What is Ygkz file extension
.Ygkz file extension is an extension that is used by a new variant of STOP ransomware. The ‘Ygkz’ variant is very similar in its characteristics to other variants of this ransomware. It encrypts files on the victim’s computer and renames the encrypted files by adding the extension ‘ygkz’. For example, a file named “image.jpg” will be renamed to “image.jpg.ygkz”. These encrypted files can only be decrypted with a key and a decryptor. The criminals behind this virus demand payment in bitcoins in exchange for the key and decryptor. Fortunately, there is a free decryptor. It allows everyone to decrypt files that have been affected with any version of STOP (Djvu) ransomware, including ‘Ygkz’ variant. Scroll down to find out more about the decryptor, where to download it and how to use it to decrypt .ygkz files.
Screenshot of files encrypted by Ygkz virus (‘.ygkz’ file extension)
What is Ygkz ransomware
Ygkz ransomware is the 281th version of STOP (Djvu) ransomware. The behavior of this variant and the methods of its distribution are similar to other variants of STOP (Djvu). As before, the cybercriminals use adware, crack, activators and torrents web-sites to spread this ransomware. Upon execution, Ygkz virus encrypts all files on the victim’s computer. This means that files on all drives connected to the computer will be encrypted. Files located on external devices, such as files on a flash drive and cloud storage, can also be encrypted.
Each file is encrypted using a strong encryption algorithm and a long key. The virus can use two types of encryption keys: online keys and offline keys. The security researchers found that if Ygkz virus could establish a connection to its command-and-control (C&C) server before encrypting the files, then the key obtained from it is used, this key is called ‘online key’. Such a key is unique for each infection, which means that the key for decrypting files from one victim is not suitable for decrypting files from another victim. If Ygkz could not establish a connection with the C&C server, then it uses an encryption key, which is the same for all cases of infection. This type of key is called ‘offline key’.
The Ygkz virus tries to encrypt as many files as possible, so it doesn’t encrypt the entire file, but only its small first part, 154 kilobytes long. Because of this, it becomes possible to recover the contents of large encrypted zip archives. It is enough just to rename the encrypted file by removing the ‘.ygkz’ extension, and then unzip the resulting file. Perhaps the first file in the archive will be damaged, but all the rest will be fine.
In the process of encryption, the virus skips files, that is, leaves them in their original state if:
- files are located in the Windows system directories
- files have the extension .bat, .sys, .dll, .lnk, .ini
- files are named ‘_readme.txt’
All other files will be encrypted. That is, the contents of the following common file types can be encrypted:
.wbc, .wot, .iwi, .vpp_pc, .hkx, .raf, .pem, .sb, .dng, .bc7, .jpeg, .wsc, .png, .pak, .xls, .m3u, .zip, .sid, .xdl, .wmv, .bkp, .wsh, .litemod, .raw, .jpg, .bar, .w3x, .xll, .pptx, .wps, .erf, .esm, .wp, .0, .ncf, .wma, .sr2, .bay, .xar, .wpl, .psk, .mddata, .zi, .wotreplay, .srw, .snx, .xld, .rtf, .xwp, .wcf, .yml, .rofl, .dmp, .qdf, .sql, .crw, .sidn, .xlsx, .ibank, .r3d, .syncdb, .fos, .menu, .z, .z3d, .mpqge, .py, .sis, .wbd, .wmo, .wri, .fsh, .iwd, .mdbackup, .wmd, .rb, .odt, .xdb, .xbdoc, .xlsm, .rim, .wbm, .txt, .map, .xlsm, .wpt, .wps, .db0, .vtf, .wav, .pdd, .xf, .hvpl, .ybk, .rwl, .pdf, .itdb, .wb2, .psd, .kdb, .mrwref, wallet, .t13, .xx, .das, .lrf, .x, .wp4, .2bp, .wpw, .x3f, .bik, .wpb, .ntl, .dbf, .mdf, .crt, .wpd, .lvl, .wmv, .3fr, .p7c, .wgz, .ptx, .zdc, .vfs0, .rw2, .mdb, .xlsb, .lbf, .wpa, .3dm, .dwg, .sidd, .wma, .odp, .gho, .wpg, .pkpass, .xls, .ztmp, .cer, .asset, .jpe, .indd, .bc6, .hplg, .wmf, .xxx, .d3dbsp, .wm, .1, .desc, .wpe, .xlk, .wp5, .orf, .cr2, .dazip, .big, .p12, .sie, .bkf, .pfx, .zw, .der, .wp7, .itl, .y, .srf, .xy3, .flv, .1st, .rgss3a, .wp6, .xyw, .webp, .ysp, .pptm, .wdb, .docx, .xlsx, .dcr, .blob, .mcmeta, .xpm, .vcf, .cdr, .wdp, .wire, .p7b, .nrw, .tor, .arw, .js, .ff, .odm, .ws, .ai, .tax, .avi, .doc, .zif, .cfr, .ltx, .vpk, .xml, .eps, .epk, .slm, .re4, .qic, .m2
As we said above, each encrypted file will be renamed, the encrypted file will be given a new name according to the following pattern: ‘oldname.ygkz’. In all directories where there is at least one encrypted file, the Ygkz virus drops a file with the name ‘_readme.txt’. A sample of the contents of this file is shown in the image below.
