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WIOT ransomware is a dangerous file-encrypting computer virus that originates from STOP/DJVU malware group. After being launched on the target Windows computer, it scans all folders and encrypts detected personal files using RSA Salsa20 algorithm, also marks each of them with an additional .wiot file extension. For example, file originally called 1.jpg appears as 1.jpg.wiot after being encrypted. The virus also creates and saves _readme.txt file in every directory to inform the victim about the cyber attack. This file is known as a ransom note and it contains a message from the ransomware operators. The note suggests that all files on the system were encrypted using robust encryption algorithms and that the only way to get WIOT decryption tool is to pay a ransom for cybercriminals. The note also states that the decryption service price depends on how soon the victim reaches out to the criminals and settles an agreement. If the victim does this within 72 hours from the initial attack timestamp, the decryption will cost $490. Otherwise, the price rises to $980. The criminals want to receive the ransom in cryptocurrency to avoid being traced down. The ransom note also contains two email addresses which the victim can use to contact them – helpmanager@airmail.cc or manager@mailtemp.ch.
WIOT ransomware virus is made to restrict computer user’s access to his/hers own files. For this task, it uses a combination of encryption algorithms that are typically used to secure information so that only the person who has the decryption key could access it. In this scenario, cybercriminals have this key and they threaten to keep victim’s files locked forever until a ransom is paid. They try to sell this key and decryption software for an enormous amount of money. It is nothing else than virtual extortion.
The method used for data encryption needs to be speedy and completely lock all files on a computer before the victim notices, therefore the virus is designed to encrypt the first 150 KB of each files. Because of this, certain file formats can be repaired with some data loss at the beginning of file as explained in this guide. For instance, if you try to repair an audio file, some portion in the beginning of it will be missing after the file is repaired.
The ransom note mentioned previously is called _readme.txt and a copy of it is placed into every folder containing encrypted files, including desktop. It explains that the victim can get a 50% discount on decryption service if the victim writes to the criminals within 72 hours. However, we also believe that the victim needs to purchase cryptocurrency worth $490 and transfer it to the criminals’ crypto-wallet. If the victim fails to do this within the first 3 days, WIOT decryption tool and key price remains $980. The ransom note also specifies that if the victim wants, one can test the decryption by sending one small encrypted file to criminals as an email attachment. The file, however, cannot contain any relevant information.
Geek’s Advice team experts as well as other cybersecurity experts advise not to pay ransoms to cybercriminals. It is also confirmed by FBI recommendations. Some of the reasons why we do not recommend paying up are:
REMOVE MALWARE & REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE
1 Step. Get robust antivirus to remove existing threats and enable real-time protection
INTEGO Antivirus for Windows provides robust real-time protection, Web Shield against phishing and deceptive websites, blocks malicious downloads and blocks Zero-Day threats. Use it to remove ransomware and other viruses from your computer professionally.
2 Step. Repair Virus Damage on Windows Operating System Files
Download RESTORO to scan your system for FREE and detect security, hardware and stability issues. You can use the scan results and try to remove threats manually, or you can choose to get the full version of software to fix detected issues and repair virus damage to Windows OS system files automatically.
Once WIOT ransomware gets into target computer system and gets launched, it first checks whether Internet connection is enabled and tries to connect to its Command&Control server to get an encryption key. Otherwise, it uses a hardcoded key instead. In other words, it decides whether to use online and offline encryption key (which usually can be identified by last two characters ending in t1). The virus then also generates unique identification string for the victim and saves it as well as the encryption key in text files on victim’s computer.
Next, the ransomware launches a fake Windows update prompt with a progress bar on it (winupdate.exe). The idea behind this is to deceive the computer user and potentially force him/her to leave the computer until the alleged update finishes. At the same time, the main executable file, which is usually named with 4 random characters such as 5GB4.exe, starts scanning the entire system, looking for target file type, encrypting them and adding a new extension to the full file name. This process also drops ransom notes in every directory. To ensure that the victim won’t be able to recover files using System Restore Points, the virus runs a command-line task to delete Volume Shadow Copies from the system:
vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet
Another malicious modification that this ransomware does is adding a list of domains to Windows HOSTS file. The virus maps these domains to localhost IP to cause a DNS resolution problem. As a result, the victim runs into DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error when attempting to access one of listed websites. It has been noticed that the virus blocks access to various computer security related sites, also popular tech forums and self-help guides. In other words, the malware is designed to prevent the victim from accessing relevant ransomware attack related information online and cause even more stress for the computer user.
Finally, WIOT ransomware drops AZORULT Trojan on the system, which is an illegal tool used to perform a variety of malicious activities on victim’s computer remotely. The ransomware doesn’t mention anything about this threat in the ransom note, but the Trojan can be used to:
Access to such information can be easily used to blackmail the victim further. That said, we recommend you to not hesitate any longer and take actions to remove WIOT ransomware virus as well as other threats from the computer. We usually do not recommend users to delete malware manually. Using a professional antivirus solution can help to remove existing malware safely and quickly. Our team recommends using a VB100-certified software called INTEGO Antivirus and then download RESTORO to repair virus damage on Windows OS files.
