An infection with the dangerous LockCrypt Virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove LockCrypt Virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of LockCrypt Virus
The LockCrypt Virus is a new virus which has been sighted in a limited attack campaign. At the moment the security researchers cannot determine the primary infection strategy. We presume that the most widely used tactics are going to be employed.
Among them are the email messages created in an automated way and sent to large lists of potential victims. The LockCrypt Virus can be directly attached to the messages. This is one of the easiest way for the criminals to attempt the infection. However a lot of email hosting providers usually capture the signatures of the virus and as such discard such messages or label them as dangerous or spam. Other infection methods related to this one is the option of inserting hyperlinks in the body content of the messages. The links are usually labeled as leading to a familiar website or a file of user interest. Redirects can redirect to hacker-controlled sites, infected payloads or other instances that can lead to an LockCrypt Virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the LockCrypt Virus. A popular option is the use of infected documents which may be of different types ‒ spreadsheets, rich text documents, presentations and databases. They are modified to initiate the virus once the built-in scripts are run. Usually when the files are opened a notification will ask the users to run the macros (scripts). If this is done the infection follows.
The hacker-controlled sites are specialist portals that have been created either manually or automatically by the criminals behind the LockCrypt Virus. They can either directly distribute the threat by initiating various scripts or automated operations or link to such instances. Redirects are usually caused by email interaction, ad networks or other browsing activity. However one of the main sources is the availability of browser hijackers. They are malicious addons made for the most popular web browsers ‒ Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, Microsoft Edge and Safari. Once installed they not only infect the users with the malware, but also redirect the victims to a hacker-controlled site. Depending on the configuration the browser hijackers can also steal sensitive information such as any stored passwords, account credentials, history, bookmarks, form data and settings.
Impact of LockCrypt Virus
The LockCrypt virus is a malware threat which started to initiate large attack campaigns around the world. It is a strain of the SamSam ransomware family which is known to infect thousands of computers worldwide and is considered a high-risk threat. This malware family is known to be distributed using different methods as varied as possible. Previous SamSam virus attacks are known to use complex attack vectors including phishing emails, payload delivery and etc. At the moment the limited number of captured samples showcases that the current attack campaign is focused mainly against small business owners and their respective networks in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the Philippines and India.
A significant part of the intrusions were made by exploiting the RDP protocol which is used to remote control machines from distance. This was done through a compromised mail service which gave the attackers information about the hosts. They used brute force tools to hack into the desktop sharing features and services. Like other complex malware families the LockCrypt virus attacks in several stages. One of the first steps is to extract a lot of information about the compromised system. The harvesting engine includes data such as the installed hardware components, applications and user settings. What’s unique about the LockCrypt virus is that it aims to kill as many critical business processes.
The multi-stage attack strategy used by the LockCrypt virus and previous SamSam ransomware strains allows the hackers to load additional components to the main infection engine. Depending on their strategies they can opt to include a Trojan module that can give them the ability to spy on the users in real time, as well as record their mouse movement and keystrokes. LockCrypt have also been found to be able to disable security components, as well as any virtualbox, sandboxing or debugging environments.
The classic SamSam malware follows the following infection formula, it is very likely that the LockCrypt virus uses the same or modified form of behavior:
- The SamSam ransomware intrudes into the target computer using different methods.
- Remote Administration tools are installed into the victim systems.
- A RDP session is initiated to allow the hackers access to the compromised machines.
- Commands are run in order to intrude onto other network hosts.
The interesting fact is that the current LockCrypt is presented as a Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) which means that it is actively being sold on the hacker underground markets and community. Some of the captured strains have been found to utilize a commission fee, a percentage of the ransomware are transferred over to the developers of the LockCrypt virus, while the other part of the money is given to the operators. If the LockCrypt Virus installs itself in a persistent way then the infection engine will automatically prevent the victims from removing the threat from their computers. In this case the virus can only be removed by using a quality anti-spyware solution. It also automatically deletes all Shadow Volume Copies from the file systems which prevents data recovery if the users do not have access to a professional application that can help in this case. You can refer to our complete removal guide below.
