L0CK3R74H4T ransomware / virus (Decryption Steps Included) - Free Guide
L0CK3R74H4T virus Removal Guide
What is L0CK3R74H4T ransomware virus?
“Mafia Malware Indonesia” released a new malware – L0CK3R74H4T ransomware virus
The L0CK3R74H4T virus is a renamed version of the SADStory ransomware. This recently discovered crypto-malware hasn’t attacked any computer users yet. However, you should be aware of the fact that new file-encrypting virus might attempt to damage files on your computer. Meanwhile, malware researchers are working on a decryptor in case of emergency. An interesting fact about L0CK3R74H4T ransomware is that in the ransom note developers admit that they have already tried to threaten cyber community with other viruses. The hackers team called “Mafia Malware Indonesia” confessed to being responsible for creating such file-encrypting viruses as KimcilWare, MireWare, MafiaWare, and CryPy. Fortunately, this gang of hackers is unskilled, and these ransomware viruses haven’t caused much damage. Thus, it shouldn’t be hard to remove L0CK3R74H4T from the computer as well.
After infiltration L0CK3R74H4T ransomware virus encrypts targeted files and moves them to the new directory called “__MAFIA INFECTED FILES__.” These records are also renamed with a random name. Once the data encryption is over, the virus delivers a ransom note where criminals ask to contact them via email address L0CK3R74H4T@hotmail.com. The ransom message also includes victim’s identification ID that users are supposed to send to the crooks to get data recovery instructions. Authors of the L0CK3R74H4T virus want victims to purchase decryption key which is stored on the “secret” server. Thus, doing that is not recommended[1] for several reasons. First of all, they might not have the decryption software. Second of all, they may not have intentions to restore your files. Sadly, they might be only interested in taking your money. Third of all, they might provide dangerous software to retrieve your documents. As a result, you might face more computer-related problems. Thus, we recommend protecting your PC and privacy by performing L0CK3R74H4T removal with a help of FortectIntego. Once the virus is gone, you can restore your files from backups or try our prepared additional data recovery methods.
What strategies do hackers use to infiltrate computers?
Developers of the file-encrypting viruses often apply similar distribution and infiltration strategies.[2] Though, the biggest chance to encounter L0CK3R74H4T malware and other ransomware viruses is to click on a malicious email attachment. We want to point out that even safe looking Word, Excel or PDF documents might include a payload. Thus, you should not rush opening email attachment. First of all, attentively read the message several times, look for the grammar or spelling mistakes, check credentials, etc. These little details might reveal cyber criminals.[3] L0CK3R74H4T hijack might also occur when you visit an infected website, click on the malware-laden ad or install a bogus software update. Thus, you must be careful and critical. Not all ads or links should be clicked even if they are placed on the legitimate website.[4] What is more, don’t forget to keep all installed software up-to-date and strengthen your computer’s security with anti-malware program. Lastly, you should also make data backups[5] because no one can be 100% protected from the malware.
Removal guidelines for the L0CK3R74H4T ransomware virus
L0CK3R74H4T ransomware should be treated like the ordinary file-encrypting virus. Thus, its elimination requires using professional security tools. Please, do not think about manual virus removal option. Only experienced malware researchers are capable of doing that without causing damage to the computer. Thus, ordinary computer users should remove L0CK3R74H4T using malware removal programs such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes. Before installing one of these programs, you should restart your computer to the Safe Mode because the virus might prevent from accessing security tools. Below you will find instructions that help to disable the virus and run a full system scan. After L0CK3R74H4T removal, you can plug in the device where you store data backups. If you do not have them, try additional methods to restore encrypted files. They are presented below.
Getting rid of L0CK3R74H4T virus. Follow these steps
Manual removal using Safe Mode
Sometimes ransomware prevents from the automatic elimination. However, you can disable the virus and delete it with a help of reputable antivirus software. Follow the steps below:
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
- Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
- 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.
- Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
Windows 10 / Windows 8
- Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
- Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
- On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
- Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
- Click Restart now.
- Select Troubleshoot.
- Go to Advanced options.
- Select Startup Settings.
- Press Restart.
- Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking.
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:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
- Click on More details.
- Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
- Right-click and select Open file location.
- Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
- Delete the contents of the malicious folder.
Step 3. Check program Startup
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
- Go to Startup tab.
- Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
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:
- Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
- 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).
- Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:
Temporary Internet Files
Downloads
Recycle Bin
Temporary files - Pick Clean up system files.
- 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 L0CK3R74H4T using System Restore
System Restore method also helps to disable the virus in order to run a full system scan with malware removal program.
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Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt
Windows 7 / Vista / XP- Click Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
- When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
-
Select Command Prompt from the list
Windows 10 / Windows 8- Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
- Now select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
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Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window.
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Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
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Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.
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Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again..
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When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of L0CK3R74H4T. After doing that, click Next.
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Now click Yes to start system restore.
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Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.
Bonus: Recover your data
Guide which is presented above is supposed to help you remove L0CK3R74H4T 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 L0CK3R74H4T, you can use several methods to restore them:
Try Data Recovery Pro to restore files encrypted by L0CK3R74H4T ransomware
Data Recovery Pro is a professional program that helps to restore corrupted, deleted, and encrypted files. Thus, we suggest giving this tool a try because lots of users compliment its ability to recover files damaged by ransomware.
- 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 L0CK3R74H4T ransomware;
- Restore them.
Employ Windows Previous Versions feature to restore individual files encrypted by L0CK3R74H4T virus
Windows Previous Versions feature allows traveling back in computer’s time and accessing previously saved copies of the encrypted files. However, this method only works if System Restore function has been enabled before ransomware attack.
- 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”.
ShadowExplorer might help to restore files encrypted by L0CK3R74H4T malware
Ransomware viruses often delete Shadow Volume Copies of the targeted files. However, L0CK3R74H4T ransomware virus might have failed. Thus, you can use ShadowExplorer and recover at least some of your files.
- 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.
L0CK3R74H4T decryptor
Malware researchers haven’t created a free and safe tool to restore files after the L0CK3R74H4T attack.
Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from L0CK3R74H4T and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes
How to prevent from getting ransomware
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
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- ^ Fahmida Y. Rashid. Facing cyber blackmail? Don't pay a king's ransom. InfoWorld. Business technology, IT news, product reviews and enterprise IT strategies.
- ^ Why Ransomware Works: The Psychology and Methods Used to Distribute, Infect, and Extort. Trend Micro. Provides cyber security solutions for businesses, data centers, cloud environments, networks, and endpoints.
- ^ How to identify malicious emails (most of the time). Cogenesis. IT services & consultancy provider.
- ^ Charlie Osborne. Malvertising campaign strikes top websites worldwide. ZDNet. Breaking news, analysis, and research keeps business technology professionals in touch with the latest IT trends, issues and events.
- ^ Brien Posey. Data backup types explained: Full, incremental, differential and incremental-forever backup. TechTarget. Includes tips, webcasts, and other advice in a variety of focused enterprise technology channels.