The Epub virus belongs to the ransomware type of infection. Harmful software of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, text files, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its own extension to every file, creating the README.txt text files in each folder with the encrypted files.
What is known about the Epubvirus?
☝️ A strictly correct description for the Epub would be “a ransomware malicious agent”.
Epub appends its own .epub extension to the name of each encoded file. For example, a file named “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.epub”. Just like the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.epub”, and so forth.
In each folder that contains the encoded files, a README.txt text document will be created. It is a ransom money note. It contains information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the racketeers. That is it.
Epub outline:
| Name | Epub Virus |
| Extension | .epub |
| Ransomware note | README.txt |
| Detection | Win32/TrojanDownloader.Small.ARE, Trojan.Win32.Packre.pef, MSIL/ClipBanker.KY |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .epub extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Epub virus |
In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Epub looks like. Each filename has the “.epub” extension added to it.
That is how encrypted “.epub” files look.
How did Epub ransomware end up on my PC?
There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited ways for tamperers to have the Epub virus working in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you open your mailbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a harmful file attached to them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus scheme1. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your PC disguised as something different. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some software. But what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful program that encodes your data. Since the installation wizard 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 use the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer file transfer protocols like torrents 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 resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the Epub virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your data, the Epub virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes criminals would decode some of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption program. Since Epub virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures developers have not yet found a way to undo its work. However, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently upgraded, so the solution may soon arrive.
Of course, if the evildoers succeed in encrypting victim’s essential files, the hopeless person will most likely fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying to criminals does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still risky. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of criminals simply disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The best safety measure against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud drive or at least on an external drive. Surely, that might be not enough. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.
Epub is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. For instance, Mmvb, Mmdt, Oopu, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Epub are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: files become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes are found in every directory containing encoded files.
Some lucky victims were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a criminals’ technology to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How do I avert ransomware attack?
Epub ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour your system from ransomware infiltration within several easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown senders 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 more or less something you are waiting for, check all elements of the suspicious email with caution. A hoax letter will always contain mistakes.
- Avoid using cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often shared as an element of cracked products, most likely as a “patch” to prevent the license check. But untrusted programs are difficult to tell from trustworthy software, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. You can try to find information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such software.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect armor for your system.
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 PC.
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 system for Epub 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 “.epub” files?Can I somehow access “.epub” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.epub” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Epub malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
Of course not. The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your computer off the actual viruses. The malware that has infiltrated your computer is probably still functional and running scans periodically to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the attack. As it has been said above, the Epub malware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your computer after some time.
🤔 What to do if the Epub virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
If that happened, you need to have a memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or brought into your machine. To suppress this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be within your reach
- If you sent or received your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You may have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Just ask them to give those images back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud disks might have all those files too.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a portable device, phone, memory stick, etc.
HINT: You can use file recovery programs4 to get your lost data back since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you kill 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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Brendan SmithHow to Remove EPUB Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: EPUB Virus
Description: EPUB Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .epub 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’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
