EXX Virus (.EXX Files of Ransomware) — How to remove virus?

Exx Virus

Exx adds its specific “.exx” extension to the name of every file. For example, your photo named as “my_photo.jpeg” will be transformed into “my_photo.jpeg.exx“, report in Excel tables named “report.xlsx” – to “report.xlsx.exx“, and so on.

HELP_RESTORE_FILES.txt file, which can be found in every folder that contains the encrypted files, is a ransom money note. Inside of it, you can find information about ways of contacting Exx ransomware developers, and some other info. Inside of the ransom note, there is usually an instruction saying about purchasing the decryption tool. This decryption tool is created by ransomware developers.

Name	Exx Virus
Extension	.exx
Ransomware note	HELP_RESTORE_FILES.txt
Detection¹	BedsProtected (PUA), Trojan.Win32.FraudPack.asyi, Win32/PSW.OnLineGames.OUM
Symptoms	Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .exx extension and you can’t open it.
Fix Tool	GridinSoft Anti-MalwareSee If Your System Has Been Affected by Exx virus

The HELP_RESTORE_FILES.txt file by the Exx ransomware states the following frustrating information:

All your important files have been encrypted!
Your personal files(including those on the network disks, USB, etc) have been encrypted:
photos, videos, documents, etc. Click "Show files" Button to view a complete list of encrypted files,
and you can personally verify this.
Encryption was made using a unique strongest RSA-2048 public key generated for this computer.
To decrypt files you need to acquire the private key.
The only copy of the private key, which will allow you to decrypt your files,is located on a secret TOR
server in the Internet; the server will eliminate the key after a time period specified in this window.
Once this has been done, nobody will ever be able to restore your files...
In order to decrypt files press button to open your personal page and follow the instruction.
[File decryption button]
in case of "File decryption button" malfunction use one of public gates:
hxxp://iq3ahijcfeont3xx.sm4i8smr3f43.com or
hxxps://iq3ahijcfeont3xx.tor2web.blutmagie.de
Use you Bitcoin address to enter the site: 15Wgt4Fpgg6Mxai1BJ3yUJrznL9w79FJpm
[Click to copy Bitcoin address to clipboard]
if both button and reserve gates not opening, please follow these steps:
You must install TOR browser
After installation,run the browser and ender address iq3ahijcfeont3xx.onion
Follow the instructions on the web-site. We remind you that the sooner you do so,
the more chances are left to recover the files.
There is no other way to restore your files except of making the payment.
Any attempt to remove or corrupt this software will result in immediate
elimination of the private key by the server.

All your documents, photos, databases and other important files have been encrypted
with strongest encryption RSA-2048 key, generated for this computer.
Private decryption key is stored on a secret Internet server and nobody can
decrypt your files until you pay and obtain the private key.
If you see the main encryptor red window, examine it and follow the instructions.
Otherwise, it seems that you or your antivirus deleted the encryptor program.
Now you have the last chance to decrypt your files.
Open in your browser one of the links:
hxxp://iq3ahijcfeont3xx.fenaow48fn42.com
hxxp://iq3ahijcfeont3xx.sm4i8smr3f43.com
hxxps://iq3ahijcfeont3xx.tor2web.blutmagie.de
They are public gates to the secret server.
Copy and paste the following Bitcoin address in the input form on server. Avoid missprints.
15Wgt4Fpgg6Mxai1BJ3yUJrznL9w79FJpm
Follow the instructions on the server.
If you have problems with gates, use direct connection:
1. Download Tor Browser from hxxp://torproject.org
2. In the Tor Browser open the hxxp:// Note that this server is available via Tor Browser only. Retry in 1 hour if site is not reachable.
Copy and paste the following Bitcoin address in the input form on server. Avoid missprints.
15Wgt4Fpgg6Mxai1BJ3yUJrznL9w79FJpm
Follow the instructions on the server.

The image below gives a clear vision of how the files with “.exx” extension look like:

Example of encrypted .exx files

How did I get Exx ransomware on my computer?

However, nowadays there are only two ways of Exx injection – email spam and trojans. You may see a lot of messages on your email, stating that you need to pay different bills or to get your parcel from the local FedEx department. But all such messages are sent from unknown email addresses, not from familiar official emails of these companies. All such letters contain the attached file, which is used as a ransomware carrier. If you open this file – your system will get infected by Exx.

