A1Lock virus will encrypt your files and demand a ransom
A1Lock ransomware is a new Globe Imposter ransomware[1] version that uses .707 extension on encrypted files and creates a ransom note called RECOVER_FILES.html. The virus functions as an extortion tool that demands ransom in exchange for a data recovery software.
Once run, the malicious executable of the virus scan the entire computer system for target files. The malware has a list of file extensions that are main targets. Once the virus finds a file with a target extension, it corrupts the file using certain encryption algorithm. Once the A1Lock encrypts the file, it adds .707 extension after the original file extension to mark the file as corrupted one.
The last part of the attack involves the creation of the ransom note, also known as the file that holds data recovery instructions. The file contains victim’s personal ID and a link to a site that explains how to buy the decryptor. In order to access the website, the victim has to install a special browser called TOR.
The provided URL leads to a site that provides the helpme.zip file. The size of this file is 126.87kB. The file contains a decrypter, however, in order to access it, the victim has to pay 0.06 Bitcoin. At the moment of writing this post, the price of the decryptor was 152.22 US dollars. The ransom has to be transferred to a provided Bitcoin wallet address that collects payments from all A1Lock ransomware victims.
If you were attacked by this ransomware, we suggest you to clean your system from malicious files first. It is strongly recommended that you remove A1Lock virus ASAP. The removal can be completed using anti-malware program, and it won’t take you more than a half an hour to do it. Please, do not try to kill the virus manually because you can easily overlook some malicious files and leave the system with security vulnerabilities.
It is also important that you prepare your PC for A1Lock removal properly. To do it, we strongly recommend using instructions we made. These are given below the article.
Distribution of Globe Imposter malware
Globe Imposter viruses, including A1Lock, are mostly distributed via malspam (also known as malicious spam). Be extremely careful when opening emails sent by strangers or companies that you didn’t have any business with lately. If you suspect something strange, do not click on links or email attachments that came with the message.
Cyber criminals tend to attach .ZIP files to emails, and sometimes they protect these files with a password. In such case, the password will be listed in the message body. Do not attempt to open these archives and especially files inside of them, despite their legitimate-looking names.
Even if it sounds surprising to you, a document (Word[2] or Excel) CAN contain a virus, because it can contain a malicious script that connects to a certain domain and downloads ransomware from it.
The ransomware has already affected many computers worldwide, especially in France. If you are a citizen from this country, you might be interested in Lesvirus.fr website[3] that provides information about computer security in French language.
Remove A1Lock ransomware virus
Do not delay A1Lock removal because deleting this virus is the only available option if you want to continue using your computer safely. Typically, the ransomware hides its components from the victim; besides, it has an ability to download additional malware to the system, so you need to uninstall all malware at once ASAP. For that, we highly recommend using anti-malware software.
However, to remove A1Lock virus, you will need to make sure that it won’t attempt to interrupt you from doing so. For this reason, we strongly recommend rebooting your computer in Safe Mode with Networking and starting the removal process from there. You can find a detailed explanation of the removal procedure down below.
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