Payouts Kings EXPOSED: .ZWIAAW Files, readme_locker.txt, and a 7-Day TOX Clock

You open Documents the way you did yesterday. The first photo should still be 1.jpg. The vacation shot should still be vacation.jpg. The invoice should still be invoice-2026.pdf. The tax sheet should still be taxes.xlsx. Instead every familiar name has a second ending tacked on. 1.jpg is now 1.jpg.ZWIAAW. A small text file named readme_locker.txt is sitting in the same folder, as if it has always belonged there.

That is the trap, not a glitch. The extra ending on everyday files is the lock. The text file is the conversation they want you to start.

This page is for the hour those names appear. It is not a miracle key. It is a map of the trap, so the note does not become your incident plan.

Overview

Payouts Kings ransomware locks the files first. Then it keeps the old name and the old type, and hangs .ZWIAAW on the end. Then it drops readme_locker.txt and talks like a recovery desk. The note is a storefront. It says the company network has been encrypted. It says confidential data has already been downloaded. It tells you to download TOX from the official TOX site, create an account, and add a long contact ID printed in that note. Then it starts a 7-day clock. Miss the clock, the note says, and the stolen copies get published.

The first tell is the rename. In the sample used for this page, 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.ZWIAAW. vacation.jpg becomes vacation.jpg.ZWIAAW. invoice-2026.pdf becomes invoice-2026.pdf.ZWIAAW. taxes.xlsx becomes taxes.xlsx.ZWIAAW. family.mp4 becomes family.mp4.ZWIAAW. You can still read what the file used to be. You cannot open it. Windows may call the type a ZWIAAW File and offer a useless “choose an app” box. An app cannot talk locked bytes back into a JPEG.

The second tell is the note. After the files are locked, the malware drops readme_locker.txt into the same folders. README sounds like documentation. Locker sounds like a case file. Put them together and the first English you can still read after the photos break is a sales flyer. The flyer is meant to be opened. It is not meant to be trusted.

The body of that sample talks like a help desk for a company, even when the machine in front of you is a home PC. Company network encrypted. Confidential data downloaded. Recover the files, it says, and stop the disclosure, by contacting the operators on TOX. Download a TOX client from tox.chat. Create an account. Add the contact ID printed in that note. The published sample prints that ID as 5CM015EMB74JMK24QOJH5AZSKNLO6BFH19W30QNRATE9JUKM1PVFEQ1N8N1NZGB0UMG3Q6OK66HB. Treat the string as printed in that note, not as a new ID, and not as an invitation you have to accept. This page will not tell you to open it.

The same sample starts a 7-day deadline. If you do not get in touch within 7 days, the note says, the exfiltrated data will be disclosed on their website. In the public copy of that note, the onion leak URL is redacted. This page will not invent one. Do not hunt a hidden service to finish their sentence. Do not reuse an onion string from a different locker family. The redacted line is still a leak threat. A missing address is not a kindness.

Researchers first documented this strain. Zscaler ThreatLabz published the analysis that put the .ZWIAAW ending and the readme_locker.txt name on the record. The same research describes the lock as RSA-4096 plus AES-256, with a unique key and IV per file, and says the malware deletes shadow copies after the rewrite. Those lines are the costume the locker wants you to hear as science. They are not a receipt you can cash in TOX. They are not a reason to skip a trusted decryptor project later if one appears. None is public now.

The same researchers linked some of this activity to former Black Basta affiliates. Read that as a researcher link, not as a courtroom caption and not as a decryptor. A former affiliate claim does not mean every .ZWIAAW folder is a Black Basta case. It does not mean a stranger who quotes Black Basta can unlock 1.jpg.ZWIAAW. It is background. The artifacts on disk are the case you can see.

The access path that researchers describe is social, not a Microsoft product failure. The inbox gets spam-bombed until it is unusable. Then a voice that sounds like internal IT calls on the phone, or joins Microsoft Teams, and asks the target to start Windows Quick Assist. Teams and Quick Assist are real tools people use for honest remote help. The trap is the fake IT story that rides them. Do not smear Microsoft because criminals borrowed the buttons. Name the mechanism. A flood, then a helper who is not your helper, then a remote session you did not mean to give away.

This is also not the casino or trackings.click pages that shout “Kings.” Those posts are a different animal. A betting landing page that uses the word Kings is not a folder of .ZWIAAW files. It is not readme_locker.txt. It is not a 7-day TOX clock. If your search history still has that older title, close it. You are in a different case.

That is the whole costume. A locked folder of .ZWIAAW names. A readme_locker.txt file that talks like a recovery brief. RSA-4096 and AES-256 as scare words. A unique key and IV per file, so one photo cannot unlock the next. Shadow copies gone. A company-network shout and a downloaded-data squeeze. A 7-day clock. A TOX ID printed in the note. An onion leak URL redacted in the public copy. A spam-bomb plus fake IT door. A researcher link to former Black Basta affiliates, not a verdict. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. There is no printed ransom figure. There is no reason to open that TOX ID today because a text file told you to.

