Hucky ransomware / virus (Free Guide)

Hucky virus Removal Guide

What is Hucky ransomware virus?

Is Hucky ransomware really as dangerous as Locky?

Does Hucky virus sound familiar to you? Indeed, the name of this infection was adapted from the notorious ransomware infection called Locky which has been terrorizing the web community for the past year. Numerous amateur hackers are simply fascinated by the success of Locky, so it is not surprising that new ransomware variants based on this particular virus keep emerging on the web. Hungarian Locky — or Hucky for short — is one of them. The creators of this virus do not simply take certain features of Locky and integrate them into their own software. They plain-and-straight imitate them: Hucky uses the same ransom note, extension and payment system. The major difference, though, is that the virus is Hungarian, so it is likely that it primarily targets devices located in Hungary, instead of the whole world. This theory can be justified by the ransomware victims who claim to have interacted with the criminals in Hungarian.

Image comparing Hucky and Locky ransomware viruses

Nonetheless, looking at the rest of its working principles, the virus seems to operate identically to the initial Locky versions. First, the malicious virus script is implemented on the computer with the help of spam emails. The script is then activated by the Word Macros and, finally, the virus gets downloaded to the computer. After that follows the data encryption procedure and system reboot which results in numerous inaccessible files. Unlike Locky, Hucky only has around 200 file types on its target list, and these include video game files including Minecraft, World of Tanks, etc. If you are not a gamer, don’t get too excited just yet, because the Microsoft Office files, pictures, archives, etc. have undoubtedly also made it to the list as well. Thus, you should not expect to get away from this virus unharmed. What you can do, though, is prepare yourself for the Hucky removal. For this purpose, we recommend obtaining a licensed FortectIntego version and running a system scan with it. Another interesting feature we should note is that Hucky still uses the old .locky extensions, while they have already been changed in the latest versions of Locky. This can be a good starting point in indicating which virus has infected your PC exactly.

In this particular version, the _locky_recover_instructions.txt document which was used by the older Locky variants is changed with _Adatok_visszaallitasahoz_utasitasok.txt. Though it features the same style, the information in it is slightly altered. Nevertheless, you can still find a brief explanation about what happened to the computer and how to fix this unpleasant situation. The virus victim is given 24 hours to get in touch with the criminals via the provided email — locky@mail2tor.com. The size of the ransom and other payment details are not in the note, but we can presume that this information will be disclosed after the criminals are contacted personally. Looking at the typical tendencies, the data decryption price should range from 0,5 to 2 Bitcoin per device. If you are willing to pay — go ahead, but keep in mind that the hackers may quickly be gone your money without offering you any data decryption alternatives. Thus, to protect your finances as well as your future files, you should simply remove Hucky from your computer.

How to protect your files from this ransomware?

Since Hucky virus is still in the process of growing, system defense should become your main priority right now. You should make certain that your operating system and all of the software that you have installed on your computer is updated and running according to the latest standards. This will decrease the system’s vulnerability and protect you from accidentally downloading bogus, malware-infested software updates from the web. Of course, you should also invest in a professional and powerful antivirus utility and by no means use the pirated software. Also, don’t forget to make regular backups of your data and keep them on separate computers, external hard disks or USB drives. This might save you from unexpected data loss and help recover data easily.

Things to know about Hucky removal:

Essentially, there is only one safe way to remove Hucky virus and that is automatic removal using professional antivirus utilities. The virus may not be as complex as Locky, but it will sure fight for its place on your computer, so manually eliminating the virus may be extremely difficult. If you miss a malicious file or two — the virus will remain on your computer and continue to encrypt new files that you create on it. Hucky removal might need your interaction only if the virus tries blocking your antivirus from running a system scan. In such a case, closely follow the guidelines below the article. When the virus is removed, you can then head to the section in which we introduce data recovery options. Perhaps some of these methods help you to recover your personal files.

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What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of Hucky virus. Follow these steps

Manual removal using Safe Mode

Important! →
Manual removal guide might be too complicated for regular computer users. It requires advanced IT knowledge to be performed correctly (if vital system files are removed or damaged, it might result in full Windows compromise), and it also might take hours to complete. Therefore, we highly advise using the automatic method provided above instead.

Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking

Manual malware removal should be best performed in the Safe Mode environment. 

