The Jenny virus falls within the ransomware type of infection. Harmful software of this type encrypts all the data on your PC (photos, text files, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file.
Jenny virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically accurate denomination for the Jenny is “a ransomware infection”.
Jenny will add its own .JENNY extension to every file’s title. For example, a file named “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.JENNY”. Likewise, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.JENNY”, and so on.
The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is how they do it.
Jenny outline:
| Name | Jenny Virus |
| Extension | .JENNY |
| Detection | Win32/Filecoder.Conti.N, Ransom:Win32/Basta.C, Trojan:Win32/Tnega.RR!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .JENNY extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Jenny virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Jenny looks like. Each filename has the “.JENNY” extension added to it.
That is how encrypted “.JENNY” files look.
How did my computer get infected with Jenny ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most popular ways for tamperers to have the Jenny virus acting in your system. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer networks.
If you access your mailbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is unknown to you, beware of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a malware file attached to them. Therefore, it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus model1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your PC disguised as something else. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some service. However, what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful agent that encodes your data. Since the update file can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the stuff you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to trust the software developers’ official websites.
As for the 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 resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the Jenny virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Jenny virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Often racketeers would unblock several of your files so you know that they do have the decryption tool. As Jenny virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures developers have not yet found a way to undo its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware tools are constantly updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Sure thing, if the tamperers do the job of encoding someone’s critical data, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. Despite that, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of hackers just disappearing 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 essential files in the cloud drive or at least on an external disk. Of course, that might be not enough. The 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 wise to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the OS is rolled back.
Jenny 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 Zfdv, Bbzz, Bnrs, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Jenny are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: documents become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes emerge in each directory containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate users were able to decode the blocked files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware specialists. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decryption code to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the user 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 сan I avoid ransomware attack?
Jenny ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.
You can defend yourself from its infiltration taking three easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown mailboxes 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 participating in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the dubious letter with caution. A fake email will always contain mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojan viruses are often shared as an element of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. But untrusted programs are difficult to tell from trustworthy ones, because trojans may also have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information about this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the best solution is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful defense for your system.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft3
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft4.
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 computer for Jenny 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 “.JENNY” files?Can I somehow access “.JENNY” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.JENNY” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
If the “.JENNY” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. 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.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Jenny virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?
No way! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete actual threats from your system. The virus that has infected your PC is most likely still functional and launching checks from time to time to encode any new files you might create on your PC after the attack. As it has already been said, the Jenny ransomware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Jenny virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.
In such a case, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or brought into your computer. To suppress this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Many of the encoded files might still be within your reach
- If you exchanged your critical files via email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Just ask them to post those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud drives might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, cellphone, external storage, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use 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 use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate 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 JENNY Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: JENNY Virus
Description: JENNY Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .JENNY 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.
- You can read more on spyware variants and nature in the respective 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 Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
