ensures that the decryption is only in the hands of Qbx’s developers. No free decryption for Qbx is possible at the moment, and most paid decryption services would likely just contact the criminals behind Qbx to buy the decryptor. The decryption keys are unique to each victim and so one person buying them from the extortionists does nothing to help any other victims of Qbx.

How does Qbx spread?

Both businesses and individuals are vulnerable, but the people behind Qbx target businesses specifically. Businesses have a few things that make them attractive to Qbx’s developers:

• Money to pay the ransom.
• Valuable time that cannot be wasted searching for solutions.
• Valuable data that they cannot afford to lose.

Thus, Qbx developers can take aim at businesses and charge thousands of dollars (usually, no less than 1 Bitcoin) for restoring the broken files and expect a good chance that they’ll actually be paid.

One of the ways that Qbx spreads is through Remote Desktop Protocol. The cybercriminals connect to a network and install the cryptovirus and whatever other malware they want to infect computers with, like software to disable antivirus programs. Qbx developers are able to hack Remote Desktop connections by guessing or finding the login credentials. If the login credentials are weak, or if the criminals managed to steal someone’s passwords (possibly by using phishing), they are then able to abuse the Remote Desktop to do whatever they want.

Qbx can also be spread using malicious emails: infected links and attachments might carry the Qbx virus in them, and simply running the malicious file would be enough for Qbx to start the encryption process. Qbx can arrive disguised as innocent documents, important archives, or updates of reputable software. Spam emails can easily affect individuals, not just businesses.

It’s not certain how likely the criminals behind Qbx are to restore the files if they get the ransom. The behavior of the people behind Qbx is not yet known because some versions of Dharma have different distributors and while some of them are “fair” and restore the files, others take the money from their victims and then ignore them.

Qbx details

Once Qbx infects a computer and encrypts the files (encrypted files include pictures, documents and spreadsheets, databases, code, other files), it creates a ransom note and a document with instructions on how to contact the extortionists.

The names of the ransom notes are RETURN FILES.txt (a short little note that includes [email protected] — the email address that the extortionists use)  and INFO.HTA, a more detailed explanation that includes phrases like “ALL YOUR FILES HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED!!! IF YOU WANT TO RESTORE THEM, WRITE US TO THE E-MAIL [email protected]”.

The names of the Qbx-encrypted files likewise include the email address of the cybercriminals:

picture.jpg.id-XXXXXXXX.[[email protected]].qbx

How to remove the Qbx virus

Qbx can be removed using a strong antivirus program, like Spyhunter. It’s likely that Qbx brought with it other malware, and all of it should be removed before restoring the files.

The files can be restored from a backup if it exists. Backups should regularly be updated to include the newest files, as well as kept separate from the computers whose files are being backed. If the backups were stored on the same computer that was infected with Qbx, they’ll either be deleted or encrypted. But there are some ways to try to recover the lost files, like using data recovery (check the guide below).

Automatic Malware removal tools

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

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Qbx Cryptovirus

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 Qbx Virus. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Qbx Cryptovirus 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 Qbx Virus 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 Qbx Cryptovirus 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.