Heropoint Ransomware

Every once in a while we encounter ransomware infections that have not been fully completed yet. Heropoint Ransomware is one of such applications. The program is still under development, so it does not do anything substantial to your system, but it can still give you quite of a scare. It is not complicated to remove Heropoint Ransomware from your computer, but you should focus more on prevention in this case. There is a very good chance that later on a far more dangerous version of this program will appear on the horizon, so you need to be vigilant if you want to avoid severe infection consequences.

The reason this infection can give you a good fright is that Heropoint Ransomware is a screen locker. It means that it locks your screen with a certain picture and message upon the infection. It may also seem that you can no longer access your desktop or all of your files, and there is no way around this lock. However, this kind of behavior is just for the show, and it is easy to bypass the screen-sized notification. Once again, it might mean that when Heropoint Ransomware is fully developed, the screen locker function might be a lot more sophisticated than now.

Also, it is not exactly clear how Heropoint Ransomware is distributed at the moment, but we should think that the infection can employ a variety of potential ransomware distribution methods. The most common way to reach target system is the spam email. Although ransomware might also spread via exploit kits, corrupted remote desktop connections, social engineering messages, and even drive-by downloads. Therefore, it is important to employ safe web browsing habits to avoid potential infections and other risky programs that might want to exploit you.

In case you have downloaded and launched Heropoint Ransomware already, there is no need to panic. Although the program looks like something extremely dangerous, it is still not complete, and so it cannot do the fundamental thing all ransomware programs do: encrypting. That is right; Heropoint Ransomware does not encrypt your files because it is still underdeveloped. The main thing this application seems to be good at is locking your screen, but even that can be easily countered.

When the installer file is executed, Heropoint Ransomware launches exactly after 666 milliseconds, and it loads the background that locks your screen. Your desktop goes black, and this is the message you see at the top left corner of your screen:

WHAT HAPPENED ?
Your precious files have been encrypted
from my virus
HOW DO I ADJUST THIS?
Pay 20$ in bitcoin to get password
WHAT DO NOT HAVE TO DO?
Open the task manager
Open the cmd (command prompt)
Open Regedit and sethc…
Run pc in Safe Mode
Delete rigestries from msconfig
WHAT DOES IT HAPPEN IF I DO NOT PAY?
Well … to files, photos, texts, word / powerpoint projects you can say goodbye…

The program also gives you an email address that you should use to contact the perpetrators. However, since the program does not encrypt anything, you should not contact anyone. Our research team points out that, based on the program’s code, it is very likely that the fully developed version of this infection will be able to encrypt files in the Desktop, %AppData%, %USERPROFILE%\Pictures, and %USERPROFILE%\Music directories. So it seems that this program has a potential to grow into something nasty.

While we cannot do anything about that, we can at least remove Heropoint Ransomware from our systems today. You will have to bypass the screen lock before deleting all the program’s files. For that, please refer to the manual removal instructions we have prepared for you below this description.

Also, if you have more questions about this infection or your computer’s security in general, please feel free to leave us a comment. Our team is always ready to assist you. Finally, do not forget to invest in a legitimate security application that would help you safeguard your system from similar attacks. Of course, the security tool of your choice cannot stop you from downloading potentially harmful applications, but you should refer to the guidelines that lay out all the potential risks behind negligent web browsing. Please remember that your system’s security should be one of your top priorities.

How to Remove Heropoint Ransomware

1. Restart your computer.
2. When system loads, delete recent files from your Desktop.
3. Go to the Downloads folder.
4. Remove the most recently downloaded files.
5. Press Win+R and type %TEMP%. Click OK.
6. Delete the most recent files.
7. Scan your system with a security tool.