An infection with the dangerous .LTML Virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove .LTML Virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of .LTML Virus
The .LTML Virus is a new virus which has been sighted in 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 .LTML 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 .LTML Virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the .LTML 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 .LTML 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 .LTML Virus
The .LTML virus is a dangerous computer malware that is also known under the name of LongTermMemoryLoss Ransomware. The security analysts have made a code analysis that shows that the threat does not derive from any of the famous ransomware families. It is possible that the hacker operators have made it from scratch or have used a previously unknown source code from the underground markets. It is created using the Visual Studio 2017 programming environment. The only signatures that lead are linked to an individual or a hacker collective points to a nick name of “Asmcx15”.
The in-depth analysis reveals that the .LTML follows a predefined behavior pattern that starts the malware infection process by first starting an information gathering component that aims to extact various data from the host computers. The analysts verified that the .LTML virus reads the computer’s name which is probably used to generate an unique victim ID that is assigned to each infected host. A basic stealth protection technique has also been identified. It aims to protect the malware engine by setting up a guarded memory region. It is able to counter some anti-virus scans as well as anti-debugging tricks. Such features are also used by other similar products such as virtual machines and sandboxes.
Several IP address string have been found in the code. The current versions do not connect to them, but it is presumed that these addresses may be used to host the command and control (C&C) servers. They would allow the hackers to cause a wide range of malware activities including the following:
- Trojan Component Installation — An information stealing module can be installed which can relay the victm’s actions to the hackers and allow remote control of the machine at any given time.
- Additional Malware Infection — The criminal operators can take advantage of the system access and install additional viruses.
- Persistent Installation — The .LTML virus can install itself as a persistent threat. Such infections automatically prevent manual user removal.
System changes that are caused by the malware engine usually include all aspects of the operating system including the Windows Registry by manipulating existing strings or creating new ones. To facilitate a persistent state of execution the .LTML virus can also remove recovery options that control the boot processes.
Another notable malware behavior was the regional settings extraction. In most cases the gained information is used in order to provide a ransomware note in the language spoken by the victim. Like other similar threats the .LTML virus gains access to the Windows volume manager and queries all accessible volumes and partitions. Such measures are done in order to allow the ransomware engine to execute even on removable devices and available network shares.
When all components in the behavior chain have executed the encryption phase follows. The ransomware component starts to process target file type extensions with a strong cipher. In the most popular case the it targets the most popular user data: archives, documents, music, images, videos, databases and backups. As a consequence all processed files are renamed with the .LTML extension.
Its interesting to note that the ransomware note (created in a “ATTENTION!.txt” file) contains only the following message:
ATTENTION!
***
This is probably related to the fact that the captured samples were still in development. The security experts note that future versions are expected.
Remove .LTML Virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the .LTML 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
.LTML 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 .LTML 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 .LTML 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
