Remove Bit Cryptor virus (“Files Encrypted” Ransomware)

Bit Cryptor (or BitCryptor) is a file-encrypting ransomware, which will encrypt the personal documents found on victim’s computer using RSA-2048 key (AES CBC 256-bit encryption algorithm). Bit Cryptor then displays a message which offers to decrypt the data if a payment of 1 BTC (around $240 USD) is made within 96 hours, otherwise the data will be destroyed.
Bit Cryptor will append |True to the file path extension to all your images, videos and other personal documents.

1. How did the Bit Cryptor virus got on my computer?
2. What is Bit Cryptor Ransomware?
3. Is my computer infected with Bit Cryptor virus?
4. Is it possible to decrypt files encrypted by Bit Cryptor?
5. How to remove the Bit Cryptor ransomware (Virus Removal Guide)

1. How did the Bit Cryptor virus got on my computer?

The Bit Cryptor virus is distributed through several means. Malicious websites, or legitimate websites that have been hacked, can infect your machine through exploit kits that use vulnerabilities on your computer to install this Trojan without your permission of knowledge.

Another method used to propagate this type of malware is spam email containing infected attachments or links to malicious websites. Cyber-criminals spam out an email, with forged header information, tricking you into believing that it is from a shipping company like DHL or FedEx. The email tells you that they tried to deliver a package to you, but failed for some reason. Sometimes the emails claim to be notifications of a shipment you have made. Either way, you can’t resist being curious as to what the email is referring to – and open the attached file (or click on a link embedded inside the email). And with that, your computer is infected with the Bit Cryptor virus.

The threat may also be downloaded manually by tricking the user into thinking they are installing a useful piece of software, for instance a bogus update for Adobe Flash Player or another piece of software.

2. What is Bit Cryptor Ransomware?

Bit Cryptor is a trojan ransomware program which targets all versions of Windows including Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. This infection is notable due to how it encrypts the user’s files – namely, it uses AES-265 and RSA encryption method – in order to ensure that the affected user has no choice but to purchase the private key.
This ransomware is part of the CryptoGraphic Locker family with the addition of offering one free file decryption to prove that they are able to do so. Unlike other recently released crypto-ransomware, this infection does not utilize a decryption site to make payments and download the decrypter, but rather the decryption functionality and payment system are built directly into the malware executable.

When Bit Cryptor ransomware is first installed on your computer it will create a random named executable in the %AppData% or %LocalAppData% folder. This executable will be launched and begin to scan all the drive letters on your computer for data files to encrypt.
Bit Cryptor searches for files with certain file extensions to encrypt. The files it encrypts include important productivity documents and files such as .doc, .docx, .xls, .pdf, among others. When these files are detected, this infection will append a new 7z.encrypted extension to the file name.
Files targeted are those commonly found on most PCs today; a list of file extensions for targeted files include:

.sql, .mp4, .7z, .rar, .m4a, .wma, .avi, .wmv, .csv, .d3dbsp, .zip, .sie, .sum, .ibank, .t13, .t12, .qdf, .gdb, .tax, .pkpass, .bc6, .bc7, .bkp, .qic, .bkf, .sidn, .sidd, .mddata, .itl, .itdb, .icxs, .hvpl, .hplg, .hkdb, .mdbackup, .syncdb, .gho, .cas, .svg, .map, .wmo, .itm, .sb, .fos, .mov, .vdf, .ztmp, .sis, .sid, .ncf, .menu, .layout, .dmp, .blob, .esm, .vcf, .vtf, .dazip, .fpk, .mlx, .kf, .iwd, .vpk, .tor, .psk, .rim, .w3x, .fsh, .ntl, .arch00, .lvl, .snx, .cfr, .ff, .vpp_pc, .lrf, .m2, .mcmeta, .vfs0, .mpqge, .kdb, .db0, .dba, .rofl, .hkx, .bar, .upk, .das, .iwi, .litemod, .asset, .forge, .ltx, .bsa, .apk, .re4, .sav, .lbf, .slm, .bik, .epk, .rgss3a, .pak, .big, wallet, .wotreplay, .xxx, .desc, .py, .m3u, .flv, .js, .css, .rb, .png, .jpeg, .txt, .p7c, .p7b, .p12, .pfx, .pem, .crt, .cer, .der, .x3f, .srw, .pef, .ptx, .r3d, .rw2, .rwl, .raw, .raf, .orf, .nrw, .mrwref, .mef, .erf, .kdc, .dcr, .cr2, .crw, .bay, .sr2, .srf, .arw, .3fr, .dng, .jpe, .jpg, .cdr, .indd, .ai, .eps, .pdf, .pdd, .psd, .dbf, .mdf, .wb2, .rtf, .wpd, .dxg, .xf, .dwg, .pst, .accdb, .mdb, .pptm, .pptx, .ppt, .xlk, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xlsx, .xls, .wps, .docm, .docx, .doc, .odb, .odc, .odm, .odp, .ods, .odt

Bit Cryptor will also hijack your .EXE extensions so that when you launch an executable it will attempt to delete the Shadow Volume Copies that are on the affected computer. It does this because you can use shadow volume copies to restore your encrypted files. Once the infection has successfully deleted your shadow volume copies, it will restore your exe extensions back to the Windows defaults.

