The _readme.txt ransom notes will explain that MMUZ ransomware was able to encrypt all files (i.e. make them unreadable) contained in the infected computer. The affected files include all documents, pictures and every other data that may be very important to the victim. Furthermore, the cybercriminals will brag that since they made use of very strong and peculiar key, there is no way the victim could retrieve their files except they pay ransom as requested by them. To open a channel of communication, they will also drop two email addresses (support@sysmail.ch and supportsys@airmail.cc) which they expect the victim to use in responding to them. Also included in the ransom note are decryption service prices. The cybercriminals will also emphasize that the specific amount payable by the victim would depend on how soon they’re able to respond. Although the full ransom amount they often request for is $980, but they will tell the victim that only 50% of it could be acceptable provided they can pay within 3 days/72 hours of being notified. In other words, they would now be required to pay $490 but once 72 hours elapses, the ransom fee must be paid 100%. If the victim replies through any of the email they provided, more conditions will be announced. This time, they will state that payment can only be made by purchasing cryptocurrency that is equivalent to the ransom amount quoted in hard currency and same would be transferred to a particular wallet address that would be provided by them. They consider such an anonymous medium perfect for them since the transactions would remain untraceable. As a way of convincing the victim about their expertise in decrypting files, they may suggest that parts of the encrypted files be sent to them for test decryption. However, they will be quick to add that such parts must not contain any information that could be perceived as important to the victim. Nevertheless, our team of cybersecurity experts has advised that victims of ransomware should follow the guidelines stipulated by FBI when dealing with cybercriminals, and it clearly says NO TO RANSOM DEMAND. Some of the reasons put forward for such stance are listed below:

You’re unlikely to retrieve your encrypted files from them even after paying ransom.It is against the law to pay ransom to cybercriminals.When ransom is paid to cybercriminals, they become more emboldened to victimize others.

Although there are various other reasons why ransom must not be paid and each year, millions of dollars are extorted from victims but such would be curtailed if proactive measures are taken. Furthermore, this virus is also known for dropping Trojans that steal information like VIDAR and AZORULT which can covertly steal vital personal information such as software login credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, banking details, browsing history and passwords etc. Such sensitive details in the hands of cybercriminals could lead to more problems like theft or blackmail. For those whose computers were infiltrated by this STOP/DJVU variant should remove MMUZ ransomware virus as soon as its presence is noticed. The recommended way to go about it is to set up the infected computer in Safe Mode with Networking option before running antivirus software on it. However, to ensure the optimal result, only genuine and strong antivirus should be used such as INTEGO Antivirus (recommended by us) or any other similar one with proven efficacy. You should also consider downloading RESTORO which you can use to repair damages left by the virus on the Windows OS files.

Ransomware Summary

REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE

Ransomware Distribution Techniques Commonly used by Cybercriminals

The most common way through which STOP/DJVU ransomware variants including MMUZ virus are spread is through malicious online torrents. In this method, cybercriminals will embed malware on certain pirated software copies including the so-called key generators and “cracks”, which would then be uploaded to online torrent platforms. When such software contents are downloaded by unsuspecting users, they usually result in severe malware attack. Reports by victims over the years have shown that certain pirated software contents are often used by cybercriminals to lure their victims through online torrents platforms, as listed below:

KMSPico (illegal Windows activation tool).Fifa 20;Tenorshare 4ukey;AutoCad;Opera browser;Corel Draw;VMware Workstation;Cubase;Adobe Illustrator;League of Legends;Internet Download Manager;Adobe Photoshop.

For those that often go to online torrents platforms to download software content, this is a dangerous habit and you should desist from doing so. Cybercriminals are often hoping to prey on such people by encrypting their files once malware infiltrates their computer systems and use it for ransom purposes. Aside that, downloading pirated software copies is an act of infringement and is a punishable offense by law. Instead of engaging in such unwholesome practices, it is better to encourage legitimate and original software developers by getting the products through the legitimate channels endorsed by them. Remember that whatever price they request for their software copies will always be insignificant relative to the outrageous ransom fees often demanded by cybercriminals from their victims. Likewise, you won’t be at risk of losing your precious data. Another method of ransomware distribution exploited by cybercriminals is the use of malicious email attachments. In this method, cybercriminals usually create “real” looking messages that would be accompanied with documents crafted on platforms like XLS, DOCX or PDF. These particular ones are often used because they allow macro functions and JavaScript both of which can be used in downloading payload from one source to another where it would be triggered. Lastly, those that have already become victims of STOP/DJVU ransomware should avoid some suspicious websites that make bogus claims about offering decryption solutions. So far, only repair tools provided by DiskTuna and Emsisoft have proven to be effective and you can follow this link to understand how to use them. However, most other repair tools are fake and ineffective, and only intended to be used for ulterior purposes.

More details to know about the infection

If you’re among those that are often curious to know the extent to which their computer systems were affected during MMUZ ransomware attack, then this section would come handy. First of all, what the malware does at the onset is to launch build.exe or build2.exe executables as well as winupdate.exe. After that, it will make a connection with https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json and also save the result in geo.json file. Thereafter, the malware will begin information gathering of piece of information concerning your computer including its geolocation, zip code, time zone, latitude and longitude. Provided below is example of the geo.json file. It will also create another file named information.txt where it would save compiled computer’s hardware details, installed software and active processes list. At this stage, the virus will make a comparison between the country code is obtained from the computer and a list of countries they designated as encryption-exempted (Ukraine, Russian Federation, Syria, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazachstan, Belarus, and Uzbekistan). If it ascertains that such computer is domiciled in any of these countries, it will immediately abort its mission but if otherwise, it will move to the next level by fetching an online encryption key, which would be merged with the victim’s ID and saved in the bowsakkdestx.txt file and also to the PersonalID.txt file. Shown below are examples of these files. In situations whereby the virus couldn’t obtain an online encryption key that is usually kept in its server, it will automatically opt for the use of a hardcoded offline key. The major difference between both keys is that the online key is a more sophisticated and unique per victim while the offline version is uniform for all victims (it is preferable from the perspective of the victim since there is a high chance of .mmuz files decryption when it is used unlike online key). The presence of t1 characters appearing at the end of a victim’s ID is an indication that offline key was used. More information about this is provided below this article. At this juncture, the ransomware would commence full data encryption by scanning folders and encrypting them with Salsa20, before ultimately locking the encryption key using RSA-2048 key. While the process is still ongoing, the files will be marked with additional extension. Below is a screenshot of _readme.txt ransom note that is typically left in all the folders. Lastly, the virus will blacklist certain domain names in the Windows HOSTS file and also map them on localhost IP, which effectively bars the victim from having access to them. Any attempt by the victim to browse them will yield DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error message. The aim is to prevent the victim from getting any help online.

Remove MMUZ Ransomware Virus and Restore Your Files

If you have been infected with the described computer threat, now it is time to remove MMUZ ransomware virus. For this matter, we recommend booting your PC in Safe Mode with Networking. We have explained this in detail below. Moreover, do not recommend to use a robust antivirus solution, such as . There are certain steps victims are recommended to take aside from MMUZ ransomware virus removal as listed below.

Report to local law enforcement agency.Recover lost data using a backup drive.Learn possible ways STOP/DJVU files could be repaired.Change all passwords used on the infected computer.Download RESTORO to repair virus-infected operating system files.

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 MMUZ 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 MMUZ 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 MMUZ files

Fix and open large MMUZ 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. MMUZ 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 MMUZ files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The MMUZ 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 MMUZ 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 MMUZ 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.