ZOLDON Crypter ransomware - How to remove

ZOLDON Crypter V3.0 or simply Zoldon is a ransomware virus first discovered and mentioned on Twitter by Malware on August 9, 2018. Zolton virus is a typical crypto demanding threat that locks the files and asks for a ransom. The only different feature is that Zoldon Crypter ransomware does not add the name extension to encrypted files, therefore, it is a bit harder for the victim to find out which files have been locked unless they try to open it. Apart from that, the ransom note states that if the victim will refuse to pay the hackers, all the data will be lost after 72 hours. Although there is no evidence if the virus has the possibility to actually delete encrypted files or it is just a scary message to push users to pay, we still advise taking action as soon as possible.

After dealing with so many types of malware 2-viruses team can recommend removing Zoldon Crypter ransomware as soon as you notice and not pay a dime because that does not guarantee the file recovery. If you want to learn more about what does Zoldon Crypter do and how does it spread, keep reading, but if you want to solve the issue as soon as possible simply skip to the removal part. If you came across this article just for your own curiosity, we advise reading the Ultimate Protection guide against Ransomware as well so you could prevent your computer from future Zolton infection.

What is Zoldon Crypter virus

Zoldon Crypter ransomware demonstrated typical crypto-extortionist features like KillRabbit, Winsecure, Predator or etc. It sneaks into the computer via spam email, runs malicious processes in the background, making itself persistent and rebooting each time after the system restarts, at the same time stopping your current antivirus and looking for potential files that it can encrypt. Once all done it quickly runs the AES cipher encryption on the targeted data and drops ransom note so that the victim knows what happened to their computer.

The only way Zolton virus can benefit from victims is the ransom you pay, therefore the message they show you is specifically designed to look as scary as possible. Zolton displays two ransom notes called: DesktopZoldon.txt and Zoldon.txt, which have failed to open during the testing, yet the lock screen provided enough information to know what is the crooks behind Zoldon Crypter want:

Alert: Your computer and Files are encrypted By Zoldon Virus
$ 150 within 24 hours. $ 400 after 24 hours

— the Write down the this information —
Email: [email protected]
———————— ——————————–
How to the Remove the virus?
The send the payment of After the Bitcoin to the Address,
the send Email to a [[email protected] ] the Containing Your Machine ID
Once payment is the Received you will of the get the decryption password and simple instructions to the restore all your files is normal and computer to instantly
Without the decryption password you will not get them back .

If we do not reach the amount within 72 hours
Will of all the publish for We the contents The of your device on the of Internet
————————————– ——————
the IF YOU LOOSE THIS INFO YOU WILL  NOT BE ABLE TO CONTACT US
—
Bitcoin the Address: 1AHhnEDuHS1AFkSdcq3nQRZEPHs1QECAtv
Machine ID: [unique ID]

Hackers provided their email and crypto wallet address expecting that the victim will get panicky and will send the Bitcoins ($150 = BTC 0,023 ) right after the infection, not wanting to pay almost twice ($400=BTC 0,061) as much a day later or lose their files completely. The reason why hackers ask for money in Bitcoins is that cryptocurrency allows them to stay anonymous. However, because the Zoldon virus developers stay unknown, there is no liability and proof that they will give you your decryption key, that is why paying is not an option. You can learn more about ransomware working principles Here.

How do you get infected with Zoldon Crypter ransomware

There are plenty of ways how Zoldon could have gotten into your PC, and only you may know where did your computer Security failed, but the most common way that is very popular amongst ransomware viruses is spreading via malspam emails. These bogus emails are socially engineered by crooks depending on your workplace, age, system data, Location. They can look so real that even the most cautious users can become victims and open the malware containing attachment or hyperlink, thinking that it is a real file. Crooks write a short message saying that they attach the invoice, check, resume, health data, document, bank statement, invitation or etc. and you have to open it to see more details.

This technique is the most popular because ransomware viruses are designed to infect not only home users but institutions like banks, hospitals or etc. and since employees usually can’t download malicious programs or visit shady websites from their corporate computers, hackers can find the way in through email. Furthermore, other distribution methods require more technical knowledge, which not all cyber crooks have. But of course, there are many ways how virus like Zoldon Crypter can infect your PC, and you can read about them Here.  Additionally as VirusTotal.com scan demonstrated the main Zoldon ransomware file was installed as Bitcoin Miner Pro V3.1.exe.