Screenshot of the contents of ‘_readme.txt’ file (ransom note)
Criminals use this file to demand ransom from victims of Ygkz virus. The message said that the victim’s files were encrypted with a strong algorithm and a key. The ransomware authors demand a ransom in exchange for a key and a decryptor. The ransom is $490 and must be paid within 72 hours. If the victim does not pay it during this time, the ransom increases to $980. Attackers offer to decrypt one file for free, but this file should be small in size and not contain any important information. Of course, decryption of one file cannot guarantee that after paying the ransom the victim will be able to recover files affected with the virus.
Threat Summary
| Name | Ygkz virus, Ygkz ransomware |
| Type | File locker, Crypto virus, Ransomware, Crypto malware, Filecoder |
| Encrypted files extension | .ygkz |
| Ransom note | _readme.txt |
| Contact | helpteam@mail.ch, helpmanager@mail.ch |
| Ransom amount | $980, $490 in Bitcoins |
| Detection Names | Gen:Variant.Midie.79167, Trojan/Win32.Agent.C4330972, Trojan.Ransom.Stop, Win32:DropperX-gen [Drp], W32/Kryptik.DEX.gen!Eldorado, A Variant Of Win32/Kryptik.HJJH, UDS:DangerousObject.Multi.Generic, HEUR:Exploit.Win32.Shellcode.gen |
| Symptoms | Cannot open files stored on the computer. Your documents, photos and music now have a odd extension. Your file directories contain a ‘ransom note’ file that is usually a .html, .jpg or .txt file. Ransom note displayed on your desktop. |
| Distribution methods | Spam or phishing emails that are developed to get people to open an attachment or click on a link. Drive-by downloads from a compromised webpage. Social media, like web-based instant messaging programs. Remote desktop protocol (RDP) hacking. |
| Removal | Ygkz ransomware removal guide |
| Decryption | Ygkz File Decrypt Tool |
Text presented in the Ygkz ransomnote:
ATTENTION!
Don’t worry, you can return all your files!
All your files like pictures, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.
What guarantees you have?
You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.
You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:
hxxps://we.tl/t-neB7tZSBy8
Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that’s price for you is $490.
Please note that you’ll never restore your data without payment.
Check your e-mail “Spam” or “Junk” folder if you don’t get answer more than 6 hours.To get this software you need write on our e-mail:
helpteam@mail.chReserve e-mail address to contact us:
helpmanager@airmail.ccYour personal ID:
Security researchers confirm that Ygkz virus does indeed encrypt files, and also that a decryptor and a key are required to decrypt them. Fortunately, there is a free decryptor created by EmsiSoft. This decryptor is capable of decrypting files encrypted by viruses from the STOP (Djvu) ransomware family. The only limitation is that this decryptor only decrypts files encrypted with an offline key, if the files are encrypted with an online key, then decryption is not yet possible. In addition to the decryptor, there are several other ways to recover encrypted files (these ways are described below), besides the most obvious one – it is recovering files from backups.
