What is TotalWipeOut ransomware? And how does it carry out its attack?

TotalWipeOut ransomware is a file-encrypting virus designed to make your files inaccessible. This crypto-malware uses the .TW extension in marking the files it encrypts. It will quickly make changes in the system the instant it manages to infiltrate a computer. It starts by dropping its malicious payload named “TotalWipeOut.exe” in the system which will then connect it to a remote Command and Control (C&C) server controlled by the attackers. From this remote server, more malicious files will be added in the computer and be used for the attack.
Following its infiltration, TotalWipeOut ransomware will use an information gathering module to obtain information in the system. The information obtained will then be used for stealth protection which allows the crypto-virus to carry out its attack without any detection. After that, it makes modifications in the Windows Registry by creating and changing some registry entries and values allowing it to run on every system startup automatically. It then scans the computer for files with specific formats such as:
.PNG .PSD .PSPIMAGE .TGA .THM .TIF .TIFF .YUV .AI .EPS .PS .SVG .INDD .PCT .PDF .XLR .XLS .XLSX .ACCDB .DB .DBF .MDB .PDB .SQL .APK .APP .BAT .CGI .COM .EXE .GADGET .JAR .PIF .WSF .DEM .GAM .NES .ROM .SAV CAD Files .DWG .DXF GIS Files .GPX .KML .KMZ .ASP .ASPX .CER .CFM .CSR .CSS .HTM .HTML .JS .JSP .PHP .RSS .XHTML. DOC .DOCX .LOG .MSG .ODT .PAGES .RTF .TEX .TXT .WPD .WPS .CSV .DAT .GED .KEY .KEYCHAIN .PPS .PPT .PPTX .INI .PRF Encoded Files .HQX .MIM .UUE .7Z .CBR .DEB .GZ .PKG .RAR .RPM .SITX .TAR.GZ .ZIP .ZIPX .BIN .CUE .DMG .ISO .MDF .TOAST .VCD SDF .TAR .TAX2014 .TAX2015 .VCF .XML Audio Files .AIF .IFF .M3U .M4A .MID .MP3 .MPA .WAV .WMA Video Files .3G2 .3GP .ASF .AVI .FLV .M4V .MOV .MP4 .MPG .RM .SRT .SWF .VOB .WMV 3D .3DM .3DS .MAX .OBJ R.BMP .DDS .GIF .JPG .CRX .PLUGIN .FNT .FON .OTF .TTF .CAB .CPL .CUR .DESKTHEMEPACK .DLL .DMP .DRV .ICNS .ICO .LNK .SYS .CFG
After finding the files, it begins the encryption using a sophisticated cryptography. Once the encryption is completed, it adds the .TW suffix to each one of the files and changes the desktop wallpaper of the computer with a black one along with the following ransom note:
“_______READ_FOR_YOUR_FILES_______
Hello. All of files may have been encrypted. If this is the case – The price of the decryption tool is 1 XMR / $200 ~
Hola. Todos los archivos pueden haber sido encriptados. Si este es el caso, el precio de la herramienta de descifrado es 1 XMR / $ 200 ~
Здравствуйте. Все файлы могут быть зашифрованы. Если это так – цена инструмента дешифрования составляет 1 XMR / $ 200 ~”
How does TotalWipeOut ransomware spread over the web?
TotalWipeOut ransomware spread over the web using several methods but it mostly uses spam emails like other ransomware developers. The crooks behind this threat attach an infected file to emails and send them to targeted users. In addition, its malicious payload might also be found on suspicious sites that offer free games and so on. Thus, you have to be careful about what you download online as it might be a malicious file used to install harmful cyber threats like TotalWipeOut ransomware into your computer.
Follow the given removal guide below to terminate TotalWipeOut ransomware.
Step 1: Tap Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to launch the Task Manager.
Step 2: Go to the Processes and Applications tab and look for the malicious processes of TotalWipeOut ransomware then right click on them and select End Process or End Task.

Step 3: Close the Task Manager and open Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.
Step 4: Look for dubious programs that might be related to TotalWipeOut ransomware and then Uninstall it/them.

Step 5: Tap Win + E to launch File Explorer.
Step 6: After opening File Explorer, navigate to the following directories below and look for TotalWipeOut ransomware’s malicious components like TotalWipeOut.exe and other suspicious-looking files and then remove them all.

• %TEMP%
• %APPDATA%
• %DESKTOP%
• %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
• C:\ProgramData\local\

Step 7: Close the File Explorer.
Before you proceed to the next steps below, make sure that you are tech savvy enough to the point where you know exactly how to use and navigate your computer’s Registry. Keep in mind that any changes you make will highly impact your computer. To save you the trouble and time, you can just use [product-name], this system tool is proven to be safe and excellent enough that hackers won’t be able to hack into it. But if you can manage Windows Registry well, then, by all means, go on to the next steps.
Step 8: Tap Win + R to open Run and then type in regedit in the field and tap enter to pull up Windows Registry.

Step 9: Navigate to the listed paths below and look for the registry keys and sub-keys created by TotalWipeOut ransomware.

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\ScreenSaveTimeOut
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Step 10: Next, delete the registry keys and sub-keys created by TotalWipeOut ransomware.
Step 11: Close the Registry Editor.
Step 12: Finally, empty the contents of your Recycle Bin.
Try to recover your encrypted files using the Volume Shadow copies
Restoring your encrypted files using Windows’ Previous Versions feature will only be effective if TotalWipeOut ransomware hasn’t deleted the shadow copies of your files. But still, this is one of the best and free methods there is, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
To restore the encrypted file, right-click on it and select Properties, a new window will pop-up, then proceed to Previous Versions. It will load the file’s previous version before it was modified. After it loads, select any of the previous versions displayed on the list like the one in the illustration below. And then click the Restore button.

Once you’re done executing the steps given above, you need to continue the removal process of TotalWipeOut ransomware using a reliable program like [product-name]. How? Follow the advanced removal steps below.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
2. After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

3. To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
4. Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
5. Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

6. If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will sow up.
7. Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
8. After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
9. Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.

10. After the scan is completed click the “Fix, Clean & Optimize Now”button.