After all prerequisite conditions have been met the ransomware engine is started. Like previous SamSam malware strains it uses a built-in list of target file type extensions. An example list targets the following file type extensions:
.3dm, .3ds, .3fr, .3g2, .3gp, .3pr, .7z, .ab4, .accdb, .accde, .accdr, .accdt, .ach, .acr, .act, .adb, .ads,
.agdl, .ai, .ait, .al, .apj, .arw, .asf, .asm, .asp, .aspx, .asx, .avi, .awg, .back, .backup, .backupdb, .bak, .bank, .bay,
.bdb, .bgt, .bik, .bkf, .bkp, .blend, .bpw, .c, .cdf, .cdr, .cdr3, .cdr4, .cdr5, .cdr6, .cdrw, .cdx, .ce1, .ce2, .cer, .cfp, .cgm, .cib,
.class, .cls, .cmt, .cpi, .cpp, .cr2, .craw, .crt, .crw, .cs, .csh, .csl, .csv, .dac, .db, .db-journal, .db3, .dbf, .dbx, .dc2, .dcr, .dcs, .ddd, .ddoc, .ddrw, .dds, .der, .des, .design, .dgc, .djvu, .dng, .doc, .docm, .docx, .dot,
.dotm, .dotx, .drf, .drw, .dtd, .dwg, .dxb, .dxf, .dxg, .eml, .eps, .erbsql, .erf, .exf, .fdb, .ffd, .fff, .fh, .fhd, .fla, .flac, .flv, .fmb, .fpx,
.fxg, .gray, .grey, .gry, .h, .hbk, .hpp, .htm, .html, .ibank, .ibd, .ibz, .idx, .iif, .iiq, .incpas, .indd, .jar, .java, .jin, .jpe, .jpeg, .jpg, .jsp,
.kbx, .kc2, .kdbx, .kdc, .key, .kpdx, .lua, .m, .m4v, .max, .mdb, .mdc, .mdf, .mef, .mfw, .mmw, .moneywell, .mos, .mov, .mp3, .mp4, .mpg, .mrw, .msg, .myd,
.nd, .ndd, .nef, .nk2, .nop, .nrw, .ns2, .ns3, .ns4, .nsd, .nsf, .nsg, .nsh, .nwb, .nx2, .nxl, .nyf, .oab, .obj, .odb, .odc, .odf, .odg, .odm, .odp, .ods, .odt,
.oil, .orf, .ost, .otg, .oth, .otp, .ots, .ott, .p12, .p7b, .p7c, .pab, .pages, .pas, .pat, .pbl, .pcd, .pct, .pdb, .pdd, .pdf, .pef, .pem, .pfx, .php, .php5, .phtml,
.pl, .plc, .png, .pot, .potm, .potx, .ppam, .pps, .ppsm, .ppsx, .ppt, .pptm, .pptx, .prf, .ps, .psafe3, .psd, .pspimage, .pst, .ptx, .py, .qba, .qbb, .qbm, .qbr,
.qbw, .qbx, .qby, .r3d, .raf, .rar,, .rat, .raw, .rdb, .rm, .rtf, .rw2, .rwl, .rwz, .s3db, .sas7bdat, .say, .sd0, .sda, .sdf, .sldm, .sldx, .sql, .sqlite, .sqlite3,
.sqlitedb, .sr2, .srf, .srt, .srw, .st4, .st5, .st6, .st7, .st8, .std, .sti, .stw, .stx, .svg, .swf, .sxc, .sxd, .sxg, .sxi, .sxi, .sxm, .sxw, .tex, .tga, .thm,
.tib, .tif, .tlg, .txt, .vob, .wallet, .war, .wav, .wb2, .wmv, .wpd, .wps, .x11, .x3f, .xis, .xla, .xlam, .xlk, .xlm, .xlr, .xls, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xlsx, .xlt, .xltm,
.xltx, .xlw, .xml, .ycbcra, .yuv, .zip.
As a result the processed files may be encoded with a random name extensions or with the .lock one. The victims will see a lockscreen instance on their screen which may block normal interaction with the computer until the threat has been removed. It shows the Windows background screen and a white text message which appears like a Microsoft notice which reads the following:
Attention!!! Your files are encrypted !!!
