The Wincrypto virus falls under the ransomware type of infection. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, creating the README WINCRYPTO.txt text files in every folder which contains the encrypted files.
What is known about the Wincryptovirus?
☝️ A scientifically accurate description for the Wincrypto would be “a ransomware-type infection”.
Wincrypto will append its own .wincrypto extension to the title of each encrypted file. For example, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.wincrypto”. Likewise, the Excel table with the name “table.xlsx” will become “table.xlsx.wincrypto”, and so forth.
In each directory with the encrypted files, a README WINCRYPTO.txt notebook file will be found. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the Wincrypto developers. That is pretty much the scheme of the felony.
Wincrypto abstract:
| Name | Wincrypto Virus |
| Extension | .wincrypto |
| Ransomware note | README WINCRYPTO.txt |
| Detection | Win32/Injector.DZRF, MSIL/TrojanDropper.Agent.DTL, MSIL/Kryptik.ADMR |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .wincrypto extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Wincrypto virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Wincrypto looks like. Each filename has the “.wincrypto” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .wincrypto files.
How did my machine catch Wincrypto ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware injection.
Nowadays, there are three most popular ways for criminals to have the Wincrypto virus settled in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you access your inbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a malware item attached to 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 an object that infiltrates into your computer pretending to be something different. For instance, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some service. But what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful program that compromises your data. Since the installation wizard can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the stuff you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to use 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. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is complete.
How do I get rid of the Wincrypto virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Wincrypto virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Often tamperers would decrypt several of your files to prove that they do have the decryption tool. As Wincrypto virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware designers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware instruments are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Of course, if the tamperers succeed in encoding someone’s essential data, the desperate person will most likely comply with their demands. Despite that, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After getting the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports about malefactors just vanishing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The best solution 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 disk. Obviously, that might be not enough. Your most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the OS is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Wincrypto, that work similarly. For instance, Blue, Khonsari, Yjqs, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Wincrypto are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become inaccessible, their extensions changed, ransom notes appear in each folder containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate people were able to decrypt the arrested files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the victim to restore the files. But of course, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a bandits’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.
How сan I avert ransomware injection?
Wincrypto ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour your PC from ransomware attack within three easy steps:
- Ignore any emails from unknown mailers with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, check all elements of the questionable letter with caution. A hoax email will surely contain a mistake.
- Avoid using cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often distributed as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. But untrusted programs are very hard to tell from reliable software, because trojans may also have the functionality you need. Try to find information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such software.
- And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful shield 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 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 Wincrypto 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 finished, 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.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.wincrypto” files?Are the “.wincrypto” files accessible?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.wincrypto” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
If the “.wincrypto” 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. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Wincrypto virus?
Absolutely not! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with actual threats. The malware that has infiltrated your system is most likely still functional and it scans your system every so often to encrypt any new files you might create on your computer after the attack. As it has been mentioned above, the Wincrypto virus comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide hackers with easy access to your system in the future.
🤔 What should I do if the Wincrypto malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
In such a case, you need to have a flash memory drive with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or imported into your PC. To suppress this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Many of the blocked files might still be at your disposal
- If you sent or received your important files via email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to send those images back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud storage might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, phone, memory stick, etc.
HINT: You can employ data recovery utilities4 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 won’t be able to do it before you remove the ransomware itself 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 WINCRYPTO Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: WINCRYPTO Virus
Description: WINCRYPTO Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .wincrypto 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’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
