Remove QQQE Ransomware Virus (DECRYPT .qqqe FILES)
QQQE ransomware takes your files hostage, demands a ransom
Contents
QQQE ransomware is a new variant of file-encrypting virus released by STOP/DJVU ransomware operators. After being launched on the system, it encrypts all files on it and marks them with .qqqe extension. As a consequence, file originally named 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.qqqe, 1.txt. becomes 1.txt.qqqe and so on. The virus also drops _readme.txt note in every folder to inform the victim about the cyberattack. The note suggests that the only way to recover files is to pay for QQQE file decryption tool.
If you have fallen victim to QQQE ransomware attack, this guide explains the basics of this virtual extortion tool, aims of its operators, removal methods, and possible ways to repair or decrypt your files.
Ransomware-type viruses like this one use robust encryption algorithms to “secure” your files on a computer. The way encryption works is that data is encoded with public encryption key and the only way to restore it is by using private decryption key; such way of securing information is used in daily information transfers, for example, when you submit login information over the Internet. Another example is military-grade secrets; these are also secured with encryption so that only the party who has the decryption key can access it.
In this situation, the cybercriminals have the decryption tool and key, so they try to extort you. They demand paying a large ransom in exchange for decryption solution. As explained in the _readme.txt note, they suggest decrypting one victim’s file for free to prove they can restore all of encrypted data. The note recommends writing to criminals as soon as possible as it might slash the decryption price in half. According to them, the ransom price will be set to $490 if the victim writes to provided emails – support@sysmail.ch or helpsupportmanager@airmail.cc within 72 hours. Otherwise, the price will be $980.
To avoid getting tracked down, the ransomware operators ask victims to make the transaction using virtual currency such as Bitcoin. This helps to prevent law enforcement agencies, such as FBI, from finding them.
However, cybersecurity experts from our team as well as FBI advises against ransom payments. First of all, there are no guarantees that the criminals will restore your files as they promise; second, paying only helps them to create more malware, attack more people, and so on. Most importantly, these scammers do not mention that your computer is now also infected with VIDAR Trojan, which is used to steal sensitive information from your computer. Needless to say, the cybercriminals most likely will try to blackmail you in the future again.
That being said, we strongly advise you to remove QQQE ransomware virus along with other malware residing in your computer system. For this matter, you should have a robust antivirus software that can keep you protected at all times. If you do not have one, we strongly recommend using INTEGO Antivirus, which has excellent malware detection and protection rates. Additionally, we recommend you to download RESTORO to identify repairable virus damage on Windows OS files.
Ransomware Summary
| Name | QQQE Ransomware Virus |
| Type | Ransomware; Crypto-malware; Virtual Extortion Virus |
| Family | STOP/DJVU |
| Encryption type | RSA 2048 + Salsa20 |
| Previous versions | VYIA, QBAA, FOPA, VTYM, KQGS, XCBG, BPQD (find full list here) |
| Version | 378th |
| Extension | .qqqe |
| Cybercriminal emails | support@sysmail.ch, helprestoremanager@airmail.cc |
| Additional malware dropped | Azorult or Vidar Trojan |
| Damage | All files on computer will be encrypted and appended with an additional .qqqe extension. The virus drops _readme.txt ransom notes throughout the computer system. The virus may also compromise the infected PC with VIDAR Stealer. Volume Shadow Copies are deleted as well and Windows HOSTS file is modified to restrict computer user’s access to cybersecurity-related websites online. |
| Ransom note | _readme.txt |
| Ransom demand | $490-$980 in Bitcoin |
| Distribution | Victims often download this ransomware along illegal torrent downloads, cracked software, activators, key generators or tools like KMSPico. |
| Known software cracks to contain this malware | Corel Draw, Tenorshare 4ukey, Adobe Photoshop, Cubase, Adobe Illustrator, Internet Download Manager, Tally, League of Legends. |
| Detection names | Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.PAL!MTB (Microsoft), Trojan.Crypt (A) (Emsisoft), HEUR:Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Stop.gen (Kaspersky), Trojan.GenericKD.47850419 (BitDefender), Trojan.MalPack.GS (Malwarebytes), ML.Attribute.HighConfidence (Symantec) see all detection name variations on VirusTotal |
| Removal | Remove ransomware and related malware from your PC using professional software of your choice. We highly recommend using INTEGO Antivirus. To repair virus damage on Windows OS files, consider scanning with RESTORO. |
REMOVE MALWARE & REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE
1 Step. Get robust antivirus to remove existing threats and enable real-time protection
INTEGO Antivirus for Windows provides robust real-time protection, Web Shield against phishing and deceptive websites, blocks malicious downloads and blocks Zero-Day threats. Use it to remove ransomware and other viruses from your computer professionally.
