Venere EXPOSED: .Venere1 Files, UFFIZI_README.html, and a 72-Hour 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.Venere1. A page named UFFIZI_README.html is sitting in the same folder, as if it has always belonged there.

The desktop may not look like yours either. After the lock, this strain can change the wallpaper so the first thing you see is a threat, not your usual background. That is the trap, not a glitch. The extra ending on everyday files is the lock. The HTML page is the conversation. The wallpaper is the billboard that makes you look.

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

Overview

Venere ransomware is a file locker in the MedusaLocker family. It wants a conversation more than it wants a clever name. The lock is the extra ending on photos, invoices, and exports. The conversation is UFFIZI_README.html. The squeeze is a 72-hour price hike, an inbox, and a printed qTox ID. If you are staring at a pile of .Venere1 files and that HTML page, you are in a ransom incident, not a broken disk and not a browser pop-up.

The first tell is the rename. Venere does not hide the original filename behind a code. It keeps the old name and the old type, then hangs .Venere1 on the end. In the sample used for this page, 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.Venere1. vacation.jpg becomes vacation.jpg.Venere1. invoice-2026.pdf becomes invoice-2026.pdf.Venere1. taxes.xlsx becomes taxes.xlsx.Venere1. family.mp4 becomes family.mp4.Venere1. You can still read what the file used to be. You cannot open it.

The digit after Venere can change on the next copy of the same locker. Treat .Venere1 as the sample in front of you, not as the only possible ending. If you see .Venere2 or another Venere digit, you are still in this family. You are not in a different nuisance with an unlucky shared word.

Windows may now call the type a VENERE1 File and offer a useless “choose an app” box. An app cannot talk locked bytes back into a JPEG. Double-clicking 1.jpg.Venere1 does not open the photo. Spreadsheet software does not open taxes.xlsx.Venere1. A video player does not open family.mp4.Venere1. The listing still has one object per file. The shock lands because the names still look like yours. The lock is in the content, not in the label.

The second tell is the note. After the files are locked, the malware drops UFFIZI_README.html into the same folders. HTML sounds like a real help page. README sounds like documentation. 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 recovery desk. It claims the files were locked with RSA and AES. It points you at the inbox uffizi@onionmail.org. It prints a qTox ID, labeled as a qTox ID in the note, as C49A5C78C5BA64B01EDFBC689EA344C486812FDE4DD52F92D572700065B50F3B6DEDBCDB94EA. The personal ID line is blank. It starts a 72-hour clock and says the price will go up if you wait. It does not print a ransom figure on the page. This page will not invent one.

The same note name-drops Gallerie Uffizi and Direttore Simone Verde. Read that as the flyer’s pressure story, not as confirmed news that the real museum was breached. A locker that borrows a famous letterhead is still a locker. It is not a wire report. This page will not treat a ransom note as proof that the real Gallerie degli Uffizi was hit, and it will not smear that institution because criminals typed its name.

This is also not the old News-venere.com pop-up. A browser nuisance that uses the word Venere is a different animal. A folder of .Venere1 names plus UFFIZI_README.html is ransomware. Do not mix the two when you search, when you write a report, or when a stranger quotes the word Venere at you.

That is the whole costume. A locked folder of .Venere1 names. An HTML page that talks like a recovery brief. A wallpaper change so you cannot miss the event. RSA and AES as scare words. A 72-hour price hike with no printed figure. An onionmail inbox. A long qTox string. A blank personal ID. A museum name-drop that is theater, not a news confirmation. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. There is no reason to mail that inbox today because a ransom note told you to. There is no reason to open that qTox ID.

The .Venere1 name is the first warning

Most lockers pick an extension so you notice the change in seconds. This one uses .Venere1. 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.Venere1. 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 .Venere1 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 in a criminal inbox.

The extra ending also does advertising. Anyone who sees vacation.jpg.Venere1 next to UFFIZI_README.html 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.

If your copy used a different digit, the same rule holds. .Venere2 is not a kinder cousin. A later variant that hangs a new number on the word Venere is still this family. Do not wait for a page that matches your digit exactly before you treat the folder as ransomware. The word on the end is the brand. The number is a costume change.

UFFIZI_README.html is a sales floor, not a help file

The instruction sheet is an HTML page named UFFIZI_README.html. It is dropped where the locked files live, so you cannot miss it. Double-clicking it opens a browser. That is why a panicked first click feels like opening the help page. It is not help. It is the demand, written so it looks official enough to follow.

