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ZZLA ransomware is a malicious computer virus that originates from STOP/DJVU malware family. It is designed to encrypt all of victim’s files using RSA Salsa20 algorithm, then demand paying a ransom. The virus marks each affected file with .zzla extension and saves _readme.txt file in the containing folder. To illustrate, a file originally called 1.jpg will appear as 1.jpg.zzla after encryption procedure. The ransom note, _readme.txt, contains a brief message from virus’ developers who state that the only way to decrypt file is to purchase ZZLA decryption tool and unique key from them. The price of this software ranges from $490 to $980 and depends whether the victim manages to contact the criminals and pay within 72 hours or not. The criminals suggest contacting them for further details either via manager@mailtemp.ch or helpmanager@airmail.cc emails.
ZZLA ransomware was developed as a virtual extortion tool. Therefore, it locks victim’s files using military-grade encryption algorithms and leaves ransom notes for the victim to find. Once the victim notices that none of the files can be opened, one will surely notice _readme.txt file which is present in every affected folder. This file suggests that the victim has to pay a ransom for cybercriminals in order to decrypt .zzla files. Speaking of encryption, this specific virus encrypts only the first 150 KB of each file, enough to make the file inaccessible yet keep the whole computer attack a short procedure. Because of this technique, some victims might succeed in repairing certain file formats with small data loss at the beginning of the file. For more information, we recommend reading this guide.
The ransom note introduces ZZLA decryption tool pricing which depends on how quickly the victim transfers the money. According to _readme.txt note, if the victim pays the ransom within 72 hours (3 full days), the ransom price will be $490 in Bitcoin. Otherwise, the price rises to $980. The criminals surely want to receive the ransom in cryptocurrency (to be specific, Bitcoin) as this method keeps the transactions anonymous. In addition, the attackers suggest decrypting one small file for free in order to prove that they have working decryption tools.
As advised by FBI and our security experts, paying the ransom is wrong on many levels. We suggest considering the following arguments why it is NOT WORTH PAYING THE RANSOM:
ZZLA ransomware executes a set of processes on the compromised computer. For example, it runs winupdate.exe, which mimics a Windows update prompt for the victim. It is believed that the attackers display this prompt in order to make the victim believe that computer slowdown is caused by a legitimate operation rather than malware. Once the virus encrypts all files, it also deletes Volume Shadow Copies from the system using this CMD command:
vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet
The point of running the said command is to prevent the victim from using System Restore Points to restore some of lost data. Next alteration done by this virus is adding a list of domains to Windows HOSTS file and connecting them to localhost IP. This prevents the victim from visiting these domains and attempts to do so wil result in DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error in web browser. This alteration was clearly planned in order to stop the victim from reaching websites that could provide important attack-related information online including virus removal guides. The virus also saves two files on victim’s computer, one called as bowsakkdestx.txt (contains victim’s public encryption key and personal ID) and PersonalID.txt (only includes victim’s identification string).
Victims of this ransomware should beware that STOP/DJVU versions tend to drop AZORULT Trojan on the compromised hosts. This malware is used to allow attacker access victim’s computer remotely and perform various illegal tasks, such as:
We strongly recommend you to secure your computer as soon as possible. Our experts recommend a 2-step rescue plan: remove ZZLA ransomware virus and other malware present on your PC using professional antivirus software such as INTEGO Antivirus. Next, we recommend scanning with RESTORO to repair virus damage on Windows OS files.
