Geek's Advice

FGNH ransomware maliciously locks files on victim’s computer

FGNH ransomware is a malicious data-encrypting computer virus arising from the STOP/DJVU ransomware family that’s been attacking home users for years. This virus is designed to lock all computer files using encryption algorithms and mark each file with .fgnh extension to make it distinguishable. For instance, a file originally called 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.fgnh, 1.txt becomes 1.txt.fgnh and so on. The virus also drops _readme.txt note in each folder to inform the computer user about the attack. As suggested by the note, cybercriminals behind the attack want the user to pay a ransom in exchange for FGNH file decryption tool.

To put it simply, FGNH ransomware is a virtual extortion tool. It encrypts files with robust algorithms that are typically used to secure military-grade secrets. The message in _readme.txt note suggests that victim has to contact ransomware operators within 72 hours in order to get a “discount” on the decryption software price. If the victim does so, the crooks set the ransom amount to $490. Otherwise, the victim has to pay $980. The only way to contact the attackers, as the note suggests, is to write an email to one of provided addresses: support@sysmail.ch or helprestoremanager@airmail.cc.

In addition, the note suggests sending one encrypted file to the attackers for test decryption. However, this file should not contain any valuable information, since the crooks do not want you to recover relevant files for free. They only offer this “service” to encourage you to pay a ransom. Do not do it! Cybersecurity experts recommend following FBI’s recommendations regarding ransom payments which are provided here.

First of all, paying a ransom does NOT guarantee data decryption in all cases. Moreover, by paying up, you simply help the attackers to fund their further operations, thus attack more people. Finally, you should beware of something that’s not mentioned in the _readme.txt note – this ransomware tends to compromise the computer with VIDAR Trojan, a notorious malware that can steal your passwords, cryptocurrency wallets, banking information and more. Such data can be used for further blackmail, so do not even consider wasting your money by paying cybercriminals!

In case you have fallen victim to a file-encrypting malware attack, we advise you to remove FGNH ransomware virus as quickly as possible. The best way to do this is to boot your PC in Safe Mode with Networking and then run a comprehensive AV solution to detect malicious files automatically. If you hesitate on which antivirus solution to choose, consider trusting one recommended by our team – INTEGO Antivirus, which showcases excellent malware detection rates. Moreover, an extra step we recommend taking is downloading RESTORO to repair virus damage on Windows OS files.

Ransomware Summary

REMOVE MALWARE & REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE

How ransomware-type computer threats are distributed

The most common STOP/DJVU ransomware distribution method, according to cybersecurity experts, is based on illegal online downloads. Attackers disguise a malicious executable of malware like FGNH virus as a software crack or keygen and promote these via various torrent listings or dubious websites online. Potential victims come across these websites themselves when trying to find a free way to activate paid software versions illegally. Victims reported that attempts to download pirated versions of software like Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, Tenorshare 4ukey, Cubase, League of Legends, Fifa 20 and various antivirus programs led to complete data corruption on their computers.

For this reason, think twice before deciding to go for illegal downloads. Illegal software distribution and usage is nothing else but an act of copyright infringement, besides, it often comes with unwanted extras that can severely mess up your privacy. Remember that legitimate software licenses always cost less that insane ransom amounts demanded by cybercriminals. If you are in need of specific software, make sure to visit legitimate websites to download them from and purchase the license key to support useful software developers.

Another way that cybercriminals spread the malware involves deceptive email spam. The attackers can inject a malicious code in documents, for example, Word, PDF or Excel files that support scripts and send it to you as an email attachment. The email message itself recommends opening the attachment because it carries important information; however, you should not trust the sender if you suspect that something is wrong with the email. For example, if you notice weird signs such as typo mistakes, unprofessionally designed email message layout, unknown file format of the attached file, spoofed email address or unfamiliar greeting line, do not click on inserted links or attached files. Opening a malicious email attachment is the straightest way to computer infection.

