Remove XINOF Ransomware And Recover Encrypted Data

Simple Steps To Delete XINOF Ransomware From PC

XINOF Ransomware is a destructive crypto-malware that infects the Windows PCs via illusive techniques and locks users’ essential files like pictures, documents, audios, videos, archives etc. The data encryption allows the attackers to demand ransom from the victimized users by claiming that nobody else can help them to restore it. This deadly Ransomware was first discovered by security researcher dnwls0719 and is a new variant of Fonix Ransomware. Initially upon getting installed, it alters the default registry editors by making spiteful entries in it which allows the threat to get automatically activated every time the device is started. After that, it starts file-encryption process.

Depth Analysis of XINOF Ransomware:

XINOF Ransomware uses a very strong and effective encryption algorithm to encrypt the targeted data and makes the affected people unable to open them again. After that, the only way to regain access to those files is by using a unique decryption tool/key that is kept on attackers’ server. The compromised data can be easily identified as this notorious file-encoding virus renames them by adding attackers’ email address, victims’ unique ID and appending “.XINOF” extension with each of them as suffix. After completing the encryption process, this hazardous threat displays couple of ransom notes in a pop-up window named “How To Decrypt Files.hta” and “Help.txt” file.

These notes inform victims about the unkind situation and also ask them to contact the attackers via the provided email address to get more details. At the end, you might have to pay the criminals a ransom amount of $200 to $1500 in BitCoins to get the decryption tool and open the encoded data. You are also asked to contact the hackers within 48 hours otherwise the ransom price will be doubled. To prove that the decryption is possible, crooks also offer to decrypt 3 encrypted files for free. The test files should be less than 2 MB in size (non-archived) and should not contain any valuable information like large Excel sheets, backups, databases etc. At the end of the note, victims are warned not to rename the infected files or attempt to open them via third-party software otherwise it may cause permanent data loss.

Text Presented In The Pop-up Window:

All your files have been encrypted!

All your files have been encrypted due to a security problem with your PC. If you want to restore them, please send an email to [email protected]

The crypter person username : Thunder

You have to pay for decryption in Bitcoin. The price depends on how fast you contact us. After payment we will send you the decryption tool.

You have to 48 hours(2 Day) To contact or paying us After that, you have to Pay Double.

What is our decryption guarantee?

Before paying you can send us up to 3 test files for free decryption. The total size of files must be less than 2Mb (non archived), and files should not contain valuable information. (databases,backups, large excel sheets, etc.)

How to obtain Bitcoins

The easiest way to buy bitcoins is LocalBitcoins site. You have to register, click ‘Buy bitcoins’, and select the seller by payment method and price.

hxxps://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins

Also you can find other places to buy Bitcoins and beginners guide here:

hxxp://www.coindesk.com/information/how-can-i-buy-bitcoins/

Attention!

Do not rename encrypted files.

Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss.

Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.

Do not pay any money before decrypting the test files.

If your decryption, is not done after payment, report the username on website (along with evidence such as transfer id)

Regards-FonixTeam

Text Presented In The “Help.txt” File:

Are you looking for your important files?

Send a message to [email protected]

Should You Pay The Ransom?

Although, it is true that files encrypted by XINOF Ransomware can’t be opened without using the decryption tool but still, we highly advise to not deal with the criminals. According to the reports, such types of hackers often ignore the victimized people after taking the extortion and cause them to lose both files as well as money. It has been also seen that at various occasions hackers provided rogue software to the victims in the name of decryption tool which only harms the machine badly upon getting installed. And so, never trust on the attackers under any circumstance and perform a removal of XINOF Ransomware from the work-station as soon as possible.

How To Recover The Infected Data?

This precarious virus deletes the Shadow Volume Copies (temporary backup made by OS itself) of the infected files that disables the automatic data recovery feature of the compromised system. However, if you have a backup made on any external drive, you can easily retrieve the infected data. But in the absence of a proper backup, use a powerful data-recovery program which you can download right here via the link given under this article.

