ZQQW ransomware functions as a virtual extortion tool – it makes files inaccessible by securing them with military-grade encryption algorithms, then makes them distinguishable by appending additional file extension, and lastly it drops a ransom note in every folder to inform the victim about what happened. In fact, the ransomware only encrypts the very first 150 KB of each file which is enough to corrupt them. However, this also allows to restore certain file formats with small data loss at the beginning of the file as explained in this decryption guide. The ransom note explains that ransomware authors have taken victim’s files hostage and demand paying a ransom for their decryption. This computer virus is designed to save the infection timestamp on victim’s computer and also send it to criminals’ Command&Control server. Starting from this timestamp, the victim has 72 hours (3 days) to contact the criminals via given emails and pay the ransom. If the victim manages to do so, the ZQQW decryption price will be $490 in Bitcoin. However, if the victim fails to set up an agreement with virtual extortionists, the ransom price will be $980. Of course, the attackers demand paying the specified amount in cryptocurrency as this helps to preserve their anonymity. Geek’s Advice team as well as FBI do not recommend paying ransoms to cybercriminals, even if it seems like the only way out. Some of the arguments why you shouldn’t pay up are listed below.

Cybercriminals are simply not trustworthy, therefore you shouldn’t believe in anything they promise you. They cannot be traced down in any way, so even if they don’t provide you with decryption tools after you pay, there’s nothing you can do to get your money back.Ransomware-type viruses earn millions of US dollars to malevolent actors each year. This lures other people to join this illegal business and helps criminals to expand their reach easily. Please, do not fund these illegal activities with your hard-earned money.Paying a ransom might be considered an illegal act in your country.Viruses that belong to STOP/DJVU ransomware family such as ZQQW virus run AZORULT Trojan on the infected computer. This is a well-known information stealer which can be remotely controlled by the attacker to perform illegal actions on victim’s PC.

Ransomware infection explained: what has been done to your system?

ZQQW ransomware aims to encrypt your files, but before it does this, it launches a fake Windows update prompt (winupdate.exe process) to pretend like the sudden system slowdown is caused by ongoing system updates. In the meantime, it starts scanning target directories and encrypting all files found in them. The malware then continues by deleting Volume Shadow Copies from the system by running the following command via CMD: vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet This ensures that the victim won’t be able to revert the damage by using System Restore Points. Next, the malware alters Windows HOSTS file by adding a list of website names to it and mapping them to localhost IP. This ensures that the victim will run into DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error while trying to access any of these via web browser. It is believed that ransomware operators seek to ban certain websites so that the victim couldn’t find relevant information provided by them that would help to cope with the attack consequences. Finally, the ransomware saves bowsakkdestx.txt file which holds the public encryption key and victim’s personal ID string and also saves PersonalID.txt file that contains only the victim’s ID. You can see an example of such file down below. Despite ruining all of victim’s files, the ransomware operators still do not think there’s enough damage, so they also drop a information stealer on the system. This Trojan is called AZORULT and it can be used to remotely perform various tasks on victim’s computer, such as:

Download more malware to the computer and running it;Steal login credentials from programs such as Steam, Telegram and others;View or delete files from victim’s computer;Steal cryptocurrency wallets;Steal browser cookies, saved passwords, browsing history and more.

Considering the damage caused by this malware, we recommend that you remove ZQQW ransomware virus from your system as soon as possible. For that, you might want to use anti-malware software of your choice. Additionally, we suggest using RESTORO to repair virus damage on Windows OS files and clean up malware remains.

Ransomware Summary

Ransomware distribution tricks you should beware of

Viruses that fall into ransomware category are usually distributed via malicious email attachments, illegal torrent downloads or fake cracking tools. Cybersecurity experts have already noticed that STOP/DJVU variants such as ZQQW file virus are usually downloaded along various illegal torrents. Many victims reported getting the payload along popular software cracks (Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, Cubase or Adobe Illustrator). In addition, some victims reported KMSPico versions as concealed ransomware infection sources. It seems that the cybercriminals target people who are looking for illegal ways to get paid software for free. These can be downloaded via various peer-to-peer sharing agents. Besides, one of the key factors that contributes to success of this distribution technique is that users are often willing to ignore security software warnings about such malicious downloads, thinking that these are simply false alarms regarding the existence of a ‘crack’. We strongly advise you to get legitimate software versions from confirmed sources only. If you don’t, you expose your computer to various risks. Even if it seems that the installation was successful and there is nothing to worry about, you might already be infected with silent malware such as cryptocurrency miner, rootkit or Trojan. Another well-known technique used for ransomware distribution is malicious email spam. Attachments added to such emails can be in the following formats: PDF, XLS, DOCX or others. They are designed to launch an attack on victim’s computer. It has been noticed that attackers often name these files as invoice/payment_information/important_notice or similarly. Moreover, you can identify a potential danger if you can feel an urgent tone in the message sent to you. For example, the message might ask you to view the attached contents and reply back as soon as possible. Our general recommendation is to avoid opening emails that you did not expect to receive and learn how to identify spoofed email address. STOP/DJVU ransomware victims should beware of a malware distribution technique aimed at them. It has been reported that cybercriminals from other ransomware gangs are uploading fake ZQQW decryption tools on deceptive websites in order to double-infect victims with other virus’ kinds. One of ransomware families that’s known for using such technique is called ZORAB.

Remove ZQQW Ransomware Virus and Decrypt .zqqw Files

The first and foremost thing we recommend doing now is securing your computer. Therefore, we suggest you to remove ZQQW ransomware virus using trustworthy anti-malware software of your choice. Additionally, we suggest scanning with RESTORO to remove malware remains and repair virus damage on Windows OS files. Once ZQQW ransomware virus removal is complete, take the following actions:

Inform your local authority resposible for handling Internet crime about this ransomware attack. You can find some references below the article.Use data backups to restore your files in case you have created them prior to the attack.Follow the given instructions to decrypt or repair files affected by STOP/DJVU versions.Change your passwords for sites saved in your browser. This is recommended due to the fact that Azorult Trojan is capable of stealing them. Do not forget to change Steam, Telegram and Skype passwords as well.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND 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: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here.

Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking

Before you try to remove ZQQW 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 ZQQW 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. For virus damage repair, consider using RESTORO.

Method 2. Use System Restore

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.

Alternative software recommendations

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense If you’re looking for an all-in-one system maintenance suite that has 7 core components providing powerful real-time protection, on-demand malware removal, system optimization, data recovery, password manager, online privacy protection and secure driver wiping technology. Therefore, due to its wide-range of capabilities, System Mechanic Ultimate Defense deserves Geek’s Advice approval. Get it now for 50% off. You may also be interested in its full review.

Disclaimer. This site includes affiliate links. We may earn a small commission by recommending certain products, at no additional cost for you. We only choose quality software and services to recommend.

Decrypt ZQQW files

Fix and open large ZQQW files easily:

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 decryption tool usage guide

STOP/DJVU ransomware versions are grouped into old and new variants. ZQQW ransomware virus is considered the new STOP/DJVU variant, just like BPTO, ISWR, ISZA, BPSM, ZOUU, MBTF, ZNSM (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 ZQQW files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The ZQQW 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 ZQQW 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 ZQQW ransomware virus should report the Internet crime incident to the official government fraud and scam website according to their country:

In the United States, go to the On Guard Online website.In Australia, go to the SCAMwatch website.In Germany, go to the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik website.In Ireland, go to the An Garda Síochána website.In New Zealand, go to the Consumer Affairs Scams website.In the United Kingdom, go to the Action Fraud website.In Canada, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.In India, go to Indian National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.In France, go to the Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information.

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.