Ytbn Ransomware - How to remove

Ytbn is a dangerous and potentially devastating PC infection. It encrypts data and then demands a payment in exchange for fixing it. It is likely to be installed with other malware – info stealers and adware.

Ytbn ransomware can cause all or almost all the files on a computer to be corrupted. Photos, documents, videos, music, code, etc. There’s no way to easily recover this data – even if you were to pay the ransom, which is hundreds of dollars, to the criminals behind Ytbn, there’s no guarantee that the encrypted files will be fixed.

Ytbn in short:

Type of threat	Ransomware, trojan.
How Ytbn ransomware works	It spreads with pirated software, it encrypts files and changes their names, it gets installed with other malware.
Can you restore your data?	No free decryption solution exists, with rare exceptions, data recovery and file repair are some of the ways to possibly recover some of the lost data.
How to get rid of Ytbn	Delete Ytbn and other malware with antivirus scanners (Spyhunter, others), check your settings, protect your accounts.

How Ytbn ransomware encrypts data

Ytbn is a malicious program – ransomware. It locks user data and asks for money in exchange for unlocking it.

Ytbn is part of the Djvu family. It is closely related to Ekvf, Enfp, and similar malware. (At the same time, it has nothing to do with other ransomware families, like Phobos or Ziggy.)

Ytbn ransomware spreads with software cracks, fake installers uploaded on spoofed websites, and fake pirated games. And it might not come alone, but with an info stealer companion, and possibly with an adware infection on top of that.

All in all, here are the symptoms you might experience if Ytbn infected your personal computer:

• Your files can’t be opened anymore. Their icons are blank pages. Their file types are “YTBN” and their names end with “.ytbn”.
• Some websites don’t open.
• Task Manager doesn’t open.
• Browsers show more ads than usual, open new tabs on their own.
• Files called “_readme.txt” are created in your folders. They give the contact details of the cybercriminals responsible for Ytbn, as well as the ransom demand of up to $980.

Can the data be recovered?

When implemented well, encryption is very powerful (Breaking RSA Encryption). There’s no free and easy way to undo the harm that Ytbn has done to the data that was encrypted.

If you had recent backups of all of your important files and if those backups weren’t harmed by the Ytbn ransomware, then you already have a way to recover your data.

But if you didn’t have backups or if they got harmed by Ytbn (for instance, if the files that Ytbn encrypted were synced with the cloud), then that’s a problem.

Emsisoft has a decryptor, but this will not work if you don’t have the decryption key. Decryption keys are only known to the cybercriminals behind Ytbn and they’re unique to each victim – except for a few rare cases. Try the decryptor and it’ll let you know if your decryption key is unique.

If free decryption isn’t possible, try a file recovery program (EaseUS, others). You might be able to bring back some of the data that Ytbn destroyed.

There’s also the possibility of repairing files as though they were corrupted. Archives, media files, databases, and other large files might still have healthy data inside them even after Ytbn is done with them – and something could still be recovered.

How to delete Ytbn ransomware

First, avoid connecting the infected computer to the internet or even turning it on unnecessarily. Ytbn might have been installed with a spyware trojan and these malicious programs send stolen data over the internet.

Ytbn needs to be deleted, as well as other malware and the file in which it came (to avoid reinfecting your PC with Ytbn again).

You don’t need to delete the file that Ytbn encrypted, they’re not harmful or dangerous. If they’re important and if you hope to decrypt them at some point, put these files on a backup.

Scan your computer with an antivirus program, such as Spyhunter and other scanners, and see what the results show you. Antivirus programs detect Ytbn ransomware with labels like Unsafe, Malicious, Trojan, Kryptik, Dropper, and other labels seen on this VirusTotal page. Delete the malware that is detected.

More detailed instructions can be found at the bottom.

There’s also the option of resetting Windows (Recovery options in Windows 10). But if you keep any of your files, you might still want to scan your device afterward.

If a spyware trojan was discovered on your PC, then it’s important to make sure that you’re using multi-factor authentication to protect your online accounts. You might want to reset your passwords.