Ways To Spread XINOF Ransomware:

There are several deceptive methods through which such kinds of file-encoding threats enter the targeted PCs but the most common one is spam email campaign. You often receive emails from unknown sender that are presented as ‘important’ or ‘vital’ but include malevolent attachments or websites links that are designed to download some hazardous files. Such attachments are usually MS office documents, archive files like ZIP and RAR, executable files like .exe and JavaScript files etc. Once you click on the mail and open those attachments, it leads to the malware intrusion. And therefore, it is necessary to ignore suspicious mails coming from unknown source as you never know what they are containing. However, at the moment, just take a quick action and remove XINOF Ransomware from machine by following the effective removal steps given below.

Threat Details

Name: XINOF Ransomware

Type: Ransomware, Crypto-virus

Description– Destructive malware that aims to encrypt users’ crucial files and then ask them to pay off for the decryption key/tool.

Extension– .XINOF (files are also appended with the attackers’ email address and a unique ID)

Ransom demanding message– How To Decrypt Files.hta and Help.txt

Attackers’ Contact– “[email protected]”

Symptoms: Users can not open files available on their system, previously functional files now have different extensions, A ransom demanding message is displayed on the desktop screen. Users are asked to pay an amount of ransom to unlock their encoded data and files.

Distribution methods: Spam emails, Torrent websites, peer to peer network sharing, unofficial activation and updating tools.

Damage: All files are encrypted and cannot be accessed without paying ransom, Additional password stealing Trojans and malware infections can be installed along with ransomware infections and other malware.

Removal: To remove this virus from the system, we advise you to use a reliable anti-malware tool. Once malware gets removed, you can recover your files by using existing backup or data-recovery software.

Other Malevolent Traits of XINOF Ransomware:

XINOF Ransomware messes with important system files which assure efficient computer processing and prevents many installed drivers and applications from working in an appropriate manner. It has ability to disable the working of all the running security measures and Windows Firewalls and open backdoors for more notorious infections. This notorious malware may easily bring other online parasites such as adware, rootkits, worms, spyware, Trojans etc. in your computer and turn the device into a malware-hub. It slows down the overall computer performance drastically as it consumes enormous amount of memory resources and increases the usage of CPU. It enables remote hackers to get access to your device and perform evil acts for their delicate welfare. And therefore, looking at all these hazards, you must remove XINOF Ransomware from the work-station quickly.

Antimalware Details And User Guide

Click Here For Windows

Click Here For Mac

Step 1: Remove XINOF Ransomware through “Safe Mode with Networking”

Step 2: Delete XINOF Ransomware using “System Restore”

Step 1: Remove XINOF Ransomware through “Safe Mode with Networking”

For Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Boot the PC in “Safe Mode”. Click on “Start” option and continuously press on F8 during the start process until the “Windows Advanced Option” menu appears on the screen. Choose “Safe Mode with Networking” from the list.

Now, a windows homescreen appears on the desktop and work-station is now working on “Safe mode with networking”.

For Windows 8 Users: Go to the “Start Screen”. In the search results select settings, type “Advanced”. In the “General PC Settings” option, choose “Advanced startup” option. Again, click on the “Restart Now” option. The work-station boots to “Advanced Startup Option Menu”. Press on “Troubleshoot” and then “Advanced options” button.  In the “Advanced Option Screen”, press on “Startup Settings”. Again, click on “Restart” button. The work-station will now restart in to the “Startup Setting” screen. Next is to press F5 to boot in Safe Mode in Networking.

For Windows 10 Users: Press on Windows logo and on the “Power” icon. In the newly opened menu, choose “Restart” while continuously holding “Shift” button on the keyboard. In the new open “Choose an option” window, click on “Troubleshoot” and then on the “Advanced Options”. Select “Startup Settings” and press on “Restart”. In the next window, click on “F5” button on the key-board.

Step 2: Delete XINOF Ransomware using “System Restore”

Log-in to the account infected with XINOF Ransomware. Open the browser and download a legitimate anti-malware tool. Do a full System scanning. Remove all the malicious detected entries.

