Jack Ransomware Removal Guide

It is easy to fall into the trap laid by cybercriminals if you are not careful. Let’s take Jack Ransomware as an example. This dangerous infection cannot appear on your computer out of nowhere, and it is not installed along with legitimate files, as far as we know it. Nonetheless, it spreads, and that means that the attackers behind this malware have found a way to execute it. Based on the research conducted by our malware experts, it seems that the malicious threat could hide in spam emails or be executed using security flaws within RDP. In general, if this malware slithers in, you can either blame yourself for not realizing that you executed malware or blame yourself for not getting rid of security flaws. Without a doubt, it is necessary to talk about the security of your operating system whenever malware is discussed. If you keep reading, you will find out how to delete Jack Ransomware, and you will also learn how to prevent other infections from invading your system in the future.

Our research team discovered that Jack Ransomware comes from the Crysis Ransomware family, also known as Dharma Ransomware family. There are tons of other infections (e.g., HACK Ransomware or 0day Ransomware), and they were all created using the same malicious code. This code, unfortunately, is available online, and anyone could use it. That means that we might be dealing with complete amateurs or attackers who are determined to unleash as many infections as possible. Without a doubt, that would increase their chances of trapping more Windows users. The attackers behind Jack Ransomware and other clone infections do not care about your personal files, and they certainly do not care about your virtual privacy. All they want is money, and they know that they can get it by hijacking files. During encryption, Crysis infections encrypt them using complex algorithms, and that ensures that the victims cannot read them. If they cannot read them, they cannot access them, and that is when the panic sets in. The purpose here is to convince victims that they can decrypt files but only if they pay for an alleged decryption tool first. The sad thing is that victims almost never get decryptors in return for their money.

Once Jack Ransomware encrypts files and pins the “.id-[ID].[lockhelp@qq.com].jack” extension to their regular names, a window named “lockhelp@qq.com” is launched and a file named “RETURN FILES.txt” is created. The text file states that files were encrypted and that the victim needs to send a message to lockhelp@qq.com. As you can see, this email address is a reoccurring theme. The window that the infection launches displays a message that is more detailed. It lets the victim know that a ransom would be expected, but no concrete details are shared, and that is meant to ensure that the victim emails the attackers. Doing so is dangerous because once the attackers know the address, they can send malicious files or try to scam the user. The ransom is likely to be part of a scam also because, as we said earlier, the attackers are unlikely to send the decryptor after the ransom payment is received. Unfortunately, if the victim of Jack Ransomware cannot replace files or decrypt them manually, they might feel like they are out of options. It might seem like an odd time to talk about insurance, but that is what you need in this situation. What we mean by that is that you need to have your files backed up. If you do have backups, there is not much you need to worry about right now.

Using backups, you can replace the corrupted files and get back to normal day-to-day activities in no time, but, before you do that, you must remove Jack Ransomware. This infection is not hiding, but finding it could be problematic if you have no idea where it was launched from. Of course, if you downloaded the malicious file yourself, you should be able to locate and remove it. So, are you able to delete Jack Ransomware manually? If you are not, you might start panicking, but there is no need for that. You can always install anti-malware software to save the day. It definitely can do that by automatically removing existing threats and ensuring full-time security against new infections. Note that if you do not employ security software to assist you, you will need to fight malware off yourself, and that is always easier said than done.

How to delete Jack Ransomware

1. Right-click and Delete the file that initiated the launch of the ransomware.
2. Right-click and Delete the ransom note file named RETURN FILES.txt (multiple locations could exist).
3. Launch Windows Explorer by tapping Win and E keys on the keyboard at the same time.
4. Type the following directories into the bar at the top and then right-click and Delete a file named Info.hta and a malicious .exe filewith a random name:
   • %APPDATA%
   • %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
   • %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
   • %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
   • %WINDIR%\System32\
5. Exit Windows Explorer and then launch Run by tapping keys Win and R at the same time.
6. Type regedit into the dialog box and click OK to launch Registry Editor.
7. In the pane on the left, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
8. Right-click and Delete two values that are linked to the Info.hta file and one value that is linked to the malicious .exe file. The names of values are random.
9. As soon as you Empty Recycle Bin, install a trusted malware scanner.
10. Perform a full system scan to check if your system is clean or if you still need to remove something.