Windows 7 / Vista / XP
  1. Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
  2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 button (if that does not work, try F2, F12, Del, etc. – it all depends on your motherboard model) multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
  3. Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list. Windows 7/XP
Windows 10 / Windows 8
  1. Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
    Settings
  2. Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
    Update and security
  3. On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
  4. Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
  5. Click Restart now.
    Reboot
  6. Select Troubleshoot. Choose an option
  7. Go to Advanced options. Advanced options
  8. Select Startup Settings. Startup settings
  9. Press Restart.
  10. Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking. Enable safe mode

Step 2. Shut down suspicious processes

Windows Task Manager is a useful tool that shows all the processes running in the background. If malware is running a process, you need to shut it down:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details.
    Open task manager
  3. Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
  4. Right-click and select Open file location.
    Open file location
  5. Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
    End task
  6. Delete the contents of the malicious folder.

Step 3. Check program Startup

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Go to Startup tab.
  3. Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
    Startup

Step 4. Delete virus files

Malware-related files can be found in various places within your computer. Here are instructions that could help you find them:

  1. Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
    Disk cleanup
  2. Select the drive you want to clean (C: is your main drive by default and is likely to be the one that has malicious files in).
  3. Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:

    Temporary Internet Files
    Downloads
    Recycle Bin
    Temporary files

  4. Pick Clean up system files.
    Delete temp files
  5. You can also look for other malicious files hidden in the following folders (type these entries in Windows Search and press Enter):

    %AppData%
    %LocalAppData%
    %ProgramData%
    %WinDir%

After you are finished, reboot the PC in normal mode.

Remove Hucky using System Restore

  • Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt
    Windows 7 / Vista / XP
    1. Click Start Shutdown Restart OK.
    2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
    3. Select Command Prompt from the list Select 'Safe Mode with Command Prompt'

    Windows 10 / Windows 8
    1. Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
    2. Now select Troubleshoot Advanced options Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
    3. Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window. Select 'Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt'
  • Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
    1. Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter. Enter 'cd restore' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    2. Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again.. Enter 'rstrui.exe' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    3. When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of Hucky. After doing that, click Next. When 'System Restore' window shows up, select 'Next' Select your restore point and click 'Next'
    4. Now click Yes to start system restore. Click 'Yes' and start system restore
    Once you restore your system to a previous date, download and scan your computer with FortectIntego and make sure that Hucky removal is performed successfully.

Bonus: Recover your data

Guide which is presented above is supposed to help you remove Hucky from your computer. To recover your encrypted files, we recommend using a detailed guide prepared by 2-spyware.com security experts.

Just like its predecessor, Hucky virus makes it virtually impossible to recover files that it locks with the RSA algorithm. Perhaps when this virus is further investigated the experts will be able to find its weak spots and bypass the encryption. As for now, as for now, we can only suggest to try out the following three options for the data recovery. 

If your files are encrypted by Hucky, you can use several methods to restore them:

Get your files back with Data Recovery Pro

Data Recovery Pro is probably the best choice if you are looking for a quick and automatic data recovery. Though it does not guarantee a full system recovery, it might be helpful for the retrieval of individual files. Do not hesitate and try this method out following the steps indicated below.

  • Download Data Recovery Pro;
  • Follow the steps of Data Recovery Setup and install the program on your computer;
  • Launch it and scan your computer for files encrypted by Hucky ransomware;
  • Restore them.

How can you benefit from the Windows Previous Versions feature?

Windows Previous Versions feature will be especially helpful for those, who had System Restore function enabled on their computers pre-attack. If you remember setting System Restore up, follow the steps below to learn how to restore data using Windows Previous Versions feature.

  • Find an encrypted file you need to restore and right-click on it;
  • Select “Properties” and go to “Previous versions” tab;
  • Here, check each of available copies of the file in “Folder versions”. You should select the version you want to recover and click “Restore”.

The simple steps of the ShadowExplorer technique:

ShadowExplorer is another simply utility that can help recover accidentally deleted or encrypted files. The only condition — Volume Shadow Copies of the file must still be on your computer. If the ransomware has not deleted them yet, go ahead and initiate the ShadowExplorer.

  • Download Shadow Explorer (http://shadowexplorer.com/);
  • Follow a Shadow Explorer Setup Wizard and install this application on your computer;
  • Launch the program and go through the drop down menu on the top left corner to select the disk of your encrypted data. Check what folders are there;
  • Right-click on the folder you want to restore and select “Export”. You can also select where you want it to be stored.

Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from Hucky and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes

How to prevent from getting ransomware

Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are

There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity. While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.

Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.

Data backups are important – recover your lost files

Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data. Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.

While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as Data Recovery Pro can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.

About the author
Olivia Morelli
Olivia Morelli - Ransomware analyst

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