Hhjk Virus

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*Hhjk is a variant of Stop/DJVU. Source of claim SH can remove it.

Hhjk

Hhjk is a type of Windows virus that can block access to important user data and then blackmail its victims for the data’s unlocking. The method used by Hhjk to keep the targeted files inaccessible is known as data encryption.

Hhjk
The Hhjk ransomware will leave a _readme.txt file with instructions

If your files have been encrypted by the Hhjk virus and you can no longer open them, you are advised to carefully read the next lines and then make an informed decision about what to do next. There are different things you can try in order to bring your data back but you must understand that there cannot be any guarantees about whether or not you’d actually manage to recover all of the encrypted files.

The goal of viruses like Hhjk, Jhgn, Mmob is to make you pay ransom to the people who are responsible for its creation. If you don’t send the requested money sum, you would (according to the hackers) never again be able to access any of the locked files. However, paying the ransom isn’t a very advisable thing to do because there’s always a chance of getting tricked and lied to about your files’ recovery – the hackers could simply keep your money without restoring your access to the encrypted data.

The Hhjk virus

The Hhjk virus is an advanced Ransomware virus that uses a newly-developed encryption algorithm that will make your files inaccessible. The Hhjk virus is aimed at blackmailing you for the recovery key that could (supposedly) release your data and make it accessible again.

Hhjk
The Hhjk virus will encrypt your files

As we already mentioned above, sending your money to the blackmailers in hopes of recovering your files might backfire and make things worse than they already are. There is, after all, a significant chance of losing your money without getting anything in return for it. Therefore, our suggestion is to turn your attention to the other possible options you may have.

For starters, you should make sure that the virus itself gets removed so that no more files get encrypted in the future on your computer. Once you remove the Ransomware, you can try some of the alternative recovery options we have prepared for you. You can find instructions on the removal process in the guide we have posted here.

The .Hhjk file decryption

The .Hhjk file decryption is an action that removes the encryption placed on the locked files and makes them accessible again. To complete the .Hhjk file decryption, you will need a special recovery key that matches the applied encryption or a custom decryptor tool.

Some software security experts have created a number of such recovery tools for different forms of Ransomware that you can use for free. You will find a frequently updated list of such tools in the restoration section of our Hhjk removal guide. In that section, you will also learn how you can potentially bring some of your files back using something called shadow copies. Before you try any of that, however, be sure to follow the instructions below and remove the infection with their assistance.

SUMMARY:

NameHhjk
TypeRansomware
Danger LevelHigh (Ransomware is by far the worst threat you can encounter)
Data Recovery ToolNot Available
Detection Tool

*Hhjk is a variant of Stop/DJVU. Source of claim SH can remove it.

Remove Hhjk Ransomware


Step1

If you’re dealing with ransomware, save these instructions as a bookmark so you don’t have to keep looking for them after every system restart. Restarting the computer in Safe Mode before moving on to the next step of this guide will make it easier to find and remove the malware.

Step2

WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!

*Hhjk is a variant of Stop/DJVU. Source of claim SH can remove it.

Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC on your keyboard to check the Processes tab of Task Manager for any suspicious processes. Extra attention should be paid to unusually named processes, such as those that aren’t linked to any of your regular programs, as well as prepossess that consume a lot of CPU and RAM resources without any particular reason. When a suspicious process comes to your attention, select Open File Location from the context menu that appears when you right right-click on the process.

malware-start-taskbar

Using the free online virus scanners listed below, you can scan for malicious code in files associated with the suspicious-looking process. Drag and drop files from the suspected process’s File Location folder into the scanner to scan them.

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    After viewing the results, remove any potentially harmful files that were found during the scanning process. Please note that some files cannot be deleted while the suspicious process is running, so it is best to end it before deleting the files by right-clicking on it and selecting End Process from the quick menu.

    Step3

    System Configuration can be opened by the command msconfig in the Windows search bar and pressing Enter. Look for any startup items that could be related to Hhjk in the Startup tab:

    msconfig_opt

    As a general rule, you should only leave the checkboxes of legitimate startup items. Any other startup items that have “unknown” manufacturer or a random name should be unchecked.