Name | WIOT Ransomware Virus |
Type | Ransomware; Crypto-malware; Virtual Extortion Virus |
Family | STOP/DJVU |
Encryption type | RSA Salsa20 |
Previous versions | VYIA, QBAA, FOPA, VTYM, KQGS, XCBG, BPQD (find full list here) |
Version | 328th |
Extension | .wiot |
Dropper | SmokeLoader (see VirusTotal details) |
Damage | The ransomware encrypts all files on the target system by employing RSA SALSA20 encryption algorithms. The malware also appends encrypted file names with .wiot extension and leaves _readme.txt note in every folder. Furthermore, the virus eliminates Volume Shadow Copies to prevent data recovery using System Restore Points. Finally, it adds a list of blocked domain names to Windows HOSTS file. |
Ransom note | _readme.txt |
Ransom demand | $490-$980 in Bitcoin |
Distribution | Hides in illegal torrent downloads, cracked software, key generators or tools like KMSPico. |
Detection names | Trojan:Win32/Glupteba (Microsoft), VHO:Trojan-Spy.Win32.Stealer.gen (Kaspersky), Gen:Variant.Graftor.974954 (BitDefender), ML.Attribute.HighConfidence (Symantec), W32.Trojan.Gen (Webroot) see all detection name variations on VirusTotal |
Removal | Remove ransomware and related malware from your PC using professional software of your choice. We highly recommend using INTEGO Antivirus. To repair virus damage on Windows OS files, consider scanning with RESTORO. |
REMOVE MALWARE & REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE
1 Step. Get robust antivirus to remove existing threats and enable real-time protection
INTEGO Antivirus for Windows provides robust real-time protection, Web Shield against phishing and deceptive websites, blocks malicious downloads and blocks Zero-Day threats. Use it to remove ransomware and other viruses from your computer professionally.
2 Step. Repair Virus Damage on Windows Operating System Files
Download RESTORO to scan your system for FREE and detect security, hardware and stability issues. You can use the scan results and try to remove threats manually, or you can choose to get the full version of software to fix detected issues and repair virus damage to Windows OS system files automatically.
Ransomware is distributed using traditional malware proliferation methods. When it comes to STOP/DJVU ransomware variants such as WIOT virus, they tend to be hidden in fake software cracks or keygens and similar torrent downloads. The criminals create such files and upload them to dubious file sharing websites. Such files can be downloaded either directly or via peer-to-peer file sharing software. The primary targets of ransomware operators are people who try to install and activate paid software versions for free. What is even worse is that such computer users often go past security software alerts hoping to get these premium programs without paying. Unfortunately, this can lead to severe computer infection. Victims of the discussed ransomware strain have reported getting infected after downloading illegal activation tools for these popular programs:
Our team strongly recommends avoiding shady file sharing sites that promise premium software versions for free. We’d like to remind you that the only safe and legal way to get paid programs is by visiting their developer’s or official distributor’s website and downloading it from there, as well as purchasing legitimate software license. Remember that criminals offer free things for free in order to lure victims into downloading malware. Besides, the ransoms they will ask you will be much bigger than the price of the original software that you needed.
Malicious email spam is yet another very popular technique that ransomware operators use for spreading virus’ variants. Typically, they get email lists using various leaked data archives, then create short messages urging the target to open the email attachments. Most of the time, they claim to be delivering an invoice, order details, payment information or parcel tracking details. To make the email appear even more convicing, scammers might use email spoofing techniques (these can help to display a different email address for the victim than the one that actually was used to send the message).
Criminals typically use macros or malicious scripts to make the attached document malicious. These are designed to connect to a remote domain and download malware to victim’s computer and later execute it. For this reason, we strongly recommend you to avoid opening emails that you did not expect to receive or those that get marked as spam immediately. Remember that your email filtering system might not successfully flag all dangerous emails as spam, therefore you need to be cautious at all times. When in doubt, make sure you check with the company that allegedly sent you the email whether the email is legitimate and its attachments are safe to open. TIP: never use the contact details provided in suspicious emails – better look up the company online and use contact details provided there to avoid contacting a potential criminal.
Finally, victims of STOP/DJVU variants should be careful when looking for data decryption solutions or tools online. Criminals behind other ransomware strains (such as ZORAB) are trying to leverage the success of this ransomware and try to push their own malware disguised as STOP/DJVU decryption tools. If you happen to download such tool, your files can get double-encrypted. Please remember that once a real decryption tool appears, it will be mentioned in all the popular and trustworthy cybersecurity websites. Do not expect to find a “gem” decryption solution on the 5th page of your search engine results page.