Quick Links
- What is Ygkz file extension
- What is Ygkz ransomware
- How to remove Ygkz ransomware virus
- How to decrypt .ygkz files
- How to restore .ygkz files
- How to protect your PC from Ygkz ransomware
How to remove Ygkz ransomware virus
You need to remove the Ygkz ransomware virus and its autostart entries before proceeding to decrypt or restore encrypted files. This must be done since otherwise the ransomware may re-encrypt the restored files. You can stop the ransomware from working, as it is not difficult to do. Another option is to perform a full system scan using free malware removal tools capable of detecting and removing ransomware infection.
It is very important to scan the computer for malware, as security researchers found that spyware could be installed on the infected computer along with the Ygkz ransomware. Spyware is a very dangerous security threat as it is designed to steal the user’s personal information such as passwords, logins, contact details, etc. If you have any difficulty removing the Ygkz virus, then let us know in the comments, we will try to help you.
To remove Ygkz ransomware, follow the steps below:
- Kill Ygkz process
- Disable Ygkz Start-Up
- Delete Ygkz Task
- Remove Ygkz virus
- Scan computer for malware
Kill Ygkz process
Press CTRL, ALT, DEL keys together.
Click Task Manager. Select the “Processes” tab, look for something suspicious that is the Ygkz ransomware then right-click it and select “End Task” or “End Process” option. If your Task Manager does not open or the Windows reports “Task manager has been disabled by your administrator”, then follow the guide: How to Fix Task manager has been disabled by your administrator.
Kill Ygkz process
It is not difficult to detect a process related to the Ygkz ransomware. When looking for a malicious process, pay attention to the process icon and its name. Most often, this ransomware has a process name in the following format: 4-characters.tmp.exe or 4-characters.exe. For example: 7533.tmp.exe, A4b1.exe, CD15.tmp.exe, 19b2.exe. The process name can also contain “(32 bit)”. If you do not find a process with a similar name in the list of processes, then most likely the Ygkz ransomware has finished working. But keep in mind, if you do not remove the ransomware autostart entries, as demonstrated below, and do not delete its file, then after a while it may start again, and if it finds unencrypted files, immediately encrypt them.
Disable Ygkz Start-Up
Select the “Start-Up” tab, look for something similar to the one shown in the example below, right click to it and select Disable.
Disable Ygkz start-up
Close Task Manager.
Delete Ygkz Task
Type “Task Scheduler” in the search bar. Click Task Scheduler app in the search results. Click “Task Scheduler Library” in the left panel. On the right panel, right-click to “Time Trigger Task” and select Delete.
Delete Ygkz task
Close Task Scheduler.
Remove Ygkz virus
Run Task Manager and select the “Start-Up” tab. Right click to the Ygkz ransomware Start-Up entry and select Open File Location as shown below.
Open Ygkz folder
A directory containing one file will open in front of you, this file is the Ygkz virus. It needs to be removed. If you try to delete it immediately, then you will not succeed, since this file is protected from deletion.
Ygkz is protected from removal
To delete this file, you need to do the following. Right-click on the file, select Properties. In the window that opens, select Security tab. Next, click the Advanced button below. A window will open as shown in the following example.
Click Disable inheritance. In the Block inheritance dialog box that opens, select the first item (Convert inherited permissions…) as shown below.
In the Permission entries list, select “Deny Everyone”, click Remove button and then OK. Close the file properties window. You should now be able to remove the Ygkz ransomware File. Right-click on the file and select Delete.
Scan computer for malware
Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) can detect all kinds of malware, including ransomware, as well as a variety of Trojans, viruses and rootkits. After the detection of the Ygkz virus, you can easily and quickly remove it.
Zemana AntiMalware can be downloaded from the following link. Save it on your Windows desktop or in any other place.
164025 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
When the download is complete, close all applications and windows on your PC system. Double-click the install file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as displayed below, click the “Yes” button.
It will open the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Zemana on your computer. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
Once installation is done successfully, Zemana will automatically start and you can see its main screen as displayed below.
