A week or so ago, researchers from Proofpoint uncovered their findings of a ransomware they named MM Locker. The ransomware encrypts files with the .locked extension. Rumor has it that some of the infections are caused by crack executables for the game Far Cry Primal. To see how to remove the ransomware and what ways you can try to restore your files, you should carefully read this article.
Threat Summary
| Name | MM Locker |
| Type | Ransomware |
| Short Description | The ransomware encrypts files with .locked extension and demands a ransom of 200 US dollars. |
| Symptoms | The ransomware targets around 60 different file extensions for encryption. READ_IT.txt file and an image file are created. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable Files |
| Detection Tool |
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| User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss MM Locker. |
MM Locker Ransomware – Distribution
MM Locker ransomware is distributed in a few ways. Traditionally, spam emails are the main source for getting infected with ransomware. This one does not make an exception. The emails distribute malware as attachments. Malicious code can be found inside the attachments. Do not open such emails as your PC might get infected just from the body of the email in some cases.
A rumor is spread that some infections with this ransomware started upon downloading crack executables. They were promoted around YouTube as crack files for popular games, including FCPrimal.exe for the newest game in the Far Cry series – Primal.
Social media sites and file-sharing services are not excluded as methods to spread the infection. The best prevention advice is not to download, open or click anything that is either suspicious or with an unknown origin.
MM Locker Ransomware – Details
MM Locker is the name that Proofpoint researchers gave to this ransomware. The name comes from a directory path of one of the malware samples – C:\mm\mm\obj\Release\mm.pdb. The ransomware connects to a remote location to download a picture. The picture is set as a user’s desktop background after encryption is complete. This is how that image looks like:
The image bears the name ransom.jpg. The ransomware may connect to locations which have an IP address starting with the numbers 23.227.199. User name and host name can be sent to those locations.
MM Locker creates the following files in the %AppData%, %UserProfile% and Desktop directories:
- Decrypter.exe
- READ_IT.txt
- ransom.jpg
The file READ_IT.txt contains the actual instructions on paying the ransom. The file can be viewed in the picture down here:
The file reads the following:
(If you are in Notepad, please click the Format menu above ^^^^ and click Word Wrap)
Uh oh. It looks like your data has been the victim of the encryption thief. Your files have been encrypted with AES: search your drive for “locked” if you don’t believe me . Unfortunately you’re going to have to pay some money to get your files back and your fee is approximately $200 in US Dollars. I’ll get right to the ugly details for that:
* You have 72 hours to make this happen as of 12/03/2016 21:03:16. Otherwise, your files are lost for good. I will delete the necessary code for all time and I don’t even have to revisit your machine to do it.
* You will be paying by Bitcoin. Don’t worry, it is easy to figure out. Your fee is 0.501049 BTC. Pay this amount precisely, or I might not know who it was that paid in order to rescue them.
* Use LocalBitcoins.com. It isn’t hard to use, there are numerous ways to pay for my bitcoins on there, and most importantly, it is fast. Did I mention you have 72 hours?
* The address you will be sending the bitcoins to is 192awRvM4V8LS24GSHj6o3v2fVQ5QYh4pB .
* Then you will wait for me to get the unlock code for you. Your code will be shown here, https://let-me-help-you-with-that.webnode.com/ , under the amount you paid. This may take a day or so: you are on my schedule now :P
* Once you have the code, you can unlock your files as follows:
*** First you must download my decrypter: https://we.tl/L2dUFWqdJa . You may get various warnings that this is a Trojan or some other nonsense. Don’t believe it: if I needed to cause more damage I would have done so already. The file is marked as such because the antivirus people are lazy SOBs and just mark everything they can.
*** Go to your Start Menu
*** In the search field, type “cmd”.
*** Double click the cmd program.
*** Type “cd C:\Users\xxx\Downloads”
*** Type “Decrypter.exe”
*** Other people’s codes will not work for you, obviously.That is basically it. The rest of this document is a further description about your situation.
* You’ll never be able to find me. Police will never be able to find me. Go ahead and try them if you like, but don’t expect your data back. They will be concerned about helping the community, not with helping you meet your deadline. If they say they need to keep your desktop for a few days, well lol, you probably won’t be seeing your machine again soon, let alone your data. I’ve been doing this for five years now and haven’t been caught yet.
* Best Buy will have no ability to undo the encryption. Hell, even the NSA probably couldn’t undo it. Well maybe they could, but I suspect you won’t be a high priority for their computation clusters for at least a couple of years.
