NHUIE Virus Files of Ransomware — How to remove virus?

The Nhuie virus belongs to the ransomware type of infection. Harmful software of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, text files, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file, leaving the 8Axs_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt text files in each directory containing 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 Nhuie?

☝️ A scientifically correct designation for the Nhuie is “a ransomware infection”.

The renaming will be done by the following scheme: xxxxxxxxx.nhuie, where “xxxxxxxxx” is a random string. After the encryption, a file named, for example, “report.docx” will be renamed to “report.docx.BI07U13680UYAN379VUYV178.nhuie”.

In every directory containing the encrypted files, a 8Axs_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt notebook file will be created. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is how they do it.

Nhuie abstract:

In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Nhuie looks like. Each filename has the “.xxxxxxxxx.nhuie” extension appended to it.

An example of encrypted .xxxxxxxxx.nhuie files.

How did Nhuie ransomware end up on my PC?

There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most exploited ways for hackers to have ransomware working in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer file transfer.

If you open your inbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a harmful file enclosed in them. Thus it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with emails like these.

Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse model¹. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your computer pretending to be something else. For example, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some software. However, what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful program that compromises your data. As the installation package can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the things you’re downloading. The best thing is to use the software companies’ official websites.

As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrent trackers or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never know what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. 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 the Nhuie virus?

It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your data, the Nhuie virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

Sometimes racketeers would decrypt some of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption tool. Since Nhuie virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a way to undo its work. However, the anti-ransomware tools are constantly updated, so the solution may soon be available.

Of course, if the evildoers do the job of encrypting victim’s critical files, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. However, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After receiving the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports about ransomware developers just disappearing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.

The best safety measure 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 insufficient. Your most important thing could be that one you were working on when it all happened. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the OS restoration.

Nhuie is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. For instance, [LINK4], [LINK5], [LINK6], and some others. The two major differences between them and the Nhuie are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become encrypted, their extensions changed, ransom notes appear in each directory containing encoded files.

Some lucky users were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware specialists. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decoding code to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.

How to avoid ransomware injection?

Nhuie ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.

You can defend your PC from ransomware injection taking 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 (how can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the suspicious letter with caution. A fake email will surely have a mistake.
• Never use cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often shared as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are difficult to tell from trustworthy ones, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. You can try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal way is not to use such programs at all.
• And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect defense for your personal computer.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft²

There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft³.

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 PC.

An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” 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 PC for Nhuie 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 “Clean Now” button in right corner.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 Are the “.xxxxxxxxx.nhuie” files accessible?

Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.xxxxxxxxx.nhuie” files you will not be able to access them.

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

If the “.xxxxxxxxx.nhuie” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. All other solutions require time.

🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Nhuie malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?

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

GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with actual viruses. The ransomware that has attacked your PC is probably still functional and launching checks from time to time to encode any new files you might create on your computer after the initial attack. As it has been said above, the Nhuie virus does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide hackers with easy access to your system after some time.

🤔 What to do if the Nhuie ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.

If that happened, you need to have a flash memory card with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the procedure. The point is that the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or brought into your PC. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.

🤔 What could help the situation right now?

Some of the encrypted data can be found elsewhere.

• If you exchanged your critical files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• You may have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Just 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 portable device, cellphone, external storage, etc.

USEFUL TIP: You can use file recovery programs⁴ to get your lost data back since ransomware encodes 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 remember: you can do it only after you remove the virus with an anti-malware program.

Also, you can contact the following official 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 sécurité des systèmes d’information;
• In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
• In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;

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.

1. You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
2. GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
3. More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
4. Here are Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.