The Bazek virus falls under the ransomware type of malicious agent. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the computer (images, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file, creating the README.txt files in every folder which contains the encrypted files.
Bazek virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A strictly accurate designation for the Bazek is “a ransomware malicious agent”.
Bazek will add its extra .bazek extension to the name of each encoded file. For example, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.bazek”. Just like the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.bazek”, and so forth.
In every directory containing the encrypted files, a README.txt file will appear. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the racketeers. That is basically the scheme of the malefaction.
Bazek overview:
| Name | Bazek Virus |
| Extension | .bazek |
| Ransomware note | README.txt |
| Detection | Crytex.Virus.FileInfector.DDS, Win32/Filecoder.OLC, Malware-Cryptor.InstallCore.5 |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .bazek extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Bazek virus |
In the image below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Bazek looks like. Each filename has the “.bazek” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .bazek files.
How did Bazek ransomware end up on my PC?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware injection.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited methods for tamperers to have the Bazek virus planted in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer file transfer.
If you open your mailbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a ransomware file enclosed in them. Therefore, it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus model1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your machine disguised as something legal. For instance, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some software. However, what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful program that encodes your data. Since the update file can have any title and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the files you’re downloading. The best thing is to trust the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer networks like torrent trackers or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never know what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the Bazek virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Bazek virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Often criminals would decrypt several of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption program. As Bazek virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware engineers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. However, the decryption instruments are frequently upgraded, so the solution may soon be available.
Of course, if the criminals succeed in encoding someone’s essential data, the desperate person will most likely fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports of ransomware developers just vanishing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.
The best safety measure against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud storage or at least on an external drive. Surely, that might be insufficient. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all happened. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.
Bazek is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. Examples of those are Zatp, Bowd, Tcvp, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Bazek are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: files become blocked, their extensions altered, ransom notes are found in each folder containing encoded files.
Some fortunate victims were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free software provided by anti-malware developers. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decryption code to the victims in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the victim to restore the files. But obviously, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a criminals’ instrument to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How сan I avoid ransomware attack?
Bazek ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour your system from ransomware injection within several easy steps:
- Ignore any emails from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the questionable email with caution. A fake letter will surely have mistakes.
- Never use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often spreaded as an element of cracked products, possibly as a “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. You can try searching for information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal solution is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect defense for your PC.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft2
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft3.
Download Removal Tool.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
Run the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your system.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your PC for Bazek infections and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has completed, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.
Frequently Asked Questions
🤔 How can I open “.bazek” files?Can I somehow access “.bazek” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.bazek” files are decrypted.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.bazek” files ASAP. How can I do that?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. All other solutions require time.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Bazek malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
No way! Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your system off the actual threats. The virus that has infected your device is probably still active and running scans periodically to encode any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has been mentioned above, the Bazek ransomware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide malefactors with easy access to your computer after some time.
🤔 What should I do if the Bazek ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
In such an unfortunate situation, you need to have a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or imported into your system. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Some of the blocked files can be found elsewhere.
- If you exchanged your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to post those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud drives might have all those files too.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, phone, external storage, etc.
HINT: You can use data recovery utilities4 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you remove the ransomware itself with an anti-malware program.
Also, you can contact the following official fraud and scam sites to report this attack:
- In the United States: On Guard Online;
- In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
- In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
- In Australia: SCAMwatch;
- In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
- In France: Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information;
- In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
- In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;
To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove BAZEK Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: BAZEK Virus
Description: BAZEK Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .bazek extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
- Here are Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
