Similarly to other ransomware versions, such as NPPH, OGDO, BOOP, VARI, OONN, GENO ransomware drops ransom notes that explain the aim of the virus and cybercriminals’ demands. The conditions these crooks provide are as follows – the victim needs to contact them via provided emails (the sooner, the better) and follow further instructions on how to purchase cryptocurrency and transfer the required amount to their cryptowallets. The note suggests that if the victim reaches out within 72 hours following the cyber attack timestamp, the ransom price will be discounted 50% and equals to $490 in Bitcoin. Otherwise, if the victim doesn’t reach out within this timeframe, the price bounces back to the full amount – $980. The note also suggests to include the victim’s personal ID and one encrypted file for test .geno file decryption. The crooks suggest decrypting the file for free and send it back as a proof of concept of the tool they suggest purchasing. However, the first thing we recommend doing is performing GENO virus removal using a trustworthy anti-malware tool. This helps to eliminate all possibly dangerous malware remains from the system. To repair virus damage done on system files, you may want to run RESTORO, a popular and comprehensive PC repair software.

Do not pay money for criminals

Ransomware is an extremely dangerous software/tool used by cybercriminals worldwide to extort victims financially. Examples of DHARMA, MAZE, KASP and VARI show that the distribution of these crypto-viruses is not going to slow down anytime soon. Practice shows that computer users still do not tend to create data backups regularly, which results in tragic data loss in case of a ransomware attack. What is more, not all cybercriminals are willing to communicate once they convince the victim to pay up, so think twice before paying the ransom. We definitely do not recommend doing so, because if you do, the attackers will identify you as a victim that pays easily. Therefore, they might try another scam scheme on you next time, especially with details and login credentials obtained from your computer with the help of Azorult malware. You might even be targeted in one of these Drive-by exploit scam campaigns.

Threat Summary

The file-encrypting virus comes in a bundle with other cyber threats

Along the goal to illegally extort money from regular computer users, this crypto-malware is programmed to infiltrate other malicious programs, like AZORULT password stealer. In other terms, it helps other cyber threats to enter the system easier and perform their rogue activities. This password-stealing malware collects sensitive information from its victims and transfers it to a remote server that is controlled by the crooks. It can cause serious privacy issues for every computer user. Furthermore, GENO virus is highly advanced as it can try to protect the file encryption process by displaying a fake Windows update screen. This way, computer users are tricked to believe that their systems are safe and fail to disrupt the encryption. Additionally, it can alter the Windows hosts file to block certain security websites. This way its victims cannot get help from the IT experts and the infection remains persistent. We highly recommend you to remove GENO ransomware virus as quickly as possible. For that, you must use robust software. Install the security program if you do not have one and run a full system scan. Such malware removal tools are designed to find all malicious files on the infected system and get rid of the file-encrypting virus safely. Additionally, we recommend scanning with RESTORO to repair potential virus damage on the system. Following the elimination, learn how to restore files encrypted by STOP/DJVU ransomware variants.

Software cracks used to spread ransomware

It is essential to understand how ransomware-type cyber threats spread across the Internet and reach their victims in order to stop the attacks. The most widely used distribution techniques usually remain the same. These are — file uploads on various illegal pages and the usage of malspam campaigns. Both spread methods primarily rely on the deception of regular computer users. For example, many people continue to download either software cracks or various programs, movies, and music from illegal websites that are known as peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. Since cybercriminals know this tendency, they try to exploit less than reliable pages for GENO ransomware distribution. In other terms, they upload the executables of malicious software named as legitimate files, such as well-known programs. Unsuspecting users install file-encrypting viruses instead of the software they were aiming for. Additionally, people can receive electronic letters that supposedly come from popular institutions, like banks or other service providers. These fake emails encourage people to click on the appended link and update their account details or check certain updates quickly. Unfortunately, this is merely an attempt to infiltrate ransomware by using deceptive malspam campaigns. Users should be extremely aware of what letters they open and stop browsing on illegal sites.

GENO ransomware removal and file decryption guide

People who need to remove GENO ransomware virus should first understand how complex the malware is. Our experts note that there is an uncountable number of components that help the file-encrypting virus to operate. For successful elimination, you must identify, locate, and uninstall them all. In this case, regular computer users might not have the necessary experience to deal with the attack on their own. Luckily, there are multiple robust security programs that can help you with GENO file virus removal. Geek’s Advice recommends using RESTORO for the quick and easy ransomware damage on Windows OS elimination process. This professional PC repair tool is designed to help regular computer users and clean the systems from all types of cyber threats. Just download, install, and run a full system scan. Additional steps to start the elimination are indicated at the end of this article. Do not forget to test the Geno ransomware decrypt tool using instructions provided below. In addition, please change all your passwords for maximum security. 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 GENO 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 GENO 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 GENO files

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

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The GENO 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 GENO 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 GENO 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.