WHOLE Ransomware 🔐 (.WHOLE File) — Removal Guide

The Whole virus belongs to the ransomware type of infection. Malware of this type encrypts all the data on your PC (photos, documents, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, leaving the README-ID-[victim\’s_ID].txt text files in every directory which contains the encrypted files.

What is Whole virus?

Whole will add its own .whole extension to every file’s name. For instance, an image named “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.whole”. Just like the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.whole”, and so on.

In each directory with the encrypted files, a README-ID-[victim\’s_ID].txt text document will be found. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the Whole developers. You can get this decryptor after contacting [email protected] via email. That is how they do it.

Whole Overview:

The README-ID-[victim\’s_ID].txt document (named README-ID-KLAAQENQB3174C1.txt in our case) coming in package with the Whole ransomware states the following:

YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED


 -
 Your files have been encrypted with strong encryption algorithms and modified!
 Don\'t worry your unique encryption key is stored securely on our server and your data can be decrypted quickly and securely.
 -
 We can prove that we can decrypt all of your data. Please just send us 3 not important, small(~2mb) encrypted files, which are randomly stored on your server. Also attach your this file README-ID-.txt left by us in every folder.
 We will decrypt these files and send them to you as a proof. Please note that files for free test decryption should not contain valuable information.
 -
 If you will not start a dialogue with us in 72 hours we will be forced to publish your files in the public domain. Your customers and partners will be informed about the data leak.
 This way, your reputation will be ruined. If you will not react, we will be forced to sell the most important information such as databases and personal data to interested parties to generate some profit.
 -
 If you want to resolve this situation, attach in letter this file README-ID-.txt and write to ALL of these 2 email addresses:
 
 * [email protected]
 * [email protected]
 
 -
 IMPORTANT!
 * We recommend you contact us directly to avoid overpaying agents.
 * We asking to send your message to ALL of our 2 email adresses because for various reasons, your email may not be delivered.
 * Our message may be recognized as spam, so be sure to check the spam folder.
 * If we do not respond to you within 24 hours, write to us from another email address.
 * Please don\'t waste the time, it will result only additinal damage to your company.
 * Please do not rename and try to decrypt the files yourself. We will not be able to help you if files will be modified.
 * If you will try to use any third party software for restoring your data or antivirus solutions, please make a backup for all encrypted files.
 * If you delete any encrypted files from the current computer, you may not be able to decrypt them.

In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Whole looks like. Each filename has the “.whole” extension appended to it.

How did Whole ransomware end up on my PC?

There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

Nowadays, there are three most exploited methods for malefactors to have ransomware planted in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer file transfer.

• Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse model. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your computer pretending to be something else. For example, you download an installer of some program you need or an update for some program. However, what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful program that compromises your data. As the installation wizard can have any title and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the things you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to use the software companies’ official websites.
• As for the peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent or eMule, the threat 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 folder containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is complete.

How to remove ransomware?

It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your data, the Whole virus will probably deploy Vidar Stealer on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

How to avert ransomware attack?

Whole ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.

You can protect your computer from its attack in three easy steps:

• Never open any letters from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the suspicious letter carefully. A fake email will always contain a mistake.
• Do not use cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often shared as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are very hard to tell from reliable ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal way is not to use such programs at all.

FAQ

🤔 How can I open “.whole” files?Can I somehow access “.whole” files?

Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.whole” files you will not be able to access them.

🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?

If the “.whole” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 What should I do if the Whole ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.

🤔 What can I do right now?

Some of the encrypted data can be found elsewhere.

• If you exchanged your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• You may have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to send 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 networks pages, and cloud disks might have all those files too.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, mobile, external storage, etc.

HINT: You can employ file recovery utilities¹ to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts 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 ransomware itself with an antivirus program.

1. Here’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.