It is also important to know that cybercriminals distribute fake data decryption tools online only to compromise an already-infected computer even further. Cybersecurity experts warn of attackers’ attempts to offer STOP/DJVU decryption tools that hide ZORAB ransomware inside of them. At this point, we must say that you should rely on reliable cybersecurity blogs and in case they suggest there is no way to decrypt your files without a data backup, you should listen to such statements. Attempts to find non-existent solutions will only result in more computer malware.

How this ransomware operates

If you’re interested to find out how exactly FGNH ransomware operates, this section is for you. The ransomware launches as an executable named with 4 random characters, for instance, 1N7B.exe or 9J6N.exe. The threat also downloads additional executables called build.exe and build2.exe, both essential for full-scale attack. In some cases, STOP/DJVU ransomware variants additionally run winupdate.exe process, which is responsible for displaying a fake Windows update prompt on the screen.

The first thing this virus does is checking the infected computer’s geolocation. For that, it connects to https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json and saves the response from this domain to a file called geo.json (shown below).

This file comprises various data about the infected computer’s location, including country name, city name, zip code, longitude and latitude, IP address and more. The ransomware then checks if the computer is located in any of the listed countries: Ukraine, Russia, Syria, Armenia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Kazachstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Uzbekistan and if a match is detected, the threat suspends itself. Otherwise, the virus proceeds the operation.

Next, the ransomware saves the infection timestamp, machine ID, GUID, HWID, Windows OS version, computer name, user name, display characteristics, keyboard language, local time, timezone, hardware details, list of installed software and active processes into information.txt file. This file is portrayed in the image below.

The ransomware then has to decide between online and offline encryption modes. With the latter, the victim has slight chances to recover files without paying the ransom. However, the primary aim of this computer virus is to always use online encryption mode, which involves uniquely generated encryption key for each victim. Therefore, the virus attempts to request it from its Command&Control server. If this fails, it then switches to offline encryption mode.

After deciding on which encryption type to use, the virus saves the encryption key and victim’s ID to a file called bowsakkdestx.txt. The ID will be saved separately to PersonalID.txt file. Both files are shown below.

There is a little trick that helps to find out whether online or offline encryption type was used. You can open the C:\SystemID\PersonalID.txt file and see the two ending characters in the string provided there. If these two characters are t1, it indicates offline key attack. In all other cases, online encryption is used.

After deciding on the encryption key, the ransomware then begins encrypting all data on the computer system using Salsa20+RSA-2048 encryption type. During the data encryption, the virus marks each encrypted file with .fgnh extension. You can see a screenshot of affected data below.

While encrypting victim’s files, the ransomware equally drops _readme.txt note in each affected directory.

Finally, the ransomware deletes Volume Shadow Copies from the system and modifies Windows HOSTS file to block access to a set of cybersecurity blogs on victim’s computer. As a consequence, the victim may run into DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error when trying to access one of them via web search or directly.

Remove FGNH Ransomware Virus and Decrypt Your Files

If you have fallen victim to a ransomware attack, we advise you to remove FGNH ransomware virus as soon as you can. Deleting malicious virus remains from the system is essential to ensure your computer’s privacy. If you haven’t invested in your computer’s security before, we strongly recommend to rely on INTEGO Antivirus. You can read its review here, although it is our top choice when it comes to eliminating threats and preventing malware attacks.

As an extra step after FGNH virus removal, you may want to download RESTORO and use it to repair virus damage on Windows OS files.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND

Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system:

STEP 1. REMOVE AUTOMATICALLY WITH ROBUST ANTIVIRUS

REMOVE & PROTECT WITH INTEGO

Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7.. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs.

Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer.

Read full review here.

STEP 2. REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER

DOWNLOAD RESTORO

RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically.

RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them.

Read full review here.

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Norbert Webb

Norbert Webb is the head of Geek’s Advice team. He is the chief editor of the website who controls the quality of content published. The man also loves reading cybersecurity news, testing new software and sharing his insights on them. Norbert says that following his passion for information technology was one of the best decisions he has ever made. “I don’t feel like working while I’m doing something I love.” However, the geek has other interests, such as snowboarding and traveling.