An infection with the dangerous .lol Virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove .lol Virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
Skip all steps and download anti-malware tool that will safely scan and clean your PC.
SpyHunter anti-malware tool will diagnose all current threats on the computer. By purchasing the full version, you will be able to remove all malware threats instantly. Additional information about SpyHunter / Help to uninstall SpyHunter
Distribution of .lol Virus
The .lol 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 .lol 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 .lol Virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the .lol 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 .lol 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 .lol Virus
The .lol virus is a newly discovered malware which has been sighted by security experts to br delivered in a global campaign. When they captured a strain that belonged to the threat the initial code analysis did not find a link between it and any of the famous virus families. In addition the identity of the criminals is not known at the moment, it may be a single hacker or a whole criminal collective.
At the moment the hacker(s) behind the .lol virus use a concealing strategy to make the intended targets infect themselves. Its code is bundled inside an application disguised as a key maker for VMWare Products. These sort of programs are frequently found on iliegal sites and hacker-controlled portals that manipulate the users into thinking that they can acquire paid software without paying. This notion is explored as many computer users disregard the associated risks of downloading such software.
When launched the “Keymaker for VMWare Products” presents a dropdown menu box with options for the different products. When it is launched for the first time the .lol virus automatically starts to infect the victim host. The produced “keys” may be entirely non-working and placed to fool the victims into interacting with the application. And even after it has been removed the .lol virus continues to function on the computer.
The virus analysis reveals that the malware is capable of conducting a series of actions which are regulated by a built-in pattern that can be changed according to the hackers. Depending on the exact sequence any of the following processes can be executed:
- Data Extraction ‒ A series of information stealing activities occur as the .lol virus starts its system checks. The malware engine starts to scan the infected machine and extracts a variety of data including the available hardware components, installed software and user settings.
- Stealth Protection ‒ The .lol virus is capable of protecting itself from discovery by utilizing built-in mechanisms. They can be effective against virtual machines, debugging environments and sandboxes. The malware engine conducts several checks and if such are detected the virus automatically shuts down and deletes itself to evade detection.
- Network Connections ‒ Any active infections are automatically reported to the hacker-controlled servers over the Internet. The initiated network connection can also be used to send commands to the infected computers.
- System Modification ‒ As a consequence of the infection and the built-in patterns system modifications are made to the computers. The list includes registry values, configuration files and file modifications. As a result some Windows features might stop working, the users may experience performance issues and applications failure.
Once all prerequisite conditions are met the ransomware process takes place. It uses a built-in list of target file type extensions. Examples include the following: images, videos, archives, photos, music, configuration files and databases.
A ransomware image is superimposed on the victim’s screen which reads the following:
!!!!! Your personal files are now encrypted !!!!!
If you see this message it means you have 24 hours sto send 0.1 BTC to the following
address or your files will be encrypted forever:All files with the following extensions have been encrypted: .jpg .png .gif .tif .avi .mp4 .xls .xlsx .doc .ppt .pptx .pdf .txt .csv
As a result of the encryption all victim files are renamed with the .lol extension. We recommend that all users abstain from communicating with the hackers and use our full .lol Virus removal guide below to recover their data and delete the active infections.
Remove .lol Virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the .lol 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.
SpyHunter anti-malware tool will diagnose all current threats on the computer. By purchasing the full version, you will be able to remove all malware threats instantly. Additional information about SpyHunter / Help to uninstall SpyHunter
.lol 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 .lol 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 .lol 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.
-
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”.
-
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