In case if you cannot start the PC in “Safe Mode with Networking”, Try using “System Restore”

• During the “Startup”, continuously press on F8 key until the “Advanced Option” menu appears. From the list, choose “Safe Mode with Command Prompt” and then press “Enter”

• In the new opened command prompt, enter “cd restore” and then press “Enter”.

• Type: rstrui.exe and Press “ENTER”

• Click “Next” on the new windows

• Choose any of the “Restore Points” and click on “Next”. (This step will restore the work-station to its earlier time and date prior to XINOF Ransomware infiltration in the PC.

• In the newly opened windows, press on “Yes”.

Once your PC gets restored to its previous date and time, download the recommended anti-malware tool and perform a deep scanning in order to remove XINOF Ransomware files if they left in the work-station.

In order to restore the each (separate) file by this ransomware, use “Windows Previous Version” feature. This method is effective when “System Restore Function” is enabled in the work-station.

Important Note: Some variants of XINOF Ransomware delete the “Shadow Volume Copies” as well hence this feature may not work all the time and is applicable for selective computers only.

How to Restore Individual Encrypted File:

In order to restore a single file, right click on it and go to “Properties”. Select “Previous Version” tab. Select a “Restore Point” and click on “Restore” option.

In order to access the files encrypted by XINOF Ransomware, you can also try using “Shadow Explorer”. In order to get more information on this application, press here.

Important: Data Encryption Ransomware are highly dangerous and it is always better that you take precautions to avoid its attack on your work-station. It is advised to use a powerful anti-malware tool in order to get protection in real-time. With this help of “SpyHunter”, “group policy objects” are implanted in the registries in order to block harmful infections like XINOF Ransomware.

Also, In Windows 10, you get a very unique feature called “Fall Creators Update” that offer “Controlled Folder Access” feature in order to block any kind of encryption to the files. With the help of this feature, any files stored in the locations such as “Documents”, “Pictures”, “Music”, “Videos”, “Favorites” and “Desktop” folders are safe by default.

It is very important that you install this “Windows 10 Fall Creators Update” in your PC to protect your important files and data from ransomware encryption. The more information on how to get this update and add an additional protection form rnasomware attack has been discussed here.

How to Recover the Files Encrypted by XINOF Ransomware?

Till now, you would have understood that what had happed to your personal files that got encrypted and how you can remove the scripts and payloads associated with XINOF Ransomware in order to protect your personal files that has not been damaged or encrypted until now. In order to retrieve the locked files, the depth information related to “System Restore” and “Shadow Volume Copies” has already been discussed earlier. However, in case if you are still unable to access the encrypted files then you can try using a data recovery tool.

Use of Data Recovery Tool

This step is for all those victims who have already tries all the above mentioned process but didn’t find any solution. Also it is important that you are able to access the PC and can install any software. The data recovery tool works on the basis of System scanning and recovery algorithm. It searches the System partitions in order to locate the original files which were deleted, corrupted or damaged by the malware. Remember that you must not re-install the Windows OS otherwise the “previous” copies will get deleted permanently. You have to clean the work-station at first and remove XINOF Ransomware infection. Leave the locked files as it is and follow the steps mentioned below.

Step1: Download the software in the work-station by clicking on the “Download” button below.

Step2: Execute the installer by clicking on downloaded files.

Step 3: Follow all on screen instructions to install the app successfully on your machine and run it.. When its interface appear before you. Just select what you want to recover from your computer and its drive. For options, check the image below as the app offer you to recover everything, document, folders or emails, or multimedia files. Depending upon your requirements, select any of options and proceed to next step.

Step 4: At this step, you will have to specify the past of data or files from where you are interested to recover lost or deleted data. The application offers you to recover data from common locations, connected drives, and other locations as well. Just choose what you need. Following selection, click on Next button and the app will start to scan the selected drive.

Step 5: Once the scanner finishes to scan, it will show you detected kinds of deleted data or files which you may require to recover. It will offer you various recovery options based on file types. Even it allows you to see preview of file types you select in order to recover those efficiently.

Step 6: Now, you may need to specify the path where you want to recover the selected files and saved. Just do it according to your requirements, and you are done.