TorLocker virus (Easy Removal Guide)

TorLocker virus Removal Guide

What is TorLocker virus?

TorLocker ransomware is a virus that locks files and demands money for the decryption key

TorLocker virus removalTorLocker virus is ransomware that encrypts important files.

TorLocker or CryptoLocker is officially listed as ransomware or a PC threat, which may encrypt files on people's computers and prevent them from opening them until they pay the ransom. Cybercriminals who have developed this ransomware have adapted it to all types of Windows OS, which means that it doesn't really matter if you are using Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8, etc. because this virus can easily land on your computer if you open an infected email attachment, fake software update alert or any other suspicious things.

The majority of ransomware is targeted at the users from a specific country (usually the USA, Canada, Italy, Russia, the UK, and so on). However, the TorLocker virus can affect random computers despite their location.

Once activated, TorLocker virus scans the computer and looks for predetermined types of files (.3gp, .avi, .doc, .docx, .jpg, .mov, .mp3, .mp4, .pdf, .png, .psd, .rar, .wma, .zip, etc.) in order to encrypt them. Once these files are selected, the ransomware adds an extension to each of them and starts showing its alerts urging you to transfer $300 ransom using BitCoins, UKash, or PaySafeCard within 72 hours.

In order to scare you into thinking that there is no other solution but to pay the ransom immediately, the TorLocker virus alert informs that after 72 hours the decryption code will be deleted and you will never get back files that have been stored on your PC. However, before you make the payment, you should think twice about whether paying the ransom will help you to get rid of TorLocker virus and get back the data. In fact, paying this ransom is equivalent to sending your money straight to cybercriminals, who may initiate further thefts from your bank account and may even cause identity theft.

If you want to protect your computer and yourself from such issues, you should install a powerful anti-spyware, such as SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes. A powerful program will not only protect your computer from infections in the future but will also help you successfully remove TorLocker ransomware from your device.

Unfortunately, if your PC has been infected with TorLocker ransomware, even after removing it the files will remain locked. But if you have backups of your files on another device, you can easily restore important data. Just remember that after removing the virus it is very important to fix any broken system files or other issues. FortectIntego or some other reliable tool will help you do it very quickly.

You can protect the computer from ransomware by acting more carefully

Ransomware is usually distributed via infected email messages (spam), exploit kits, botnets (usually Andromeda), and fake software update alerts. Be aware that other ransomware, such as CryptoWall, CryptoDefense, CryptorBit, and many others are distributed this way as well. Therefore, awareness of such computer threats should encourage you to make regular backups of your data.

If you want to keep your computer safe, you should always keep an updated anti-spyware installed on your computer and start verifying the content that is provided during your browsing. Security experts have noticed the tendency of this ransomware to be hidden under the email attachments, for example, 'UPS Exception Notification' or Java and Flash Player update alerts. Therefore, you should avoid opening suspicious-looking emails and other questionable content, which shows during your browsing.

Once the TorLocker virus encrypts the data stored on your computer, you may receive such an alert:

TorLocker – Your important files produced in this computer and network shares: photos, videos, documents, pdf, music, auto cad, spreadsheets, etc., were encrypted. If you see this text but do not see the “TorLocker” window, then your antivirus removed “TorLocker” from your computer. If you need your files back, you have to recover “TorLocker” from the antivirus quarantine, or find a copy of “TorLocker” in the Internet and start it again. Please disable any Firewall or Antivirus permanently if the Payment address don’t show to you. You can download “TorLocker: from the link given below, using the tool “Tor Browser Bundle”.

We agree that the TorLocker notification really seems threatening; however, you should ignore it because it's just a deceptive way to make you give away your money. Hackers may not give a decryption key even after you pay the ransom.

You should remove TorLocker ransomware and only then try to restore files from the backups

If you want to remove TorLocker ransomware from the system, you can use the steps that are given below. We recommend removing the virus with a powerful antivirus program. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes is perfect for this task.

By the way, after such an experience, you should start thinking in advance about the security of the data on your computer. The most reliable way to maintain your data safe is to make backups and keep them in a safer place than the same computer. For example, you can use:

  • USB external hard drive,
  • CDs,
  • DVDs,
  • Google Drive,
  • Dropbox,
  • Flickr and so on.

In addition, after a successful TorLocker virus removal, you need not only restore the data from backups but also to fix system files that may have been damaged by the virus. The easiest way to do this is to use a reliable fixing tool, such as FortectIntego.