The .ZWIAAW name is the first warning

Most lockers pick an extension so you notice the change in seconds. Payouts Kings uses .ZWIAAW. The extra cruelty is how readable the listing stays. You do not have to decode anything. You can still see 1.jpg inside 1.jpg.ZWIAAW. You can still see the invoice year. You can still see the word taxes. The familiar words are still in the folder. The files are not familiar anymore.

Do not treat that readable name as a fix. Do not strip .ZWIAAW off the end and expect Photos or Excel to open the file. Do not run a bulk “extension fixer” you found in an ad. The name is a label. The lock is in the content. Editing the label can make a later trusted tool have a harder time matching the file to what it was. Leave the locked copies as they are until you have a clean machine and a plan that does not start inside TOX.

The extra ending also does advertising. Anyone who sees vacation.jpg.ZWIAAW next to readme_locker.txt can pretend they already have your case. A later fake helper will quote the extension back to you as if that were expertise. The extension is public. It is sitting in the folder. Quoting it proves nothing except that they can read a listing.

readme_locker.txt is a sales floor, not a help file

The ransom note is a plain text file with a name that sounds like documentation. readme_locker.txt wants the first click after the panic. Plenty of real software drops a README. This one uses that habit against you. It is meant to be the first English you can still read when the photos will not open.

The file opens with a company-sized shout. The company network files have been encrypted. A significant amount of confidential data has been downloaded. Then it tells you to recover the files and prevent disclosure by contacting the operators on TOX. Then it walks you through a client download from the official TOX site, an account, and the printed contact ID. Then it starts the 7-day clock. Then it points at a leak website whose onion address is redacted in the public copy.

That order matters. Scare. Second scare. Door. Clock. Hidden stall with the address removed. There is no price on the page. There is no inbox. There is no wallet. The missing checkout is part of the pressure, not a kindness. Keep the file on disk. Then close it. Do not treat it as a set of steps you should follow.

RSA-4096 and AES-256 are a costume, not a receipt

Researchers describe the lock as RSA-4096 combined with AES-256, and they say each file gets its own key and IV. Those strings are meant to shut down argument. They sound like a standard. They sound like a lab. They sound like something you cannot argue with at the kitchen table. Naming a cipher pair is not the same as handing you a proof. It is also not a reason to start guessing keys into a messenger.

The unique-key line does extra work. If every file has its own key material, you are not supposed to believe that unlocking one vacation photo will unlock the invoice. That is how the locker keeps you from shopping for a “one file decryptor” and calling it done. It is also how a later helper sells a second conversation. “Send another sample.” “This key is only for that JPEG.” Stay out of that stall. A unique key per file is a description of the lock. It is not a menu.

People hear RSA-4096 or AES-256 and go looking for a matching decryptor in ads. That search is the next trap. A tool that promises to reverse RSA-4096 because a ransom note, or a research write-up, printed the letters is selling the same fear in a different window. Leave the locked files alone. Do not feed them to a mystery app that asked for admin rights because a text file named a cipher.

Deleted shadow copies close the usual undo

This strain deletes shadow copies after it rewrites the files. That is why Previous Versions can come back empty. That is why a right-click restore that worked last year does nothing today. The usual Windows undo path is gone on purpose. The empty restore list is meant to feel like proof that TOX is the only door left.

An empty shadow-copy list is not a reason to open the printed ID. It is a reason to stop poking the infected machine as if it were a repair bench. Offline backups that were never mounted can still exist. A NAS that was unplugged can still exist. A cloud copy that was not synced during the lock can still exist. Those copies are the real undo, if you have them. They are not inside readme_locker.txt.

Do not try to “rebuild” shadow copies with a tool from a search ad. Do not run a “shadow restore wizard” a stranger mailed you after you posted a screenshot. Those installers are how a locked folder becomes a second infection. Respect the missing restore points. Do not let the missing restore points talk you into TOX.

The printed TOX ID is checkout, not support

The contact printed with this strain is a TOX ID. In the published sample the note prints 5CM015EMB74JMK24QOJH5AZSKNLO6BFH19W30QNRATE9JUKM1PVFEQ1N8N1NZGB0UMG3Q6OK66HB. Label it that way. It is the string in that note. It is not a ticket a help desk issued you. It is the aisle they opened for themselves.

TOX is a real messenger. That is why the line works. A made-up chat brand would feel like a scam. A real app with a real download page at tox.chat feels like a procedure. The procedure is still theirs. The official site is where the app lives. It is not a recovery desk for .ZWIAAW files.

Do not open that TOX ID. Do not install TOX for this incident if you do not already use it. Do not create an account “just to see.” Do not paste a folder listing into a new chat to prove you are a victim. A messenger thread is how a locked photo becomes a negotiation. Negotiation is how a demand appears. The note already told you the door. Walking through it is the product.

The 7-day clock is pressure, not a service window

The note gives you 7 days. Then, it says, the downloaded data will be published. A week is long enough to feel like a real deadline and short enough to cancel sleep. It is also long enough for a second crew to find your screenshot and sell you a faster clock. The number is attacker copy. It is not a shipping estimate. It is not a refund window.

Believe the leak risk enough to treat stolen data as possible. Tell counsel and your incident lead if this is a company. Change passwords from a clean device. Watch bank and email alerts. Do not believe a 7-day line enough to buy a deletion you cannot verify. The CISA StopRansomware Guide is blunt about this kind of squeeze. Paying does not ensure the files come back, does not ensure the systems are clean, and does not ensure the data stays unpublished.

