The 4ywda virus belongs with the ransomware type of infection. A harmful program of this type encrypts all the data on your PC (photos, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, leaving the MJZ1_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt text files in each folder with the encrypted files.
What is 4ywda?
☝️ A scientifically correct description for the 4ywda would be “a ransomware malicious agent”.
The scheme of renaming is this: *random_string*.4ywda. As a part of encryption, a file entitled, for instance, “report.docx” will be renamed to “report.docx.1320987UIPCSB328C7G03TRXPOSJ0S92U05.4ywda”.
In each folder containing the encrypted files, a MJZ1_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt text document will appear. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is how they do it.
4ywda outline:
| Name | 4ywda Virus |
| Extension | .*random_string*.4ywda |
| Ransomware note | MJZ1_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt |
| Detection | Trojan.FuerboosPMF.S2873333, MSIL/Filecoder.EvilNominatus.A, Trojan-Ransom.PowerShell.Agent.af |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .*random_string*.4ywda extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by 4ywda virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the 4ywda looks like. Each filename has the “.*random_string*.4ywda” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .*random_string*.4ywda files.
How did my computer get infected with 4ywda ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most popular ways for evil-doers to have ransomware working in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer file transfer.
If you access your mailbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is unknown to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a viral item attached to them. So it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus scheme1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your computer pretending to be something else. For instance, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some service. However, what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful agent that compromises your data. As the update wizard can have any title and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the files you’re downloading. The best thing is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never guess what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is done.
How to remove the 4ywda virus?
It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the 4ywda virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes criminals would decrypt several of your files to prove that they really have the decryption tool. Since 4ywda virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a way to undo its work. However, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently upgraded, so the solution may soon arrive.
Sure thing, if the hackers succeed in encoding victim’s essential data, the hopeless person will probably fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After receiving the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports of racketeers just vanishing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The optimal solution against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external drive. Obviously, that might be insufficient. Your most important thing could be that one you were working on when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the OS is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides 4ywda, that work similarly. For instance, Xcmb, Dehd, Hudf, and some others. The two main differences between them and the 4ywda are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: documents become blocked, their extensions altered, ransom notes emerge in every folder containing encrypted files.
Some lucky users were able to decode the blocked files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-malware specialists. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decryption key to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the victim to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.
How сan I avoid ransomware infection?
4ywda ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can defend your PC from its injection in several easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the dubious email with caution. A hoax email will surely contain mistakes.
- Never use cracked or untrusted software. Trojans are often spreaded as an element of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” which prevents the license check. But dubious programs are difficult to tell from reliable software, because trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try searching for information on this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect shield for your PC.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft2
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft3.
Download Removal Tool.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
Run the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your computer.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your system for 4ywda infections and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has completed, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.
FAQ
🤔 Can I somehow access “.*random_string*.4ywda” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.*random_string*.4ywda” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. In case you haven’t, there is still a chance that you do have a Restore Point from some time ago to roll back the whole system to the moment when it had no virus yet, but already had your files. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the 4ywda virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?
Absolutely not! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete the threats from your PC. The ransomware that has infected your device is most likely still active and launching checks every so often to arrest any new files you might create on your computer after the initial attack. As it has already been said, the 4ywda virus does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide hackers with easy access to your PC after some time.
🤔 What should I do if the 4ywda virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.
If that happened, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or brought into your computer. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Many of the blocked files might still be within your reach
- If you exchanged your critical files via email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You may have shared images or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to post those images back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try to do it again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud disks might have all those files too.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, mobile, memory stick, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use file recovery programs4 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but be advised: you can do it only after you remove the ransomware itself with an anti-malware program.
Also, you can contact the following official fraud and scam sites to report this attack:
- In the United States: On Guard Online;
- In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
- In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
- In Australia: SCAMwatch;
- In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
- In France: Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information;
- In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
- In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;
To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove 4YWDA Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: 4YWDA Virus
Description: 4YWDA Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .*random_string*.4ywda extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
- Here are Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
