Safety specialist dnwls0719 was the person who, for the first time, identified the Zeon virus, which belongs with the ransomware type of infection. Malware of such sort encrypts all the data on your computer (images, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and appends its own extension to every file, leaving the re_ad_me.txt files in each folder with the encrypted files.
What is Zeon virus?
☝️ A strictly accurate description for the Zeon would be “a ransomware infection”.
Zeon will add its own .zeon extension to every file’s name. For instance, a file named “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.zeon”. In the same manner, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will end up as “table.xlsx.zeon”, and so forth.
In every directory containing the encoded files, a re_ad_me.txt text document will be created. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is it.
Zeon overview:
| Name | Zeon Virus |
| Extension | .zeon |
| Ransomware note | re_ad_me.txt |
| Detection | Win32/Injector.CVXK, Trojan.Win32.Agentb.jefi, Trojan:Win32/CryptExt.A!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .zeon extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Zeon virus |
The re_ad_me.txt document accompanying the Zeon malware states the following:
All of your files are currently encrypted by ZEON strain. As you know (if you don\'t - just \"google it\"), all of the data that has been encrypted by our software cannot be recovered by any means without contacting our team directly. If you try to use any additional recovery software - the files might be damaged, so if you are willing to try - try it on the data of the lowest value. To make sure that we REALLY CAN get your data back - we offer you to decrypt 2 random files completely free of charge. You can contact our team directly for further instructions through our website : TOR VERSION : (you should download and install TOR browser first hxxps://torproject.org) hxxp://zeonrefpbompx6rwdqa5hxgtp2cxgfmoymlli3azoanisze33pp3x3yd.onion/ YOU SHOULD BE AWARE! Just in case, if you try to ignore us. We\'ve downloaded a pack of your internal data and are ready to publish it on out news website if you do not respond. So it will be better for both sides if you contact us as soon as possible.
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Zeon looks like. Each filename has the “.zeon” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .zeon files.
How did my computer get infected with Zeon ransomware?
There are many possible ways of ransomware injection.
There are currently three most popular methods for evil-doers to have ransomware settled in your system. 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 mailer is unknown to you, beware of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a ransomware file enclosed in 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 file scheme1. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something else. Imagine, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some service. However, what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful agent that corrupts your data. As the update wizard can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the things you’re downloading. The best way is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like BitTorrent or eMule, the threat 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 websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is complete.
How do I get rid of the Zeon virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Zeon virus will most likely 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 decode few of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption program. Since Zeon virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware engineers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the decoding tools are constantly upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Of course, if the evildoers succeed in encrypting victim’s essential data, the hopeless person will probably fulfill their demands. Despite that, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of racketeers simply vanishing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The best countermeasure to ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud storage or at least on an external storage. Obviously, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that one you were working on when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also wise to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.
There are other ransomware products, besides Zeon, that work similarly. For instance, Fgui, Eucy, Rtgf, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Zeon are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: files become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in every directory containing encoded files.
Some fortunate people were able to decrypt the arrested files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware developers. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decoding key to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.
How to avert ransomware attack?
Zeon ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can defend yourself from its infiltration taking three easy steps:
- Never open any emails from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the dubious email with caution. A fake email will always contain mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often spreaded as an element of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. But dubious programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy software, as trojans may also have the functionality you need. You can try to find information on this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal way is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful defense for your PC.
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 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 computer for Zeon 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 “.zeon” files?Can I somehow access “.zeon” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.zeon” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
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. All other solutions require time.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Zeon virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?
Of course not. Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with actual threats. The ransomware that has infiltrated your device is probably still functional and launching checks every so often to encrypt any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has been said above, the Zeon ransomware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide criminals with easy access to your computer after some time.
🤔 What to do if the Zeon malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
If that happened, you need to have a memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or brought into your computer. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be within your reach
- If you sent or received your important files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might 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 downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud drives might have all those files too.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, cellphone, flash memory, etc.
HINT: You can employ file recovery utilities4 to get your lost data back since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you remove 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.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove ZEON Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: ZEON Virus
Description: ZEON Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .zeon 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 are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