Do not try to settle the clock by sending a sample before day 7. A “worthless” file can still hold a client name, an address, or an internal path. You do not owe that TOX ID a test. You do not need their proof. If a trusted decryptor ever appears, it will come from a project like No More Ransom, not from a 7-day flyer that just landed in your Documents folder.

The onion line is redacted on purpose

The public copy of readme_locker.txt points at a leak website and then withholds the onion URL. That gap is the hook. A filled onion would look like a stall you could visit. An empty or redacted onion looks like a form you failed to complete. People try to complete forms. They hunt forums. They ask a stranger for “the real onion.” They paste strings from a different family. They wait for a later email that claims to hold the missing line.

This page will not invent an onion URL to put in that blank. If your published copy is redacted there, it is redacted. Copy the file as evidence. Do not tidy it. Do not fill it in so it looks more professional. Do not accept a long hidden-service string from a comment, a Telegram channel, or a “helper” who already knows the extension. Anyone can read .ZWIAAW off a screenshot. Handing you an onion does not prove they can open 1.jpg.ZWIAAW.

The spam-bomb and fake IT call are the door

Researchers describe a two-step entrance. First the inbox is flooded until ordinary mail is unusable. Then a voice that sounds like internal IT calls on the phone, or appears in Microsoft Teams, and asks the person to start Windows Quick Assist. The flood makes the later call feel like rescue. The rescue is the break-in.

Microsoft Teams is a real workplace chat. Windows Quick Assist is a real remote-help tool. Neither one is the attacker. The attacker is the person pretending to be your IT desk after they made your inbox unusable. If someone you do not recognize asks you to share a screen because “the spam is a security incident we are already handling,” stop. Call the number you already have for your own IT, not the number that just rang. Do not start Quick Assist for a stranger because the mailbox is on fire.

If you already granted that session, treat the machine as compromised even before you see .ZWIAAW. Isolate it. Do not keep the remote window open “so they can finish.” Do not let a second helper take over because the first one vanished. The spam-bomb was the knock. The fake IT story was the key. The locker is what they left on the table.

A former Black Basta link is not a decryptor

Researchers have linked some Payouts Kings activity to former Black Basta affiliates. That sentence is a researcher claim about overlap, not a statement that this folder is Black Basta, and not a statement that a Black Basta decryptor will open .ZWIAAW files. Do not overstate it when you write the incident down. Do not let a stranger overstate it for you.

Affiliate claims travel because they sound like a pedigree. A later helper will say they “handled Black Basta” and therefore they can handle this. A later search ad will say the same. Pedigree is not a key. The artifacts on your disk are .ZWIAAW and readme_locker.txt. Those marks belong to this strain. A brand from a disbanded crew does not unlock them.

If you are briefing counsel, you can say researchers have linked some of this activity that way. Then stay with what you can see. The extra ending. The note name. The printed TOX ID. The 7-day line. The redacted onion. The spam-bomb story if it matches what people in the office already lived through. That is the case file. A famous predecessor is not the case file.

This is not the casino Kings page

Search results for the word Kings already hold casino pitches and trackings.click pages that use the same shout. Those posts are not this strain. A betting landing page does not append .ZWIAAW. It does not drop readme_locker.txt. It does not print a TOX ID and a 7-day leak clock. If a stranger sends you a “Kings” write-up that is really a casino recap, close it. You are not in that story.

Shared words create bad triage. A helper who only knows the word Kings can point you at a gambling complaint and call it done. A helper who only knows the gambling complaint can sell you a “Kings ransomware decryptor” that has nothing to do with your folder. Match the artifacts you can see. The extra ending. The note filename. The printed TOX string. The 7-day disclose line. Those marks belong to this locker. A casino page does not.

If you actually have both problems, treat them as two problems. A betting pop-up is a cleanup. A pile of .ZWIAAW names is a ransom incident. Do not let the older word steal the hour you need for isolation, backups, and a report.

How The Ransomware Works

The shop is simple once you stop reading it as a rescue. Flood the inbox. Call as fake IT on the phone or in Microsoft Teams and ask for Windows Quick Assist. Steal files. Lock what is left. Brand the names with .ZWIAAW. Delete shadow copies. Drop readme_locker.txt. Shout that the company network is encrypted and that confidential data was downloaded. Point the scared person at TOX. Print a contact ID. Start a 7-day clock. Redact the onion leak URL in the public copy. Then wait for someone else to sell the missing door.

1. The inbox flood makes the later call feel like help

The first move is noise. The mailbox fills with junk until ordinary work mail is unusable. People already hate that hour. They want it to stop. That is when a voice that sounds like internal IT rings the phone, or pings Microsoft Teams, and says they are already handling the spam incident. The flood is the pretext. The call is the ask.

The ask is Windows Quick Assist, or another remote-help window the person already trusts because the workplace uses it for honest tickets. The tool is not the crime. The fake IT story is the crime. If the person who wants the session cannot be reached on a number you already had written down last month, they are not your IT desk. Hang up. Start a new call on your own list. Do not start Quick Assist from the same chat that arrived after the flood.