When it has finished encrypting your data files it will then show the Bit Cryptor screen as shown above and demand a ransom of 1 BTC (around $240 USD) in order to decrypt your files. It also states that you must pay this ransom within 96 hours or the private encryption key will be destroyed on the developer’s servers.

3. Is my computer infected with Bit Cryptor virus?

If your computer is infected with the Bit Cryptor ransomware will display a black wallpaper with a logo that covers the entire desktop. A Bit Cryptor window with a countdown timer, will be placed on your desktop.

The messages displayed by this ransomware infection can be localized depending on the user’s location, with text written in the appropriate language.
This is the message that the Bit Cryptor window will display:

Your personal documents and files on this computer have just been encrypted.
The original files have been deleted and will only be recovered by following the steps described below.
Click on “Show encrypted files” to see a list of files that got encrypted.

The encryption was done with a unique generated encryption key (using AES-256).
This means that encrypted files are of no use until they get decrypted using a key stored on a server.

This server will only release the key if the amount of Bitcoins (displayed left of this window) is send to the Bitcoin address shown on the left of this window.

Each time the timer expires, the total cost will raise with the starting price.

…

4. Is it possible to decrypt files encrypted by Bit Cryptor?

No, at this time it’s not possible.

Bit Cryptor is notable due to how it encrypts the user’s files – namely, it uses AES-265 and RSA encryption method – in order to ensure that the affected user has no choice but to purchase the private key. The RSA public key can only be decrypted with its corresponding private key. Since the AES key is hidden using RSA encryption and the RSA private key is not available, decrypting the files is not feasible as of this writing.
Brute forcing the decryption key is not realistic due to the length of time required to break an AES encryption key.

Because the needed private key to unlock the encrypted file is only available through the cyber criminals, victims may be tempted to purchase it and pay the exorbitant fee. However, doing so may encourage these bad guys to continue and even expand their operations. We strongly suggest that you do not send any money to these cyber criminals, and instead adress to the law enforcement agency in your country to report this attack.

5. How to remove the Bit Cryptor ransomware (Virus Removal Guide)

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove the Bit Cryptor infection from your computer, however we cannot guarantee that your personal files will be recovered. We cannot be held responsible for losing the documents during this removal process.

A. Remove Bit Cryptor ransomware from your computer

Malwarebytes and HitmanPro can detect and remove this infection, but these programs cannot recover your encrypted files due to the nature of asymmetric encryption, which requires a private key to decrypt files encrypted with the public key.

STEP 1: Remove Bit Cryptor virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free uses industry-leading technology to detect and remove all traces of malware, including worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware, and more.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware works well and should run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

1. You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the below link.
   MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free”)
2. Once downloaded, close all programs, then double-click on the icon on your desktop named “mbam-setup” to start the installation of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
   
   You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
3. When the installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
   
   To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
   
4. Once installed, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program, and that a scan has never been run on your system. To start a system scan you can click on the “Scan Now” button.
   
5. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for the Bit Cryptor virus. When Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is scanning it will look like the image below.
   
6. When the scan has completed, you will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes Anti-malware has found, click on the “Remove Seletected” button.
   
   Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
7. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. When removing the files, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot your computer, please allow it to do so.
   
   After your computer will restart, you should open Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and perform another “Threat Scan” scan to verify that there are no remaining threats

STEP 2: Double-check for the “Bit Cryptor” malware infection with HitmanPro

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti-virus software, firewalls, etc.). HitmanPro is designed to work alongside existing security programs without any conflicts. It scans the computer quickly (less than 5 minutes) and does not slow down the computer.

1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “HitmanPro”)
2. Double-click on the file named “HitmanPro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “HitmanPro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.
   
   Click on the “Next” button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.
   
3. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for Bit Cryptor malicious files.
   
4. When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the “Next” button, to remove Bit Cryptor virus.
   
5. Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

B. How (try) to restore your files encrypted by Bit Cryptor ransomware

In some cases, it may be possible to recover previous versions of the encrypted files using System Restore or other recovery software used to obtain “shadow copies” of files.

Option 1: Restore your files encrypted by Bit Cryptor ransomware with ShadowExplorer

Bit Cryptor will attempt to delete all shadow copies when you first start any executable on your computer after becoming infected. Thankfully, the infection is not always able to remove the shadow copies, so you should continue to try restoring your files using this method.

1. You can download ShadowExplorer from the below link:
   SHADOW EXPLORER DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “ShadowExplorer”)
2. Once you have downloaded and installed ShadowExplorer, you can follow the below video guide on how to restore your files while using this program.
   

Alternatively, you can use the System Restore to try to recover the encrypted documents.

Option 2: Restore your files encrypted by Bit Cryptor ransomware with File Recovery Software

When Bit Cryptor encrypts a file it first makes a copy of it, encrypts the copy, and then deletes the original. Due to this you can use file recovery software such as:

• Recuva
  You can follow the below guide on how to use Recuva:
  
• EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free
• R-Studio