Safety specialist Tomas Meskauskas was the one who originally detected the Ztax virus, which falls under the Dharma ransomware family. Ransomware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (images, text files, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, leaving the manual.txt files in every directory containing encrypted files.
What is Ztax virus?
☝️ Ztax is a Dharma family ransomware infection.
The pattern of renaming is this: .Ztax. During the encryption, a file entitled, for example, “report.docx” will be turned into “report.docx.id-9ECFA84E.[taxz@cock.li].Ztax”.
In each directory containing the encrypted files, a manual.txt text file will appear. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can get this decoding tool after contacting taxz@cock.li, taxz@cyberfear.com via email. That is how they do it.
Ztax Summary:
| Name | Ztax Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | Dharma ransomware |
| Extension | .Ztax |
| Ransomware note | manual.txt |
| Contact | taxz@cock.li, taxz@cyberfear.com |
| Detection | Trojan:Win32/Tnega!MSR Removal, Win32:Adware-DNA [Adw] Virus Removal, Win32:Secat [Trj] Virus Removal |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .Ztax extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Ztax virus |
The manual.txt document coming in package with the Ztax ransomware states the following:
You want to return? write email taxz@cock.li or taxz@cyberfear.com
In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Ztax looks like. Each filename has the “.Ztax” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .Ztax files.
How did Ztax ransomware end up on my PC?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited ways for tamperers to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer file transfer.
- If you access your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a ransomware item attached to them. Therefore, it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
- Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus model. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something else. For instance, you download an installer of some program you need or an update for some program. However, what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful program that corrupts your data. Since the update package can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the files you’re downloading. The optimal way is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
- As for the peer-to-peer networks 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. So you’d better be using trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is complete.
How do I get rid of ransomware?
It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Ztax virus will most likely install Vidar Stealer on your computer to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Remove Ztax with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware
We have also been using this software on our systems ever since, and it has always been successful in detecting viruses. It has blocked the most common Ransomware as shown from our tests with the software, and we assure you that it can remove Ztax as well as other malware hiding on your computer.
To use Gridinsoft for remove malicious threats, follow the steps below:
1. Begin by downloading Gridinsoft Anti-Malware, accessible via the blue button below or directly from the official website gridinsoft.com.
2.Once the Gridinsoft setup file (setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe) is downloaded, execute it by clicking on the file.
3.Follow the installation setup wizard's instructions diligently.
4. Access the "Scan Tab" on the application's start screen and launch a comprehensive "Full Scan" to examine your entire computer. This inclusive scan encompasses the memory, startup items, the registry, services, drivers, and all files, ensuring that it detects malware hidden in all possible locations.
Be patient, as the scan duration depends on the number of files and your computer's hardware capabilities. Use this time to relax or attend to other tasks.
5. Upon completion, Anti-Malware will present a detailed report containing all the detected malicious items and threats on your PC.
6. Select all the identified items from the report and confidently click the "Clean Now" button. This action will safely remove the malicious files from your computer, transferring them to the secure quarantine zone of the anti-malware program to prevent any further harmful actions.
8. If prompted, restart your computer to finalize the full system scan procedure. This step is crucial to ensure thorough removal of any remaining threats. After the restart, Gridinsoft Anti-Malware will open and display a message confirming the completion of the scan.
Remember Gridinsoft offers a 6-day free trial. This means you can take advantage of the trial period at no cost to experience the full benefits of the software and prevent any future malware infections on your system. Embrace this opportunity to fortify your computer's security without any financial commitment.
Trojan Killer for “Ztax” removal on locked PC
In situations where it becomes impossible to download antivirus applications directly onto the infected computer due to malware blocking access to websites, an alternative solution is to utilize the Trojan Killer application.
There is a really little number of security tools that are able to be set up on the USB drives, and antiviruses that can do so in most cases require to obtain quite an expensive license. For this instance, I can recommend you to use another solution of GridinSoft - Trojan Killer Portable. It has a 14-days cost-free trial mode that offers the entire features of the paid version. This term will definitely be 100% enough to wipe malware out.
Trojan Killer is a valuable tool in your cybersecurity arsenal, helping you to effectively remove malware from infected computers. Now, we will walk you through the process of using Trojan Killer from a USB flash drive to scan and remove malware on an infected PC. Remember, always obtain permission to scan and remove malware from a computer that you do not own.
Step 1: Download & Install Trojan Killer on a Clean Computer:
1. Go to the official GridinSoft website (gridinsoft.com) and download Trojan Killer to a computer that is not infected.
2. Insert a USB flash drive into this computer.
3. Install Trojan Killer to the "removable drive" following the on-screen instructions.
4. Once the installation is complete, launch Trojan Killer.
Step 2: Update Signature Databases:
5. After launching Trojan Killer, ensure that your computer is connected to the Internet.
6. Click "Update" icon to download the latest signature databases, which will ensure the tool can detect the most recent threats.
Step 3: Scan the Infected PC:
7. Safely eject the USB flash drive from the clean computer.
8. Boot the infected computer to the Safe Mode.
9. Insert the USB flash drive.
10. Run tk.exe
11. Once the program is open, click on "Full Scan" to begin the malware scanning process.
Step 4: Remove Found Threats:
12. After the scan is complete, Trojan Killer will display a list of detected threats.
13. Click on "Cure PC!" to remove the identified malware from the infected PC.
14. Follow any additional on-screen prompts to complete the removal process.
Step 5: Restart Your Computer:
15. Once the threats are removed, click on "Restart PC" to reboot your computer.
16. Remove the USB flash drive from the infected computer.
Congratulations on effectively removing Ztax and the concealed threats from your computer! You can now have peace of mind, knowing that they won't resurface again. Thanks to Gridinsoft's capabilities and commitment to cybersecurity, your system is now protected.
Often tamperers would unblock some of your files so you know that they do have the decryption tool. Since Ztax virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures designers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the decoding instruments are constantly upgraded, so the solution may soon be available.
Of course, if the hackers succeed in encrypting victim’s critical files, the desperate person will most likely fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports about criminals simply vanishing after getting the money without even writing back.
The optimal countermeasure to ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external drive. Obviously, that might be insufficient. Your most important thing could be that file you were working on when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the OS is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Ztax, that work similarly. Examples of those are Annoy, Sauron, Niko, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Ztax are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: files become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes appear in every folder containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate users were able to decrypt the blocked files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-ransomware specialists. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decryption key to the victims in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But naturally, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.
How do I avoid ransomware attack?
Ztax ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour your computer from its injection taking several easy steps:
- Ignore any letters from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (how can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the suspicious email with caution. A fake letter will surely contain a mistake.
- Never use cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often spreaded as a part of cracked software, most likely as a “patch” to prevent the license check. But potentially dangerous programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy software, because trojans may also have the functionality you need. Try to find information about this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal way is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a perfect shield for your system.
Frequently Asked Questions
🤔 Are the “.Ztax” files accessible?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.Ztax” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
If the “.Ztax” 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. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Ztax virus?
Absolutely not! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete active infections from your computer. The ransomware that has infected your PC is most likely still functional and running scans periodically to encrypt any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has been said above, the Ztax malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide criminals with easy access to your PC after some time.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Ztax virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.
In such a case, you need to prepare a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or imported into your system. To suppress this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 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 mail server.
- You may have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. 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 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 notebook, cellphone, flash memory, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use file recovery utilities2 to get your lost data back since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you remove the virus with an anti-malware program.
