The Rl wana-xd virus belongs under the ransomware type of malicious agent. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, text files, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file, creating the Readme.txt text files in every directory with the encrypted files.
Rl wana-xd virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically accurate designation for the Rl wana-xd would be “a ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Rl wana-xd appends its own . XD-99 extension to the title of each encoded file. For example, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg. XD-99”. Likewise, the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will become “table.xlsx. XD-99”, and so forth.
In each directory containing the encrypted files, a Readme.txt file will be found. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the Rl wana-xd developers. That is it.
Rl wana-xd outline:
| Name | Rl wana-xd Virus |
| Extension | . XD-99 |
| Ransomware note | Readme.txt |
| Detection | Trojan.Upatre.NT, Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.PK!MTB, Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.PJ!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a . XD-99 extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Rl wana-xd virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Rl wana-xd looks like. Each filename has the “. XD-99” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “. XD-99” files look.
How did my computer get infected with Rl wana-xd ransomware?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware injection.
Nowadays, there are three most popular methods for evil-doers to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer-to-peer networks.
If you open your inbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a malicious item enclosed in them. Thus it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse model1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your computer pretending to be something different. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some software. However, what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful program that encodes your data. As the update package can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the files you’re downloading. The best way is to trust the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never guess what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the Rl wana-xd virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Rl wana-xd virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes criminals would decode few of your files to prove that they do have the decryption tool. Since Rl wana-xd virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware engineers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware instruments are constantly updated, so the solution may soon be available.
Of course, if the malefactors do the job of encrypting victim’s critical files, the hopeless person will probably fulfill their demands. However, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of malefactors just vanishing after getting the money without even writing back.
The optimal solution against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud storage or at least on an external disk. Of course, that might be not enough. Your most important thing could be that one you were working on when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the OS is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Rl wana-xd, that work similarly. For instance, Rsfdd, Doyuk, Shgv, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Rl wana-xd are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: files become encrypted, their extensions changed, ransom notes are found in every directory containing encoded files.
Some lucky victims were able to decode the blocked files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But obviously, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.
How to avoid ransomware injection?
Rl wana-xd ransomware has no superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can defend yourself from ransomware attack in several easy steps:
- Ignore any emails from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (how can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, check all elements of the suspicious email with caution. A hoax letter will surely have mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or unknown software. Trojans are often spreaded as a part of cracked software, most likely as a “patch” preventing the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are difficult to tell from reliable software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try to find information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such programs at all.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful armor for your system.
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 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 PC for Rl wana-xd 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
🤔 How can I open “. XD-99” files?Is it possible to open“. XD-99” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “. XD-99” files are decrypted.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. 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.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Rl wana-xd malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
Absolutely not! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete actual infections from your system. The virus that has infiltrated your system is probably still active and running scans from time to time to encrypt any new files you might create on your computer after the initial attack. As it has been said above, the Rl wana-xd virus comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide criminals with easy access to your system after some time.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Rl wana-xd ransomware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
In such a case, you need to have a flash memory drive with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. The point is that the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or imported into your machine. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be at your disposal
- If you sent or received your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might 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 Web, you can try to do it again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud storage might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, mobile, external storage, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use file recovery programs4 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you can do it only after you remove the virus 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 RL WANA-XD Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: RL WANA-XD Virus
Description: RL WANA-XD Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific . XD-99 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 Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