* In 72 hours, you will never be able to get these files open. I don’t much like people struggling against the powerful and there is no way for you to argue for an extension. Just make it happen.So just be thankful that it wasn’t worse. I could have asked for more money. I could have been working for ISIS and saving that money to behead children. I could have been a mean SOB and just destroyed your data outright. Am I those things? No. I just need the money to live off of (true story) and don’t care at all about the hacker “community”. So there isn’t anyone you will be protecting by sacrificing yourself. I’ll just encrypt more people’s data to make up for the loss.
So you have your instructions. I’ll even tell you how you could have prevented this:
* Install a good antivirus and keep it up to date. This is basically where you fell down.
* Don’t click on any file from the internet that isn’t a piece of data like (jpg, txt, doc) or you better really know where that file came from.
* Back up your files in case the encryption thief visits you. :PBetter luck to you in the future.
The ransom price is 200 US dollars within the first 72 hours. The paying instructions are written in a clever way to try and make you feel like paying up. The person behind the ransomware even gave some good tips to prevent this from happening again in the future. A mere trick, rather than sympathy. Do NOT fall for it and don’t even think of paying the ransom. Paying can only encourage the malware creator. Also, no guarantee exists that the decryptor will even work.
The MM Locker ransomware locks files with nearly sixty different extensions. The encryption process is yet unclear, but the extensions that the ransomware searches to encrypt are these:
→.avi, .box, .csv, .db, .dbf, .pps, .ppt, .pptx, .psd, .doc, .docx, .txt, .wav, .wmv, .xls, .xlsx, .xml, .html, .frm, .gam, .ged, .gif, .ifx, .jpg, .log, .lwp, .m4a, .mdb, .mov, .mp3, .mp4, .mpa, .mpg, .asp, .aspx, .msg, .myd, .myi, .myo, .ncf, .nsf, .ntf, .odt, .ofx, .pdf, .php, .png, .qdf, .qfx, .qif, .rm, .sav, .sln, .sql, .ynab, .tax, .tax2013, .tax2014, .tax2015
The list with file types for encryption could be incomplete, but that is what researchers have uncovered for now. After the encryption process is done, all files have the same extension – .locked. The extension has also been used by the Cryptolocker.AA ransomware and as ORX Locker.
MM Locker ransomware probably also deletes Shadow Volume Copies from the Windows Operating System.
Remove MM Locker Ransomware and Restore .locked Encrypted Files
If your PC got infected by the MM Locker ransomware, you should have some experience with removing malware. You should remove the malware as soon as you can as it could encrypt other files and further spread on the network. We recommend that you remove the ransomware and follow the step-by-step instructions provided below.
- Step 1
- Step 2
- Step 3
- Step 4
- Step 5
Step 1: Scan for MM Locker with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Ransomware Automatic Removal - Video Guide
Step 2: Uninstall MM Locker and related malware from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully delete most unwanted and malicious programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by MM Locker on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by MM Locker there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove MM Locker
Step 5: Try to Restore Files Encrypted by MM Locker.
Method 1: Use STOP Decrypter by Emsisoft.
Not all variants of this ransomware can be decrypted for free, but we have added the decryptor used by researchers that is often updated with the variants which become eventually decrypted. You can try and decrypt your files using the instructions below, but if they do not work, then unfortunately your variant of the ransomware virus is not decryptable.
Follow the instructions below to use the Emsisoft decrypter and decrypt your files for free. You can download the Emsisoft decryption tool linked here and then follow the steps provided below:
1 Right-click on the decrypter and click on Run as Administrator as shown below:
2. Agree with the license terms:
3. Click on "Add Folder" and then add the folders where you want files decrypted as shown underneath:
4. Click on "Decrypt" and wait for your files to be decoded.
Note: Credit for the decryptor goes to Emsisoft researchers who have made the breakthrough with this virus.
Method 2: Use data recovery software
Ransomware infections and MM Locker aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that this method may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
Simply click on the link and on the website menus on the top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.
MM Locker-FAQ
What is MM Locker Ransomware?
MM Locker is a ransomware infection - the malicious software that enters your computer silently and blocks either access to the computer itself or encrypt your files.
Many ransomware viruses use sophisticated encryption algorithms to make your files inaccessible. The goal of ransomware infections is to demand that you pay a ransom payment to get access to your files back.
What Does MM Locker Ransomware Do?
Ransomware in general is a malicious software that is designed to block access to your computer or files until a ransom is paid.
Ransomware viruses can also damage your system, corrupt data and delete files, resulting in the permanent loss of important files.
