7ev3n Ransomware

If your computer has been hit by 7ev3n Ransomware, you will realize it quite soon because it blocks all your executable files right away and starts encrypting all your personal files, such as documents, photos, videos, and databases. This is a dangerous Trojan infection that can cause a lot of damage to your files if you are not careful and you have no backup copies made. It is always a wise decision to make a copy of all your most important files to an external drive that is usually not connected to your computer. Trojan ransomware programs like this can infect all the drives connected to your computer and encrypt all the targeted files. That is why it is important to only connect such external drive when in use. Obviously, the main goal of this Trojan is to extort money from you for the decryption of your files; and not even small change as a matter of fact. If you do not pay the ransom, you will not be able to decrypt your files. However, even if you pay, there is no guarantee that you will ever see your files again since you are dealing with malicious cyber criminals here. We can help you to remove 7ev3n Ransomware from your computer, but you need to understand that there is no way as yet to save your encrypted files unless you have a backup copy.

In order to help you protect your computer from such dangerous malware infection as this Trojan is, it is worth talking about how such malicious programs can infiltrate your operating system without your noticing them. The most common way to spread a Trojan is via spam e-mail attachments. It is possible that you get a spam e-mail with a totally believable or even familiar sender, such as an Internet provider company. It might be dangerous to even open an infected e-mail because more sophisticated ones may start to run a malicious code and you do not need to click on any content to trigger the drop of the Trojan in the background. But most of the time there are two ways to infect your computer through such e-mails when it comes to Trojans: First, you may find links in the body, second, via infected attachments. Clicking on any of these may result in this Trojan sneaking onto your computer. The attachment can be an image or video file, but in some cases it can also be any document that can run macros, such .doc files. Probably now it is quite obvious that you need to be extra careful when you are going through your inbox. You can prevent such dangerous threats from ending up on your system if you only open mails that you are expecting or you know that they were meant for you; and the same goes for attachments as well.

Another method for cyber criminals to spread their vicious Trojans is via social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. This Trojan has been found to be triggered when you click on videos with sexual content. Therefore, you need to be very careful while going though your timeline on Facebook, for example, because you may see fake video posts or images that are promoted as “must-see” content. All in all, you need to be attentive whenever you are online or exposed to unfamiliar or suspicious web content. Clicking on random third-party advertisements, for instance, can also bring a whole bunch of malware infections onto your machine. Some may not cause irreparable damage to your computer, but this Trojan will definitely hit you hard. That is why you should delete 7ev3n Ransomware as soon as you find it on board.

We have found that this Trojan can encrypt all your major files, such as documents, databases, images, and videos with the following extensions: .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, .odt, .jpg, .png, .csv, .sql, .mdb, .sln, .php, .asp, .aspx, .html, .xml, .psd, .java, .jpeg, .pptm, .pptx, .xlsb, .xlsm, .db, .docm, .sql, .pdf. This means that once this ransomware finds its way to your system, you can say goodbye to these files. First, of course, this Trojan makes sure that you cannot start up any programs, so it blocks all executable files. It also kills explorer.exe, which is the main process of the Windows operating system. When it has secured its operation, it can start the encryption process, which usually does not take more than a minute depending on the method used.

When 7ev3n Ransomware finishes its job, it displays its ransom note on top of all active windows. From this note you will be informed that all your personal files have been encrypted and that you have 96 hours to pay the ransom fee; otherwise, the private key to decrypt your files will be destroyed. The same happens if you try to tamper with this ransomware or if you try to decrypt your files as well. At least, that is how the criminals behind this infection try to threaten you to pay. The amount you are supposed to transfer to the given Bitcoin address is 13 BTC, which is approximately 5100 USD. This is a rather high ransom fee, and we can only assume that these criminals mainly target companies because no private person could or would possibly pay this amount to decrypt some photos or videos. But even if you pay these criminals, there is no way of telling if you really get your files decrypted. It is more likely that you lose those files and a lot of money, too.

Let us share with you our solution in this crisis. If you restart your computer in Safe Mode with Command Prompt, you have a chance to delete certain registry keys so that you can shut down this Trojan and its ransom note. Then you can either manually remove the necessary files or use a reliable antimalware program, such as SpyHunter, to automatically take care of all the mess this malware infection has made and to protect your PC from further catastrophes. Please follow our instructions below very carefully, step by step, so that you entirely eliminate this threat. Please keep in mind that making changes to the Windows Registry might cause damage to your system if the wrong keys get deleted or modified. Therefore, we only recommend manual removal for the more experienced users who are familiar with the risks. Please note that cleaning your computer of this dangerous threat is a must if you want to use your PC again; however, even this will not give your files back since there is no way to decrypt them without the private key.

How to remove 7ev3n Ransomware

Windows 8/Windows 8.1/Windows 10

1. Press Win+I and press the Power Options icon.
2. Tap and hold the Shift key while clicking on Restart.
3. Choose Troubleshoot.
4. Pick Advanced Options.
5. Choose Startup Settings.
6. Press Restart.
7. Tap F5 key to restart your computer in Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

Windows XP/Windows Vista/Windows 7

1. Reboot your system.
2. Tap F8 key to display the boot menu.
3. Choose Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Hit Enter.

Change Windows Registry keys and clean files

1. Type in "regedit" in the black command window and press Enter.
2. Locate the following registry keys:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run (64-bit only).
3. Find the value name "System". It should have a value data "C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\system.exe" (the "C:\Users\user\" part can be different for all users).
4. Delete this key.
5. Locate the following registry keys:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon (64-bit only).
6. Find the value name "Shell". It should have a value data "C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\system.exe" (the "C:\Users\user\" can be different for all users).
7. Replace this value data with "explorer.exe".
8. Restart your PC in Normal Mode.
9. For manual removal, press Win+E.
10. Locate the following files and delete them:
    C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\system.exe
    C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\uac.exe
    C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\del.bat
    C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\bcd.bat
11. For automated removal, download and install SpyHunter from http://www.pcthreat.com/download-sph.
12. Run a full system scan and remove all threats found.
13. Restart your PC.