Name | ZZLA Ransomware Virus |
Type | Ransomware; Crypto-malware; Virtual Extortion Virus |
Family | STOP/DJVU |
Encryption type | RSA Salsa20 |
Previous versions | VYIA, QBAA, FOPA, VTYM, KQGS, XCBG, BPQD (find full list here) |
Version | 314th |
Extension | .zzla |
Dropper | SmokeLoader (see VirusTotal details) |
Damage | The ransomware encrypts all victim’s personal files using RSA Salsa20 encryption algorithms. This makes files inaccessible to the victim. The virus also appends .zzla extension to affected files, drops _readme.txt notes and deletes Volume Shadow Copies from the computer. Additionally, it adds a list of restricted domain names to Windows HOSTS file. |
Ransom note | _readme.txt |
Ransom demand | $490-$980 in Bitcoin |
Distribution | Hides in illegal torrent downloads, cracked software, key generators or tools like KMSPico. |
Detection names | Trojan:Win32/Glupteba (Microsoft), VHO:Trojan-Spy.Win32.Stealer.gen (Kaspersky), Gen:Variant.Graftor.974954 (BitDefender), ML.Attribute.HighConfidence (Symantec), W32.Trojan.Gen (Webroot) see all detection name variations on VirusTotal |
Removal | Remove ransomware and related malware from your PC using professional software of your choice. We highly recommend using INTEGO Antivirus. To repair virus damage on Windows OS files, consider scanning with RESTORO. |
REMOVE MALWARE & REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE
1 Step. Get robust antivirus to remove existing threats and enable real-time protection
INTEGO Antivirus for Windows provides robust real-time protection, Web Shield against phishing and deceptive websites, blocks malicious downloads and blocks Zero-Day threats. Use it to remove ransomware and other viruses from your computer professionally.
2 Step. Repair Virus Damage on Windows Operating System Files
Download RESTORO to scan your system for FREE and detect security, hardware and stability issues. You can use the scan results and try to remove threats manually, or you can choose to get the full version of software to fix detected issues and repair virus damage to Windows OS system files automatically.
STOP/DJVU ransomware variants such as ZZLA virus are mainly distributed via illegal torrent-based downloads, although we will discuss general and most popular ransomware distribution methods here as well. Judging from victims’ reports, the actors behind this malware tend to create fake software cracks for most popular programs and upload them to shady websites. Victims have named several software names that they were trying to obtain illegally and doing so led them to a complete file corruption:
If you’re looking for specific software to download securely, make sure you visit legitimate and official sources only. We strongly recommend visiting official software developer’s website and downloading your desired program from there. The price of software licenses is always lower than hefty ransom amounts that cybercriminals demand. In other words, do not risk losing all of your files by trying to download illegal copyright-protected material online as this is also an illegal thing to do.
Ransomware-type viruses are also actively distributed via email spam campaigns. The attackers tend to attach DOCX, XLS, PDF format files to such emails and urge the victim to open them and reply to the email as soon as possible. Some of the reg flags that signal about potentially malicious email are:
Geek’s Advice team experts recommend avoiding emails that you did not expect to receive. It can be hard to identify malicious emails especially if you’re not an expert, but our suggestion is to use common sense and avoid opening links or attachments that come with emails you did not wait for. Do not let your curiosity take over and trick you into opening a surprise email. This can only lead to sad consequences such as complete corruption of your files, installation of various malware and so on.
Lastly, we’d like to warn you that operators of other ransomware strains have been noticed uploading fake STOP/DJVU decryption tools to shady websites and luring victims into downloading a second payload. In other words, fake decryption tools can deliver you second virus on your computer and cause double-encryption of your files. ZORAB ransomware is one of such threats that is known for using this horrible distribution technique.
We present free ZZLA ransomware virus removal instructions for you to use. Do not forget that the safest way to remove malware from your computer is by running a trustworthy antivirus while in Safe Mode with Networking. In particular, our team recommends using INTEGO Antivirus, then scanning your system with RESTORO to repair virus damage on Windows OS files.
Once you safely remove ZZLA ransomware virus, you should take the following actions:
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Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system:
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ZZLA ransomware virus Removal Guidelines
Before you try to remove ZZLA ransomware virus virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, if you prefer a video version of the tutorial, check our guide How to Start Windows in Safe Mode on Youtube.
Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users
Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users
Now, you can search for and remove ZZLA ransomware virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable security program such as INTEGO Antivirus, which also includes data recovery software. For virus damage repair, consider using RESTORO.
