Remove XASH Ransomware Virus (+DECRYPT .xash Files)

Xash ransomware is a type of computer virus that injects your computer, encrypts your documents, and then asks to pay the money for file decryption. Besides these unpleasant actions, that malware also changes some important settings and can even suspend your antivirus program.

Xash malware – what is it?

Xash virus can correctly be classified as a STOP/Djvu virus family. That type of virus is aimed on single users. This specification supposes that Xash does not carry any sort of additional malware, which usually helps virus of various other families to control your system. Because of the fact that the majority users do not have anything valuable on their PCs, there is no reason to infiltrate additional malware that increases the risk of failure of the whole ransomware operation.

The common signs of Xash ransomware activity is the emersion of .xash files in your folders, instead of the files you used to have. The photo.jpg turns into photo.jpg.xash, report.xlsx – into report.xlsx.xash and so on. You are not able to suspend this operation, and can’t open these files – they are encrypted with quite strong cipher.

You can also spectate different other signs of virus activity. Suddenly disabled Microsoft Defender and inability to check the popular anti-malware forums or websites, where the ransomware removal and decryption guides are posted. You will see how it is conducted in the paragraph below. The removal and decryption guide are also available – check below how to wipe out Xash malware and get the .xash files back.

How did Xash ransomware encrypt my files?

After the injection, the Xash ransomware starts a connection with its command and control server. This server is commanded by ransomware maintainers – fraudsters who manage the spreading of this ransomware. Another activity which is conducted by these crooks is answering the emails of victims, who intend to decrypt their files.

The files are encrypted with one of the strongest encryption algorithm – AES-256. The digit in the name of this algorithms means the power of two – 2^256 for this case. 78-digit number of possible decryption keys variations – it is unreal to brute force it. As cipher analysts say, it will need more time than the Earth can approximately exist, even when you make use of the most powerful computers. In each folder that contains the encrypted documents, Xash virus leaves the _readme.txt file with the following contents:

ATTENTION!

Don't worry, you can return all your files!

All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.

What guarantees you have?

You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.

You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:

https://we.tl/t-WJa63R98Ku

Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that's price for you is $490.

Please note that you'll never restore your data without payment.

Check your e-mail "Spam" or "Junk" folder if you don't get answer more than 6 hours.

To get this software you need write on our e-mail:

support@fishmail.top

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:

datarestorehelp@airmail.cc

Your personal ID:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nevertheless, you can still open some of your documents. The Xash malware encrypts only the initial 150 KB of each file, but the other part of this file can be accessed. Primarily, it works best with audio/video files, which are definitely larger than 150 kilobytes. Not every media player can open these files – WinAmp is the best option, since it is free and well-tested. First seconds of every recording will be missing – this part is encrypted – but the rest of the document will be accessible like nothing happened.

Is Xash ransomware dangerous for my PC?

As it was mentioned several paragraphs before, ransomware is not only about encrypting the files. Xash ransomware makes the changes in your operating system in order to prevent searching the malware removal and file decryption guides. Malware does not establish the software barrier – it just changes the system settings, primarily – networking and security configurations.

Through the networking configurations, the most changed item is the HOSTS file. This text file contains the DNS-address instructions, which are used by the browsers while sending a request to the website server. If you add a specific DNS-address for the certain site, your browser will connect that site through this DNS next time. Ransomware edits this file, adding the non-existent DNS, so any of the web browsers will show you the “Unable to resolve the DNS-address” error.

Other alterations done by the virus are targeted on prevention of fast spotting of itself, and also blocking the installation of the majority of antivirus programs. Xash malware makes several modifications in Group Policies – the system setting interface which allows to modify the rights of each app. In such a way, malware blocks the Microsoft Defender and various other antivirus programs, as well as prevents the launch of anti-malware installation files.

How did I get infected?

Throughout the whole term while STOP/Djvu family existed, it was using questionable programs as a primary method of ransomware injection. Under the term of questionable programs I mean software that are already not supported by the developer and spread through the file sharing websites. These programs may be hacked, to make them usable without purchasing any license. Another example of such a program class is different hacking tools – cheat engines, keygens, Windows activation tools and so on.

This sort of programs may be distributed in many methods – through the site that offers a downloading link, and also through the peer-to-peer networks – ThePirateBay, eMule and so on. All these sources are well-known as the most popular computer piracy sites. People use these sources to get various apps or games for free, even if these apps must be purchased. No one can prevent the users who crack these programs from adding malware of some type to the files of the hacked app. Hacktools, however, are created for outlaw actions, so their developers can easily add the malware under the guise of some program element.

