The Xyz virus falls within the ransomware type of malicious agent. Harmful software of such sort encrypts all the data on your computer (images, documents, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, creating the _Readme_.txt files in each folder containing encrypted files.
What is known about the Xyz virus?
☝️ A strictly correct designation for the Xyz is “a ransomware malicious agent”.
Xyz will add its specific .xyz extension to the title of each encoded file. For instance, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be turned into “photo.jpg.xyz”. In the same manner, the Excel sheet named “table.xlsx” will end up as “table.xlsx.xyz”, and so forth.
In each directory containing the encrypted files, a _Readme_.txt text document will appear. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other remarks. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is basically the scheme of the crime.
Xyz summary:
| Name | Xyz Virus |
| Extension | .xyz |
| Ransomware note | _Readme_.txt |
| Detection | Trojan.Spy.Banker.ADEF, Trojan:Win32/Loyeetro.DSK!MTB, Trojan:Win32/Raccrypt.GL!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .xyz extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Xyz virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Xyz looks like. Each filename has the “.xyz” extension appended to it.
An example of encrypted .xyz files.
How did Xyz ransomware end up on my PC?
There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most popular methods for malefactors to have ransomware settled in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you open your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a harmful file enclosed in them. So it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus scheme1. A Trojan is a program that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something else. For example, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some program. But what is unpacked turns out to be a harmful program that encodes your data. As the installation wizard can have any title and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the stuff you’re downloading. The optimal thing is to trust 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 directory containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.
How to remove the Xyz virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your data, the Xyz virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware2 can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often tamperers would decrypt several of your files so you know that they really have the decryption program. As Xyz virus is a relatively recent ransomware, security software developers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the decoding instruments are constantly upgraded, so the solution may soon arrive.
Of course, if the criminals succeed in encrypting someone’s essential data, the hopeless person will probably fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of malefactors simply disappearing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The best countermeasure to ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud storage or at least on an external storage. Surely, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the system is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Xyz, that work similarly. Examples of those are Xcmb, Mljx, Hudf, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Xyz are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: files become encrypted, their extensions changed, ransom notes are found in every folder containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate victims were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decryption 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. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ technology to pull the money out of their victims.
How do I avert ransomware infiltration?
Xyz ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour yourself from its injection within three easy steps:
- Ignore any emails from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the questionable email carefully. A hoax email will surely contain a mistake.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often shared as a part of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. But dubious programs are difficult to tell from trustworthy ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. Try to find information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful armor for your personal computer.
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 computer for Xyz 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
🤔 How can I open “.xyz” files?Can I somehow access “.xyz” files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.xyz” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Xyz malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
Of course not. The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with real viruses. The malware that has attacked your PC is probably still active and running scans from time to time to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the initial attack. As it has been said above, the Xyz virus does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your PC after some time.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Xyz malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
If that happened, you need to have a flash memory drive with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or brought into your system. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Many of the blocked files might still be within your reach
- If you exchanged your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Just ask them to give those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try to do it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a portable device, mobile, memory stick, etc.
HINT: You can employ data recovery utilities5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but remember: you can do it only after you remove the ransomware itself with an anti-malware 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 XYZ Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: XYZ Virus
Description: XYZ Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .xyz 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.