From the chair in front of the screen, the locker later feels sudden. From the crew’s side, readme_locker.txt is the last page of a longer stay. CISA warns that a ransomware event can be the noisy end of an earlier compromise. That is why “reboot and hope” is a poor first move on a business network. The locker may be the only thing you can see. It may not be the only thing that is there.

2. The lock keeps the old name so you recognize the loss

Payouts Kings encrypts the files it wants as leverage, then appends .ZWIAAW. That is why 1.jpg is still readable as 1.jpg.ZWIAAW. The operators want you to inventory the damage in seconds. They want you to see the vacation photo, the invoice, the tax sheet, and the family video in one glance. A coded filename can confuse you. A readable filename makes you feel the theft.

If only one folder looks wrong, do not assume the rest of the disk is safe. Ransomware walks trees. It hits Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Downloads, and any drive letter it can reach, including a USB stick you forgot was plugged in. Unplug extra disks. Do not plug in the backup drive “just to check.” Checking is how the backup gets the same .ZWIAAW ending.

Shared folders make the scene look bigger than one PC. A mapped drive, a NAS share, or a user profile that syncs to a server can carry the new ending across the office in one pass. That is why a note can talk like a company headline and sound plausible even when the hit is a six-person shop. A single unlocked account on a share is enough for that sentence to land.

3. Unique key and IV per file keep you from treating one unlock as the job

Researchers describe a unique key and IV per file under RSA-4096 and AES-256. You do not need a lab to understand the sales use of that sentence. If every file has its own material, a stranger can “prove” they can help by unlocking one junk JPEG they already control, then charge you again for the invoice, then again for the tax sheet. One demo is not a restore. It is a stall.

Do not send 1.jpg.ZWIAAW to a helper so they can “test the unique key.” Do not send taxes.xlsx.ZWIAAW because they said the first sample was too small. The unique-key line is already doing its job if you feel you must keep feeding them files. Keep the locked copies. Keep them off the internet. A later trusted tool, if one is ever published for this family, will want intact files, not a pile you mailed to a broker.

4. Shadow copies are wiped so the usual restore looks dead

After the rewrite, the strain deletes shadow copies. Previous Versions goes quiet. System Restore looks useless. That silence is part of the flyer. It is meant to make readme_locker.txt feel like the only adult in the room. An empty restore list is evidence the locker finished its cleanup. It is not evidence that TOX can put the bytes back.

If this is a company machine, tell the person who handles backups whether those copies were local-only. Local-only copies on the same volume are the ones a locker can reach. Copies that were offline, immutable, or on a vault the infected account could not write to are a different conversation. Do not test that conversation by plugging the vault into the sick PC. Test it from a clean machine, after isolation, with someone who already owns that job.

5. readme_locker.txt turns a break-in into a ticket

Once the names are branded, the malware needs a voice. readme_locker.txt is that voice. It sits in the same folders as the locked files so the first sort puts help next to harm. On many machines a text file sorts near the top, especially with a name that looks like documentation. You open it because it looks like the only thing that still speaks English.

The body is short enough to finish before a relative walks into the room. Company network encrypted. Confidential data downloaded. Download TOX. Create an account. Add the printed ID. Seven days or the data is disclosed. Onion URL redacted in the public copy. Each beat closes a door. The shout closes “maybe Windows just glitched.” The download-and-add steps close “maybe there is a local tool.” The clock closes “maybe I can wait for IT on Monday.” The redacted onion closes “maybe I can finish this myself tonight” by handing you unfinished homework.

Notice what the note does not give you. It does not give you a company, a refund policy, or a way to prove the other side will ever send a key. It does not give you a wallet. It does not give you a mail address. It does not give you a printed ransom figure. It gives you a tone that says this is already decided. That tone is the product. Read the file as a sales flyer. Then close it. Keep it on disk.

6. Company network encrypted is the opening shout

The first line of the sample is not a diagnosis. It is a headline. Company network encrypted does the same job a fake breaking-news banner does on a supplement page. It names the disaster in office language so the rest of the flyer feels like the only adult in the room. You are supposed to stop thinking and start obeying. A home user is supposed to feel they have wandered into a corporate crisis. A manager is supposed to feel the whole firm is already on a leak site.

The shout is also a brand. Later search ads will quote it. Later “helpers” will paste it so they sound close to your folder. Anyone can copy a headline. Copying “company network encrypted” does not mean they can reverse .ZWIAAW. It means they read the same note you did, or they read a screenshot of it.

If the shout is sitting in more than one folder, that is normal for this family. Lockers drop the same text in many places so you cannot miss it. Finding five copies is not five incidents. It is one incident with a loud flyer. Keep one clean copy as evidence. You do not need to open every copy. You do not need to compare them in TOX.

7. Confidential data downloaded is the second squeeze

The note does not stop at the lock. It claims a significant amount of confidential data has been downloaded from the network. That second sentence is for people who already have backups. A backup can replace a photo. A backup cannot unsay a leak they claim they will use. The threat is meant to pull you into TOX even when the folder is not your only copy.