These hacked apps, regardless of their source, are one of the most often sources for various malware, and 100% the most widespread one for Xash ransomware. The best solution is to avoid using of it, and not only because of malware injection risks. Avoiding the license buying is an outlaw action, and both hackers and users who make use of cracked apps fall under the charge of piracy.

How do I remove Xash malware?

The Xash virus is very hard to delete manually. In fact, because of the amount of changes it makes in your system, it is almost impossible to find them all and repair. The best option is to use anti-malware programs. But which one to choose?

You may see the offers to use Microsoft Defender, which is already in your system. Nonetheless, as it was mentioned before, most of STOP/Djvu virus examples disable it even before the encryption process. Using the third-party application is the only possible solution – and I can recommend you the GridinSoft Anti-Malware as an option for that case. It has perfect detection abilities, so the virus will not be missed. It is also capable of system recovery, which is heavily demanded after the Xash virus attack.

To remove Xash malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software.

After the ransomware removal, you can go to file decryption. Malware removal is required to prevent the repeating encryption of your files: while Xash ransomware is active, it will not miss any unencrypted file.

How to decrypt the .xash files?

There are two ways to decrypt your files after a Xash ransomware attack. First one and the most popular is file decryption. It is conducted with a special app, designed by Emsisoft, and called Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP/Djvu. This program is absolutely free. Analysts update its decryption keys databases as often as possible, so you will definitely get your files back, sooner or later.

Another option to get your documents and photos back is to try to recover them from your disk drives. Since Xash virus deletes them and substitutes with an encrypted copy, the residue of the files are still stored on the disk. After the deletion, the information about them is wiped from the file system, but not from a disk. Special tools, like PhotoRec, are able to recover these files. It is free, too, and may also be used for file recovery in case when you have deleted something unintentionally.

Decrypting the .xash files with Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu

Download and install Emsisoft Decrypter tool. Agree with its EULA and continue to the interface.

The interface of this program is extremely easy. All you have to do is to select the folder where the encrypted files are stored, and wait. If the program has the decryption key which corresponds to your ransomware case – it will decrypt it.

During the use of Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu, you may observe various error messages. Don’t worry, that does not mean that you did something wrong or a program does not work properly. Each of these errors refer to a specific case. Here is the explanation:

Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [your ID]

The program does not have a corresponding key for your case. You need to wait for some time until the key database will be updated.

No key for new variant online ID: [your ID]

Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible.

This error means that your files are encrypted with an online key. In such a case, the decryption key is unique and stored on the remote server, controlled by crooks. Unfortunately, the decryption 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.

Ransomware uses the offline key to encrypt your files. This key is not unique, so you likely have it in common with another victim. Since offline keys must be collected, too, it is important to keep calm and wait until the analysts team finds one which will fit your case.

Remote name could not be resolved

This error indicates that the program has problems with DNS on your computer. That’s a clear sign of malicious alterations in your HOSTS file. Reset it using the official Microsoft guide.

Recovering the .xash files with PhotoRec tool

PhotoRec is an open-source tool, which is created to recover the deleted or lost files from the disk drive. It checks each disk sector for the remains of deleted files, and then tries to recover them. That app is able to recover the files of more than 400 different formats. Because of the described feature of ransomware encryption mechanism, it is possible to use this tool to get the original, unencrypted files back.

Download PhotoRec from the official website. It is absolutely free, however, its developer warns that he does not guarantee that this program will be 100% effective for file recovery purposes. Moreover, even paid apps can barely give you such a guarantee, because of the chain of random factors that can make the file recovery harder.

Unzip the downloaded archive to the folder you like. Don’t worry because of its name – TestDisk – this is the name of the utility developed by the same company. They decided to spread it together since PhotoRec and TestDisk are often used together. Among the unzipped files, search for qphotorec_win.exe file. Run this executable file.

Before you can start the recovery process, you need to specify several settings. In the drop-down list, choose the logic disk where the files were stored before the encryption.

Then, you need to specify the file formats you need to recover. It may be difficult to scroll all 400+ formats, luckily, they are sorted by alphabetical order.

Finally, name the folder you want to use as a container for recovered files. The program will likely dig out a lot of useless files, which were deleted intentionally, so desktop is a bad solution. The best option is to use the USB-drive.

After these easy manipulations, you may just press the “Search” button (it turns active if you specified all required parameters). The recovery process may take several hours, so keep patient. It is recommended not to use the computer during this term, since you may overwrite some files you are intending to recover.

Frequently Asked Questions