What is WininiCrypt Ransomware?
WininiCrypt Ransomware is a vicious file-encrypting malware that is after user’s files and even their shadow copies. As a result, the malicious application’s victims may receive a lot of damage, and there might be no way to undo it. In this article, we will present more details about the threat, for example, how users could infect their systems with it, so if you wish to know this malware better, you came to the right place. Moreover, our researchers at Anti-spyware-101.com have prepared deletion instructions to guide users through the removal process. Thus, users who have no idea how to deal with WininiCrypt Ransomware manually, should not hesitate to use these steps. On the other hand, if the task looks quite difficult, it might be best not to take any chances and employ a legitimate antimalware tool.
Where does WininiCrypt Ransomware come from?
A lot of ransomware applications travel with infected email attachments and settle in as soon as the victim launches such a file. It is one of the most popular methods to distribute such threats, so we believe WininiCrypt Ransomware might be received via suspicious email attachments too. The only way to avoid such malware is to be cautious when you receive files from unknown sources, unexpectedly, categorized as Spam, with random titles, without any explanation as to why it was sent to you, etc. Provided you have a suspicion the attachment could be malicious, you should scan it with a legitimate antimalware tool. This way you can learn whether you are right to be cautious in just a couple of minutes and while doing so, you will not endanger the system.
How does WininiCrypt Ransomware work?
As soon as it settles in the malicious application should start the encryption process, during which it could lock pictures, photos, videos, text documents, etc. Since the malware we tested did not work properly, we cannot be one hundred percent sure which files WininiCrypt Ransomware might encrypt. To make matters worse, our researchers report, the malware may use the “vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet” command to erase all shadow copies. No doubt, the cyber criminals programmed the infection to act this way only to make it impossible for the user to get the files back. After all, their goal is to extort money from you, and they can only do so if they are the only ones who can recover encrypted files.
The cyber criminals ask to pay a ransom in the text document (HOW_TO_BACK_FILES.html) they drop after the encryption is over. We do not know how much they expect the victims to pay, but we advise you not to pay the ransom even if the sum is not significant. The WininiCrypt Ransomware’s creators may promise anything to convince you to pay, but they might not bother to hold to their end of the deal after the payment is made. It means you could lose not just your data, but also some part of your savings.
How to eliminate WininiCrypt Ransomware?
The deletion instructions you can find below the text will show how WininiCrypt Ransomware could be eliminated manually. However, you should know there are no reassurances these steps will help you get rid of the malware completely since we did not have a fully-working sample and cannot be sure if the infection does not drop any additional data on the system. Therefore, it might be best to use a legitimate antimalware tool. With its scanning tool, users could detect any suspicious or malicious data located on the computer. Besides, after the scan, all identified threats could be erased with a single mouse click.
Remove WininiCrypt Ransomware
- Tap Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
- Launch Task Manager.
- See if there is any suspicious process that might belong to the infection.
- Mark the doubtful process and press End Task to kill it.
- Leave the Task Manager.
- Click Win+E to launch File Explorer.
- Check the directories where the malware’s installer might have been saved, for example, Desktop, Downloads, Temporary Files.
- Select the malicious application’s installer and press Shift+Delete.
- Erase the ransom note (HOW_TO_BACK_FILES.html).
- Exit the Explorer.
- Restart the computer.
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