In case of trojans presence, you will be offered to download and install ransomware on your PC under the guise of something legit, like a Chrome update, or update for the software you are storing on your computer. Sometimes, trojan viruses can be masked as legit programs, and ransomware will be offered for download as an important update, or a big pack of extensions that are essential for proper program functioning.

There is also the third way of ransomware injection, however, it becomes less and less popular day-to-day. I am talking about peering networks, such as torrents or eMule. No one can control which files are packed in the seeding, so you can discover a huge pack of different malware after downloading. If circumstances force you to download something from peering networks – scan every downloaded folder or archive with antivirus software.

How to remove Exx virus?

To ensure the user that ransomware distributors really have the decryption tool, they may offer to decrypt several encrypted files. And they are the single owners of this decryption program: Exx ransomware is a completely new type, so there is no legit program from anti-malware vendors, which can decrypt your files. But such a situation is in momentum: decryption tools are updating every month.

However, paying the ransom is a bad decision, too. There is no guarantee that Exx ransomware developers will send you the decryption tool and a proper decryption key. And there are a lot of cases when ransomware distributors deceived their victims, sending the wrong key or even nothing. In the majority of cases, there is a way to recover your files for free. Search for available backups, and restore your system using it. Of course, there is a chance that the backup you found is too old, and does not contain a lot of files you need. But, at least you will be sure that there is no malware in your system. However, to ensure that there are no malicious programs in your system after the backup, you need to scan your PC with anti-malware software.

Exx ransomware is not unique. There are more ransomware of this type: Mppq, Nermer, Lama. These examples of ransomware act in a similar way: encrypting your files, adding a specific extension, and leaving a great number of ransom money notes in every folder. But there are two things that make difference between this ransomware – the cryptography algorithm, which is used for file encryption, and ransom amount . In some cases, victims are able to decrypt their files without any payments, just using free solutions produced by several anti-malware vendors, or even with the decryption tool which is offered by ransomware creators. The last scenario is possible when ransomware distributors have typed your decryption key inside of a ransom money note. However, as you can already guess, such luck is a very rare thing. Ransomware is created for money gaining, not for jokes or scaring.

The is an excellent way to deal with recognizing and removing threats – using Gridinsoft Anti-Malware. This program will scan your PC, find and neutralize all suspicious processes">³.

Download Removal Tool.

You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:

Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware

Run the setup file.

When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your system.

An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

Press “Install” button.

Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.

Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your system for Exx infections and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.

Click on “Clean Now”.

When the scan has completed, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I open “.exx” files?

No way. These files are encrypted by Exx ransomware. The contents of .exx files are not available until they are decrypted.

🤔 Exx files contain important information. How can I decrypt them urgently?

If your data remained in the .exx files are very valuable, then most likely you made a backup copy.
If not, then you can try to restore them through the system function – Restore Point. All other methods will require patience.

🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove Exx. Does this mean that the program will delete my encrypted files?

Of course not. Your encrypted files do not pose a threat to the computer. What happened has already happened.

You need GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove active system infections. The virus that encrypted your files is most likely still active and periodically runs a test for the ability to encrypt even more files. Also, these viruses install keyloggers and backdoors for further malicious actions (for example, theft of passwords, credit cards) often.

🤔 Exx virus has blocked infected PC: I can’t get the activation code.

In this situation, you need to prepare the memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer.

🤔 What can I do right now?

You can try to find a copy of an original file that was encrypted:

Files you downloaded from the Internet that were encrypted and you can download again to get the original.
Pictures that you shared with family and friends that they can just send back to you.
Photos that you uploaded on social media or cloud services like Carbonite, OneDrive, iDrive, Google Drive, etc)
Attachments in emails you sent or received and saved.
Files on an older computer, flash drive, external drive, camera memory card, or iPhone where you transferred data to the infected computer.

Also, you can contact the following government fraud and scam sites to report this attack:

In the United States: On Guard Online;
In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
In Australia: SCAMwatch;
In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
In France: Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information;
In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;

To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.

How сan I avoid ransomware attack?

You can easily protect yourself from its injection in several easy steps :

Ignore all emails from unknown mailboxes with a strange unknown address, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without taking part in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, check carefully all elements of the suspicious letter. A fake email will surely contain a mistake.
Do not use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often distributed as a part of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. But untrusted programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy software, because trojans may also have the functionality you need. You can try to find information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best solution is not to use such programs.
And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will surely be a perfect shield for your personal computer.