The Zazas virus belongs to the Babuk ransomware family. Malware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, leaving the How To Restore Your Files.txt text files in every folder which contains the encrypted files.
What is known about the Zazasvirus?
☝️ A scientifically correct denomination for the Zazas would be “a Babuk family ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Zazas adds its own .zazas extension to every file’s title. For example, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.zazas”. Likewise, the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.zazas”, and so on.
In each folder with the encoded files, a How To Restore Your Files.txt file will be created. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is pretty much the scheme of the crime.
Zazas abstract:
| Name | Zazas Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | Babuk ransomware |
| Extension | .zazas |
| Ransomware note | How To Restore Your Files.txt |
| Detection | MSIL/Spy.Agent.DSV, TrojanSpy:Win32/Delgent, Trojan.Ransom.Magniber |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .zazas extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Zazas virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Zazas looks like. Each filename has the “.zazas” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .zazas files.
How did my computer get infected with Zazas ransomware?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware injection.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited methods for tamperers to have the Zazas virus acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer file transfer.
If you access your inbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a harmful file enclosed in them. So it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse model2. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your PC disguised as something legal. For example, you download an installer of some program you need or an update for some software. But what is unboxed turns out to be 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 files you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to use the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrent trackers or eMule, the danger 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. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.
How to remove the Zazas virus?
It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Zazas virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your machine to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware3 can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes criminals would decode some of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption tool. Since Zazas virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures designers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Sure thing, if the evildoers do the job of encrypting victim’s essential files, the hopeless person will probably comply with their demands. However, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After getting the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about criminals just disappearing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.
The best countermeasure to ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud disk or at least on an external storage. Obviously, that might be not enough. Your most important thing could be that file you were working upon when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the system restoration.
Zazas 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, Wdlo, Tuid, Udla, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Zazas are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become encrypted, their extensions changed, ransom notes appear in every folder containing encrypted files.
Some lucky people were able to decode the arrested files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the criminals mistakenly send the decoding code to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But obviously, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How сan I avert ransomware attack?
Zazas ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can protect 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 expecting (can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are expecting, check all elements of the dubious letter with caution. A fake email will surely have mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or unknown software. Trojan viruses are often distributed as a part of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy ones, as trojans may also have the functionality you need. Try searching for information about this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal way is not to use such software.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful defense for your PC.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft4
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft5.
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 computer.
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 Zazas 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 “.zazas” files?Is it possible to open“.zazas” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.zazas” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
If the “.zazas” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. All other solutions require time.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Zazas virus?
Of course not. Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with active threats. The malware that has infiltrated your computer is most likely still functional and launching checks periodically to encrypt any new files you might create on your computer after the initial attack. As it has been said above, the Zazas virus does not come alone. 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 Zazas ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.
If that happened, you need to have a memory stick with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or imported into your machine. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Many of the encoded files might still be within your reach
- If you sent or received your critical files by email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You may have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to give those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files too.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, phone, external storage, etc.
HINT: You can employ file recovery utilities6 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, deleting 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 remove the ransomware itself with an antivirus 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 ZAZAS Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: ZAZAS Virus
Description: ZAZAS Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .zazas 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.
- 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 Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
