The Sdhvqq virus falls under the Snatch ransomware family. Malware of this type encrypts all the data on your computer (photos, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, creating the HOW TO RESTORE YOUR FILES.TXT text files in each directory with the encrypted files.
Sdhvqq virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically accurate denomination for the Sdhvqq would be “a Snatch family ransomware infection”.
Sdhvqq will append its specific .sdhvqq extension to every file’s name. For instance, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.sdhvqq”. Just like the Excel sheet with the name “table.xlsx” will end up as “table.xlsx.sdhvqq”, and so forth.
In every folder that contains the encrypted files, a HOW TO RESTORE YOUR FILES.TXT text document will be found. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is basically the scheme of the malefaction.
Sdhvqq summary:
| Name | Sdhvqq Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | Snatch ransomware |
| Extension | .sdhvqq |
| Ransomware note | HOW TO RESTORE YOUR FILES.TXT |
| Detection | MSIL/Spy.Agent.DSV, TrojanSpy:Win32/Delgent, Trojan.Ransom.Magniber |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .sdhvqq extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Sdhvqq virus |
In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Sdhvqq looks like. Each filename has the “.sdhvqq” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.sdhvqq” files look.
How did my computer get infected with Sdhvqq ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited ways for criminals to have the Sdhvqq virus settled in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer file transfer.
If you open your mailbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a ransomware file attached to them. So it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus model2. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your PC disguised as something different. For example, you download an installer of some program you need or an update for some software. However, what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful program that corrupts your data. As the update wizard can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the stuff you’re downloading. The optimal way is to use the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never know what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How to remove the Sdhvqq virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Sdhvqq virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware3 can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes tamperers would unblock some of your files to prove that they do have the decryption program. As Sdhvqq virus is a relatively recent ransomware, security software developers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decryption instruments are constantly updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Sure thing, if the tamperers do the job of encrypting someone’s critical data, the desperate person will most likely comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports of hackers just vanishing after getting the money without even writing back.
The best countermeasure to ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud storage or at least on an external disk. Of course, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that file you were working on when it all went down. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the system restoration.
Sdhvqq is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. Examples of those are Udla, Tuid, Kxde, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Sdhvqq are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: documents become encoded, their extensions changed, ransom notes emerge in every directory containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate victims were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free software provided by anti-malware specialists. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decoding code to the victims in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ technology to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How сan I avoid ransomware injection?
Sdhvqq ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can armour your PC from its injection taking several easy steps:
- Ignore any letters from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, check all elements of the suspicious email carefully. A hoax letter will always contain mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojan viruses are often distributed as an element of cracked products, possibly as a “patch” preventing the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are difficult to tell from trustworthy software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try to find information about this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal way is not to use such software.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful armor 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 system.
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 Sdhvqq 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
🤔 How can I open “.sdhvqq” files?Are the “.sdhvqq” files accessible?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.sdhvqq” files are decrypted.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Sdhvqq virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?
Absolutely not! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with actual viruses. The virus that has infiltrated your computer is must be still functional and it scans your system periodically to arrest any new files you might create on your computer after the initial attack. As it has been mentioned above, the Sdhvqq ransomware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide malefactors with easy access to your PC in the future.
🤔 What should I do if the Sdhvqq 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 pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or imported into your machine. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Some of the blocked data can be located elsewhere.
- If you sent or received your important files by 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 Web, you can try downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, mobile, memory stick, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ file recovery utilities6 to get your lost data back since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you kill the virus with an antivirus 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.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove SDHVQQ Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: SDHVQQ Virus
Description: SDHVQQ Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .sdhvqq 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 Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
