The Deno virus belongs to the CONTI ransomware family. Harmful software of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, text files, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, creating the readme.txt files in every folder which contains the encrypted files.
Deno virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A strictly accurate description for the Deno would be “a CONTI family ransomware malicious agent”.
Deno will add its extra .DENO extension to every file’s title. For instance, a file named “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.DENO”. In the same manner, the Excel sheet named “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.DENO”, and so on.
In every directory containing the encoded files, a readme.txt file will appear. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can obtain this decrypting software after contacting [email protected], [email protected] through email. That is it.
Deno abstract:
| Name | Deno Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | CONTI ransomware |
| Extension | .DENO |
| Ransomware note | readme.txt |
| Contact | [email protected], [email protected] |
| Detection | MSIL/Injector.GBU, Win32/GenKryptik.FWOS, Worm:Win32/IRCbot.I |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .DENO extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Deno virus |
The readme.txt document accompanying the Deno malware provides the following dispiriting information:
Your network is LOCKED. Do not try to use other software. For decryption KEY write HERE: [email protected] [email protected]
In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Deno looks like. Each filename has the “.DENO” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .DENO files.
How did my machine catch Deno ransomware?
There are many possible ways of ransomware injection.
Nowadays, there are three most popular ways for malefactors to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer networks.
If you access your inbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is unknown to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a harmful item enclosed in them. So it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
As for the peer-to-peer networks like torrent trackers or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never guess what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is complete.
How to remove the Deno virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Deno virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your machine to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often racketeers would decrypt few of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption program. Since Deno virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware developers have not yet found a method to undo its work. However, the decoding instruments are constantly upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Understandably, if the evildoers succeed in encoding victim’s critical data, the desperate person will most likely fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about hackers just vanishing after getting the money without even writing back.
The optimal solution against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud drive or at least on an external storage. Surely, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that one you were working on when it all went down. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the system restoration.
There are other ransomware products, besides Deno, that work similarly. Examples of those are Bbyy, Bbzz, Bnrs, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Deno are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes are created in each directory containing encrypted files.
Some lucky people were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decryption key to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But naturally, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.
How to avoid ransomware infection?
Deno ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can defend your computer from ransomware attack in three easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (how can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, check all elements of the dubious email with caution. A fake email will surely have a mistake.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted software. Trojans are often spreaded as an element of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. But untrusted programs are very hard to tell from reliable ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information about this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the best solution is not to use such programs at all.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft3
Download Removal Tool.
Run the setup file.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
Click on “Clean Now”.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.DENO” files?Is it possible to open“.DENO” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.DENO” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 What should I do if the Deno malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Some of the encrypted files can be located elsewhere.
- If you sent or received your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You may have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to send those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try to do it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud storage might have all those files too.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, cellphone, flash memory, etc.
HINT: You can employ data recovery utilities5 to get your lost data back since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you remove the virus 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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