The Saw virus belongs under the Xorist ransomware family. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file, creating the КАК РАСШИФРОВАТЬ ФАЙЛЫ.txt text files in every directory with the encrypted files.
What is Saw virus?
☝️ A strictly correct designation for the Saw is “a Xorist family ransomware infection”.
Saw adds its extra .saw extension to every file’s name. For example, an image named “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.saw”. Likewise, the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.saw”, and so forth.
In every folder with the encrypted files, a КАК РАСШИФРОВАТЬ ФАЙЛЫ.txt text document will be found. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other remarks. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the Saw developers. That is basically the scheme of the crime.
Saw outline:
| Name | Saw Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | Xorist ransomware |
| Extension | .saw |
| Ransomware note | КАК РАСШИФРОВАТЬ ФАЙЛЫ.txt |
| Detection | Crytex.Virus.FileInfector.DDS, Win32/Filecoder.OLC, Malware-Cryptor.InstallCore.5 |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .saw extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Saw virus |
In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Saw looks like. Each filename has the “.saw” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .saw files.
How did Saw ransomware end up on my PC?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most popular methods for tamperers to have the Saw virus acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you open your inbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a viral item attached to them. So it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse model2. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something legal. Imagine, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some software. However, what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful agent that encrypts your data. As the installation package can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the things you’re downloading. The optimal way is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer networks like torrent trackers 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. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the Saw virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Saw virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware3 can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Often tamperers would unblock few of your files to prove that they do have the decryption tool. As Saw virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware designers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware tools are constantly upgraded, so the solution may soon be available.
Of course, if the evildoers do the job of encoding victim’s essential data, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still risky. After receiving the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports about hackers just disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The optimal solution against ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud storage or at least on an external disk. Of course, that might be not enough. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon 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 system restoration.
Saw is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. For instance, Erqw, Vvmm, Hhee, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Saw are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: files become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes emerge in each directory containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate users were able to decrypt the blocked files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decryption code to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But of course, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a criminals’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How to avert ransomware attack?
Saw ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can defend your system from its infiltration within several easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (how can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the questionable email with caution. A fake letter will always contain a mistake.
- Do not use cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often spreaded as a part of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. But dubious programs are very hard to tell from trustworthy ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal solution is not to use such programs at all.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect armor for your PC.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft4
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft5.
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 PC.
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 Saw 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 “.saw” files?Can I somehow access “.saw” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.saw” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.saw” files ASAP. How can I do that?
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. All other solutions require time.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Saw malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
Absolutely not! Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will remove the viruses from your PC. The ransomware that has infected your system is must be still active and launching checks from time to time to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the attack. As it has been mentioned above, the Saw ransomware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide malefactors with easy access to your PC in the future.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Saw ransomware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.
In such a case, you need to prepare a memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or brought into your PC. To suppress this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Many of the blocked files might still be within your reach
- If you sent or received your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You may have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to send those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud storage might have all those files too.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a portable device, cellphone, memory stick, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use file recovery utilities6 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, removing 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 virus with an anti-malware program.
Also, you can contact the following governmental 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 SAW Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: SAW Virus
Description: SAW Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .saw extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
- 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’s the list of Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