2 Step. Repair Virus Damage on Windows Operating System Files
Download RESTORO to scan your system for FREE and detect security, hardware and stability issues. You can use the scan results and try to remove threats manually, or you can choose to get the full version of software to fix detected issues and repair virus damage to Windows OS system files automatically.
How to avoid getting infected with ransomware
In order to avoid getting your computer infected with ransomware, you should learn the most common ways used to spread these computer viruses. Speaking of STOP/DJVU variants, their primary attack vector is based on illegal online downloads, such as pirated software versions, cracks, or key generators. In fact, victims who had their files encrypted by previous STOP/DJVU versions or QQQE virus reported downloading pirated versions of these popular programs:
- VMware Workstation;
- Tenorshare 4ukey;
- Adobe Photoshop;
- Cubase;
- Opera browser;
- CorelDraw;
- Fifa 20;
- AutoCad;
- Adobe Illustrator;
- Virtual DJ Pro;
- League of Legends;
- Internet Download Manager;
- KMSPico (illegal Windows activation tool);
- Various AV software.
If you want to avoid getting infected with severe malware, better avoid rogue websites offering 100% working full software versions for free. These hardly ever even have the software you need and serve a malicious program instead. The only place to get legitimate software version is either directly via software developer’s website, or a confirmed partner’s link.
In order to avoid ransomware attacks, you should also be extremely careful when checking your emails. Malicious email attachments is a known way to deliver payloads to unsuspecting computer users. The criminals are capable of hiding malicious scripts into documents such as PDF, DOCX, XLS and others, naming them as invoices, order summaries, parcel tracking/delivery details and so on. Make sure you inspect the email before clicking on inserted links or opening attached contents. Cybercriminals are even capable of spoofing the sender’s email address to make it appear legitimate. Our general tip is to avoid opening emails that you did not await for, or if you have the slightest suspicion that it is a phishing email.
How this ransomware operates: overview
This section covers general technical details about the ransomware. The virus launches in a form of executable named by 4-random characters, for example, 1N8H.exe. Then it downloads additional processes – winupdate.exe (which displays fake Windows update prompt), build.exe and build2.exe.
The virus then fetches a response from https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json and saves it to geo.json file. This file contains details about the infected computer’s geolocation – such as country code, name, city, zip code, longitude, latitude and more. You can see some examples of this file in the screenshot below.
The reason why this virus wants to figure out your geolocation is to avoid compromising computers in specific countries. It appears that STOP/DJVU variants do not encrypt files if any of the following countries are detected: Russia, Tajikistan, Syria, Belarus, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Kazachstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Next, the virus takes a screenshot of desktop and collects hardware, software details and a list of active processes into information.txt file (shown below). All gathered information will be sent to cybercriminals’ Command&Control server.
The virus then attempts to connect to its server to request a unique encryption key for the victim. If it fails, it falls back to “offline encryption” mode and uses a hardcoded key instead. To clarify, all victims affected with offline encryption can decrypt their files with the same decryption key (which gives you a hope to recover your files in case someone pays for the decryption key and shares it with cybersecurity experts as explained here). To figure out whether you’re affected by offline encryption, take a look at PersonalID.txt file dropped in C:\SystemID\ folder. If it ends in t1, it indicates offline encryption. In all other cases, online encryption is used.
The virus saves encryption key and victim’s ID to bowsakkdestx.txt and PersonalID.txt files as shown in the image below.
QQQE file virus then begins encrypting all files with a combination of Salsa20 and RSA-2048 algorithms and marks affected files with a new extension.
During the data encryption procedure, the malware also drops _readme.txt note in every visited directory. See a screenshot of this file down below.
The ransomware runs a task via Command Prompt to prevent victim’s access to previously created System Restore Points:
vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet
Finally, the virus alters Windows HOSTS file to restrict computer user’s access to a set of domains that publish about computer security. When trying to open one of these sites, DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error may appear in your browser.
