H34rtbl33d Ransomware Removal Guide

H34rtbl33d Ransomware is a new malicious threat that was first spotted at the end of March, 2018. This is a severe hit to your computer as it can encrypt practically all of your files and even disable certain major system processes like the Task Manager. We have found that this ransomware program was created by the same developers from Indonesia who are also responsible for another threat called Halloware Ransomware. If this vicious program has managed to infiltrate your system, you could lose all your files. There is practically no chance that these attackers will send you the decryption key, without which it is impossible to recover your encrypted files. Of course, it is up to you only how you decide in the end. But let us tell you first why we believe it is important that you remove H34rtbl33d Ransomware from your PC right away.

Do you have a remote desktop application like TeamViewer installed on your computer? The reason why we are asking is because if you do, chances are it is not securely configured. For example, you may use a weak password to access the software. Unfortunately, these cyber criminals may be able to launch a so-called RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) attack against you and use even brute force attack to hack your password. Once these criminals gain access to your system, it only takes a few minutes for them to set up this malicious attack and execute this ransomware program in the background without your noticing it. As you can see, it is crucial that you set up your software properly and securely to avoid such a malicious attack because right now you are left with no choice really but to delete H34rtbl33d Ransomware from your computer as soon as possible.

Another possibility is that receive a spam email and you find it either interesting enough or important to see the contents. This spam contains an attachment, which is the "bomb" here. This means that simply opening this spam may not harm you or your computer in any way, although certain ransomware programs can actually activate once you open the mail. In this case however, you need to click on the attachment to initiate this dangerous attack. Yet another possible way for you to infect your computer with this threat is to download free software from shady file-sharing sites, where infectious bundles are usually promoted, which can contain all kinds of potential and malicious threats like this one. All in all, we believe it is essential that you delete H34rtbl33d Ransomware from your PC the moment you notice its devastation.

After initiation, this ransomware targets all possible file types and encrypts them beyond repair. In fact, this threat also deletes the shadow volume copies so you cannot restore your files from Windows backups, either. The encrypted files get a new extension, which can be ".H34rtBl33d" or ".d3g1d5" depending on the version you may be infected with. After the damage is done, your desktop background is replaced with a red warning message on black background. At this stage your Task Manager and Command Prompt are both disabled.

This malware infection hides itself after the encryption and creates a copy called "Setup.exe" in your "%HOMEDRIVE%" and "%LOCALAPPDATA%" (Windows XP: %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data) folders. It also creates a hidden folder in "%LOCALAPPDATA%\H34rtBl33d"  (Windows XP: "%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\H34rtBl33d"), which contains another copy of this infection named "H34rtBl33d.exe" and the picture called "H34rtBl33d.bmp" used as your new Desktop background image. In addition to all this, it also drops two ransom note files on the Desktop: "H34rtBl33d.txt" and "H34rtBl33d.html."

Basically, you are instructed to visit a Tor website for further information about how you can pay the ransom fee to get the decryption key. However, we have found that the Tor link mentioned in the ransom notes does not work anymore. Now, that is quite bad news since it also means that even if you wanted to pay the fee to get your files back, there is no chance any longer to do so. A few sources say that the ransom fee is 0.1337 BTC (around 1,090 USD at the moment), which is a rather high fee anyway. But even if it were lower, we would not recommend that you pay it. In fact, we advise you to remove H34rtbl33d Ransomware right awy.

We have included our solution for you below this article. Please follow our instructions to eliminate this dangerous ransomware infection without leaving any leftovers behind. Since some of the folders or files used in this malicious attack can be hidden, you need to make sure that your File Explorer is set to display hidden items. Go to the View menu and  tick the "Hidden items" checkbox. If you want to protect your PC more effectively in the future, we suggest that you start using a reliable malware removal application, such as SpyHunter.

How to remove H34rtbl33d Ransomware from Windows

1. Press Win+R and type regedit. Press the Enter key.
2. Delete the following registry keys:
   HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run|[random name] (PoE pointing at the location of the malicious .exe)
   HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Tracing\H34rtBl33d_RASMANCS (64-bit)
   HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Tracing\H34rtBl33d_RASAPI32 (64-bit)
   HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\H34rtBl33d_RASAPI32
   HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\H34rtBl33d_RASMANCS
3. Exit your editor.
4. Press Win+E.
5. Delete all recently downloaded suspicious executable files.
6. Delete both ransom notes from your Desktop.
7. Delete all other related files and folders:
   "Setup.exe" in "%HOMEDRIVE%" and "%LOCALAPPDATA%" (Windows XP: "%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data")
   "%LOCALAPPDATA%\H34rtBl33d"  (Windows XP: "%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\H34rtBl33d")
8. Empty your Recycle Bin.
9. Restart your PC.