Now press the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the Ygkz ransomware virus, other malicious software, worms and trojans. A system scan may take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your computer.
Once Zemana has completed scanning your computer, the results are displayed in the scan report. In order to remove all items, simply press “Next” button. The Zemana Anti Malware will delete Ygkz crypto malware, other malicious software, worms and trojans. Once the clean-up is done, you may be prompted to reboot the computer.
In order to be 100% sure that the computer no longer has the Ygkz virus, we recommend using the Kaspersky virus removal tool (KVRT). It is a free removal utility that can be downloaded and use to uninstall crypto virus, adware software, spyware, trojans, worms, PUPs, malicious software and other security threats from your computer. You may use this utility to detect threats even if you have an antivirus or any other security program.
Download Kaspersky virus removal tool by clicking on the following link.
129054 downloads
Author: Kaspersky® lab
Category: Security tools
Update: March 5, 2018
When downloading is complete, double-click on the KVRT icon. Once initialization process is complete, you will see the Kaspersky virus removal tool screen as shown in the following example.
Click Change Parameters and set a check near all your drives. Click OK to close the Parameters window. Next click Start scan button for scanning your computer for the Ygkz ransomware virus . This procedure can take some time, so please be patient. While the Kaspersky virus removal tool is checking, you can see number of objects it has identified either as being malware.
Once KVRT has finished scanning your computer, it will show a scan report such as the one below.
Review the results once the utility has complete the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply press on Continue to start a cleaning process.
How to decrypt .ygkz files
Files with the extension ‘.ygkz’ are encrypted files. In other words, the contents of these files are locked. Their contents cannot be read even if you rename files or change their extension. As we reported above, there is a free decryptor, which is created by Emsisoft. This decryptor allows everyone to decrypt .ygkz files.
Ygkz File Decrypt Tool (STOP Djvu decryptor)
To decrypt .ygkz files, use Ygkz File Decrypt Tool
- Download Ygkz File Decrypt Tool from the following link.
STOP Djvu decryptor - Scroll down to ‘New Djvu ransomware’ section.
- Click the download link and save the ‘decrypt_STOPDjvu.exe’ file to your desktop.
- Run decrypt_STOPDjvu.exe, read the license terms and instructions.
- On the ‘Decryptor’ tab, using the ‘Add a folder’ button, add the directory or disk where the encrypted files are located.
- Click the ‘Decrypt’ button.
Ygkz File Decrypt Tool is a free software that is able to decrypt files encrypted with an offline key. Files encrypted with an online key cannot yet be decrypted. The online key is unique to each infected computer, and at the moment there is no way to obtain this key. Of course, the authors of Ygkz virus own this key, but we do not think that paying a ransom is the right way to decrypt .ygkz files. In the case when the files are encrypted with an online key, there is a chance to restore the encrypted files using alternative methods, which are described below.
How to find out which key was used to encrypt files
Since Ygkz File Decrypt Tool only decrypts files encrypted with the offline key, each Ygkz’s victim needs to find out which key was used to encrypt the files. Determining the type of key used is not difficult. Below we give two ways. Use any of them.
Personal ID is highlighted here
Find out the type of key using ‘_readme.txt’ file
- Open the ransom demand message (‘_readme.txt’ file).
- Scroll down to the end of the file.
- There you will see a line with the text ‘Your personal ID’.
- Below is a line of characters that starts with ‘0281’ – this is your personal id.
Find out the type of key using ‘PersonalID.txt’ file
- Open disk C.
- Open directory ‘SystemID’.
- Open file named ‘PersonalID.txt’. This file lists ‘Personal ID’s that match the keys that the virus used to encrypt files.
The ‘Personal ID’ is not a key, it is an identifier related to a key that was used to encrypt files. If the ID ends with ‘t1’, then the files are encrypted with an offline key. If the ID does not end with ‘t1’, Ygkz ransomware virus used an online key. If you could not figure out how to determine which key was used to encrypt files, then we can help. Just write a request here or in the comments below.
