WAGNER2.0 Ransomware 🔐 (.WAGNER2.0 File) — Removal Guide

The Wagner2.0 virus belongs under the Xorist ransomware family. A harmful program of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, text files, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, leaving the КАК РАСШИФРОВАТЬ ФАЙЛЫ.txt text files in each directory which contains the encrypted files.

What is Wagner2.0 virus?

☝️ Wagner2.0 is a Xorist family ransomware virus.

Wagner2.0 will add its extra .Wagner2.0 extension to the name of each encoded file. For instance, an image named “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.Wagner2.0”. In the same manner, the Excel sheet with the name “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.Wagner2.0”, and so forth.

In each folder containing the encrypted files, a КАК РАСШИФРОВАТЬ ФАЙЛЫ.txt text file will be found. It looks like a ransom note, but in fact contains an agitation to join the Wagner PMC group. The latter became known worldwide after the coup attempt in late June 2023. Possibly, the group’s chiefs are trying to recruit more people in such a peculiar way.

Wagner2.0 Overview:

The КАК РАСШИФРОВАТЬ ФАЙЛЫ.txt document accompanying the Wagner2.0 ransomware states the following:

Официальный троян  ЧВК Вагнера по защите РОССИИ®?
ХВАТИТ ТЕРПЕТЬ ШОЙГУ,ГЕРАСЕМОВА,НАЦИСТОВ СПАСИ СВОЮ страну от чиновников из-за них умирают люди на войне зачем это? бери оружие брат и иди против врага! с нами Бог
часть декодора 61LGYoY1m

In the image below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Wagner2.0 looks like. Each filename has the “.Wagner2.0” extension added to it.

How did my computer get infected with Wagner2.0 ransomware?

There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware injection.

There are currently three most exploited methods for malefactors to have ransomware settled in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer networks.

• If you access your mailbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a ransomware item enclosed in them. So it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
• Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse model. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something legal. For instance, you download an installer of some program you need or an update for some program. But what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful program that encrypts your data. Since the installation file can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the stuff you’re downloading. The best way is to use the software companies’ official websites.
• As for the peer networks like BitTorrent or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. 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 directory containing the downloaded objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is done.

How to remove ransomware?

It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your data, the Wagner2.0 virus will most likely deploy Vidar Stealer on your computer to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.

How do I avoid ransomware infection?

Wagner2.0 ransomware has no endless power, so as any similar malware.

You can protect your system from ransomware infiltration in several easy steps:

• Ignore any letters from unknown mailers with unknown 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 expecting, check all elements of the dubious email with caution. A fake email will always have a mistake.
• Never use cracked or untrusted software. Trojans are often shared as an element of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are difficult to tell from reliable ones, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information about this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such software.

FAQ

🤔 How can I open “.Wagner2.0” files?Are the “.Wagner2.0” files accessible?

There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.Wagner2.0” files are decrypted.

🤔 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. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 What actions should I take if the Wagner2.0 ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.

🤔 What could help the situation right now?

Many of the encoded 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 mailbox.
• You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. 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 doing it again.
• Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud storage might have all those files too.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, phone, memory stick, etc.

HINT: You can use file recovery programs² to get your lost data back since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you kill the ransomware itself with an antivirus program.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
2. Here’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.