To recover files, follow the prompts in the text file “Readme”
Additional messages and prompts showcase the ransomware sum which varies according to the targets. It can range from 0.5 Bitcoins ($4166) to 1 Bitcoin ($8338). The security analysts detected that the wallets used in the current attack campaign have already made $33 000 in profit.
Depending on the version a ransomware note can be created which features generic messages blackmailing the victims to pay a Bitcoin ransomware fee. We recommend that all users abstain from communicating with the hackers and use our full LockCrypt Virus removal guide below to recover their data and delete the active infections.
Remove LockCrypt Virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the LockCrypt Virus requires being familiar with system files and registries. Removing important data accidentally can lead to permanent system damage. If you don’t feel comfortable with manual instructions, download a powerful anti-malware tool that will scan your system for malware and clean it safely for you.
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LockCrypt Virus – Manual Removal Steps
Start the PC in Safe Mode with Network
This will isolate all files and objects created by the ransomware so they will be removed efficiently. The steps bellow are applicable to all Windows versions.
1. Hit the WIN Key + R
2. A Run window will appear. In it, write msconfig and then press Enter
3. A Configuration box shall appear. In it Choose the tab named Boot
4. Mark Safe Boot option and then go to Network under it to tick it too
5. Apply -> OK
Remove LockCrypt from Windows
Here’s a way to remove the program. This method will work regardless if you’re on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP. Simply selecting the program and pressing delete won’t work, as it’ll leave a lot of small files. That’s bad because these leftovers can linger on and cause all sorts of problems. The best way to delete a program is to uninstall it. Here’s how you can do that:
1. Hold the “Windows” button (It’s between CTRL and Alt on most keyboards) and press “R”. You’ll see a pop-up window.
2. In the textbox, type “appwiz.cpl”, then press“ Enter ”.
3. The “Programs and features” menu should now appear. It’s a list of all the programs installed on the PC. Here you can find the program, select it, and press “Uninstall“.
Remove LockCrypt Virus From Your Browser
Before resetting your browser’s settings, you should know that this action will wipe out all your recorded usernames, passwords, and other types of data. Make sure to save them in some way.
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1. Start Mozilla Firefox. In the upper right corner, click on the Open menu icon and select “Add-ons“.
2. Inside the Add-ons Manager select “Extensions“. Search the list of extensions for suspicious entries. If you find any, select them and click “Remove“.
3. Click again on the Open menu icon, then click “Options“.
4. In the Options window, under “General” tab, click “Restore to Default“.
5. Select “Search” in the left menu, mark the unknown search engine and press “Remove”.
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1. Start Google Chrome. On the upper-right corner, there a “Customize and Control” menu icon. Click on it, then click on “Settings“.
2. Click “Extensions” in the left menu. Then click on the trash bin icon to remove the suspicious extension.
3. Again in the left menu, under Chrome, Click on “Settings“. Go under “On Startup” and set a new page.
4. Afterward, scroll down to “Search“, click on “Manage search engines“.
5. In the default search settings list, find the unknown search engine and click on “X“. Then select your search engine of choice and click “Make default“. When you are ready click “Done” button in the right bottom corner.
2. In the “Manage add-ons” window, bellow “Add-on Types“, select “Toolbars and Extensions“. If you see a suspicious toolbar, select it and click “Remove“.
3. Then again in the “Manage Add-ons” window, in “Add-on Types“, Select “Search Providers“. Chose a search engine and click “Set as default“. Select the unknown search engine and click “Remove and Close”.
4. Open the Tools menu, select “Internet Options”.
5. In the “General” tab, in “Home page”, enter your preferred page. Click “Apply” and “OK”.
Repair Windows Registry
1. Again type simultaneously the WIN Key + R key combination
2. In the box, write regedit and hit Enter
3. Type the CTRL+ F and then write the malicious name in the search type field to locate the malicious executable
4. In case you have discovered registry keys and values related to the name, you should delete them, but be careful not to delete legitimate keys
Click for more information about Windows Registry and further repair help
