Skull HT Ransomware Removal Guide

Do you know what Skull HT Ransomware is?

Skull HT Ransomware is a rather scary-looking malware as it claims to be “One of the Most powerful Ransomware’s Around.” No matter how bad it sounds, the reality might be quite different. Apparently, the malicious program can ruin some of the user’s files, but compared with other file-encrypting threats alike it does not look like a lot. If you read the rest of our report, we will explain the infection’s working manner in detail. What’s more, besides information we can offer our help with the malicious program’s deletion. All you have to do is check the removal guide available at the end of this page, and its steps will guide you through the process. In case, the task seems still a bit too difficult for you to deal with Skull HT Ransomware alone, it is advisable to install a reputable antimalware tool instead.

It seems the malware might travel with malicious Spam emails or data downloaded from the Internet. Most likely, the file that infected the system will be one of the recently downloaded ones. If you recall from where you received it, we would advise you to learn from this experience and avoid threats like Skull HT Ransomware in the future by staying away from harmful web pages or ignoring suspicious email attachments. Another good idea might be to keep a reputable antimalware tool installed on the computer so it could stop malicious attacks or warn the user about them. If you are having any doubts about downloaded data, you can always scan it before opening it with the chosen security tool, and in case it appears to be harmful it should detect it.

Furthermore, our researchers tested Skull HT Ransomware in our in our internal lab and learned that if its installer is launched the malware should erase the opened file and places a copy of it in a different location. To be more precise, the copy should be titled local.exe and located in the %HOMEDRIVE%\user\Rand123 folder. What happens next is the encryption process during which the threat should encrypt photos, pictures, archives, videos, and other data possibly irreplaceable for the user. The good news is the infection can ruin only those files that are available on the %USERPROFILE% directory’s subfolders, for example, Searches, Videos, Desktop, Pictures, etc. It means if you keep your personal data on another hard drive or another directory on the C: disk, they might not get encrypted.Skull HT Ransomware Removal GuideSkull HT Ransomware screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions

The encrypted files should have .locked extensions at the end, so it is easy to see how much damage was done. Skull HT Ransomware could work silently in the background; therefore, you may not realize what is going on until the infection drops a ransom note called READ_ME.txt on your Desktop and changes your wallpaper with an image of a skull and some text next to it. As one can imagine the ransom notes gives instructions on how to pay the ransom and promises the decryption tools will be sent to the user afterward. Unfortunately, the malicious program’s creators are not the people you could trust, and if you decide to pay the ransom, you might gamble with your money. The hackers behind this threat might not live up to their promise, or they could demand you to transfer more money and possibly even a larger sum.

For those who choose to get rid of Skull HT Ransomware instead of paying the ransom, we advise deleting the malware with no hesitation. More experienced users may try the removal guide prepared by our researchers; it is available a bit below the main text. Again, we would like to stress that if dealing with the infection manually is too tricky for you; it might be a better idea to employ a reputable antimalware tool and use its automatic features.

Erase Skull HT Ransomware

  1. Tap Ctrl+Alt+Delete at the same time.
  2. Go to the Task Manager.
  3. Identify a suspicious process associated with the malware.
  4. Select the questionable process and press End Task.
  5. Leave Task Manager.
  6. Press Windows Key+E.
  7. Get to: %HOMEDRIVE%\user
  8. Find a folder called Rand123; it should contain a file titled local.exe.
  9. Right-click Rand123 and press Delete.
  10. Then locate a picture titled ransom.jpg, right-click it too and choose Delete.
  11. Navigate to your Desktop.
  12. Find READ_ME.txt and remove it too.
  13. Exit File Explorer.
  14. Empty our Recycle bin.
  15. Restart the computer.

In non-techie terms:

Skull HT Ransomware is a recently created malicious program for money extortion. The malware enciphers some part of user data and asks to pay a ransom in exchange for a decryption tool and a decryption key with which the user could restore the ruined files. At the moment of writing the sum is surprisingly small since the threat’s creators ask for 0.00156 BTC or approximately 12 US dollars. As we said earlier these hackers cannot be trusted and who is to say if they will not ask for even more money before sending you promised decryption tools. Naturally, if you would rather not risk your money, we advise eliminating the malicious program with the removal guide available a bit above this text or a reputable antimalware tool.