The filename is built to look like paperwork. README. An HTML ending Windows already trusts. A word that sounds like a gallery, a ticket, a serious place. Plenty of real software drops a readme. This one uses that habit against you. It is meant to be the first thing you double-click when the folder already looks wrong, and when the wallpaper has already told you something is broken.

The body of the note is a script. Files locked. RSA and AES. Write this inbox. Here is a qTox ID. Your personal ID is blank. Hurry, because 72 hours will make the price worse. Each line has a job. The encryption line is there so you feel outmatched. The inbox is checkout. The qTox line is a second aisle. The blank personal ID is a form you are supposed to finish. The clock is the closer. The museum name-drop is theater meant to make the flyer feel larger than a home folder.

Keep the note as evidence. Do not treat it as a to-do list. Do not tidy the filename. Do not shorten it to “the readme” when you write the incident down. Copy UFFIZI_README.html the way you would copy a serial off a stolen laptop. That string is how a responder matches this locker. It is not a coupon you redeem in mail or in qTox.

The new wallpaper is a billboard

This strain also changes the desktop wallpaper. That is not decoration. A changed background is a billboard. You do not have to open Documents to know something is wrong. The lock walks into the room you already live in. People who would have ignored a new HTML file still see the wallpaper the next time the screen wakes.

The wallpaper is pressure in a costume you cannot close with one click. A note can be minimized. A folder can be left for later. A desktop image sits there while you look for a charger, while you call a friend, while you try to remember whether last night’s backup finished. That is the point. The operators want the event to feel complete before you have even read UFFIZI_README.html.

Do not treat a new wallpaper as proof that every copy of every file is already gone. Do not treat it as proof that they are watching you type. It is a scare surface. Change it back later from a clean account if you need the machine to be usable for reporting. Do not let the image set the pace of the next hour. Do not download a “wallpaper fixer” from a search ad that now knows you typed the strain name. Containment comes before cosmetics.

RSA and AES are a costume, not a receipt

The note claims the files were locked with RSA and AES. Those strings are famous on purpose. They show up in product pages, in exam dumps, in other ransom notes. Dropping both in one paragraph is meant to sound like a lab report. It is meant to stop you from thinking a rename, a repair tool, or a “Venere decryptor” ad can walk the bytes back.

What the note is actually selling is helplessness. If the lock is “impossible” without their private key, then their inbox is the only aisle. If the lock is “impossible,” then a 72-hour price hike starts to feel like the last remaining lever. Naming two algorithms does not put a key on your desk. It does not prove the implementation. It does not prove they still have a key. It does not prove they will send one if you write uffizi@onionmail.org.

People hear RSA and AES and go looking for a matching “RSA AES decryptor” in ads. That search is the next trap. A tool that promises to reverse those letters because a ransom note printed them 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 an HTML page named two ciphers. You do not need to argue cryptography with a flyer. You need to stop treating the flyer as a technician.

The 72-hour clock is a closer, not a deadline you owe

The note starts a 72-hour clock and says the price will go up if you wait. That sentence is a closer. It is not a service-level agreement. It is not a coupon that expires at a real shop. It is a timer printed by the people who already locked 1.jpg.Venere1. They want the first mail to go out while you are still shaking.

A printed hike with no printed starting figure is still a blank invoice. This page will not invent a number to put under that clock. If your copy of UFFIZI_README.html never names a figure, it never names a figure. Do not ask the inbox what the “real” price is. Asking is how the blank gets filled. The clock exists so you skip backups, skip a report, and skip the person who would tell you to isolate the machine first.

Seventy-two hours is a sales window, not a fuse on the files. The bytes in vacation.jpg.Venere1 do not become more locked because a flyer counted to three days. They also do not become unlocked if you write early. Hurry is the product. The files are already locked. Another night of staring at a countdown will not change them. The CISA StopRansomware Guide is blunt about clocks like this. Paying does not ensure the files come back, does not ensure the systems are clean, and does not buy you a clock that was ever yours.

uffizi@onionmail.org is checkout, not a help desk

The printed inbox is uffizi@onionmail.org. That is the aisle. A private mail address on an onionmail domain looks like a ticket window. It is still a door they own. Mail would seem safer than a chat because you already know how to send mail. That habit is why the line works. The address is still theirs. The first message is still a negotiation.

