An infection with the dangerous .RansomUserLocker Virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove .RansomUserLocker Virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of .RansomUserLocker Virus
The .RansomUserLocker 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 .RansomUserLocker 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 .RansomUserLocker Virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the .RansomUserLocker 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 .RansomUserLocker 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 .RansomUserLocker Virus
The .RansomUserLocker virus is a newly discovered malware threat which is also known under the name of InsaneCrypt ransomware. No information is available about the identitiy of the individual or group behind it. The complete code analysis is not yet available however the virus does tend to follow the common behavior patterns associated with typical ransomware.
The infections may begin with an information gathering module. It is normally used to construct an in-depth profile of the machine and the victim user. Depending on the hacker configuration and the selected attack campaign it may be used to extract two main types of data:
- Personally-Identifiable Information — This type of data can be used to directly expose the identity of the users. The virus module looks for data related to their name, address, phone number, preferences and etc.
- Anonymous Metrics — Information of this type is used by the criminals for statistical purposes.
These type of infections can also bundle a stealth protection feature that can protect the virus from installed security software. It can act against anti-virus products, sandboxes, virtual machines and debugging environments. In most cases it disables them or deletes the active real time scanning component. The hackers can also optionally delete the virus itself if this programmed as well.
Advanced ransomware threats have the ability to use the .RansomUserLocker virus as a payload delivery mechanism. The hackers can bundle in a network module that can automatically connect to criminal-controlled server. It allows them to engage in several different types of actions:
- Trojan Module Installation — Such modules can be used to spy on the victims in real time. The criminals can also overtake control of the machines at any given time.
- Additional Malware Delivery — The criminals can opt to institute additional viruses to the victim computers.
- Botnet Recruitment — The machines can be added to an international network that are usually programmed to cause large-scale attacks against high-profile targets.
Various system changes can be instituted which can lead to performance issues or application or service failure. They include modifications of the Windows registry, system services and user applications.
Such changes can also lead to a persistent state of execution where the malware is able to prevent manual user removal attempts. In such cases the only effective solution is an anti-spyware solution.
Once all components have successfully executed the ransomware process is started. Like other similar threats it aims to impact the most widely used files by using a built-in list of target file type extensions. Examples include: archives, documents, images, music, videos, backups and databases. As a consequence the processed files are renamed using the .RansomUserLocker extension. Some of the acquired samples however have the email address provided by the hackers as a secondary extension.
The ransomware note itself is crafted in a “How_decrypt_files.txt” file which uses a template-based structure. The hackers merely replace the contact e-mail address, name and quoted ransomware fee.
Remove .RansomUserLocker Virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the .RansomUserLocker 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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.RansomUserLocker 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 .RansomUserLocker 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 .RansomUserLocker 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