Nobody wants to become a victim of ransomware attack, however, once this happens, it is important to delete the malware from the computer and take actions to secure your computer from further attacks. For this reason we strongly recommend you to remove WIOT ransomware virus along with other threats it could have dragged to your system. For this matter, we recommend using a powerful antivirus solution to cleanse your computer automatically. Our advice is to use INTEGO Antivirus, a VB100 certified antivirus that can protect your from ransomware attacks and prevent you from accessing dangerous websites or downloads. Additionally, we suggest downloading RESTORO to repair virus damage on Windows OS files.
If you have already taken care of WIOT ransomware virus removal, now it is time to do the following steps:
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Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system:
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WIOT Ransomware Virus Removal Guidelines
Before you try to remove WIOT Ransomware Virus virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, if you prefer a video version of the tutorial, check our guide How to Start Windows in Safe Mode on Youtube.
Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users
Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users
Now, you can search for and remove WIOT Ransomware Virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable security program such as INTEGO Antivirus, which also includes data recovery software. For virus damage repair, consider using RESTORO.
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Compatibility: Microsoft Windows
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RESTORO is a unique PC Repair Tool which comes with an in-built Avira scan engine to detect and remove spyware/malware threats and uses a patented technology to repair virus damage. The software can repair damaged, missing or malfunctioning Windows OS files, corrupted DLLs, and more. The free version offers a scan that detects issues. To fix them, license key for the full software version must be purchased.
In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically.
Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users
Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users
After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won't be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future.
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Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.
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It is reported that STOP/DJVU ransomware versions encrypt only the beginning 150 KB of each file to ensure that the virus manages to affect all files on the system. In some cases, the malicious program might skip some files at all. That said, we recommend testing this method on several big (>1GB) files first.
STOP/DJVU ransomware versions are grouped into old and new variants. WIOT Ransomware Virus is considered the new STOP/DJVU variant, just like VYIA, QBAA, FOPA, VTYM, KQGS, XCBG, BPQD (find full list here). This means full data decryption is now possible only if you have been affected by offline encryption key. To decrypt your files, you will have to download Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP DJVU, a tool created and maintained by a genius security researcher Michael Gillespie.
Note! Please do not spam the security researcher with questions whether he can recover your files encrypted with online key - it is not possible.
In order to test the tool and see if it can decrypt WIOT files, follow the given tutorial.
The WIOT decryption tool might display several different messages after failed attempt to restore your files. You might receive one of the following messages:
Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [example ID]
This message typically means that there is no corresponding decryption key in the decryptor's database.
No key for New Variant online ID: [example ID]
Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible
This message informs that your files were encrypted with online key, meaning no one else has the same encryption/decryption key pair, therefore data recovery without paying the criminals is impossible.
Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]
This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future.
If you were informed that an offline key was used, but files could not be restored, it means that the offline decryption key isn't available yet. However, receiving this message is extremely good news, meaning that it might be possible to restore your WIOT extension files in the future. It can take a few months until the decryption key gets found and uploaded to the decryptor. We recommend you to follow updates regarding the decryptable DJVU versions here. We strongly recommend backing up your encrypted data and waiting.
Victims of WIOT Ransomware Virus should report the Internet crime incident to the official government fraud and scam website according to their country:
If you can't find an authority corresponding to your location on this list, we recommend using any search engine to look up "[your country name] report cyber crime". This should lead you to the right authority website. We also recommend staying away from third-party crime report services that are often paid. It costs nothing to report Internet crime to official authorities.
Another recommendation is to contact your country's or region’s federal police or communications authority.
You can only open WIOT files if you have the decryption key, or if you were affected by offline encryption type.
To figure out whether you were affected by offline encryption, please go to C:/SystemID/PersonalID.txt and see if the string inside of it ends in t1. You can also try using Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP/DJVU.
Please follow the guidances provided by the official WIOT decryption tools and believe what they say. If they say it is impossible to decrypt, it really is so. There is no magic tool or human capable of decrypting your files hiding somewhere. Encryption is a technique created to be nearly impossible to decrypt without a special private key (held by the criminals).
We advise scanning with anti-virus, anti-malware, malware removal tools or software like RESTORO to eliminate virus damage on the system. If you do not trust using a single tool, try running one after another. However, we do not recommend keeping several security programs on a computer at once as they can interfere with each other's work.
Beware of fake WIOT decryption tools circulating around the web. Cyber criminals are uploading them to various shady websites, also might be promoting them via suspicious Youtube videos. These programs can infect your computer even more heavily (Trojans, miners, etc.). We suggest being extremely cautious around the web. If there will be an official STOP/DJVU decryption tool available, it will be widely discussed in public media.
Norbert Webb is the head of Geek’s Advice team. He is the chief editor of the website who controls the quality of content published. The man also loves reading cybersecurity news, testing new software and sharing his insights on them. Norbert says that following his passion for information technology was one of the best decisions he has ever made. “I don’t feel like working while I’m doing something I love.” However, the geek has other interests, such as snowboarding and traveling.
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View Comments
all my files was encript with WIOT
and not achieve to decripty
same my pc also infected sep 13 :(
is there a new update on the WIOT Decrypter
i got infected august 13 2021
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