Do not mail that inbox because UFFIZI_README.html told you to. Do not open a fresh account “just to see if it bounces.” Do not send a screenshot of Explorer to prove you are a victim. Do not attach 1.jpg.Venere1 as a sample. A sample is how a locked photo becomes a conversation. A conversation is how a demand appears. The note already told you the door. Walking through it is the product.

The local-part of the address is branding, the same way the HTML filename is branding. Anyone can stand up a lookalike inbox after a wave of locked folders. Writing the first message does not start a warranty. It starts a thread you cannot enforce, on an account they can delete, with a price they never printed on the page. If a later stranger quotes uffizi@onionmail.org so they sound close to the case, they read the same note you did. That is not a recovery team.

The printed qTox ID is a door, not a rescue line

The note also prints a qTox ID and labels it as a qTox ID. In the sample used for this page, that string is C49A5C78C5BA64B01EDFBC689EA344C486812FDE4DD52F92D572700065B50F3B6DEDBCDB94EA. That is the second aisle. qTox 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 long hex handle feels like a procedure. The procedure is still theirs.

Do not open that qTox ID. Do not install qTox for this incident if you do not already use it. Do not paste the string into a search box “just to see who owns it.” Do not paste it into a second app that offers to “look up the operator.” A messenger thread is how a locked tax sheet becomes a negotiation. The ID is an identifier for a responder. It is not an invitation you are required to accept.

This page will not invent a second qTox ID, a group chat, or a “backup” handle. The printed string is the printed string. If a later helper says the published sample is incomplete and they have the real operator, they are selling a missing door. Anyone can copy a 76-character hex dump off a screenshot. Handing you digits does not prove they can open 1.jpg.Venere1. Keep the string in the incident record. Stay out of the app.

The blank personal ID is empty on purpose

The sample note leaves the personal ID blank. That gap is the hook. A filled ID would look like a case number. An empty ID looks like a form you failed to complete. People try to complete forms. They hunt forums. They ask a stranger for “the real ID.” They type random strings. They wait for a later mail that claims to hold the missing line.

This page will not invent a personal ID to put in that blank. If your copy of UFFIZI_README.html is empty there, it is empty. Copy the file as evidence. Do not tidy it. Do not fill it in so it looks more professional. Do not accept a long hex string from a comment, a Telegram channel, or a “helper” who already knows the extension. Anyone can read .Venere1 off a screenshot. Handing you digits does not prove they can reverse the lock.

A blank ID also gives copycats a job. They will sell the missing string. They will say the published sample was incomplete and they have your unique ticket. They will ask you to mail the inbox first, then paste what they send, or to open qTox and paste it there. That is still the same shop, or a second shop standing in the same doorway. The original flyer left the field empty. Do not finish it for them. Do not hash your computer name. Do not send a hardware serial to “prove you are real.” Real is already proven by the locked files on disk.

Gallerie Uffizi and Simone Verde are a name-drop, not a news report

The note name-drops Gallerie Uffizi and Direttore Simone Verde. That is a pressure story printed by the people who locked the files. It is not a confirmed report that the real museum was breached. This page will not treat a ransom note as a news wire. The real Gallerie degli Uffizi is a museum. Naming it in a locker note does not make the museum a victim, a customer, or a partner. It makes the flyer feel expensive.

Criminals borrow famous names because famous names travel. A home user who has never been to Florence still recognizes the word. A manager who has been there feels the sentence in the stomach. The operators want that feeling. They want you to believe you have wandered into a headline, so a 72-hour clock feels like news, not like a sales timer. A name on a crime flyer is still a name on a crime flyer. It is not evidence of a museum incident.

Do not call the museum to “confirm the hack.” Do not mail museum staff with a copy of UFFIZI_README.html. Do not post the name-drop as if it were a published breach. Do not smear the real institution because a locker borrowed its letterhead. If you are writing the incident down, record that the note prints those names. Record it as attacker copy. Then stop. The files on your disk are the incident you can see. The museum line is costume.

This is not the old News-venere.com pop-up

There is already a published page about News-venere.com pop-up ads. That is a browser nuisance. It is not this locker. A pop-up that uses the word Venere is not a folder of .Venere1 files. It is not UFFIZI_README.html. It is not a wallpaper change and a 72-hour price hike. If your search history still has that older title, close it. You are in a different case.