Ygkz File Decrypt Tool : “No key for New Variant online ID”
If, when you try to decrypt .ygkz files, Ygkz File Decrypt Tool reports:
No key for New Variant online ID: *
Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible
It means that your files are encrypted with an ‘online key’ and their decryption is impossible, since only the Ygkz authors have the key necessary for decryption. In this case, you need to use alternative methods listed below to restore the contents of encrypted files.
Ygkz File Decrypt Tool : “No key for New Variant offline ID”
If, during decryption of .ygkz files, Ygkz File Decrypt Tool reports:
No key for New Variant offline ID: *t1
Notice: this ID appears be an offline ID, decryption MAY be possible in the future.
It means the following: your files are encrypted with an ‘offline key’, but the key itself has not yet been obtained by security researchers, in this case, you need to be patient and wait a while, in addition, you can also use alternative ways for recovering encrypted data.
If for some reason you were unable to decrypt the encrypted files, then We recommend to follow the news on our Facebook or YouTube channels. So you ‘ll know right away that it ‘s possible to decrypt .ygkz files.
This video step-by-step guide will demonstrate How to remove Ygkz ransomware, Decrypt/Recover .ygkz encrypted files.
How to restore .ygkz files
If all your files are encrypted with an online key, or the Ygkz File Decrypt Tool cannot decrypt the encrypted files, then you only have one thing left, use alternative methods to restore the contents of the encrypted files. There are several alternative methods that may allow you to restore the contents of encrypted files. However, if you have not tried the free decryptor, then try it first by following step 2 of this instruction, and then return here.
Alternative methods of file recovery do not use decryption, so there is no need for a key and decryptor. Before you begin, you must be 100% sure that the computer does not have active ransomware. Therefore, if you have not yet checked your computer for ransomware, do it right now, use free malware removal tools or return to step 1 above.
Restore .ygkz files with ShadowExplorer
A free tool named ShadowExplorer is a simple solution to use the ‘Previous Versions’ feature of MS Windows 10 (8, 7 , Vista). You can recover your documents, photos, and music encrypted by Ygkz ransomware from Shadow Copies for free. Unfortunately, this method does not always work due to the fact that the ransomware almost always deletes all Shadow copies.
ShadowExplorer can be downloaded from the following link. Save it on your Desktop.
438652 downloads
Author: ShadowExplorer.com
Category: Security tools
Update: September 15, 2019
When the downloading process is done, open a directory in which you saved it. Right click to ShadowExplorer-0.9-portable and select Extract all. Follow the prompts. Next please open the ShadowExplorerPortable folder as displayed below.
Run the ShadowExplorer tool and then select the disk (1) and the date (2) that you wish to recover the shadow copy of file(s) encrypted by the Ygkz ransomware as displayed on the screen below.
Now navigate to the file or folder that you want to recover. When ready right-click on it and press ‘Export’ button as displayed below.
This video step-by-step guide will demonstrate How to recover encrypted files using Shadow Explorer.
Recover .ygkz files with PhotoRec
There is another, unfortunately the last, way to recover the contents of encrypted files. This method is based on using data recovery tools. We recommend using a tool called PhotoRec. It has all the necessary functions and is completely free.
Download PhotoRec by clicking on the link below. Save it on your Windows desktop or in any other place.
When the download is finished, open a directory in which you saved it. Right click to testdisk-7.0.win and select Extract all. Follow the prompts. Next please open the testdisk-7.0 folder as displayed on the screen below.
Double click on qphotorec_win to run PhotoRec for Windows. It will show a screen as displayed in the following example.
Select a drive to recover as displayed in the figure below.
You will see a list of available partitions. Select a partition that holds encrypted personal files as shown in the following example.
Click File Formats button and specify file types to recover. You can to enable or disable the restore of certain file types. When this is complete, click OK button.
Next, press Browse button to select where restored documents, photos and music should be written, then click Search. We strongly recommend that you save the recovered files to an external drive.
Count of restored files is updated in real time. All recovered files are written in a folder that you have selected on the previous step. You can to access the files even if the recovery process is not finished.
When the restore is done, click on Quit button. Next, open the directory where restored files are stored. You will see a contents as displayed in the following example.