Important -- edit the hosts file to unblock security websites

TL DR : The hosts file is edited to block security sites Before the virus can be removed, it's necessary to fix the hosts file (the file which controls which addresses connect to which IPs). That is the reason the majority of security websites is inaccessible when infected with this particular parasite. This infection edits this file to stop certain websites, including anti-malware download sites, from being accessed from the infected computer, making browsers return the "This site can't be reached" error. Luckily, it's trivial to fix the file and remove the edits that were made to it.

Find and edit the hosts file

The hosts file can be found on C:/Windows/System32/Drivers/etc/hosts. If you don't see it, change the settings to see hidden files.

1. In the Start Menu, search for Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel, find Appearance and Personalization.
3. Select Folder Options.
4. Open the View tab.
5. Open Advanced settings.
6. Select "Show hidden files...".
7. Select OK.

Open this file with administrator privileges.

1. Open the Start Menu and enter "notepad".
2. When Notepad shows up in the result, right-click on it.
3. In the menu, choose "Run as administrator"
4. File->Open and browse for the hosts file.

The hosts file should look like this: Delete additional lines that they connect various domain names to the wrong IP address. Save the file.

Download and run the antivirus program

After that, download antivirus programs and use them to remove the ransomware, the trojan, and other malware. Spyhunter (https://www.2-viruses.com/reviews/spyhunter/dwnld/).

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to recover Ytbn Ransomware encrypted files and remove the virus

Step 1. Restore system into last known good state using system restore

1. Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt:

for Windows 7 / Vista/ XP

• Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
• Press F8 key repeatedly until Advanced Boot Options window appears.
• Choose Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

for Windows 8 / 10

• Press Power at Windows login screen. Then press and hold Shift key and click Restart.
• Choose Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Settings and click Restart.
• When it loads, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the list of Startup Settings.

 

2.Restore System files and settings.

• When Command Prompt mode loads, enter cd restore and press Enter.
• Then enter rstrui.exe and press Enter again.
• Click “Next” in the windows that appeared.
• Select one of the Restore Points that are available before Ytbn Ransomware has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Ytbn Ransomware

After restoring your system, it is recommended to scan your computer with an anti-malware program, like Spyhunter and remove all malicious files related to Ytbn Ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Ytbn Ransomware affected files using Shadow Volume Copies

If you do not use System Restore option on your operating system, there is a chance to use shadow copy snapshots. They store copies of your files that point of time when the system restore snapshot was created. Usually Ytbn Ransomware tries to delete all possible Shadow Volume Copies, so this methods may not work on all computers. However, it may fail to do so. Shadow Volume Copies are only available with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. There are two ways to retrieve your files via Shadow Volume Copy. You can do it using native Windows Previous Versions or via Shadow Explorer. a) Native Windows Previous Versions Right-click on an encrypted file and select Properties → Previous versions tab. Now you will see all available copies of that particular file and the time when it was stored in a Shadow Volume Copy. Choose the version of the file you want to retrieve and click Copy if you want to save it to some directory of your own, or Restore if you want to replace existing, encrypted file. If you want to see the content of file first, just click Open.

b) Shadow Explorer It is a program that can be found online for free. You can download either a full or a portable version of Shadow Explorer. Open the program. On the left top corner select the drive where the file you are looking for is a stored. You will see all folders on that drive. To retrieve a whole folder, right-click on it and select “Export”. Then choose where you want it to be stored.

Step 4. Use Data Recovery programs to recover Ytbn Ransomware encrypted files

There are several data recovery programs that might recover encrypted files as well. This does not work in all cases but you can try this:

• We suggest using another PC and connect the infected hard drive as slave. It is still possible to do this on infected PC though.
• Download a data recovery program.
• Install and scan for recently deleted files.

Note: In many cases it is impossible to restore data files affected by modern ransomware. Thus I recommend using decent cloud backup software as precaution. We recommend checking out Carbonite, BackBlaze, CrashPlan or Mozy Home.