Remove QQQE Ransomware Virus and Recover Your Files
Your top priority is to remove QQQE ransomware virus along with other malware dropped on your system during the breach. We always advise our readers to keep an up-to-date antivirus software on their computers to prevent malware attacks; unfortunately, if you didn’t have one, you need to get one now to remove the threats and ensure computer protection from now on. We believe that an excellent software for this task is INTEGO Antivirus. Additionally, we advise to download RESTORO to repair virus damage on Windows OS files.
Once you’re done with QQQE ransomware removal, please follow these recommendations:
- Let a local law enforcement agency know about the cybercrime incident;
- Ensure that your computer is malware-free before using data backups;
- Read about possible ways to repair/decrypt files damaged by STOP/DJVU variants.
- Replace all your passwords that were used on the compromised computer.
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
STEP 2. REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER
GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more.
QQQE Ransomware Virus Removal Guidelines
Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking
Step 1. Start Windows in Safe Mode with Networking
Before you try to remove QQQE Ransomware Virus virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, if you prefer a video version of the tutorial, check our guide How to Start Windows in Safe Mode on Youtube.
Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users
- First of all, turn off your PC. Then press the Power button to start it again and instantly start pressing F8 button on your keyboard repeatedly in 1-second intervals. This launches the Advanced Boot Options menu.
- Use arrow keys on the keyboard to navigate down to Safe Mode with Networking option and press Enter.
Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users
- Open Windows Start menu, then press down the Power button. On your keyboard, press down and hold the Shift key, and then select Restart option.
- This will take you to Windows Troubleshoot screen. Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart. Tip: If you can't find Startup Settings, click See more recovery options.
- In Startup Settings, press the right key between F1-F9 to enter Safe Mode with Networking. In this case, it is the F5 key.
Step 2. Remove files associated with the virus
Now, you can search for and remove QQQE Ransomware Virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable security program such as INTEGO Antivirus, which also includes data recovery software. For virus damage repair, consider using RESTORO.
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Method 2. Use System Restore
In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically.
Step 1. Boot Windows in Safe Mode with Command Prompt
Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users
- Shut down your PC. Start it again by pressing the Power button and instantly start pressing F8 button on your keyboard repeatedly in 1-second intervals. You will see Advanced Boot Options menu.
- Using arrow keys on the keyboard, navigate down to Safe Mode with Command Prompt option and press Enter.
Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users
- Launch Windows Start menu, then click the Power button. On your keyboard, press down and hold the Shift key, and then choose Restart option with the mouse cursor.
- This will take you to Windows Troubleshoot screen. Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart. Tip: If you can't find Startup Settings, click See more recovery options.
- In Startup Settings, press the right key between F1-F9 to enter Safe Mode with Command Prompt. In this case, press F6 key.
Step 2. Start System Restore process
- Wait until system loads and command prompt shows up.
- Type cd restore and press Enter, then type rstrui.exe and press Enter. Or you can just type %systemroot%system32restorerstrui.exe in command prompt and hit Enter.
- This launches System Restore window. Click Next and then choose a System Restore point created in the past. Choose one that was created before ransomware infection.
- Click Yes to begin the system restoration process.
After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won't be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future.
Alternative software recommendations
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.
System Mechanic Ultimate Defense
If you're looking for an all-in-one system maintenance suite that has 7 core components providing powerful real-time protection, on-demand malware removal, system optimization, data recovery, password manager, online privacy protection and secure driver wiping technology. Therefore, due to its wide-range of capabilities, System Mechanic Ultimate Defense deserves Geek's Advice approval. Get it now for 50% off. You may also be interested in its full review.
Disclaimer. This site includes affiliate links. We may earn a small commission by recommending certain products, at no additional cost for you. We only choose quality software and services to recommend.
Decrypt QQQE files
Fix and open large QQQE files easily:
It is reported that STOP/DJVU ransomware versions encrypt only the beginning 150 KB of each file to ensure that the virus manages to affect all files on the system. In some cases, the malicious program might skip some files at all. That said, we recommend testing this method on several big (>1GB) files first.
- Create a copy of encrypted file to a separate folder using Copy > Paste commands.
- Now, right-click the created copy and choose Rename. Select the QQQE extension and delete it. Press Enter to save changes.
- In the prompt asking whether you want to make the changes as file might become unusable, click OK.