How Does MM Locker Infect?
Via several ways.MM Locker Ransomware infects computers by being sent via phishing emails, containing virus attachment. This attachment is usually masked as an important document, like an invoice, bank document or even a plane ticket and it looks very convincing to users.
Another way you may become a victim of MM Locker is if you download a fake installer, crack or patch from a low reputation website or if you click on a virus link. Many users report getting a ransomware infection by downloading torrents.
How to Open .MM Locker files?
You can't without a decryptor. At this point, the .MM Locker files are encrypted. You can only open them once they are decrypted using a specific decryption key for the particular algorithm.
What to Do If a Decryptor Does Not Work?
Do not panic, and backup the files. If a decryptor did not decrypt your .MM Locker files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
Can I Restore ".MM Locker" Files?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .MM Locker files.
These methods are in no way 100% guaranteed that you will be able to get your files back. But if you have a backup, your chances of success are much greater.
How To Get Rid of MM Locker Virus?
The safest way and the most efficient one for the removal of this ransomware infection is the use a professional anti-malware program.
It will scan for and locate MM Locker ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .MM Locker files.
Can I Report Ransomware to Authorities?
In case your computer got infected with a ransomware infection, you can report it to the local Police departments. It can help authorities worldwide track and determine the perpetrators behind the virus that has infected your computer.
Below, we have prepared a list with government websites, where you can file a report in case you are a victim of a cybercrime:
Cyber-security authorities, responsible for handling ransomware attack reports in different regions all over the world:
Germany - Offizielles Portal der deutschen Polizei
United States - IC3 Internet Crime Complaint Centre
United Kingdom - Action Fraud Police
France - Ministère de l'Intérieur
Italy - Polizia Di Stato
Spain - Policía Nacional
Netherlands - Politie
Poland - Policja
Portugal - Polícia Judiciária
Greece - Cyber Crime Unit (Hellenic Police)
India - Mumbai Police - CyberCrime Investigation Cell
Australia - Australian High Tech Crime Center
Reports may be responded to in different timeframes, depending on your local authorities.
Can You Stop Ransomware from Encrypting Your Files?
Yes, you can prevent ransomware. The best way to do this is to ensure your computer system is updated with the latest security patches, use a reputable anti-malware program and firewall, backup your important files frequently, and avoid clicking on malicious links or downloading unknown files.
Can MM Locker Ransomware Steal Your Data?
Yes, in most cases ransomware will steal your information. It is a form of malware that steals data from a user's computer, encrypts it, and then demands a ransom in order to decrypt it.
In many cases, the malware authors or attackers will threaten to delete the data or publish it online unless the ransom is paid.
Can Ransomware Infect WiFi?
Yes, ransomware can infect WiFi networks, as malicious actors can use it to gain control of the network, steal confidential data, and lock out users. If a ransomware attack is successful, it could lead to a loss of service and/or data, and in some cases, financial losses.
Should I Pay Ransomware?
No, you should not pay ransomware extortionists. Paying them only encourages criminals and does not guarantee that the files or data will be restored. The better approach is to have a secure backup of important data and be vigilant about security in the first place.
What Happens If I Don't Pay Ransom?
If you don't pay the ransom, the hackers may still have access to your computer, data, or files and may continue to threaten to expose or delete them, or even use them to commit cybercrimes. In some cases, they may even continue to demand additional ransom payments.
Can a Ransomware Attack Be Detected?
Yes, ransomware can be detected. Anti-malware software and other advanced security tools can detect ransomware and alert the user when it is present on a machine.
It is important to stay up-to-date on the latest security measures and to keep security software updated to ensure ransomware can be detected and prevented.
Do Ransomware Criminals Get Caught?
Yes, ransomware criminals do get caught. Law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, Interpol and others have been successful in tracking down and prosecuting ransomware criminals in the US and other countries. As ransomware threats continue to increase, so does the enforcement activity.
About the MM Locker Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this MM Locker how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific malware and restore your encrypted files.
How did we conduct the research on this ransomware?
Our research is based on an independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, and as such, we receive daily updates on the latest malware and ransomware definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the MM Locker ransomware threat is backed with VirusTotal and the NoMoreRansom project.
To better understand the ransomware threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.
As a site that has been dedicated to providing free removal instructions for ransomware and malware since 2014, SensorsTechForum’s recommendation is to only pay attention to trustworthy sources.
How to recognize trustworthy sources:
- Always check "About Us" web page.
- Profile of the content creator.
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