W1F1RANSOM Ransomware
The W1F1RANSOM Ransomware is a ransomware Trojan, a malware that is designed to take the victims' data hostage. Then, the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware demands a ransom payment in exchange for restoring access to the compromised data. Threats like the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware are becoming common increasingly and represent a significant threat to the computer users' data and machines. However, despite the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware's claims, the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware does not carry out an effective encryption ransomware Trojan attack but merely pretends to do so.
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How Encryption Ransomware Trojans Work
Most encryption ransomware Trojans use a strong encryption algorithm to encrypt the victims' file individually, and the user-generated files will be their main targets. These user-generated files include:
.jpg, .jpeg, .raw, .tif, .gif, .png, .bmp, .3dm, .max, .accdb, .db, .dbf, .mdb, .pdb, .sql, .dwg, .dxf, .cpp, .cs, .h, .php, .asp, .rb, .java, .jar, .class, .py, .js, .aaf, .aep, .aepx, .plb, .prel, .prproj, .aet, .ppj, .psd, .indd, .indl, .indt, .indb, .inx, .idml, .pmd, .xqx, .xqx, .ai, .eps, .ps, .svg, .swf, .fla, .as3, .as, .txt, .doc, .dot, .docx, .docm, .dotx, .dotm, .docb, .rtf, .wpd, .wps, .msg, .pdf, .xls, .xlt, .xlm, .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm, .xlsb, .xla, .xlam, .xll, .xlw, .ppt, .pot, .pps, .pptx, .pptm, .potx, .potm, .ppam, .ppsx, .ppsm, .sldx, .sldm, .wav, .mp3, .aif, .iff, .m3u, .m4u, .mid, .mpa, .wma, .ra, .avi, .mov, .mp4, .3gp, .mpeg, .3g2, .asf, .asx, .flv, .mpg, .wmv, .vob, .m3u8, .dat, .csv, .efx, .sdf, .vcf, .xml, .ses, .qbw, .qbb, .qbm, .qbi, .qbr , .cnt, .des, .v30, .qbo, .ini, .lgb, .qwc, .qbp, .aif, .qba, .tlg, .qbx, .qby , .1pa, .qpd, .txt, .set, .iif, .nd, .rtp, .tlg, .wav, .qsm, .qss, .qst, .fx0, .fx1, .mx0, .fpx, .fxr, .fim, .ptb, .ai, .pfb, .cgn, .vsd, .cdr, .cmx, .cpt, .csl, .cur, .des, .dsf, .ds4, , .drw, .eps, .ps, .prn, .gif, .pcd, .pct, .pcx, .plt, .rif, .svg, .swf, .tga, .tiff, .psp, .ttf, .wpd, .wpg, .wi, .raw, .wmf, .txt, .cal, .cpx, .shw, .clk, .cdx, .cdt, .fpx, .fmv, .img, .gem, .xcf, .pic, .mac, .met, .pp4, .pp5, .ppf, .nap, .pat, .ps, .prn, .sct, .vsd, .wk3, .wk4, .xpm, .zip, .rar.
The W1F1RANSOM Ransomware's ransom note and messages imply that the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware can do this. However, the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware is not capable of encrypting the victims' files but simply pretends to do this and asks the victim for a ransom payment. This is a crucial point because the encryption methods used in real encryption ransomware Trojans are quite strong and once the victims' files are encrypted they cannot be recovered. In the case of the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware, the victims' files are unaffected, and the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware simply acts as a screen locker, which can be bypassed relatively easily. In other words, restoring the encrypted data is impossible with current technology, but bypassing a screen locker like the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware is not that difficult. This is why the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware pretends to be more threatening than it is, to trick computer users into paying a ransom and scaring them into believing that their data has been compromised.
Is the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware Attack Different from Other Ransomware Threats?
The W1F1RANSOM Ransomware is simply designed to display a ransom note in the form of a pop-up window. This window displays a message that jokes at the expense of the victims and claims that they must pay a ransom using Ethereum or Bitcoin to restore the affected files, which were supposedly encrypted. The W1F1RANSOM Ransomware's attack is limited to displaying this window and does not affect the victims' data.
Recovering From a W1F1RANSOM Ransomware Attack
Fortunately, not a lot of work has been put into the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware itself. It seems that the criminals have hard-coded the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware's unlock key, which is simply the string'0000,' which will remove the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware pop-up window completely. It is very likely that the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware was created as a prank or joke, or merely to harass the computer users. Once the W1F1RANSOM Ransomware lock screen has been removed, malware researchers recommend performing a scan of the affected computer using a trustworthy security program.