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What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of TorLocker virus. Follow these steps

Manual removal using Safe Mode

Viruses might be eliminated by entering Safe Mode with Networking

Important! →
Manual removal guide might be too complicated for regular computer users. It requires advanced IT knowledge to be performed correctly (if vital system files are removed or damaged, it might result in full Windows compromise), and it also might take hours to complete. Therefore, we highly advise using the automatic method provided above instead.

Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking

Manual malware removal should be best performed in the Safe Mode environment. 

Windows 7 / Vista / XP
  1. Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
  2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 button (if that does not work, try F2, F12, Del, etc. – it all depends on your motherboard model) multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
  3. Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list. Windows 7/XP
Windows 10 / Windows 8
  1. Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
    Settings
  2. Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
    Update and security
  3. On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
  4. Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
  5. Click Restart now.
    Reboot
  6. Select Troubleshoot. Choose an option
  7. Go to Advanced options. Advanced options
  8. Select Startup Settings. Startup settings
  9. Press Restart.
  10. Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking. Enable safe mode

Step 2. Shut down suspicious processes

Windows Task Manager is a useful tool that shows all the processes running in the background. If malware is running a process, you need to shut it down:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details.
    Open task manager
  3. Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
  4. Right-click and select Open file location.
    Open file location
  5. Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
    End task
  6. Delete the contents of the malicious folder.

Step 3. Check program Startup

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Go to Startup tab.
  3. Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
    Startup

Step 4. Delete virus files

Malware-related files can be found in various places within your computer. Here are instructions that could help you find them:

  1. Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
    Disk cleanup
  2. Select the drive you want to clean (C: is your main drive by default and is likely to be the one that has malicious files in).
  3. Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:

    Temporary Internet Files
    Downloads
    Recycle Bin
    Temporary files

  4. Pick Clean up system files.
    Delete temp files
  5. You can also look for other malicious files hidden in the following folders (type these entries in Windows Search and press Enter):

    %AppData%
    %LocalAppData%
    %ProgramData%
    %WinDir%

After you are finished, reboot the PC in normal mode.

Remove TorLocker using System Restore

System Restore might be useful too

  • Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt
    Windows 7 / Vista / XP
    1. Click Start Shutdown Restart OK.
    2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
    3. Select Command Prompt from the list Select 'Safe Mode with Command Prompt'

    Windows 10 / Windows 8
    1. Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
    2. Now select Troubleshoot Advanced options Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
    3. Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window. Select 'Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt'
  • Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
    1. Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter. Enter 'cd restore' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    2. Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again.. Enter 'rstrui.exe' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    3. When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of TorLocker. After doing that, click Next. When 'System Restore' window shows up, select 'Next' Select your restore point and click 'Next'
    4. Now click Yes to start system restore. Click 'Yes' and start system restore
    Once you restore your system to a previous date, download and scan your computer with FortectIntego and make sure that TorLocker removal is performed successfully.

Bonus: Recover your data

Guide which is presented above is supposed to help you remove TorLocker from your computer. To recover your encrypted files, we recommend using a detailed guide prepared by 2-spyware.com security experts.

If your files are encrypted by TorLocker, you can use several methods to restore them:

Try to restore TorLocker files with Data Recovery Pro

  • Download Data Recovery Pro;
  • Follow the steps of Data Recovery Setup and install the program on your computer;
  • Launch it and scan your computer for files encrypted by TorLocker ransomware;
  • Restore them.

File recovery with Windows Previous Version Feature

  • Find an encrypted file you need to restore and right-click on it;
  • Select “Properties” and go to “Previous versions” tab;
  • Here, check each of available copies of the file in “Folder versions”. You should select the version you want to recover and click “Restore”.

Try to recover data with Shadow Explorer

  • Download Shadow Explorer (http://shadowexplorer.com/);
  • Follow a Shadow Explorer Setup Wizard and install this application on your computer;
  • Launch the program and go through the drop down menu on the top left corner to select the disk of your encrypted data. Check what folders are there;
  • Right-click on the folder you want to restore and select “Export”. You can also select where you want it to be stored.

No decryption software is currently available

Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from TorLocker and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes

How to prevent from getting ransomware

Protect your privacy – employ a VPN

There are several ways how to make your online time more private – you can access an incognito tab. However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of Private Internet Access VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise. Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and Private Internet Access VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals. 

No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool

If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers – human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence. In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.

If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. Data Recovery Pro is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market – it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.

About the author
Julie Splinters
Julie Splinters - Anti-malware specialist

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