HYJ Virus 🔐 (.HYJ Files) — How to Remove?

The Hyj virus belongs to the Xorist ransomware family. A harmful program of such sort encrypts all the data on your computer (images, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, leaving the КАК РАСШИФРОВАТЬ ФАЙЛЫ.txt files in every folder which contains the encrypted files.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.

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What is Hyj virus?

☝️ Hyj is a Xorist family ransomware-type malicious agent.

Hyj will append its specific .hyj extension to every file’s name. For example, a file named “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.hyj”. In the same manner, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.hyj”, and so forth.

In every folder containing the encoded files, a КАК РАСШИФРОВАТЬ ФАЙЛЫ.txt text document will be found. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the racketeers. You can get this decoding tool after contacting [email protected] through email. That is how they do it.

Hyj Summary:

The КАК РАСШИФРОВАТЬ ФАЙЛЫ.txt file coming in package with the Hyj ransomware provides the following frustrating information:

Ваши файлы были зашифрованны. Для того что бы расшифровать свои файлы, Вам необходимо написать нам, на адрес почты, который указан ниже.


[email protected]


Ждем ответа , если не получим ответа , удаляем ключи расшифровки Ваших файлов


Укажите в письме цифру 1

In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Hyj looks like. Each filename has the “.hyj” extension appended to it.

An example of encrypted .hyj files.

How did my machine catch Hyj ransomware?

There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

Nowadays, there are three most popular methods for evil-doers to have ransomware planted in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer networks.

• If you access your mailbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, beware of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a malicious item attached to them. Thus it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
• Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus model. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your PC pretending to be something else. For example, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some service. But what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful program that corrupts your data. As the update file can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the stuff you’re downloading. The best way is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
• As for the peer-to-peer networks like torrents or eMule, the danger 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. So you’d better be using trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded items with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is done.

How do I get rid of ransomware?

It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Hyj virus will most likely install Vidar Stealer on your PC to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

Remove Hyj with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware

We have also been using this software on our systems ever since, and it has always been successful in detecting viruses. It has blocked the most common Ransomware as shown from our tests with the software, and we assure you that it can remove Hyj as well as other malware hiding on your computer.

To use Gridinsoft for remove malicious threats, follow the steps below:

1. Begin by downloading Gridinsoft Anti-Malware, accessible via the blue button below or directly from the official website gridinsoft.com.

2.Once the Gridinsoft setup file (setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe) is downloaded, execute it by clicking on the file.

3.Follow the installation setup wizard's instructions diligently.

4. Access the "Scan Tab" on the application's start screen and launch a comprehensive "Full Scan" to examine your entire computer. This inclusive scan encompasses the memory, startup items, the registry, services, drivers, and all files, ensuring that it detects malware hidden in all possible locations.

Be patient, as the scan duration depends on the number of files and your computer's hardware capabilities. Use this time to relax or attend to other tasks.

5. Upon completion, Anti-Malware will present a detailed report containing all the detected malicious items and threats on your PC.

6. Select all the identified items from the report and confidently click the "Clean Now" button. This action will safely remove the malicious files from your computer, transferring them to the secure quarantine zone of the anti-malware program to prevent any further harmful actions.

8. If prompted, restart your computer to finalize the full system scan procedure. This step is crucial to ensure thorough removal of any remaining threats. After the restart, Gridinsoft Anti-Malware will open and display a message confirming the completion of the scan.

Remember Gridinsoft offers a 6-day free trial. This means you can take advantage of the trial period at no cost to experience the full benefits of the software and prevent any future malware infections on your system. Embrace this opportunity to fortify your computer's security without any financial commitment.

Trojan Killer for “Hyj” removal on locked PC

In situations where it becomes impossible to download antivirus applications directly onto the infected computer due to malware blocking access to websites, an alternative solution is to utilize the Trojan Killer application.