A leak claim can be true. Crews do steal mail, payroll, and scans before they lock files. A leak claim can also be a bluff copied from the last job. Either way, adding the printed TOX ID does not give you a receipt that the copies were deleted. Paying, if a price is named later, does not give you that receipt either. CISA is blunt about that in the joint StopRansomware checklist.

Do not try to settle the downloaded-data line by sending a sample. Do not upload a “harmless” spreadsheet to prove they already have it. Do not ask them to list what they stole so you can “scope the incident” inside their chat. Scoping is a job for counsel and an incident lead on a clean machine. It is not a job for the people who wrote the locker.

8. TOX from tox.chat is the door they want you to walk through

The recovery steps in the sample start with TOX. Download a client from the official TOX site, the note says. Create an account. Add the printed contact ID. Official download pages exist so ordinary people can chat in private. This flyer wants that privacy for the operators, not for you.

Do not open TOX. Do not install it for this incident if you do not already use it. Do not send a test file through it. Do not ask what they want. A price is how the rest of the script starts. Once you are in the thread, the 7-day clock has something to attach to. Silence is not rude here. Silence is how you stay out of their queue.

If someone later says they will “talk to Payouts Kings for you” inside TOX, that is a broker pitch. Brokers need you in the same funnel. You do not owe them a seat. Report the incident through official desks. Let counsel decide if contact is ever required for a specific legal reason. That decision is not yours to make from the Documents folder at midnight.

9. The printed contact ID is a case number they issued themselves

The published sample prints 5CM015EMB74JMK24QOJH5AZSKNLO6BFH19W30QNRATE9JUKM1PVFEQ1N8N1NZGB0UMG3Q6OK66HB and tells you to add it. That string is labeled here as printed in that note. It looks like a ticket. It is a storefront address. Copy it into an incident record if you need to describe the lock. Do not add it. Do not open it. Do not ask a stranger whether “your” ID should be different because you are a home user and the note talks like a company.

If your own note shows a different TOX ID, still do not open it. Save the file. The string is an identifier for responders. It is not an invitation you are required to accept. A filled line does not make the other side a help desk. A redacted onion next to it does not make the other side kinder. Both versions want the same walk into the app.

Watch what the long string does to the next hour. You search the extension. You search the README name. You search fragments of the ID. You open comment threads. Each of those places can plant a second string and tell you the first one “expired.” The note already taught your hands where a contact ID would go. That is the funnel. Scare, clock, paste, add.

10. Seven days then publish is the leak timer

The note says that if you do not get in touch within 7 days, the exfiltrated data will be disclosed on their website. That timer is the second bill. It arrives whether or not you can see the onion URL. The public copy redacts that URL. The threat still stands in the text. The board, if it exists, is public theater. It is built so managers feel watched, and so home users feel like they wandered into a corporate crisis.

Believe the risk enough to treat stolen data as possible. Do not believe a countdown enough to buy a deletion you cannot verify. Do not scrape a leak stall for names. Do not forward a listing to a journalist to “confirm” your own incident. Do not invent an onion so you can go look. Status language in the note is enough to understand the squeeze. Victim names are not required for that understanding, and they will not be invented here.

11. Third parties will sell a TOX conversation

After a ransomware incident, search results fill up with companies that say they can decrypt Payouts Kings or “all .ZWIAAW files.” Some of those shops are ordinary overpriced consultants. Plenty are a second scam. They will quote readme_locker.txt so they sound close to the case. They will ask for a sample file, a remote-access session, or a deposit. They may even tell you to open TOX and paste the printed ID, because the note already prepared you to do that.

A demo that “unlocks one file” is not proof they can unlock the vacation photo. Anyone can open one junk file they control. Anyone can send you a TOX ID that makes a chat window appear. A chat window is not Photos opening vacation.jpg again. If a later message skips TOX and asks for coin over ordinary email, that is still the same market, or a copycat standing in the same doorway. Do not answer. Do not help them set a price the original note left unprinted on purpose.

If someone claims they found the real onion and can broker a conversation, that is still the same shop. The public copy never printed one. A broker for a redacted door is selling access they cannot show. Report that message. Do not test it with a file from your Documents folder. Do not let them mix this locker with a casino “Kings” page so they can charge you for two problems you do not have.

12. Payment and opening TOX close nothing

Paying a stranger for a private key is not a guarantee. The people who send the note can take the money and disappear. They can send a string that only makes TOX show an error. They can come back later and lock the same machine again. A 7-day clock makes that outcome easier, not harder. You cannot leave a review on a redacted onion line.

Opening TOX is the free version of the same dead end. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. There is a printed TOX ID in the sample, and this page will not tell you to add it. There is no printed onion in the public copy. There is no printed ransom figure. Starting a chat does not rebuild a JPEG. It only keeps you in their story while the rest of the disk still needs a real plan.

If this is a company machine, tell counsel and your incident lead. If this is a home PC, tell the people whose files lived on it. Change passwords from a clean device. Watch bank and email alerts. Opening TOX again is not useful work. It is the checkout, even when the leak URL is redacted.

What To Do If Your Files End in .ZWIAAW

Do not open that TOX ID. Do not install TOX for this. Do not invent an onion URL to finish readme_locker.txt. Do not paste the printed contact ID into a new chat to see what happens. The 7-day line is not a key waiting for you. If you already opened the note before you stopped, close it. Do not send a sample file to a stranger who offered to beat the clock.