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RESTORO is a unique PC Repair Tool which comes with an in-built Avira scan engine to detect and remove spyware/malware threats and uses a patented technology to repair virus damage. The software can repair damaged, missing or malfunctioning Windows OS files, corrupted DLLs, and more. The free version offers a scan that detects issues. To fix them, license key for the full software version must be purchased.
In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically.
Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users
Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users
After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won't be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future.
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It is reported that STOP/DJVU ransomware versions encrypt only the beginning 150 KB of each file to ensure that the virus manages to affect all files on the system. In some cases, the malicious program might skip some files at all. That said, we recommend testing this method on several big (>1GB) files first.
STOP/DJVU ransomware versions are grouped into old and new variants. ZZLA ransomware virus is considered the new STOP/DJVU variant, just like VYIA, QBAA, FOPA, VTYM, KQGS, XCBG, BPQD (find full list here). This means full data decryption is now possible only if you have been affected by offline encryption key. To decrypt your files, you will have to download Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP DJVU, a tool created and maintained by a genius security researcher Michael Gillespie.
Note! Please do not spam the security researcher with questions whether he can recover your files encrypted with online key - it is not possible.
In order to test the tool and see if it can decrypt ZZLA files, follow the given tutorial.
The ZZLA decryption tool might display several different messages after failed attempt to restore your files. You might receive one of the following messages:
Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [example ID]
This message typically means that there is no corresponding decryption key in the decryptor's database.
No key for New Variant online ID: [example ID]
Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible
This message informs that your files were encrypted with online key, meaning no one else has the same encryption/decryption key pair, therefore data recovery without paying the criminals is impossible.
Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]
This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future.
If you were informed that an offline key was used, but files could not be restored, it means that the offline decryption key isn't available yet. However, receiving this message is extremely good news, meaning that it might be possible to restore your ZZLA extension files in the future. It can take a few months until the decryption key gets found and uploaded to the decryptor. We recommend you to follow updates regarding the decryptable DJVU versions here. We strongly recommend backing up your encrypted data and waiting.
Victims of ZZLA ransomware virus should report the Internet crime incident to the official government fraud and scam website according to their country:
If you can't find an authority corresponding to your location on this list, we recommend using any search engine to look up "[your country name] report cyber crime". This should lead you to the right authority website. We also recommend staying away from third-party crime report services that are often paid. It costs nothing to report Internet crime to official authorities.
Another recommendation is to contact your country's or region’s federal police or communications authority.
You can only open ZZLA files if you have the decryption key, or if you were affected by offline encryption type.
To figure out whether you were affected by offline encryption, please go to C:/SystemID/PersonalID.txt and see if the string inside of it ends in t1. You can also try using Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP/DJVU.
Please follow the guidances provided by the official ZZLA decryption tools and believe what they say. If they say it is impossible to decrypt, it really is so. There is no magic tool or human capable of decrypting your files hiding somewhere. Encryption is a technique created to be nearly impossible to decrypt without a special private key (held by the criminals).
We advise scanning with anti-virus, anti-malware, malware removal tools or software like RESTORO to eliminate virus damage on the system. If you do not trust using a single tool, try running one after another. However, we do not recommend keeping several security programs on a computer at once as they can interfere with each other's work.
Beware of fake ZZLA decryption tools circulating around the web. Cyber criminals are uploading them to various shady websites, also might be promoting them via suspicious Youtube videos. These programs can infect your computer even more heavily (Trojans, miners, etc.). We suggest being extremely cautious around the web. If there will be an official STOP/DJVU decryption tool available, it will be widely discussed in public media.
Norbert Webb is the head of Geek’s Advice team. He is the chief editor of the website who controls the quality of content published. The man also loves reading cybersecurity news, testing new software and sharing his insights on them. Norbert says that following his passion for information technology was one of the best decisions he has ever made. “I don’t feel like working while I’m doing something I love.” However, the geek has other interests, such as snowboarding and traveling.
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