The Hebem virus falls within the Dharma ransomware family. Ransomware of this type encrypts all the data on your computer (photos, documents, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its own extension to every file, creating the info.txt text files in every folder containing encrypted files.
What is known about the Hebemvirus?
โ๏ธ A strictly accurate description for the Hebem is “a Dharma family ransomware malicious agent”.
The renaming will be done according to the following scheme: victimID.[contact_email].hebem . As a part of encryption, a file entitled, for example, “report.docx” will be changed to “report.docx.id-9ECFA84E.[hebem@msgsafe.io].hebem”.
In every folder containing the encrypted files, a info.txt file will be found. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. You can get this decrypting software after contacting hebem@msgsafe.io through email. That is it.
Hebem overview:
| Name | Hebem Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | Dharma ransomware |
| Extension | .hebem |
| Ransomware note | info.txt |
| Contact | hebem@msgsafe.io |
| Detection | Crytex.Virus.FileInfector.DDS, Win32/Filecoder.OLC, Malware-Cryptor.InstallCore.5 |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .hebem extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Hebem virus |
The info.txt file coming in package with the Hebem malware provides the following dispiriting information:
all your data has been locked us You want to return? write email shebem@msgsafe.io or hebem@tutanota.com
In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Hebem looks like. Each filename has the “.hebem ” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.hebem ” files look.
How did my machine catch Hebem ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited methods for malefactors to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you access your mailbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is unknown to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a harmful file enclosed in them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse scheme2. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something legal. For instance, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some program. However, what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful agent that compromises your data. Since the installation wizard can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the things you’re downloading. The optimal way is to trust the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never guess what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded objects with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.
How to remove the Hebem virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your files, the Hebem virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware3 can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes criminals would unblock some of your files to prove that they do have the decryption program. Since Hebem virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures designers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Of course, if the malefactors succeed in encoding victim’s essential data, the hopeless person will probably fulfill their demands. However, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After receiving the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports about ransomware developers simply disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The best solution against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud storage or at least on an external drive. Obviously, that might be insufficient. Your most important thing could be that one you were working on when it all went down. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.
There are other ransomware products, besides Hebem, that work similarly. For instance, Mppn, Uyit, Mbtf, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Hebem are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes emerge in every directory containing encoded files.
Some lucky users were able to decode the blocked files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decoding key to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ instrument to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How ัan I avoid ransomware injection?
Hebem ransomware doesnโt have a endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can protect your computer from its infiltration in three easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, check all elements of the dubious email with caution. A fake email will surely contain mistakes.
- Never use cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often shared as a part of cracked products, possibly under the guise of โpatchโ to prevent the license check. But dubious programs are very hard to tell from reliable software, because trojans may also have the functionality you need. Try to find information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful defense for your personal computer.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft4
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft5.
Download Removal Tool.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
Run the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your computer.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click โYesโ to continue with the installation.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your computer for Hebem infections and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has finished, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the โClean Nowโ button in right corner.
Frequently Asked Questions
๐ค Is it possible to open โ.hebem โ files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.hebem ” files you will not be able to access them.
๐ค I really need to decrypt those โ.hebem โ files ASAP. How can I do that?
If the โ.hebem โ files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. All other solutions require time.
๐ค If GridinSoft deletes the Hebem malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
No way! Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your system off the actual threats. The virus that has infiltrated your device is probably still active and launching checks from time to time to encode any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been said above, the Hebem malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide malefactors with easy access to your PC in the future.
๐ค What to do if the Hebem virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.
If that happened, you need to prepare a memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or brought into your machine. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
๐ค What could help the situation right now?
Some of the encrypted files can be found elsewhere.
- If you exchanged your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to send those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud storage might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, phone, external storage, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ file recovery programs6 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but be advised: you can do it only after you eradicate the ransomware itself with an antivirus program.
Also, you can contact the following governmental fraud and scam sites to report this attack:
- In the United States: On Guard Online;
- In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
- In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
- In Australia: SCAMwatch;
- In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
- In France: Agence nationale de la sรฉcuritรฉ des systรจmes d’information;
- In Germany: Bundesamt fรผr Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
- In Ireland: An Garda Sรญochรกna;
To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove HEBEM Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: HEBEM Virus
Description: HEBEM Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .hebem extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
- You can read more on spyware variants and nature in the respective section of GridinSoft official website.
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
- Here’s the list of Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
