BINWU Ransomware (.binwu Files) — How to remove virus?

The Binwu virus falls under the Xorist ransomware family. Malware of this type encrypts all the data on your computer (images, text files, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, leaving the КАК РАСШИФРОВАТЬ ФАЙЛЫ.txt text files in each folder with the encrypted files.

What is Binwu?

☝️ A scientifically accurate denomination for the Binwu would be “a Xorist family ransomware malicious agent”.

Binwu will append its specific .Binwu extension to every file’s title. For instance, a file named “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.Binwu”. Just like the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.Binwu”, and so on.

In every directory containing the encrypted files, a КАК РАСШИФРОВАТЬ ФАЙЛЫ.txt text file will be created. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the racketeers. That is how they do it.

Binwu outline:

In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Binwu looks like. Each filename has the “.Binwu” extension added to it.

How did my computer get infected with Binwu ransomware?

There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most exploited ways for tamperers to have ransomware acting in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer networks.

If you open your mailbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a malicious item enclosed in them. So it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with emails like these.

As for the peer networks like torrent trackers 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 folder containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is complete.

How to remove the Binwu virus?

It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Binwu virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Often tamperers would decode some of your files so you know that they really have the decryption tool. Since Binwu virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware designers have not yet found a method to undo its work. However, the decoding tools are constantly upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.

Of course, if the evildoers do the job of encrypting victim’s essential files, the hopeless person will most likely fulfill their demands. However, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports of ransomware developers just vanishing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.

The optimal solution against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud drive or at least on an external disk. Obviously, that might be insufficient. The most crucial thing could be that one you were working on when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the OS is rolled back.

There are other ransomware products, besides Binwu, that work similarly. Examples of those are Maiv, Ccps, Yoqs, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Binwu are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become blocked, their extensions changed, ransom notes emerge in every folder containing encoded files.

Some lucky people were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware developers. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decryption key to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.

How do I avert ransomware infiltration?

Binwu ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.

You can armour yourself from its attack taking three easy steps:

• Never open any emails from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (how can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, check all elements of the dubious letter carefully. A fake email will surely contain a mistake.
• Never use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojan viruses are often distributed as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy software, as trojans may also have the functionality you need. You can try searching for information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such software.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft³

Download Removal Tool.

Run the setup file.

Press “Install” button.

Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.

Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.

Click on “Clean Now”.

FAQ

🤔 How can I open “.Binwu” files?Are the “.Binwu” files accessible?

Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.Binwu” files you will not be able to access them.

🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?

If the “.Binwu” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. The rest of the methods require patience.

🤔 What should I do if the Binwu ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.

🤔 What could help the situation right now?

Some of the encrypted data can be found elsewhere.

• If you sent or received your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• You may have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to give those pictures back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do it again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud storage might have all those files as well.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, mobile, memory stick, etc.

HINT: You can employ data recovery programs⁵ to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you remove the ransomware itself with an antivirus 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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