All restored personal files are written in recup_dir.1, recup_dir.2 … sub-directories. If you are searching for a specific file, then you can to sort your recovered files by extension and/or date/time.
This video step-by-step guide will demonstrate How to recover encrypted files using PhotoRec.
How to protect your PC system from Ygkz ransomware
Most antivirus apps already have built-in protection system against the ransomware. Therefore, if your device does not have an antivirus application, make sure you install it. As an extra protection, use the HitmanPro.Alert. All-in-all, HitmanPro.Alert is a fantastic tool to protect your PC from any ransomware. If ransomware is detected, then HitmanPro.Alert automatically neutralizes malware and restores the encrypted files. HitmanPro.Alert is compatible with all versions of Microsoft Windows OS from Windows XP to Windows 10.
Installing the HitmanPro.Alert is simple. First you will need to download HitmanPro.Alert by clicking on the following link.
After downloading is finished, open the directory in which you saved it. You will see an icon like below.
Double click the HitmanPro.Alert desktop icon. Once the utility is started, you will be shown a window where you can choose a level of protection, like below.
Now click the Install button to activate the protection.
To sum up
We have created this guide to help the ransomware victims. In this manual, you will find answers to the most important questions: how to remove Ygkz virus, how to decrypt .ygkz files, what are the alternative ways to recover files encrypted by a virus. Also, this guide contains a link to the Ygkz File Decrypt Tool and a video demonstrating the process of decrypting files.
If you have questions, then write to us, leaving a comment below. If you need more help with Ygkz related issues, go to here.
Hi .. I have ygkz virus and I deleted .but my failed stil lock .. and Id offline.. what can I do ?? .. and If I format the c is it go
Today, the only way to recover files is to use ShadowExplorer and PhotoRec. Follow the news on our YouTube/Facebook channels, as it becomes possible to decrypt files, we will inform you about it.
Bonsoir,
J’ai utilise la méthode de shadow explorer et ainsi récupérer mes fichiers qui étaient en ygkz des que j’ai exporté sur mon bureau le fichier est bien format d’origine (MP4) mais malheureusement quand je Louvre la musique ne se lance pas et m’indique une erreur une solution et ceux pour tous mes autres fichier jpg docx etc
Une solution ? Merci d’avance
First of all, I strongly advise against restoring files to a disk containing encrypted files.
Second, is this a problem only with mp4 format files?
if i unplug the hardisk from the computer and destroy it, did the virus still corrupting all the files and send information that collected in my hard disk to the cybercriminals? i was giving up because this virus is so confusing
if i reset all my data and back to original windows, did the viruses wiped out too? or it still same like before i reset all my data? thanks in advance
Of course, formatting the disk and reinstalling the Windows OS will completely remove the Ygkz virus, but this will not help recover encrypted files.
ok thanks for your attention
if i try to move the infected file to a flashdisk and open it to another pc, does the virus infected the pc i’ve plugged the flashdisk? my intention to move the file to flashdisk is im trying to decrypt the file in uninfected pc so the file can be opened like it was should be.
BUT the file seems to be encrypted by online key, so that means impossible at all?
thanks in advance.
first remove the virus by following the steps above
please find a solution on the online variant my school works is in the line still trying the steps you say
If your files are encrypted with an online key, then you have a small chance to recover the files, try ShadowExplorer and PhotoRec
hey whatsup my id is online what shall i do
If the files are encrypted with an online key, then you have a small chance to recover the files, try ShadowExplorer and PhotoRec
I tried all the methods that are described on several tutorials (including this one).
I also paid some money a guy (from Instagram) who claimed that he can decrypt my files without the Unique Key that he should use.
Nothing worked.
So… I decide to paid the the hackers who encrypted my files (with bitcoins) and they sent me the decrypter and the key.
Just for the records= Nobody paid me to say my story. I saw several fake profiles who promote hackers or genious on PC. Well, I am not a fake profile as you see. I don’t promote anyone who will say that “I can decrypt your files for you”, because he will take money and do nothing!
My files were very important for me and finally I pay in order to have them back. And I have my files back.