XRO Virus 🔐 (.XRO Files) — How to Remove?

The Xro virus belongs to the Xorist ransomware family. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, text files, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file, creating the HOW TO DECRYPT FILES.txt files in each folder which contains the encrypted files.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.

DOWNLOAD NOW

Gridinsoft Anti-Malware 6-day trial available.
EULA | Privacy Policy | 10% Off Coupon

Subscribe to our Telegram channel to be the first to know about news and our exclusive materials on information security.

Xro virus: what is known so far?

☝️ Xro is a Xorist family ransomware malicious agent.

Xro will append its specific .xro extension to every file’s name. For instance, an image named “photo.jpg” will be renamed to “photo.jpg.xro”. In the same manner, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.xro”, and so on.

In every folder with the encoded files, a HOW TO DECRYPT FILES.txt text document will be found. It is a ransom money note. It contains information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the racketeers. That is basically the scheme of the malefaction.

Xro Summary:

The HOW TO DECRYPT FILES.txt document accompanying the Xro malware provides the following discouraging information:

Attention! All your files are encrypted!
To restore your files and access them,
please send an SMS with the text XXXX to YYYY number.


You have N attempts to enter the code.
When that number has been exceeded,
all the data irreversibly is destroyed.
Be careful when you enter the code!

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

An example of encrypted .xro files.

How did Xro ransomware end up on my PC?

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

There are currently three most popular ways for malefactors to have ransomware planted in your system. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer networks.

• If you access your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is strange to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a malware item enclosed in them. Thus it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
• Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus scheme. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your PC pretending to be something else. For example, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some software. However, what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful agent that compromises your data. As the installation wizard 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 thing is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
• As for the peer networks like torrents or eMule, the threat 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 directory containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.

How do I get rid of ransomware?

It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Xro virus will most likely deploy Vidar Stealer on your computer to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Remove Xro with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware

We have also been using this software on our systems ever since, and it has always been successful in detecting viruses. It has blocked the most common Ransomware as shown from our tests with the software, and we assure you that it can remove Xro as well as other malware hiding on your computer.

To use Gridinsoft for remove malicious threats, follow the steps below:

1. Begin by downloading Gridinsoft Anti-Malware, accessible via the blue button below or directly from the official website gridinsoft.com.

2.Once the Gridinsoft setup file (setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe) is downloaded, execute it by clicking on the file.

3.Follow the installation setup wizard's instructions diligently.

4. Access the "Scan Tab" on the application's start screen and launch a comprehensive "Full Scan" to examine your entire computer. This inclusive scan encompasses the memory, startup items, the registry, services, drivers, and all files, ensuring that it detects malware hidden in all possible locations.

Be patient, as the scan duration depends on the number of files and your computer's hardware capabilities. Use this time to relax or attend to other tasks.

5. Upon completion, Anti-Malware will present a detailed report containing all the detected malicious items and threats on your PC.

6. Select all the identified items from the report and confidently click the "Clean Now" button. This action will safely remove the malicious files from your computer, transferring them to the secure quarantine zone of the anti-malware program to prevent any further harmful actions.

8. If prompted, restart your computer to finalize the full system scan procedure. This step is crucial to ensure thorough removal of any remaining threats. After the restart, Gridinsoft Anti-Malware will open and display a message confirming the completion of the scan.

Remember Gridinsoft offers a 6-day free trial. This means you can take advantage of the trial period at no cost to experience the full benefits of the software and prevent any future malware infections on your system. Embrace this opportunity to fortify your computer's security without any financial commitment.

Trojan Killer for “Xro” removal on locked PC

In situations where it becomes impossible to download antivirus applications directly onto the infected computer due to malware blocking access to websites, an alternative solution is to utilize the Trojan Killer application.

There is a really little number of security tools that are able to be set up on the USB drives, and antiviruses that can do so in most cases require to obtain quite an expensive license. For this instance, I can recommend you to use another solution of GridinSoft - Trojan Killer Portable. It has a 14-days cost-free trial mode that offers the entire features of the paid version. This term will definitely be 100% enough to wipe malware out.

Trojan Killer is a valuable tool in your cybersecurity arsenal, helping you to effectively remove malware from infected computers. Now, we will walk you through the process of using Trojan Killer from a USB flash drive to scan and remove malware on an infected PC. Remember, always obtain permission to scan and remove malware from a computer that you do not own.

Step 1: Download & Install Trojan Killer on a Clean Computer:

1. Go to the official GridinSoft website (gridinsoft.com) and download Trojan Killer to a computer that is not infected.

2. Insert a USB flash drive into this computer.

3. Install Trojan Killer to the "removable drive" following the on-screen instructions.

4. Once the installation is complete, launch Trojan Killer.

Step 2: Update Signature Databases:

5. After launching Trojan Killer, ensure that your computer is connected to the Internet.

6. Click "Update" icon to download the latest signature databases, which will ensure the tool can detect the most recent threats.

Step 3: Scan the Infected PC:

7. Safely eject the USB flash drive from the clean computer.

8. Boot the infected computer to the Safe Mode.

9. Insert the USB flash drive.

10. Run tk.exe

11. Once the program is open, click on "Full Scan" to begin the malware scanning process.

Step 4: Remove Found Threats:

12. After the scan is complete, Trojan Killer will display a list of detected threats.

13. Click on "Cure PC!" to remove the identified malware from the infected PC.

14. Follow any additional on-screen prompts to complete the removal process.

Step 5: Restart Your Computer:

15. Once the threats are removed, click on "Restart PC" to reboot your computer.

16. Remove the USB flash drive from the infected computer.

Congratulations on effectively removing Xro and the concealed threats from your computer! You can now have peace of mind, knowing that they won't resurface again. Thanks to Gridinsoft's capabilities and commitment to cybersecurity, your system is now protected.

Sometimes racketeers would decode few of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption tool. As Xro virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures developers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.

Understandably, if the criminals do the job of encoding victim’s essential data, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. Despite that, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of racketeers simply vanishing after getting the money without even writing back.

The best countermeasure to ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud drive or at least on an external drive. Of course, that might be not enough. Your most crucial thing could be that one you were working on when it all started. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the OS is rolled back.

There are other ransomware products, besides Xro, that work similarly. Examples of those are Ra, Intel, Doctorhelp, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Xro are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: files become encoded, their extensions altered, ransom notes are found in every directory containing encoded files.

Some fortunate users were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware specialists. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decoding code to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ instrument to lay their hands on the money of their victims.

How сan I avoid ransomware injection?

Xro ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.

You can defend your PC from ransomware injection within three easy steps:

• Ignore any emails from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (how can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, check all elements of the dubious letter with caution. A fake email will always contain mistakes.
• Do not use cracked or unknown software. Trojans are often spreaded as an element of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy ones, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. Try to find information on 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 program will be a perfect armor for your system.

FAQ

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

Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.xro” files first. Then you will be able to open them.

🤔 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. 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.

🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Xro virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?

No way! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.

With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your computer off the actual viruses. The malware that has infected your device is must be still functional and it scans your system periodically to encrypt any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has already been said, the Xro virus does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide malefactors with easy access to your computer in the future.

🤔 What to do if the Xro malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.

If that happened, you need to have a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. The point is that the ransomware runs automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or imported into your system. To stop this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.

🤔 What can I do right now?

Some of the blocked data can be found elsewhere.

• If you exchanged your important files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Just ask them to post those pictures back to you.
• If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try to do it again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files as well.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, mobile, flash memory, etc.

USEFUL TIP: You can use file recovery utilities² to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate the virus with an antivirus program.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
2. Here are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.