The Wannabitcoin virus belongs with the ransomware type of infection. Harmful software of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the computer (images, text files, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, leaving the READ ME TO RECOVER YOUR FILES.wannabitcoin.txt files in each directory containing encrypted files.
Wannabitcoin virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically accurate description for the Wannabitcoin is “a ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Wannabitcoin appends its specific .wannabitcoin extension to every file’s title. For instance, an image named “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.wannabitcoin”. In the same manner, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.wannabitcoin”, and so forth.
In every directory with the encrypted files, a READ ME TO RECOVER YOUR FILES.wannabitcoin.txt notebook document will be found. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the racketeers. That is how they do it.
Wannabitcoin outline:
| Name | Wannabitcoin Virus |
| Extension | .wannabitcoin |
| Ransomware note | READ ME TO RECOVER YOUR FILES.wannabitcoin.txt |
| Detection | Python/Filecoder.FC, MSIL/TrojanDownloader.Agent.GDT, Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Cryptodef |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .wannabitcoin extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Wannabitcoin virus |
In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Wannabitcoin looks like. Each filename has the “.wannabitcoin” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.wannabitcoin” files look.
How did my computer get infected with Wannabitcoin ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited methods for criminals to have the Wannabitcoin virus planted in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer file transfer.
If you access your inbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is unknown to you, beware of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a harmful item enclosed in them. So it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan file model1. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your PC disguised as something different. For example, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some software. However, what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful agent that encodes your data. As the installation file can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the things you’re downloading. The best way is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer networks like torrents or eMule, the danger 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 websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.
How to remove the Wannabitcoin virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your files, the Wannabitcoin virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes racketeers would unblock few of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption program. As Wannabitcoin virus is a relatively new ransomware, security software developers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the anti-ransomware instruments are constantly updated, so the solution may soon arrive.
Sure thing, if the criminals do the job of encrypting victim’s critical files, the desperate person will probably comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still risky. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports about malefactors just vanishing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The optimal safety measure against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud drive or at least on an external drive. Surely, that might be not enough. Your most crucial thing could be that file you were working on when it all went down. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Wannabitcoin, that work similarly. Examples of those are [LINK4], [LINK5], [LINK6], and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Wannabitcoin are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in every directory containing encrypted files.
Some lucky users were able to decode the blocked files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-malware experts. 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 obviously, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ instrument to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How сan I avoid ransomware attack?
Wannabitcoin ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.
You can defend your system from its attack within three easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown senders with unknown 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 more or less something you are waiting for, check all elements of the questionable email carefully. A fake email will always contain a mistake.
- Avoid using cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often shared as a part of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy ones, as trojans may also have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information on this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.
- And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful defense 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 computer.
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 system for Wannabitcoin 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 “.wannabitcoin” files?Is it possible to open“.wannabitcoin” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.wannabitcoin” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.wannabitcoin” files ASAP. How can I do that?
If the “.wannabitcoin” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. 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. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Wannabitcoin virus?
No way! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your system off the actual viruses. The ransomware that has infected your computer is must be still functional and running scans periodically to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the attack. As it has already been said, the Wannabitcoin virus comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide criminals with easy access to your system after some time.
🤔 What should I do if the Wannabitcoin virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.
If that happened, you need to have a flash memory drive 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 encrypts any new files created or brought into your system. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Some of the blocked 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 might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to give those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud storage might have all those files too.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, mobile, flash memory, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use file recovery programs5 to get your lost data back since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the video below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but remember: you can do it only after 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 WANNABITCOIN Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: WANNABITCOIN Virus
Description: WANNABITCOIN Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .wannabitcoin 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 Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