How to remove Zoldon virus

Before any recovery of the damaged files or using the computer normally, you have to get rid of the Zoldon ransomware first. No matter what the ransom note says and that files can only be saved if you pay the crooks, it is the opposite and you should never trust hackers ever. Take a look at This article about victims who paid the ransom but did not get their files back. Clearly, the best method of solving the Zoldon Crypter infection is to handle the situation yourself and delete the crypto-demanding virus.

The best and fastest tools for Zoldon Crypter malware elimination are Spyhunter and Malwarebytes. These anti-malware programs have been in the market for years, having their features altered and perfected so now they can be called one of the best and most sophisticated. The benefits of having such programs are that you can fully trust the removal of dangerous malware to them and not worry afterward if there are still leftovers of the virus inside or more threats hiding in the infected PC. Spyhunter and Malwarebytes are great because they are very easy to use and detect malware like Zoldon virus even in the smallest corners of your system. You can surely pick other malware removal tools but be careful of the Fake antiviruses.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to manually remove Zoldon ransomware and unlock the files

Removing Zoldon Crypter virus without a program is possible, but it is not as easy. For that, we have prepared special instructions below, which should guide you through the process of getting rid of the notorious ransomware. Please take a look and if you do not feel confident doing this yourself, as we mentioned above it is the best to trust the virtual Zoldon virus to the professional anti-spyware tool, which is designed to handle such computer programs.

As for the encrypted files, the removal of Zoldon is not going to unlock the data, yet it is an absolutely necessary step if you do want to restore your files. There are plenty of Decryptors out there and cyber scientists are creating one for Zoldon too, yet it is still not available at the moment. Meanwhile, you can try recovering encrypted data with Shadow Volume Snapshots or special file restore tools, which we also mention below in our instructions. If nothing works at the moment, do not rush to delete everything and simply keep the locked files stored, until the decryptor will be released.

How to recover ZOLDON Crypter ransomware encrypted files and remove the virus

Step 1. Restore system into last known good state using system restore

1. Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt:

for Windows 7 / Vista/ XP

• Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
• Press F8 key repeatedly until Advanced Boot Options window appears.
• Choose Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

for Windows 8 / 10

• Press Power at Windows login screen. Then press and hold Shift key and click Restart.
• Choose Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Settings and click Restart.
• When it loads, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the list of Startup Settings.

 

2.Restore System files and settings.

• When Command Prompt mode loads, enter cd restore and press Enter.
• Then enter rstrui.exe and press Enter again.
• Click “Next” in the windows that appeared.
• Select one of the Restore Points that are available before Zoldon has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Zoldon Crypter

After restoring your system, it is recommended to scan your computer with an anti-malware program, like Spyhunter and remove all malicious files related to Zoldon Crypter V3. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Zoldon Crypter V3.0 affected files using Shadow Volume Copies

If you do not use System Restore option on your operating system, there is a chance to use shadow copy snapshots. They store copies of your files that point of time when the system restore snapshot was created. Usually ZOLDON Crypter ransomware tries to delete all possible Shadow Volume Copies, so this methods may not work on all computers. However, it may fail to do so. Shadow Volume Copies are only available with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. There are two ways to retrieve your files via Shadow Volume Copy. You can do it using native Windows Previous Versions or via Shadow Explorer. a) Native Windows Previous Versions Right-click on an encrypted file and select Properties → Previous versions tab. Now you will see all available copies of that particular file and the time when it was stored in a Shadow Volume Copy. Choose the version of the file you want to retrieve and click Copy if you want to save it to some directory of your own, or Restore if you want to replace existing, encrypted file. If you want to see the content of file first, just click Open.

b) Shadow Explorer It is a program that can be found online for free. You can download either a full or a portable version of Shadow Explorer. Open the program. On the left top corner select the drive where the file you are looking for is a stored. You will see all folders on that drive. To retrieve a whole folder, right-click on it and select “Export”. Then choose where you want it to be stored.

Step 4. Use Data Recovery programs to recover Zoldon encrypted files

There are several data recovery programs that might recover encrypted files as well. This does not work in all cases but you can try this:

• We suggest using another PC and connect the infected hard drive as slave. It is still possible to do this on infected PC though.
• Download a data recovery program.
• Install and scan for recently deleted files.

Note: In many cases it is impossible to restore data files affected by modern ransomware. Thus I recommend using decent cloud backup software as precaution. We recommend checking out Carbonite, BackBlaze, CrashPlan or Mozy Home.