Matroska Ransomware Removal Guide

Matroska Ransomware is a dangerous threat that can encrypt your important files if it can crawl onto your system without your knowledge. This malware infection is also known by malware researchers as HUSTONWEHAVEAPROBLEM Ransomware, which name was given to it due to the e-mail address and the extension these criminals use in this vicious attack. Our research revealed that this malicious program is a new threat built on the infamous Hidden Tear Ransomware, which is an open-source program that hackers like to use as base. We have seen several infections show up in the past months based on this educational ransomware, including $ucyLocker Ransomware and Fabsyscrypto Ransomware. This attack can easily turn into a nightmare if you do not have a recent backup of your files stored on a removable drive or in cloud storage. You may think that you can recover them by paying the demanded ransom fee, but do not get your hopes high just yet. There is never any guarantee that you will get the decryption key once you transfer the money. We highly recommend that you remove Matroska Ransomware immediately from your system.

There are a couple of ways cyber criminals usually try to spread their vicious programs. One of the most frequently used ones is spam e-mails. This ransomware can show up on your screen disguised as a file attachment in a spam mail. Unfortunately, this spam is rather convincing and misleading as well. This is why so many potential victims turn into victims the moment they see this mail and click to open it. It is not very easy to spot such a spam because it may have a proper sender name and e-mail address, one that you could even check in Google. Of course, it is also possible that these criminals use totally made up senders that simply look authentic. Would you start doubting a mail that claims to come from the local police, for instance? This spam may refer to wrong credit card details given while booking a flight online, changes in your bank, problems with your Internet subscription, and the like. It is quite likely that most users would want to see what is inside this mail. Well, we can tell you that there is not much information in the body of this mail itself, as it simply wants to push you to open the attached file, which is indeed the malicious executable file. Once you initiate this attack, you cannot delete Matroska Ransomware from your system without the awful consequence of losing access to your files.

Another possible method for crooks to manually install this threat is to break into your computer via Remote Desktop Protocol. In this attack, cyber criminals use your remote desktop software to gain access to your system. It is possible that your software is not configured properly or your password is a weak one. These crooks can also apply brute force attack, which takes longer but they will end up getting your password and the needed access. You will never see this threat coming this way; only when the realization hits you that you cannot use your files, their extension has changed, or when you restart your computer and see the ransom note. We advise you to remove Matroska Ransomware the moment you notice its present even if you may think that you can get the decryption key buy paying money to these criminals.

This dangerous malware infection comes up on your screen with a fake Windows Defender application window after it is activated. Strangely enough, it does not start encrypting your personal files right away. Thus, if you realize at this point that something is off, you could still possibly save your files from the devastation of encryption. However, if you fall for this trick and believe that this is actually Windows Defender and you may need to clean your PC, you may click on one of the Stat buttons and thus start up the encryption process. Your affected files get a new extension: “.HUSTONWEHAVEAPROBLEM@KEEMAIL.ME.” This infection creates a text file called “HOW_TO_RECOVER_ENCRYPTED_FILES.txt” in every folder where files have been encoded. This ransomware does not change your background automatically or display a ransom note window right away. If you do not figure out that you need to open the text file for information, you will see it the next time you restart your computer. This ransom note asks you to send a mail to “HUSTONWEHAVEAPROBLEM@KEEMAIL.ME” for further information on the payment for the decryption key. We do not encourage you to do so because you could lose your money and these crooks may send you further dangerous threats to extort more money from you. We suggest that you do not hesitate to remove Matroska Ransomware.

The good thing about this malware infection is that it does not block your main system processes and does not lock your screen either. This is why it is not that difficult to eliminate it from your computer. We have prepared the necessary instructions for you to be able to handle this dangerous threat. Please follow our guide below if you want to end this nightmare manually. However, if you want to safeguard your system against future malicious attacks more efficiently, you may want to consider the installation of a reliable anti-malware program (e.g., SpyHunter).

How to remove Matroska Ransomware from Windows

1. Open the File Explorer by pressing Win+E.
2. Find and delete the malicious executable file you may have downloaded recently.
3. Also, check the following directories for the malicious file and, if found, delete it:
   %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
   %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
4. Bin all the ransom note files.
5. Empty your Recycle Bin and reboot your PC.