The Winxvykljw virus falls under the Snatch ransomware family. Ransomware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (images, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, creating the HOW TO RESTORE YOUR FILES.TXT text files in every directory containing encrypted files.
What is Winxvykljw virus?
☝️ A scientifically accurate designation for the Winxvykljw is “a Snatch family ransomware infection”.
Winxvykljw will append its specific .winxvykljw extension to every file’s name. For example, an image named “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.winxvykljw”. Likewise, the Excel sheet with the name “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.winxvykljw”, and so forth.
In every directory that contains the encoded files, a HOW TO RESTORE YOUR FILES.TXT text document will be found. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is it.
Winxvykljw outline:
| Name | Winxvykljw Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | Snatch ransomware |
| Extension | .winxvykljw |
| Ransomware note | HOW TO RESTORE YOUR FILES.TXT |
| Detection | Win32/TrojanDownloader.Small.ARE, Trojan.Win32.Packre.pef, MSIL/ClipBanker.KY |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .winxvykljw extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Winxvykljw virus |
In the screenshot below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Winxvykljw looks like. Each filename has the “.winxvykljw” extension added to it.
That is how encrypted “.winxvykljw” files look.
How did Winxvykljw ransomware end up on my PC?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware injection.
There are currently three most exploited methods for hackers to have the Winxvykljw virus acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer file transfer.
If you open your inbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is strange to you, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a viral file attached to them. Thus it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file scheme2. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your computer disguised as something different. For example, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some service. However, what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful agent that compromises your data. As the update package can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the files you’re downloading. The optimal way is to trust the software companies’ 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 items with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How to remove the Winxvykljw virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the Winxvykljw virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your PC to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware3 can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often racketeers would decode several of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption program. As Winxvykljw virus is a relatively recent ransomware, security software engineers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the decoding instruments are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Understandably, if the criminals succeed in encrypting victim’s essential files, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. Despite that, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports about hackers simply disappearing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The optimal countermeasure to ransomware is to have aan OS 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 Winxvykljw, that work similarly. Examples of those are Mmvb, Mmdt, Oopu, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Winxvykljw are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: documents become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes emerge in every folder containing encrypted files.
Some lucky users were able to decrypt the arrested files with the help of the free software provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decryption code to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the victim to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ technology to pull the money out of their victims.
How сan I avert ransomware attack?
Winxvykljw ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.
You can defend your computer from its infiltration within several easy steps:
- Ignore any letters from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the questionable email carefully. A hoax email will always contain mistakes.
- Avoid using cracked or unknown software. Trojan viruses are often spreaded as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. But potentially dangerous programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy software, because trojans may also have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information about this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the best solution is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect shield for your personal computer.
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 Winxvykljw 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.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.winxvykljw” files?Can I somehow access “.winxvykljw” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.winxvykljw” files are decrypted.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.winxvykljw” files ASAP. How can I do that?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. 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 Winxvykljw virus?
Of course not. Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with actual threats. The virus that has infiltrated your computer is must be still active and running scans every so often to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the attack. As it has already been said, the Winxvykljw malware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide malefactors with easy access to your PC after some time.
🤔 What to do if the Winxvykljw ransomware 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 encodes any new files created or brought into your PC. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital applications to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Some of the blocked data can be located elsewhere.
- If you exchanged your important files by email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You may have shared images or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to send those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do 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 notebook, phone, external storage, etc.
HINT: You can employ file recovery utilities6 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the video below, you can learn 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.
I need your help to share this article.
It is your turn to help other people. I have written this guide to help users like you. You can use the buttons below to share this on your favorite social media Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit.
Brendan SmithHow to Remove WINXVYKLJW Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: WINXVYKLJW Virus
Description: WINXVYKLJW Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .winxvykljw 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 Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