Shared words create bad triage. A stranger who only knows the word Venere can point you at the pop-up guide and call it done. A stranger who only knows the pop-up can sell you a “Venere ransomware decryptor” that has nothing to do with your folder. Match the artifacts you can see. The extra ending. The HTML filename. The onionmail inbox. The printed qTox ID. The blank personal ID. Those marks belong to this strain. A redirect pop-up does not.

If you actually have both problems, treat them as two problems. A browser pop-up is a cleanup. A pile of .Venere1 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. Lock the files. Brand the names with .Venere1. Drop UFFIZI_README.html. Change the wallpaper. Name RSA and AES. Start a 72-hour price hike. Point the scared person at uffizi@onionmail.org. Print a qTox ID. Leave the personal ID blank. Name-drop a museum so the flyer feels like news. Then wait for someone else to sell the missing ticket. Here is that package in the order it usually lands.

1. One reachable account is enough

Someone on the machine still has a session the attackers can use. That can be a stolen remote-desktop login, a phishing mail from last month, or a share that was never meant to be open. This page will not walk through those paths. The part you can see is the aftermath: one account was enough, and the note now speaks as if the whole disk is already theirs.

From the chair in front of the screen, it feels sudden. From the crew’s side, UFFIZI_README.html 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. Files pick up .Venere1 and stop opening

The locker walks the folders it can reach and rewrites the files it cares about. Documents, images, archives, and exports are the usual targets because those are the files people miss first. When it finishes a file, it leaves the old name in place and hangs .Venere1 on the end. That is why 1.jpg is still readable as 1.jpg.Venere1.

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 .Venere1 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 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. The digit on Venere can change

The sample ending on this page is .Venere1. The number after the word Venere can change on the next copy of the same locker. Treat the digit as a costume, not as a serial you can decode at home. .Venere1 and a later .Venere3 are still this family. They are still MedusaLocker-family lockers that want the same first mail.

Do not wait for a decryptor page that matches your digit exactly. Do not assume a new number means a new crew with a kinder inbox. Do not assume a new number means the old qTox ID is “expired” and you need a stranger to give you a fresh one. The word on the end is the brand. The HTML filename is the brand. The onionmail local-part is the brand. The digit is paint.

4. UFFIZI_README.html turns a break-in into a ticket

Once the names are branded, the malware needs a voice. UFFIZI_README.html 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 an HTML file with a capital name stands out. You open it because it looks like the only thing that still speaks English, and because the wallpaper already told you to look.

The body is built to finish before a relative walks into the room. Locked files. RSA and AES. Mail this inbox. Here is a qTox ID. Personal ID blank. 72 hours until the price hikes. A museum name-drop so the page feels larger than your Documents folder. Each beat closes a door. The shout closes “maybe Windows just glitched.” The ciphers close “maybe it is a simple rename.” The inbox closes “maybe there is a local tool.” The clock closes “maybe I can sleep on this.” The blank ID 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 printed ransom figure. It does not give you a filled personal ID. 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.

5. The wallpaper makes the lock impossible to ignore

Changing the wallpaper is the part that happens even if you never open Documents. It is how a locker occupies the whole screen, not just one folder. People who keep a clean desktop still see it. People who never look at Downloads still see it. The image is there so UFFIZI_README.html does not have to wait for curiosity.

Treat the new background as a symptom, the same way you treat .Venere1 names as a symptom. Photograph it for the report if it still shows the threat, then leave cosmetics for a clean account later. A new background is a sign the machine was under someone else’s control. It is not a reason to stay logged in so you can “make the 72-hour window.”

6. RSA and AES close the argument

After the lock, the note names RSA and AES so the rest of the flyer feels like math you cannot beat at the kitchen table. Hybrid encryption. Strong keys. No way home without them. That speech is older than this strain. It is there so you skip backups, skip reporting, and skip the person who would tell you to leave the share alone until it is contained.

There is a narrow truth hiding in that line, and it is not theirs. Do not run random decryptors from ads. Do not bulk-rename the pile. Do not feed 1.jpg.Venere1 into a website that promises to unlock RSA in the browser. Those steps can damage files. The note uses that risk as a leash. You can respect the files without obeying the people who locked them. Keep the copies. Do not follow UFFIZI_README.html as a playbook.

7. The 72-hour price hike is the closer

The clock arrives so the first mail feels cheap compared with “later.” Later, the flyer says, costs more. More than what? The page never printed a starting figure. That missing number is not mercy. It is a blank invoice. The first conversation is how they fill it in, after you have already written uffizi@onionmail.org or opened the printed qTox ID.