• STEP 1: Use Rkill to terminate suspicious programs.
• STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove for Ransomware and Unwanted Programs
• STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to remove Trojans and other Malware
• STEP 4: Use AdwCleaner to remove Malicious Browser Extensions and Adware
• STEP 5: Perform a final check with ESET Online Scanner
• STEP 6: Restore the files encrypted by ransomware

STEP 1: Use Rkill to terminate suspicious programs.

In this first step, we will download and run Rkill to terminate suspicious programs that may be running on your computer.

RKill is a program that was developed at BleepingComputer.com that attempts to terminate known malware processes so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections. When RKill runs it will kill malware processes and then removes incorrect executable associations and fixes policies that stop us from using certain tools.

1. Download Rkill.

   You can download RKill to your computer from the below link. When at the download page, click on the Download Now button labeled iExplore.exe. We are downloading a renamed version of Rkill (iExplore.exe) because some malware will not allow processes to run unless they have a certain filename.

   

   RKILL DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Rkill)

2. Run RKill.

   After downloading, double-click the iExplore.exe icon to kill malicious processes. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   The program may take some time to search for and end various malware programs.

   

   When it is finished, the black window will close automatically and a log file will open. Do not restart your computer. Proceed to the next step in this guide.

STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove Ransomware and Unwanted Programs

In this second step, we will install Malwarebytes to scan and remove any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present on your computer.

Malwarebytes is one of the most popular and trusted anti-malware tools for Windows — and it’s completely free for removing infections. It catches threats that many antivirus programs miss, including adware, browser hijackers, and trojans. Follow the steps below to scan and clean your PC in just a few minutes.

1. Download Malwarebytes

   Click the button below to download the latest version of Malwarebytes for Windows from the official source. The free version is all you need — it will scan your computer and remove adware, browser hijackers, and other malicious software at no cost.

   

   DOWNLOAD MALWAREBYTES FOR WINDOWS (FREE)
   
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Install Malwarebytes

   When the download finishes, open your Downloads folder and double-click the MBSetup file. If Windows shows a User Account Control pop-up, click “Yes” to allow the installation.

   

3. Follow the On-Screen Prompts to Install Malwarebytes

   The setup wizard will walk you through a few quick screens:

   • Choose where you’re installing the program — “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer” — then click Next.

     

   • Malwarebytes will now install on your device. This usually takes under a minute.

     

   • When installation is complete, the “Welcome to Malwarebytes” screen will open automatically.

     

   • On the final screen, click Open Malwarebytes to launch the program.

     

4. Enable “Scan for Rootkits”

   Before scanning, turn on rootkit detection so Malwarebytes can find even the most hidden threats. Click the Settings gear icon on the left side of the screen.

   

   In the settings menu, find “Scan for rootkits” and click the toggle so it turns blue.

   

   Done? Click “Dashboard” in the left pane to return to the main screen.

5. Start the Scan

   Click the blue Scan button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its virus database and start checking your computer for malware.

   

6. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   The scan checks your entire system for browser hijackers and other malicious programs, so it can take several minutes. Feel free to do something else — just check back occasionally to see the progress.

   

7. Quarantine the Detected Threats

   When the scan is done, you’ll see a list of everything Malwarebytes found — malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs. Click the “Quarantine” button to remove all of them at once.

   

   Malwarebytes will now remove the malicious files and registry entries and move them safely into quarantine.

   

8. Restart Your Computer

   Some threats can only be fully removed after a reboot. If Malwarebytes asks you to restart, click Yes. Once you’re logged back in, your PC is clean and you can continue with the next steps in this guide.

   

STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to remove Rootkits and other Malware

In this third step, while the computer is in normal back, we will download and run a scan with HitmanPro to remove Trojans, rootkits, and other malicious programs.

HitmanPro is a second-opinion scanner — it’s designed to catch what your main antivirus might have missed. Instead of relying on a single detection engine, it checks the behavior of files in the locations where malware usually hides. Anything suspicious gets sent to the cloud, where it’s analyzed by two of the best antivirus engines available: Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Good news: scanning is completely free, with no limits. You only need a license when it’s time to remove what was found — and even then, you can activate a free one-time 30-day trial to clean your PC at no cost. (A full license is $24.95 per year for 1 PC.)

1. Download HitmanPro

   Click the button below to download HitmanPro. Remember — the scan is free, so you have nothing to lose by checking your PC.

   DOWNLOAD HITMANPRO (FREE SCAN)
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Install HitmanPro

   When the download finishes, open your Downloads folder and double-click the file: “hitmanpro.exe” on 32-bit Windows, or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” on 64-bit Windows.

   

   If a User Account Control pop-up asks whether HitmanPro can make changes to your device, click “Yes” to continue.

   

3. Follow the On-Screen Prompts

   On the HitmanPro start screen, click “Next” to begin the system scan. No lengthy setup required — it goes straight to work.

   

   

4. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   HitmanPro will now check your computer for malicious programs. This usually takes just a few minutes thanks to its cloud-based scanning.
   

5. Review the Results and Click “Next”

   When the scan is done, HitmanPro will show you everything it found. Click “Next” to remove the detected threats.