There is a really little number of security tools that are able to be set up on the USB drives, and antiviruses that can do so in most cases require to obtain quite an expensive license. For this instance, I can recommend you to use another solution of GridinSoft - Trojan Killer Portable. It has a 14-days cost-free trial mode that offers the entire features of the paid version. This term will definitely be 100% enough to wipe malware out.

Trojan Killer is a valuable tool in your cybersecurity arsenal, helping you to effectively remove malware from infected computers. Now, we will walk you through the process of using Trojan Killer from a USB flash drive to scan and remove malware on an infected PC. Remember, always obtain permission to scan and remove malware from a computer that you do not own.

Step 1: Download & Install Trojan Killer on a Clean Computer:

1. Go to the official GridinSoft website (gridinsoft.com) and download Trojan Killer to a computer that is not infected.

2. Insert a USB flash drive into this computer.

3. Install Trojan Killer to the "removable drive" following the on-screen instructions.

4. Once the installation is complete, launch Trojan Killer.

Step 2: Update Signature Databases:

5. After launching Trojan Killer, ensure that your computer is connected to the Internet.

6. Click "Update" icon to download the latest signature databases, which will ensure the tool can detect the most recent threats.

Step 3: Scan the Infected PC:

7. Safely eject the USB flash drive from the clean computer.

8. Boot the infected computer to the Safe Mode.

9. Insert the USB flash drive.

10. Run tk.exe

11. Once the program is open, click on "Full Scan" to begin the malware scanning process.

Step 4: Remove Found Threats:

12. After the scan is complete, Trojan Killer will display a list of detected threats.

13. Click on "Cure PC!" to remove the identified malware from the infected PC.

14. Follow any additional on-screen prompts to complete the removal process.

Step 5: Restart Your Computer:

15. Once the threats are removed, click on "Restart PC" to reboot your computer.

16. Remove the USB flash drive from the infected computer.

Congratulations on effectively removing Hyj and the concealed threats from your computer! You can now have peace of mind, knowing that they won't resurface again. Thanks to Gridinsoft's capabilities and commitment to cybersecurity, your system is now protected.

Sometimes racketeers would decode few of your files to prove that they really have the decryption program. As Hyj virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a method to undo its work. Nevertheless, the decoding instruments are frequently upgraded, so the solution may soon arrive.

Understandably, if the hackers do the job of encrypting victim’s critical data, the desperate person will most likely comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After receiving the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports about hackers simply disappearing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.

The best solution against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud drive or at least on an external drive. Of course, that might be not enough. Your most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the system restoration.

There are other ransomware products, besides Hyj, that work similarly. Examples of those are Mlap, Mlza, Mlrd, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Hyj are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: files become encoded, their extensions changed, ransom notes are created in each folder containing encoded files.

Some fortunate victims were able to decode the arrested files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware specialists. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decryption key to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a criminals’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.

How сan I avoid ransomware infiltration?

Hyj ransomware has no endless power, so as any similar malware.

You can protect your system from its attack in three easy steps:

• Ignore any emails from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are expecting, check all elements of the suspicious email with caution. A hoax email will surely contain a mistake.
• Avoid using cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often distributed as a part of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. But dubious programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable software, as trojans may also have the functionality you need. You can try to find information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.
• And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect armor for your system.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 How can I open “.hyj” files?Is it possible to open“.hyj” files?

Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.hyj” files first. Then you will be able to open them.

🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?

It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Hyj virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?

Absolutely not! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with active viruses. The ransomware that has attacked your system is must be still active and running scans from time to time to encode any new files you might create on your computer after the attack. As it has already been said, the Hyj virus 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 computer in the future.

🤔 What actions should I take if the Hyj malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

If that happened, you need to have a flash memory card with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or brought into your machine. To suppress this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.

🤔 What could help the situation right now?

Some of the encrypted files can be found elsewhere.

• If you exchanged your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to post those pictures back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do it again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a notebook, mobile, external storage, etc.

HINT: You can employ data recovery utilities² to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you remove the virus with an antivirus program.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
2. Here’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.