Do not treat 72 hours as a fuse you can beat by paying faster. Do not treat it as proof they will destroy a key you have never seen. Do not treat it as proof they will leak files they have not shown you. A timer on a crime flyer is a sales tool. CISA’s joint guidance is the same here as it is for every other locker. Payment is not a clean ending. A countdown does not change that.

8. The inbox is the first door they want you to walk through

The recovery steps in the sample start with mail. Write uffizi@onionmail.org, the note says. Mail feels ordinary. Ordinary is the point. You already have an account. You already know how to attach a file. The flyer wants that habit for the operators, not for you.

Do not mail that inbox. Do not send a test file. Do not ask what they want. A price is how the rest of the script starts. Once you are in the thread, the blank personal ID has something to attach to, and the 72-hour clock has a customer. Silence is not rude here. Silence is how you stay out of their queue.

If someone later says they will “talk to Venere for you” by writing that address, 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 qTox ID is the second door

The printed qTox ID is a spare checkout. If mail feels slow, or if a copycat has already burned the inbox, the note still has a messenger handle. In this sample that handle is C49A5C78C5BA64B01EDFBC689EA344C486812FDE4DD52F92D572700065B50F3B6DEDBCDB94EA, labeled as a qTox ID in UFFIZI_README.html. A second door is not a kindness. It is redundancy in the storefront.

Do not open that qTox ID to see if a chat window appears. A chat window is not Photos opening vacation.jpg again. Do not let a stranger “introduce you” in qTox because they say the inbox is dead. A dead inbox is still not a reason to walk into the spare aisle. Save the string. Stay out of the app. If your own note actually contains the same ID, still do not open it. A filled line does not make the other side a help desk.

10. The personal ID stays blank so you will try to finish it

The personal ID line is empty in the published sample. That is a closed loop dressed as a form. They ask you to bring an identifier they never issued. The feeling is that you missed a page. You did not miss a page. The sample is the page.

People try to invent the missing ticket. They use a Windows product key. They use an email address. They use the last digits of a phone number. They use a folder path. Each of those gifts is extra data the crew did not have to steal a second time. Do not build them a personal ID. Do not send hardware details to prove you are real. If a later copy of the note on your disk actually contains a string on that line, keep the file. Do not send the string. An identifier in a ransom note is evidence. It is not a password you redeem in mail or in qTox.

11. The museum line is theater sitting on top of a home folder

Gallerie Uffizi and Direttore Simone Verde arrive so the HTML page feels like a scandal, not a stickup. The names are real names in the real world. The use of those names in this flyer is still attacker copy. This page will not convert that copy into a claim that the real museum was breached. It will not put the museum in the victim chair. It will not ask you to repeat the name-drop to a journalist to “confirm” your own incident.

If your own firm is actually in a fight with this crew, that is a lawyer and incident-lead conversation, not an onionmail conversation. If you are a home user staring at 1.jpg.Venere1, the museum sentence is still not a reason to write the crew. The sentence exists to make silence feel expensive. Silence is still the correct first move. Do not smear the real Uffizi on the way through that sentence.

12. Third parties will sell a conversation, and payment closes nothing

After a ransomware incident, search results fill up with companies that say they can decrypt Venere or “all .Venere1 files.” Some of those shops are ordinary overpriced consultants. Plenty are a second scam. They will quote UFFIZI_README.html so they sound close to the case. They will quote the qTox ID so they sound inside the operation. They will mention Gallerie Uffizi as if they already called Florence. They will ask for a sample file, a remote-access session, or a deposit. They may even tell you to mail uffizi@onionmail.org and paste a string, 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 qTox ID that makes a chat window appear. A chat window is not a JPEG coming back. If a later message skips the printed inbox 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.

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 qTox show an error. They can come back later and lock the same machine again. Empty ID fields make that outcome easier, not harder. You cannot leave a review on a blank line. Opening qTox or mailing the inbox is the free version of the same dead end. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. There is no printed ransom figure. Starting a thread does not rebuild a JPEG. It only keeps you in their story while the rest of the disk still needs a real plan.

The No More Ransom project puts the rule in plain language. Paying is not guaranteed to bring the files back, and you should not pay. That is the line on the official landing page run with Europol and the project partners. Use that page. Do not use UFFIZI_README.html as a vendor.