   

6. Click “Activate Free License”

   To remove the malicious files, click the “Activate free license” button. This starts your free 30-day trial — no payment details needed — and unlocks the full cleanup.
   

   When the removal is complete, HitmanPro will show a summary of everything it cleaned. Click Next, then click Reboot if prompted. If there’s no reboot prompt, just click Close — your PC is clean.

STEP 4: Use AdwCleaner to remove Malicious Browser Extensions and Adware

In this next step, we will use AdwCleaner to remove malicious browser policies and unwanted browser extensions from your computer.

AdwCleaner is a free on-demand scanner that specializes in adware, browser hijackers, and unwanted toolbars — the exact threats that mainstream antivirus programs often miss. It also includes tools that repair the damage malware leaves behind, like hijacked browser settings and malicious policies. It’s a quick scan that’s well worth running.

1. Download AdwCleaner

   Click the button below to download AdwCleaner — it’s free, portable, and requires no installation.

   

   DOWNLOAD ADWCLEANER (FREE)
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Run AdwCleaner

   Open your Downloads folder and double-click the file named “adwcleaner_x.x.x.exe“. There’s no installation — the program starts right away.
   

   If Windows asks whether you want to allow AdwCleaner to run, click “Yes“. When the license agreement appears, click I agree to continue.

   

3. Enable “Reset Chrome policies”

   This setting removes malicious browser policies — a trick malware uses to lock your browser settings so you can’t change them back. Click “Settings” on the left side of the window, then turn on “Reset Chrome policies“.

   

4. Start the Scan

   Click “Dashboard” on the left side of the window, then click the “Scan” button.

   

5. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   AdwCleaner will now check your computer for adware and other malware. This usually takes only a few minutes — it’s one of the fastest scanners around.

   

6. Quarantine the Detected Threats

   When the scan finishes, AdwCleaner will list everything it found. Click the “Quarantine” button to remove all the malicious items at once.

   

7. Click “Continue” to Finish the Cleanup

   Save any open work first — AdwCleaner needs to close your open programs before it can clean. When you’re ready, click the “Continue” button.
   

   AdwCleaner will now delete all detected malware from your computer. If it asks you to restart your PC, allow it — your computer will be clean when you log back in.

STEP 5: Perform a final check with ESET Online Scanner

This final step involves installing and running a scan with ESET Online Scanner to check for any additional malicious programs that may be installed on the computer..

ESET Online Scanner is a free second-opinion scanner that performs a deep, full-system check for viruses, trojans, rootkits, and other malware. We use it as the final step because it’s thorough — if anything slipped past the previous scans, ESET will find it. A clean result here means your computer is malware-free.

1. Download ESET Online Scanner

   Click the button below to download ESET Online Scanner.

   

   DOWNLOAD ESET ONLINE SCANNER (FREE)
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Run the Installer

   When the download finishes, open your Downloads folder and double-click “esetonlinescanner.exe“.
   

3. Install ESET Online Scanner

   On the start screen, select your language from the drop-down menu and click Get started.

   

   On the Terms of use screen, click Accept.
   

   Choose your preferences for the Customer Experience Improvement Program and the Detection feedback system (either choice is fine), then click Continue.
   

4. Start a Full Scan

   Click Full Scan — this checks your entire computer, not just the common hiding spots.

   

   Select Enable for Detection of Potentially Unwanted Applications — this lets ESET catch adware and bundled junk programs, not just viruses. Then click Start scan.

   

5. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   ESET will now check every file on your computer. Because it’s a full scan, this can take a while — often an hour or more, depending on how much data you have. Leave it running in the background and check on it from time to time.

   

6. Review the Results

   When the scan completes, the Found and resolved detections screen appears. Any threats found were automatically cleaned and quarantined — there’s nothing extra you need to do. Click View detailed results if you want to see exactly what was removed.
   

   If ESET found nothing — congratulations, your computer has passed the final check and is malware-free.

STEP 6: Restore the files encrypted by ransomware

Unfortunately, in most cases, it’s not possible to recover the files encrypted by this ransomware virus because the private key which is needed to unlock the encrypted files is only available through the attackers. However, below we’ve listed three options you can use to try and recover your files.

Option 1: Search a decryption tool for this ransomware

The cybersecurity community is constantly working to create ransomware decryption tools, so you can try to search these sites for updates:

• https://id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com/
• https://decrypter.emsisoft.com/
• https://noransom.kaspersky.com/
• https://www.avast.com/ransomware-decryption-tools

Option 2: Use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free to recover the encrypted files

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free can restore files and repair corrupted files with simple clicks. Its powerful scanning algorithms can identify and retrieve huge file type library, including all of the popular video files, audio files, photos, and document formats.
While the free version only allows you to recover 2 GB of data, this can be helpful to see if the recovery is possible and restore back the most important files from your computer.

1. Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free.

   You can download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free by clicking the link below.

   

   EASEUS DATA RECOVERY WIZARD FREE DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard)

2. Double-click on the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free setup file.

   When EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free has finished downloading, double-click on the setup file to install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   

   You may be presented with a User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow EaseUS to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free installation.

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.

   When the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard installation begins, click on the “Install Now” as seen in the image below.
   

