The Tl30z virus belongs to the Snatch ransomware family. Harmful software of this type encrypts all the data on your PC (images, documents, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, leaving the DECRYPT_TL30Z_FILES.txt files in each directory containing encrypted files.
Tl30z virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A strictly correct description for the Tl30z is “a Snatch family ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Tl30z appends its extra .tl30z extension to the name of every encrypted file. For instance, an image named “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.tl30z”. In the same manner, the Excel sheet named “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.tl30z”, and so forth.
In every directory with the encoded files, a DECRYPT_TL30Z_FILES.txt text document will be created. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is it.
Tl30z summary:
| Name | Tl30z Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | Snatch ransomware |
| Extension | .tl30z |
| Ransomware note | DECRYPT_TL30Z_FILES.txt |
| Detection | Trojan:Win32/ButeRat.MA!MTB, Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.SLQ!MTB, Win32/GenKryptik.FZCA |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .tl30z extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Tl30z virus |
In the image below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Tl30z looks like. Each filename has the “.tl30z” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .tl30z files.
How did my computer get infected with Tl30z ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware injection.
There are currently three most exploited methods for evil-doers to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer-to-peer networks.
If you open your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a malicious item enclosed in them. Thus it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse model2. A Trojan is an object that gets into your PC disguised as something legal. For instance, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some service. But what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful agent that compromises your data. Since the installation wizard 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 best thing is to trust the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like BitTorrent or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never know what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded items with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is done.
How to remove the Tl30z virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Tl30z virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes criminals would decrypt several of your files so you know that they really have the decryption tool. Since Tl30z virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures designers have not yet found a method to undo its work. However, the decoding instruments are constantly upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Understandably, if the evildoers succeed in encrypting someone’s essential data, the hopeless person will probably comply with their demands. Despite that, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still dangerous. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of racketeers just vanishing 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 critical files in the cloud storage or at least on an external storage. Of course, that might be not enough. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all went down. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the OS restoration.
There are other ransomware products, besides Tl30z, that work similarly. For instance, Ccew, Qqmt, Vveo, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Tl30z are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: documents become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes are created in each directory containing encoded files.
Some lucky people were able to decode the arrested files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the criminals mistakenly send the decoding key to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.
How to avoid ransomware attack?
Tl30z ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour your PC from ransomware attack taking several easy steps:
- Ignore any letters from unknown mailboxes with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (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, check all elements of the questionable email with caution. A fake letter will always have a mistake.
- Never use cracked or untrusted software. Trojans are often shared as a part of cracked products, most likely under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. Try to find information about this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the best solution is not to use such software.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful armor 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 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 Tl30z 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 finished, 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.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.tl30z” files?Is it possible to open“.tl30z” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.tl30z” files are decrypted.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
If the “.tl30z” 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. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Tl30z 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 malware from your system. The virus that has infiltrated your PC is most likely still active and launching checks periodically to encode any new files you might create on your computer after the attack. As it has already been said, the Tl30z virus comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide criminals with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What to do if the Tl30z ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
In such an unfortunate situation, you need to prepare a memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware runs automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or imported into your system. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Many of the encoded files might still be at your disposal
- If you exchanged your important 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. Just ask them to give those images back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, mobile, external storage, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ file recovery programs5 to get your lost data back since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the video below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but remember: you can do it only after you kill the virus with an antivirus program.
Also, you can contact the following governmental 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.
I need your help to share this article.
It is your turn to help other people. I have written this guide to help users like you. You can use the buttons below to share this on your favorite social media Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit.
Brendan SmithHow to Remove TL30Z Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: TL30Z Virus
Description: TL30Z Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .tl30z extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
- 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.
