The Winkiller virus falls within the ransomware type of malicious agent. Harmful software of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the computer (images, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file.
Winkiller virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A strictly correct designation for the Winkiller is “a ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Winkiller will add its own .WINKILLER extension to the name of every encrypted file. For instance, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.WINKILLER”. Likewise, the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.WINKILLER”, and so forth.
The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the racketeers. You can obtain this tool after contacting diskkiller@winkiller.cf via email. That is how they do it.
Winkiller summary:
| Name | Winkiller Virus |
| Extension | .WINKILLER |
| Contact | diskkiller@winkiller.cf |
| Detection | MSIL/Spy.Agent.DSV, TrojanSpy:Win32/Delgent, Trojan.Ransom.Magniber |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .WINKILLER extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Winkiller virus |
The note coming in package with the Winkiller ransomware provides the following discouraging information:
YOUR COMPUTER HAS BEEN DESTROYED BY ME! Do not attempt to shut down or restart your computer. Your data will be lost unless you pay a ransom. And you can\'t start PE because the hard disk already has a logical lock. I\'ve put your code in the \"Code.Key\" file under this path. Ransom: 100RMB.Email:diskkiller@winkiller.cf.
In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Winkiller looks like. Each filename has the “.WINKILLER” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .WINKILLER files.
How did my machine catch Winkiller ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most popular methods for evil-doers to have ransomware settled in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer-to-peer networks.
If you open your inbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is strange to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a harmful file enclosed in them. So it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file model1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your PC disguised as something legal. Imagine, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some program. But what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful program that compromises your data. Since the update wizard can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the files you’re downloading. The optimal way is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never know what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is complete.
How to remove the Winkiller virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Winkiller virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes racketeers would decrypt some of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption tool. As Winkiller virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware engineers have not yet found a way to undo its work. However, the decryption instruments are frequently upgraded, so the solution may soon arrive.
Sure thing, if the evildoers succeed in encoding someone’s critical files, the desperate person will probably fulfill their demands. Despite that, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still dangerous. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports about hackers just vanishing after getting the money without even writing back.
The optimal countermeasure to ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud storage or at least on an external storage. Obviously, that might be insufficient. The most important 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 antivirus program after the system is rolled back.
Winkiller is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. Examples of those are Wdlo, Kqgs, Udla, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Winkiller are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become blocked, their extensions altered, ransom notes are found in every directory containing encoded files.
Some lucky people were able to decode the blocked files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the criminals mistakenly send the decryption code to the victims in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But obviously, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ technology to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How do I avert ransomware injection?
Winkiller ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can defend yourself from its injection in three easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (how can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, check all elements of the dubious email carefully. A hoax email will always have mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often distributed as a part of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy ones, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful armor for your system.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft3
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft4.
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 system.
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 computer for Winkiller 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 finished, 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
🤔 How can I open “.WINKILLER” files?Are the “.WINKILLER” files accessible?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.WINKILLER” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. All other solutions require time.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Winkiller malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
No way! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with actual viruses. The malware that has infected your computer is probably still active and running scans from time to time to encrypt any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has already been said, the Winkiller ransomware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide malefactors with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What to do if the Winkiller malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.
If that happened, you need to have a flash memory card with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the procedure. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or brought into your computer. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be at your disposal
- If you exchanged your important files by email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to give those images back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a notebook, mobile, external storage, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ data recovery utilities5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but remember: you won’t be able to do it before you remove the virus 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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Brendan SmithHow to Remove WINKILLER Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: WINKILLER Virus
Description: WINKILLER Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .WINKILLER 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.
- You can read more on spyware variants and nature in the respective 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.
