NEER ransomware was developed to function as a virtual extortion tool. Its primary purpose is to use complex encryption ciphers to modify victim’s files in a way so that they could no longer be accessed or used. Since many of us keep important documents, valuable photos, videos or audio recordings on our computers, losing these in a second can seem like a disaster (especially if you don’t tend to create backups on a regular basis). Therefore, cybercriminals provide a ‘solution’ – pay money or forget about those files forever. In other words, they try to extort the computer victim after illegally taking one’s files hostage. However, there are some good news for victims who have lost some important files – audio and video files can be restored with minimal loss at the beginning of the file because this ransomware tends to encrypt the very first 150KB of each file. This is done in order to speed up the encryption procedure, yet make files inaccessible. However, due to the said file format specifics, they can be repaired as explained in this guide. As explained in _readme.txt note, the virus’ operators want the victim to contact them and transfer money according to given instructions within 3 days. This ensure that the victim gets a 50% discount on NEER decryption tool which means that the price for the tools will be $490. However, the note also informs that if the victim fails to do so, the price will be $980. It goes without saying that the attackers demand the money in cryptocurrency rather than US dollars because they want the transaction to be untraceable. In addition, the ransom note suggests that the criminals can provide test decryption on one small file that the victim chooses to send them. The file, however, cannot contain any valuable information. Geek’s Advice team experts as well as FBI do NOT recommend paying the ransom due to the following reasons:

Criminals have a tendency to lie in order to get what they want. In other words, there is absolutely no guarantee that you will receive some tools for file decryption after paying the ransom. Ransomware-type virus operators collect millions of US dollars each year. Such amounts of money might attract other people to join in. The more money they collect, the bigger the reach and impact of ransomware gets each year.Paying a ransom to cybercriminals might be illegal in your country of residence.Variants of STOP/DJVU ransomware family such as NEER virus run AZORULT Trojan on the infected computer. This is a well-known information stealer.

Things ransomware has done to your computer

NEER ransomware firstly executes winupdate.exe process to display a deceptive Windows update prompt for the victim. Apparently, the criminals do this to conceal the real cause of a sudden system slowdown. Then the ransomware launches an executable file named with random 4-characters which starts scanning the entire computer system and encrypting target files. Additionally, the malicious algorithm is designed to drop _readme.txt notes in every newly opened computer directory. Next, the virus deletes Volume Shadow Copies that are tied to System Restore points and can be used to restore previous versions of file. For this, the malware runs the following command using Command Prompt: vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet Once the ransomware ensures that the victim won’t be able to recover files using Windows in-built tools, it then adds a list of domains to Windows HOSTS file to block a set of websites so that the victim couldn’t reach relevant information online. Most of blocked websites publish articles or guides about computers and information security. If the victim attempts to visit one of these domains, one might run into DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error in web browser. Finally, the ransomware drops bowsakkdestx.txt and PersonalID.txt files on the computer that contain public encryption key and victim’s personal ID used to identify the victim. Another illegal action done by this ransomware is installation of AZORULT trojan, a widely known Remote Access Trojan and password stealer. This malicious virus can be used to steal private information such as Skype, Steam, Telegram login credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, browser cookies, saved passwords, browsing history and more. Moreover, the attacker can remotely view victim’s files and download more malware to the computer. It is pretty clear that with access to such sensitive information, cybercriminals can create thousands of ways to attack the victim repeatedly, either by blackmailing him/her or using various social engineering techniques to force the victim do what they want. That said, we strongly recommend you to remove NEER ransomware virus along with other threats using automatic virus removal software. For this matter and further protection of your computer system, we strongly recommend using INTEGO Antivirus, a robust antivirus software with fair price and no less than 99.5% malware detection rate. Additionally, do not forget to scan with RESTORO to repair virus damage on Windows OS files.

Ransomware Summary

Ransomware distribution explained

Viruses that fall into ransomware category most commonly reach victims’ computers in a form of a malicious download or email attachment. When it comes to family of STOP/DJVU malware, its variants such as NEER ransomware spread in a form of malicious torrent downloads mainly. Almost all victims report downloading it along a software or game crack. Others report getting the infection along KMSPico virus. Some other programs that users attempted to download illegally and were the source of ransomware infection are (keep in mind that these programs are legitimate, yet their cracked versions may contain malware):

Air Explorer Pro;Corel Draw;Adobe Photoshop;Cubase;Adobe Illustrator and others.

