eCh0raix Ransomware

eCh0raix Ransomware in Depth

This article can give you some very important information and facts about one every nasty virus named eCh0raix . To be more precise, this virus is a representative of the Ransomware category – a special category of infections, known for their ability to seal their victim’s personal files as soon as they have sneaked inside their machines.  The infection targets QNAP Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices created by the Taiwanese company QNAP Systems, Inc., and contain device storage and media player functionality, amongst others. When the malware has completed the first phase of its agenda (the encrypting of the data), it would immediately proceed with blackmailing its victim via a ransom-demanding message, displayed on the monitor. The purpose of this ransom-demanding message is to evoke anxiety and panic inside the users and also to tell them precisely how to pay the demanded ransom to the online criminals who stay behind the Ransomware. Warnings and threats could also be included in the notification – you may be warned that unless you DO pay, your data will remain inaccessible for an indefinite period of time. In exchange for the payment, the victims are promised to receive a special decryption key, which is supposed to reverse the applied file encryption and liberate the files.

If you don’t want to give your money to some anonymous hackers, however, and you want to find out more about Ransomware and the possible methods to deal with eCh0raix , we advise you to stay on this page until the end where you will find a detailed ХХХ Removal Guide and a professional removal tool.

How to deal with eCh0raix .Encrypted File?

When trying to deal with a Ransomware such as eCh0raix , users should bear in mind that this is not an ordinary computer virus – it’s a form of malware that works very differently in comparison to the vast majority of other sorts of harmful software and this is what makes those threats some of the most challenging and most common cyber-threats these days.

The majority of Ransomware programs are typically able to remain undetected and unseen not only by the victims but also by the protection tool that the PC system may have. This is because those threats don’t function as an ordinary virus – they don’t corrupt or harm anything on the Computer. Instead, they just encryption-lock the targeted victim’s files – something that most security applications do not consider as actual harm or damage. In reality, the file encryption procedure, employed by the Ransomware cryptovirus, is a well-known method for advanced data protection that is also frequently used by actual legitimate programs. Moreover, there are hardly any warning signs that can get triggered by this kind of process and, thus, it is extremely challenging to notice it. Nevertheless, it is not impossible to manually detect a Ransomware attack – certain possible symptoms could be reduced free Hard Drive space and higher RAM and CPU usage. For those of you, who suspect that a Ransomware program such as eCh0raix has gotten inside your computer and is now attempting to get your files encryption-locked, be sure to quickly shut down the machine and get it examined by a specialist that may have the ability to save some of your data.

Those of you who have already been attacked are advised to take a look at the removal guide below and explore some of the alternatives provided there or seek professional assistance. Paying the ransom is the least advisable option as this is a direct sponsorship of the hackers’ criminal scheme and should be considered only as a last resort. 

eCh0raix SUMMARY:

Name	eCh0raix
Type	Ransomware
Danger Level	High (eCh0raix Ransomware encrypts all types of files)
Symptoms	eCh0raix Ransomware is hard to detect and aside from increased use of RAM and CPU, there would barely be any other visible red flags.
Distribution Method	Most of the time, Trojans get distributed through spam e-mails and social network messages, malicious ads, shady and pirated downloads, questionable torrents and other similar methods.

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eCh0raix Ransomware Removal

1: Preparations

Note: Before you go any further, we advise you to bookmark this page or have it open on a separate device such as your smartphone or another PC. Some of the steps might require you to exit your browser on this PC.

2: Task Manager

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to enter the Task Manager. Go to the Tab labeled Processes (Details for Win 8/10). Carefully look through the list of processes that are currently active on you PC.

If any of them seems shady, consumes too much RAM/CPU or has some strange description or no description at all, right-click on it, select Open File Location and delete everything there.

Also, even if you do not delete the files, be sure to stop the process by right-clicking on it and selecting End Process.

3: IP related to eCh0raix

Go to c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. Open the hosts file with notepad.

Find where it says Localhost and take a look below that. 

If you see any IP addresses there (below Localhost) send them to us here, in the comments since they might be coming from the eCh0raix .

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4: Disable Startup programs

Re-open the Start Menu and type msconfig.

Click on the first search result. In the next window, go to the Startup tab. If you are on Win 10,  it will send you to the Startup part of the task manager instead, as in the picture:

If you see any sketchy/shady looking entries in the list with an unknown manufacturer or a manufacturer name that looks suspicious as there could be a link between them and eCh0raix , disable those programs and select OK.

5: Registry Editor

Press Windows key + R and in the resulting window type regedit.

Now, press Ctrl + F and type the name of the virus.

Delete everything that gets found. If you are not sure about whether to delete something, do not hesitate to ask us in the comments. Keep in mind that if you delete the wrong thing, you might cause all sorts of issues to your PC.

6: Deleting potentially malicious data – eCh0raix

Type each of the following locations in the Windows search box and hit enter to open the locations:

%AppData%

%LocalAppData%

%ProgramData%

%WinDir%

%Temp%

Delete everything you see in Temp linked to eCh0raix Ransomware. About the other folders, sort their contents by date and delete only the most recent entries. As always, if you are not sure about something, write to us in the comment section.

7: eCh0raix Decryption

The previous steps were all aimed at removing the eCh0raix Ransomware from your PC. However, in order to regain access to your files, you will also need to decrypt them or restore them. For that, we have a separate article with detailed instructions on what you have to do in order to unlock your data. Here is a link to that guide.