- Try opening the file.
STOP/DJVU decryption tool usage guide
STOP/DJVU ransomware versions are grouped into old and new variants. QQQE Ransomware Virus is considered the new STOP/DJVU variant, just like VYIA, QBAA, FOPA, VTYM, KQGS, XCBG, BPQD (find full list here). This means full data decryption is now possible only if you have been affected by offline encryption key. To decrypt your files, you will have to download Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP DJVU, a tool created and maintained by a genius security researcher Michael Gillespie.
Note! Please do not spam the security researcher with questions whether he can recover your files encrypted with online key - it is not possible.
In order to test the tool and see if it can decrypt QQQE files, follow the given tutorial.
- Download the decryption tool from Emsisoft.
- Click the little arrow next to your download and choose Show in Folder.
- Now, right-click the file and choose Run as Administrator. If asked, enter administrator's password.
- In UAC window, click Yes.
- Click Yes to agree to software terms in both windows.
- The tool will automatically include C:// disk as a location to decrypt. The file recovery tool will prepopulate the locations to scan, including connected data storage drives or network drives. Click Add folder if you wish to add additional locations.
In Options tab, you can choose to keep encrypted file copies. We recommend leaving this option selected, especially if you do not know if the decryption tool will work. - Click Decrypt to start restoring QQQE files. You will see the progress in the Results tab. Here, you can see messages from the tool, such as whether the decryption procedure is successful, or you need to wait for an update.
You might also be informed that online key was used to encrypt your files. In such case, the decryption tool won't work for you, and the only way to recover your files is to use a data backup.
Meanings of decryptor's messages
The QQQE decryption tool might display several different messages after failed attempt to restore your files. You might receive one of the following messages:
Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [example ID]
This message typically means that there is no corresponding decryption key in the decryptor's database.
No key for New Variant online ID: [example ID]
Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible
This message informs that your files were encrypted with online key, meaning no one else has the same encryption/decryption key pair, therefore data recovery without paying the criminals is impossible.
Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]
This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future.
If you were informed that an offline key was used, but files could not be restored, it means that the offline decryption key isn't available yet. However, receiving this message is extremely good news, meaning that it might be possible to restore your QQQE extension files in the future. It can take a few months until the decryption key gets found and uploaded to the decryptor. We recommend you to follow updates regarding the decryptable DJVU versions here. We strongly recommend backing up your encrypted data and waiting.
Report Internet crime to legal departments
Victims of QQQE Ransomware Virus should report the Internet crime incident to the official government fraud and scam website according to their country:
- In the United States, go to the On Guard Online website.
- In Australia, go to the SCAMwatch website.
- In Germany, go to the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik website.
- In Ireland, go to the An Garda Síochána website.
- In New Zealand, go to the Consumer Affairs Scams website.
- In the United Kingdom, go to the Action Fraud website.
- In Canada, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
- In India, go to Indian National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.
- In France, go to the Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information.
If you can't find an authority corresponding to your location on this list, we recommend using any search engine to look up "[your country name] report cyber crime". This should lead you to the right authority website. We also recommend staying away from third-party crime report services that are often paid. It costs nothing to report Internet crime to official authorities.
Another recommendation is to contact your country's or region’s federal police or communications authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can only open QQQE files if you have the decryption key, or if you were affected by offline encryption type.
To figure out whether you were affected by offline encryption, please go to C:/SystemID/PersonalID.txt and see if the string inside of it ends in t1. You can also try using Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP/DJVU.
Please follow the guidances provided by the official QQQE decryption tools and believe what they say. If they say it is impossible to decrypt, it really is so. There is no magic tool or human capable of decrypting your files hiding somewhere. Encryption is a technique created to be nearly impossible to decrypt without a special private key (held by the criminals).
We advise scanning with anti-virus, anti-malware, malware removal tools or software like RESTORO to eliminate virus damage on the system. If you do not trust using a single tool, try running one after another. However, we do not recommend keeping several security programs on a computer at once as they can interfere with each other's work.
Beware of fake QQQE decryption tools circulating around the web. Cyber criminals are uploading them to various shady websites, also might be promoting them via suspicious Youtube videos. These programs can infect your computer even more heavily (Trojans, miners, etc.). We suggest being extremely cautious around the web. If there will be an official STOP/DJVU decryption tool available, it will be widely discussed in public media.
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.
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