'0000 File Extension' Ransomware

If you find '0000 File Extension' Ransomware on your system, you can be sure that all your important files have already been encrypted. This malicious program may be a new threat but it does have its roots. In fact, we have found that this threat belongs to the notorious CryptoMix Ransomware family that first emerged in March, 2016. Since then, several variants have hit the web, including Zayka Ransomware, Azer Ransomware, and Exte Ransomware. Fortunately, malware experts have found a way to decrypt this family and provided victims with a free decryption application that is available for download. This means that you have a good chance that your encrypted files can be decrypted if you use this tool. Nevertheless, this does not make this ransomware any less dangerous since not every user can find or use this tool properly, not to mention that many inexperienced users may infect their system even more just by trying to find or download this tool. Thus, we suggest that you ask an IT professional or a friend who is a tech savvy to help you with this. Other than this, you also have a chance to recover your files if you have a backup stored somewhere other than your PC. All in all, we strongly recommend that you remove '0000 File Extension' Ransomware from your system right away.

You can infect your system silently with this severe threat if you end up redirected to a webpage run by cyber crooks who use the RIG Exploit Kit to take advantage of your outdated browsers or drivers. This kit can easily infect your system the moment this page is loaded in your browser. This also means that you do not even need to engage with the suspicious content on this page. So when you realize that you have been redirected to a questionable page and you are ready to close that tab or window, you may already be too late to do so. This is why it is so important that you keep all your programs updated regularly if you do not want to end up having to delete '0000 File Extension' Ransomware or any other dangerous threats for that matter.

You may also use questionable file-sharing pages from time to time to download free programs or movies. We advise you to avoid such pages because you can easily drop a whole bundle of malicious threats, including this ransomware program, adware programs, browser hijackers, and Trojans as well. You should always use official websites for downloading software and updates as well, and if you are a movie or series fan, it would be much safer for you to subscribe to a reputable service on the web.

Yet another possibility is that you infect your system with this threat through a spam e-mail. Beware of e-mails that appear to be legitimate and claim to be about an important matter like unpaid invoices, fines, or wrongly made hotel bookings. These are some of the main subjects these spams usually refer to in order to catch your eyes. However, the message itself will not give you any more hints about this alleged matter in question; you need to open the attachment to get further information, and that is what you should not do. Why? Because viewing this attached file will initiate this malicious attack and it will be too late for you to remove '0000 File Extension' Ransomware since your files will already be encrypted by the time you can tackle it.

This ransomware program basically targets the usual personal files to make you be willing to pay for getting them back. The encrypted files have a ".0000" extension, hence the name of the infection, but in this case the original file name is also replaced by a code of 32 random characters as in "0AE2C47210495B46345CAE8D130F3F8E.0000." The ransom note .txt file ("_HELP_INSTRUCTION.TXT") is placed most likely on your desktop so that you will possibly notice it right away.

This ransom note does not reveal too much about the details of payment. It simply instructs you to write an e-mail including your ID from the note and send it to y0000@tuta.io, y0000@protonmail.com, y0000z@yandex.com, and y0000s@yandex.com. Yes, you read it right; you have to send this mail to four different e-mail addresses this time. The ransom fee can be as high as thousands of dollars but this is not the only reason why we do not advise you to pay. You should know that there is little chance that these cyber criminals will send you the decryption key. It is also possible that they will simply infect your system with further threats. This is why we advise you to delete '0000 File Extension' Ransomware as soon as possible.

The first thing you should do to eliminate this ugly threat is to end the malicious process. You can do this by opening your Task Manager (press Ctrl+Shift+Esc), selecting the malicious process (should be a random name like "BC0EBCF2F2.exe"), and pressing "End task" at the bottom of the panel. Since this ransomware infection sets up a Point of Execution (PoE) by creating RUN registry entries, it is important that you delete those as the second step. Then, you can delete all the related files. Please use our guide below as a reference. If you want to defend your computer more efficiently, it may be a good time to consider downloading a professional anti-malware program, such as SpyHunter or any other that you find trustworthy enough to serve you well.

How to remove '0000 File Extension' Ransomware from Windows

1. Tap Win+R and enter regedit. Press OK.
2. Delete the following registry value names (PoEs):
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run | *BC0EBCF2F2 | "C:\ProgramData\*BC0EBCF2F2.exe" (* random name)
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce | *BC0EBCF2F2 | "C:\ProgramData\*BC0EBCF2F2.exe" (* random name)
3. Exit your editor.
4. Tap Win+E.
5. Delete all suspicious files you have saved recently.
6. Delete the following malicious executable:
   %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\*BC0EBCF2F2.exe (* random name)
   %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\*BC0EBCF2F2.exe (* random name)
7. Delete the ransom note ("_HELP_INSTRUCTION.TXT").
8. Empty your Recycle Bin and reboot your PC.