Cybercriminals often tend to inject malware into popular software cracks knowing that victims will try to open and install these no matter what. Even worse, some users choose to ignore their security software warnings. This is one of the key factors that makes this malware distribution technique extremely successful. However, we strongly advise you to refrain from getting software this way. Even if everything seems fine after you install your desired software, you might already be infected with silent malware that runs in the background. For instance, you might get infected with a cryptocurrency miner or a rootkit, or any other malware that has a timer set on it. In other words, some malware variants can be programmed to execute only after a given period of time. Finally, cybersecurity experts warn that criminals from other ransomware gangs have been trying to take advantage of STOP/DJVU ransomware victims by uploading fake decryption tools to various shady websites. Once opened, these will double-encrypt your .neer files and completely corrupt them. One of ransomware families known for such distribution technique is called ZORAB.

Remove NEER ransomware virus and decrypt .neer files

If you’re looking for a decryption tool, you must first secure your computer and remove NEER ransomware virus remains along with other malware immediately. For this matter, we strongly advise getting INTEGO Antivirus antivirus that has excellent malware detection rate and offers real-time protection both for your computer and for you as you browse online. To repair virus damage on Windows OS files, consider scanning with RESTORO. Once NEER virus removal is complete, we advise taking the following actions:

Report cybercrime incident to your local authority. You can find some references below the article.Use data backups to restore your files in case you have created them prior to the attack.Use these instructions to decrypt or repair files affected by STOP/DJVU versions.Change your passwords for sites saved in your browser. This is recommended due to the fact that Azorult Trojan is capable of stealing them. Do not forget to change Steam, Telegram and Skype passwords as well.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here.

Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking

Before you try to remove NEER ransomware virus virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, if you prefer a video version of the tutorial, check our guide How to Start Windows in Safe Mode on Youtube. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users Now, you can search for and remove NEER ransomware virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable security program such as INTEGO Antivirus. For virus damage repair, consider using RESTORO.

Method 2. Use System Restore

In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won’t be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future.

Alternative software recommendations

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense If you’re looking for an all-in-one system maintenance suite that has 7 core components providing powerful real-time protection, on-demand malware removal, system optimization, data recovery, password manager, online privacy protection and secure driver wiping technology. Therefore, due to its wide-range of capabilities, System Mechanic Ultimate Defense deserves Geek’s Advice approval. Get it now for 50% off. You may also be interested in its full review.

Disclaimer. This site includes affiliate links. We may earn a small commission by recommending certain products, at no additional cost for you. We only choose quality software and services to recommend.

Decrypt NEER files

Fix and open large NEER files easily:

It is reported that STOP/DJVU ransomware versions encrypt only the beginning 150 KB of each file to ensure that the virus manages to affect all files on the system. In some cases, the malicious program might skip some files at all. That said, we recommend testing this method on several big (>1GB) files first.

STOP/DJVU decryption tool usage guide

STOP/DJVU ransomware versions are grouped into old and new variants. NEER ransomware virus is considered the new STOP/DJVU variant, just like BPTO, ISWR, ISZA, BPSM, ZOUU, MBTF, ZNSM (find full list here). This means full data decryption is now possible only if you have been affected by offline encryption key. To decrypt your files, you will have to download Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP DJVU, a tool created and maintained by a genius security researcher Michael Gillespie. Note! Please do not spam the security researcher with questions whether he can recover your files encrypted with online key - it is not possible. In order to test the tool and see if it can decrypt NEER files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The NEER decryption tool might display several different messages after failed attempt to restore your files. You might receive one of the following messages: Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [example ID] This message typically means that there is no corresponding decryption key in the decryptor’s database. No key for New Variant online ID: [example ID]Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible This message informs that your files were encrypted with online key, meaning no one else has the same encryption/decryption key pair, therefore data recovery without paying the criminals is impossible. Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future. If you were informed that an offline key was used, but files could not be restored, it means that the offline decryption key isn’t available yet. However, receiving this message is extremely good news, meaning that it might be possible to restore your NEER extension files in the future. It can take a few months until the decryption key gets found and uploaded to the decryptor. We recommend you to follow updates regarding the decryptable DJVU versions here. We strongly recommend backing up your encrypted data and waiting.

Victims of NEER ransomware virus should report the Internet crime incident to the official government fraud and scam website according to their country:

In the United States, go to the On Guard Online website.In Australia, go to the SCAMwatch website.In Germany, go to the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik website.In Ireland, go to the An Garda Síochána website.In New Zealand, go to the Consumer Affairs Scams website.In the United Kingdom, go to the Action Fraud website.In Canada, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.In India, go to Indian National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.In France, go to the Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information.

If you can’t find an authority corresponding to your location on this list, we recommend using any search engine to look up “[your country name] report cyber crime”. This should lead you to the right authority website. We also recommend staying away from third-party crime report services that are often paid. It costs nothing to report Internet crime to official authorities. Another recommendation is to contact your country’s or region’s federal police or communications authority.