   When your EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard installation completes, click the “Start Now” button to start the program.
   

4. Select a location to start recovering the encrypted files.

   Choose the drive or folder where you are the encrypted files that you want to recover and click “Scan“.
   

5. Wait for the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan to complete.

   EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will now scan your computer files that can be restored. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
   

6. Find the files you want to recover.

   When the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan is finished scanning it will show a screen that displays the files that can be recovered. This tool can recover a lot of data, use the “Filter” button to quickly filter specific file types and find the files that you want to recover.
   

   Click the “Preview” button or double-click on a file for a full preview.
   

7. Select your files and click “Recover”.

   Finally, select the the files you want to recover and click “Recover“.
   
   Choose a safe location to save all the files.
   
   The free version only allow you to recover 2 GB of data, however, this will allow you to recover the most important files and see if EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can correctly recover them.
   

Option 3: Try to restore your files with ShadowExplorer

This ransomware will attempt to delete all shadow copies when you first start any executable on your computer after becoming infected. Thankfully, the infection is not always able to remove the shadow copies, so you should continue to try restoring your files using this method.

1. Download ShadowExplorer.

   You can download ShadowExplorer from the below link.

   SHADOW EXPLORER DOWNLOAD LINK
   (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “ShadowExplorer”)

2. Install ShadowExplorer.

   Double-click on the ShadowExplorer-x.x-setup file to start the installation process, then follow the on-screen promts to install this program.
   

3. Select snapshot date.

   Open ShadowExplorer and then from the top bar select the drive where the files that you want to save are located, then select from the snapshot available one previous to this infection.

   

4. Export the files that you want to recover.

   Once you have found a copy of the original file or folder, right-click on it and the select “Export”. A window will prompt you where you want to save the file or folder.
   

Keep every .ZWIAAW name exactly as it is. Do not bulk-rename 1.jpg.ZWIAAW back to 1.jpg, or vacation.jpg.ZWIAAW back to vacation.jpg, or invoice-2026.pdf.ZWIAAW back to a normal PDF. Stripping the extra ending is not a repair. It can make a later trusted tool worse, not better. The original name is already sitting in front of .ZWIAAW.

Keep readme_locker.txt with the locked files. Do not “clean up” every copy of the note. Do not fill in a redacted onion so the flyer looks complete. Do not tidy the printed TOX ID. The blanks and the printed string are part of how you prove this was this strain and not a casino Kings page, and not a different locker that only sounds similar. The note is evidence. It is not a set of steps you should carry out.

Treat the TOX line as a door, not a help desk. Do not download the app for this incident. Do not create an account. Do not add 5CM015EMB74JMK24QOJH5AZSKNLO6BFH19W30QNRATE9JUKM1PVFEQ1N8N1NZGB0UMG3Q6OK66HB. Do not accept a “rotated ID” from a comment. Do not pay anyone to dictate digits into TOX. Do not run a third-party decryptor you found in an ad, a YouTube description, or a chat “recovery” channel because it promised to talk to the operators. Leave the locked copies alone until a trusted project publishes a tool for this family. None is public now.

Do not invent an onion address. Do not follow a hidden service a stranger labels as the Payouts Kings panel. The public copy of the note redacted that URL. Do not visit a leak stall to confirm a rumor. Do not invent victim names from one. If a later message quotes your folder and offers “the real onion,” that is still the same shop.

If the hour before the lock matches the spam-bomb story, write that down. Inbox flood, then a phone call or a Microsoft Teams ping that sounded like IT, then a Windows Quick Assist session. That sequence is the access path researchers have documented for this strain. It is useful for the report. It is not a reason to call the same number back. It is not a reason to smear Microsoft. The tools were borrowed. The voice was fake.

A 7-day clock is not a reason to skip a report. File the incident through the CISA ransomware reporting page or the FBI IC3 desk if those are the right doors for you. The clock in the note is theirs. The files are already locked. Another night of staring at a TOX ID will not change the bytes.

The Bottom Line

Payouts Kings ransomware is a locker with a readable filename, a README that talks like a company incident, and a contact sheet that wants you in TOX before the week is over. It keeps the old name and appends .ZWIAAW. 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.ZWIAAW. The note is readme_locker.txt. It claims the company network is encrypted and that confidential data was downloaded. It points you at the official TOX site, prints the contact ID 5CM015EMB74JMK24QOJH5AZSKNLO6BFH19W30QNRATE9JUKM1PVFEQ1N8N1NZGB0UMG3Q6OK66HB as it appears in that note, and starts a 7-day disclose clock. The onion leak URL is redacted in the public copy. Researchers describe RSA-4096 plus AES-256 with a unique key and IV per file, and they describe shadow-copy deletion. Researchers have also linked some of this activity to former Black Basta affiliates. Do not overstate that link. Casino and trackings.click “Kings” posts are not this strain. There is no public free decryptor known for this family.

Do not pay. Do not open that TOX ID. Do not invent an onion URL. Do not rename the pile in bulk. If you take one sentence with you, take this. A folder of names ending in .ZWIAAW, plus readme_locker.txt with a 7-day TOX clock, is ransomware on the first sighting. Treat it that way before anyone offers to finish the redacted line.