What To Do If Your Files End in .Venere1

Do not mail uffizi@onionmail.org. Do not open that qTox ID. Do not install qTox for this. Do not invent a personal ID to finish UFFIZI_README.html. Do not send a sample file. Do not ask what the 72-hour hike will cost. If you already opened the note before you stopped, close it. If you already sent a message before you found this page, stop there. Do not send a second file. Do not pay a deposit to “hold the original price” for anyone who quotes the note.

• 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.
   

Then stay with this strain. The generic steps above are the floor. The extra work below is how you keep Venere from turning into a second loss. Do not mail that inbox. Do not open that qTox ID.

1. Keep every .Venere1 name exactly as it is. If your copy used a different Venere digit, keep that ending too. Do not bulk-rename 1.jpg.Venere1 back to 1.jpg, or vacation.jpg.Venere1 back to vacation.jpg, or invoice-2026.pdf.Venere1 back to a normal PDF, or taxes.xlsx.Venere1 back to a spreadsheet, or family.mp4.Venere1 back to a video. 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 .Venere1. You do not need to edit it to know what you lost.
2. Keep UFFIZI_README.html with the locked files. Do not “clean up” every copy of the note. Do not fill in the blank personal ID so the flyer looks complete. Keep the contact marks as identifiers: the inbox uffizi@onionmail.org, and the qTox ID printed in the note as C49A5C78C5BA64B01EDFBC689EA344C486812FDE4DD52F92D572700065B50F3B6DEDBCDB94EA. Those artifacts are how you prove this was this strain and not a different locker that only sounds similar. They are evidence. They are not instructions you should carry out. Do not mail that inbox. Do not open that qTox ID.
3. Do not treat the wallpaper as a separate emergency. Photograph it for the report if it still shows the threat, then leave cosmetics for a clean account later. A new background is a symptom that the machine was under someone else’s control. It is not a reason to stay logged in so you can “make the 72-hour window.”
4. Do not treat the museum name-drop as news. Record that UFFIZI_README.html prints Gallerie Uffizi and Direttore Simone Verde. Record it as attacker copy. Do not call the real museum. Do not repeat the line as a confirmed breach. Do not smear the real Uffizi because a locker borrowed the letterhead.
5. Do not mix this incident with the old News-venere.com pop-up. A browser nuisance is not a pile of .Venere1 files. If a stranger only quotes the word Venere, ask which artifact they mean. The HTML note and the extra ending are the marks that matter here.
6. If Windows still offers to pick an app for the .Venere1 type, decline it. There is no player for that ending.
7. A 72-hour sticker in the note is not a reason to skip the CISA ransomware reporting page or a report at the FBI IC3 desk. The clock is theirs. The files are already locked. Another night of panic will not change the bytes in vacation.jpg.Venere1.

The Bottom Line

Venere ransomware is a MedusaLocker-family locker with a readable filename and an HTML note that wants a conversation. It keeps the old name and appends .Venere1. The digit after Venere can vary. In the sample this page uses, 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.Venere1. vacation.jpg becomes vacation.jpg.Venere1. invoice-2026.pdf becomes invoice-2026.pdf.Venere1. taxes.xlsx becomes taxes.xlsx.Venere1. family.mp4 becomes family.mp4.Venere1. The note is UFFIZI_README.html. The desktop wallpaper can change so you see the event before you open the folder.

The note claims RSA and AES. It starts a 72-hour price hike and does not print a ransom figure. Contact is uffizi@onionmail.org. It prints a qTox ID, labeled as a qTox ID in that note, as C49A5C78C5BA64B01EDFBC689EA344C486812FDE4DD52F92D572700065B50F3B6DEDBCDB94EA. The personal ID line is blank. It name-drops Gallerie Uffizi and Direttore Simone Verde as a pressure story. That name-drop is not confirmed news that the real museum was breached, and it is not a reason to smear the real Uffizi. This is not the old News-venere.com pop-up. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain.

Do not pay. Do not mail that inbox. Do not open that qTox ID. Do not invent a personal ID. Do not rename the pile in bulk. If you take one sentence with you, take this. A folder of names ending in .Venere1, plus UFFIZI_README.html with a 72-hour clock, an onionmail inbox, a printed qTox ID, and a blank personal ID, is ransomware on the first sighting. Treat it that way before anyone offers to fill the blanks.