Reha File Extension Virus - How to remove

Reha is Djvu-type ransomware; it encrypts files to break them and make them unusable. Cybercriminals are using Reha to extort victims of money by promising them to fix the files in exchange for money. Reha locks files and renames them by adding a fake “.reha” extension. It spreads with pirated files and installs a password-stealer on the side.

Reha is seriously dangerous and should be deleted before you can restore your files:

Details on Reha	Part of the Djvu family, similar to Nosu, Kodc, Redl, installs Azorult, asks for $490 or $980 ransom.
How ransomware infects computers	Comes with pirates programs and cracking tools.
How to restore the files	Recover from backup, use the free decrypter, use data recovery.
How to remove Reha	Fix the hosts file, delete Reha, other malware, and the file that infected your computer, scan your device with an antivirus tool, such as SpyHunter.

How Reha spreads and how to avoid it

Reha gets uploaded to pirating sites and shady websites. It’s disguised as various attractive files: free Microsoft Office suite, keygens, cracks, and activators for Windows and Office, unlocked versions of other expensive software or files.

Pirating is dangerous, and it’s also extremely widespread. Reha and other malware can infect files pretty easily because many pirating sites and networks have little oversight. It’s not uncommon for Djvu’s victims to be hit with one ransomware infection and then get infected again soon after.

Not everyone can afford to buy software legally, so it’s unlikely that people will stop pirating. But as long as illegal filesharing is happening, malware like Reha has an easy way to infect more victims.

You could turn to free software, for example, the various open-source projects that exist as alternatives to commercial products: LibreOffice, Linux, Gimp, Blender, as well as trial versions of the programs. It’s also important to get your programs from official sources and not from shady download sites. Those sites like to bundle adware with the programs that they’re re-sharing.

Reha locks your files, so a great way to neutralize it is to just have file backups. Buy an external drive or get some cloud storage and put your most important files on there. Update the files regularly but keep the storage disconnected from your computer the rest of the time. This way, even if your computer gets infected and the files get broken, you don’t have to fear losing your projects, memories, and job files.

Reha infection symptoms

Many files are renamed to include “.reha” as the second extension. It doesn’t matter, the makers of Reha chose it randomly. But each file that’s been marked with “reha” is encrypted, meaning, the bits making up those files have been run through an algorithm meant for scrambling data. Most files won’t open even if you remove the “reha” extension from their names. Even if some of the files open, you can see that they’re partially broken, for example, songs are missing a few seconds here and there.

By the way, if you’re not seeing the “reha” extensions on your files, you may need to configure your Windows to display all file extensions. In Windows 10, open File explorer, click the View tab, check the Show/hide section, and check the File name extensions checkbox. In Windows 7, open File explorer, open the Organize menu, choose Folder and search options, also open the View tab, and uncheck the Hide extensions option.

Be careful with extensions because if you change them while changing file names, Windows won’t know which program should open your files. Leave “reha” alone for now: removing it won’t fix your files.

Reha’s mischief doesn’t end with breaking your files. It also:

• deletes your shadow volume copies and backups stored on your computer,
• breaks your antivirus program by deleting its updates,
• blocks cybersecurity blog sites to stop you from researching Reha,
• encrypts the files on removable media that’s connected to the computer at the time of Reha’s infection,
• installs Azorult, a password-stealer that can download more malware on your device,
• fills your computer with “_readme.txt” files in which Reha’s creators are asking for money.

Here is some of the text from the _readme.txt files:

ATTENTION!

Don’t worry, you can return all your files!
All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with
strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.
What guarantees you have?
You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.
…

How to remove Reha and restore your files

Remove Reha to stop it from re-encrypting anything. A normal anti-malware program, such as SpyHunter, can do that fine. Azorult also needs to be deleted and you may want to change your passwords. As well as the file that you downloaded Reha from in the first place – else, if you run it again, you’ll download Reha again.

If you have backups of your files, you can just restore them after deleting Reha.

Else, check if any of your IDs given by Reha end with “t1”. Read your IDs in the _readme.txt files or C:\SystemID\PersonalID.txt. ID ending with “t1” should be the sign (not guaranteed) that Reha failed to download a unique encryption key for you and used the offline one. This way, if anyone else gets an offline decryption key and shares it, some of your files may be recovered. Check this Emsisoft's page for more details. It’s possible that the offline key will be discovered in the next few weeks, but it’s not guaranteed.

Some other ways to get your files are mentioned in the last section. Though Reha does delete the backups, it’s still worth it to try and use them.

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 Reha File Extension Virus 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 Reha has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Reha File Extension Virus

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 Reha. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Reha File Extension Virus 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 Reha 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 Reha File Extension Virus 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.