    On a compromised computer, the Hosts file is another location where malicious changes can be made without your permission. More specifically, the “Localhost” section in the file should be opened, and any suspicious IP addresses should be checked. The quickest way to do that is by opening a Run window by pressing Win+R, and then entering this line in the text box and pressing Enter:

    notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts

    If you see any suspicious IP addresses inside the file under Localhost, just as shown on the image below, please let us know about them in the comments section. A member of our team will look into them to see if they’re dangerous or not.

    hosts_opt (1)
    Step4

    *Hhjk is a variant of Stop/DJVU. Source of claim SH can remove it.

    More advanced malware frequently adds harmful registry entries to the system in order to remain there for a longer time and be more difficult to remove. This being said, it is possible that Hhjk has added harmful files to your registry, so we recommend that you use the Registry Editor to see if any can be found. There are numerous methods for accomplishing this. Once you’ve typed Regedit into the Windows search bar, press Enter. The Registry Editor’s Find window can be opened by pressing CTRL and F at the same time. To begin the search for the ransomware, type its name in the Find box and then click “Find Next.”

    Remove any ransomware-related search results from the results window. After a single result has been found and removed, you can start a new search in the registry to see if there are other files with the same name.

    Attention! The operating system may be damaged if you delete files unrelated to the ransomware infection while cleaning the registry. On the other hand, if you don’t remove all registry entries associated with the threat, the ransomware may reappear. To clean your system safely, we strongly recommend that you perform a malware scan and registry clean with a professional anti-virus software.

    Manually inspecting the five locations listed below is also recommended. To open them one at a time, type their names in the Windows search bar exactly as they are written below and hit Enter.

    1. %AppData%
    2. %LocalAppData%
    3. %ProgramData%
    4. %WinDir%
    5. %Temp%

    Make sure to remove any suspicious-looking files that have recently been added to any of these places. You can remove all of your system’s temporary files by selecting the files in your Temp folder and pressing Del on your keyboard.

    Step5

    How to Decrypt Hhjk files

    The problem of decrypting files that have been encrypted by ransomware remains a problem for those who have had the ransomware removed. What is more, different types of ransomware may have different working methods of decrypting the data they encrypt. Look at the extensions of the encrypted files to identify the specific ransomware variant that you are dealing with.

    The infected system should be scanned with a reputable anti-virus program (such as the one on this page) before any file recovery attempts are made. As soon as you’re confident that the computer is virus-free and ransomware-free, you can test various file recovery methods and even connect backup sources to it.

    New Djvu Ransomware

    STOP Djvu, a new Djvu ransomware variant, has recently been discovered by cyber security experts. Files encrypted by this infection are distinguished from other malware thanks to their .Hhjk suffix. The good news is that you can use an offline key decryptor, such as the one found at the following link, to decrypt data encrypted by this threat.

    https://www.emsisoft.com/ransomware-decryption-tools/stop-djvu

    Click “Run as Administrator” to open the STOPDjvu.exe file you downloaded from the link above.  Once you’ve read the license agreement and any accompanying brief instructions, you can begin decrypting data. Please be aware that this tool cannot decrypt files encrypted with unknown offline keys or online encryption.

    To get rid of the ransomware quickly and easily, use the anti-virus software listed on this page. An alternative is to use a free online virus scanner to scan any suspicious files on your system.


    About the author

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    Brandon Skies

    Brandon is a researcher and content creator in the fields of cyber-security and virtual privacy. Years of experience enable him to provide readers with important information and adequate solutions for the latest software and malware problems.

    2 Comments

    • Hello, Brandon Skies my name is Ismail from Algeria. I am an English student of translation.
      This hhjk virus attacked my laptop two days ago. I was looking for sollution in the internet and I didn’t find any thing that could help me…until I saw your video. the proble is explorer.exe in thetask manager is taking 60 to 80 % and my pc is heavy. I download now the spy hunter and I am waiting. Please any help?
      my windowos is 7…

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