ZENEX Virus [[email protected]].ZENEX File

The Zenex virus belongs under the Proton ransomware family. A harmful program of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and appends its extension to every file, creating the Zenex-Help.txt text files in each directory which contains the encrypted files.

What is Zenex virus?

☝️ Zenex is a Proton family ransomware-type virus.

Zenex will add the complex extension to each encoded file. For example, an image named “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.[[email protected]].ZENEX”. Likewise, the Excel sheet named “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.[[email protected]].ZENEX”, and so on.

In every folder with the encrypted files, a Zenex-Help.txt text document will be created. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other remarks. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the racketeers. You can obtain this decrypting software after contacting [email protected] via email. That is how they do it.

Zenex Overview:

The Zenex-Help.txt document coming in package with the Zenex malware states the following:

~~~ ZENEX ~~~            
>>> What happened?
We encrypted and stole all of your files.
We use AES and ECC algorithms.
Nobody can recover your files without our decryption service.

>>> How to recover?
We are not a politically motivated group and we want nothing more than money.
If you pay, we will provide you with decryption software and destroy the stolen data.

>>> What guarantees?
You can send us an unimportant file of less than 1 MG, We decrypt it as a guarantee.
If we do not send you the decryption software or delete stolen data, no one will pay us in the future so we will keep our promise.

>>> How to contact us?
Our email address: is [email protected]
In case of no answer within 24 hours, contact this email: [email protected]
Write your ID in the subject of the email.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>> Your personal ID: - <<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>> Warnings!
- Do not go to recovery companies, they are just middlemen who will make money off you and cheat you.
They secretly negotiate with us, buy decryption software, and will sell it to you many times more expensive or they will simply scam you.
- Do not hesitate for a long time. The faster you pay, the lower the price.
- Do not delete or modify encrypted files, it will lead to problems with decryption of files.

In the screenshot below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Zenex looks like. Each filename has the “.ZENEX” extension added to it.

How did Zenex ransomware end up on my PC?

There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware injection.

There are currently three most exploited methods for criminals to have the Zenex virus settled in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection, and peer networks.

• If you access your mailbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a viral file attached to them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
• Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus model. A Trojan is a program that gets into your PC disguised as something legal. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some service. However, what is unboxed reveals itself as a harmful agent that corrupts your data. Since the update wizard can have any title 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 use the software companies’ official websites.
• As for the peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent or eMule, the threat 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. We suggest that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is complete.

How do I get rid of ransomware?

It is important to note that besides encrypting your data, the Zenex virus will probably install Vidar Stealer on your PC to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.

How сan I avert ransomware injection?

Zenex ransomware doesn’t have endless power, and neither does any similar malware.

You can armor your system from ransomware infiltration within three easy steps:

• Ignore any letters 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 likely something you are waiting for, check all elements of the questionable letter with caution. A hoax email will surely have a mistake.
• Never use cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often spread as a part of cracked software, most likely as a “patch” preventing the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable ones, because trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try searching for information about this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such software.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 How can I open “.ZENEX” files?Are the “.ZENEX” files accessible?

Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.ZENEX” files first. Then you will be able to open 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. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 What to do if the Zenex malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code?

🤔 What can I do right now?

Some of the encrypted data can be found elsewhere.

• If you exchanged your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• You may have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to send those pictures back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try doing it again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files too.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, cellphone, memory stick, etc.

HINT: You can use data recovery programs² 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 recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you can do it only after you eradicate the virus with an antivirus program.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
2. Here are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2024.