What is LooCipher ransomware? Can .lcphr files be recovered? How to remove LooCipher ransomware?
LooCipher ransomware is a nasty infection that prevents you from accessing personal files and forces you to pay a ransom for decryption software. According to the ransom message LooCipher leaves (@Please_Read_Me.txt) the payment should be made in Bitcoin cryptocurrency. Sure sign of infection with this ransomware is the extension .lcphr that locks corrupted files.
Threat Summary
| Name | LooCipher |
| Type | Ransomware, Cryptovirus |
| Short Description | The ransomware encrypts files on your computer system and demands a ransom to be paid to allegedly recover them. |
| Symptoms | The LooCipher ransomware will encrypt your files by appending the .lcphr extension to them, along with a unique identification number placing the new .lcphr extension as a secondary. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments |
| Detection Tool |
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Malware Removal Tool
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss LooCipher. |
| Data Recovery Tool | Windows Data Recovery by Stellar Notice! This product scans your drive sectors to recover lost files and it may not recover 100% of the encrypted files, but only few of them, depending on the situation and whether or not you have reformatted your drive. |
LooCipher ransomware threats have been detected in December 2019. The attacks are conducted by an unknown hacking collective and it appears that it targets victims from around the world. The method of choice appears to be the preparation and sending out of phishing email messages that contain malicious documents. The victims are to receive macro-infected Microsoft Word (.DOC) files that are probably sent out via exploit kits. This allows the hacking groups to send out a lot of samples against the intended victims.
What is known about the new samples is that before the encryption phase is run the main engine will start a Trojan component. It will connect the local service to a server controlled by the hackers and allow them to spy on the victims, take over control and conduct various malicious operations.
LooCipher Ransomware – Spread Mechanisms and Impact
LooCipher is a data locker ransomware that has been discovered a few days ago. Currently, it is actively being used in attack campaigns against online users worldwide. In the event that you are a victim of LooCipher we recommend you to keep up with our ransomware removal guide and clean your infected PC.
As reported by security researchers, the attack campaigns that are spreading LooCipher’s infection files are mainly realized with the help of spam email messages. These spam emails were detected to present the document Info_BSV_2019.docm as an attachment. Since hackers may configure the emails to pose as sent by well-known companies, websites and institutions it may quite tricky to recognize that they attempt to deliver malicious code on your device. One way to avoid running malicious files on your device is to upload them on VirusTotal where they will be scanned for present malicious code. Along with spam emails fake software updates, corrupted web pages, and potentially unwanted programs may also be utilized for the spread of LooCipher ransomware.
The moment LooCipher ransomware is loaded on the system, it becomes able to perform a long sequence of malicious activities that affect essential system components. The main purpose of this threat is to become able to reach valuable personal files and then encrypt them with the help of a strong cipher algorithm. For the purpose it activates a built-in cipher module that scans system drives for all of the following types of files:
- Audio files
- Video files
- Document files
- Image files
- Backup files
- Banking credentials, etc
Since the code of these files is transformed by LooCihper ransomware, they remain inaccessible. As a typical cryptovirus, LooCipher renames all files it corrupts by appending the extension .lcphr to their names.
Finally, the threat drops a ransom message file named @Please_Read_Me.txt to extort payment from its victims. Soon after it establishes the file on the system, LooCipher ransomware generates it automatically on the screen. You can see the instructions below:
Q: What happened to my files?
A: All your important files (including those on the network disks, USBs, etc.) have been encrypted using a strong algorithm with a private and unique key generated for you.
Q: Where is my key?
A: Your key is stored in our tor servers in order to preserve the anonymity.
Q: What do I do?
A: You need to make a Bitcoin payment for the decryption.
Please send €300 (~$330) worth of Bitcoin to this address: 1Ps5Vd9dKWuy9FuMDkec9qquCyTLjc2Bxe
Q: Can I recover my files by other means?
A: No. There is not such a computing power nowadays to find this key within the time of a human could live. Even if you use Tianhe-2
(Milkyway-2), currently the fastest supercomputer in the world, it will take millions of years. Neither NO ONE ANTIVIRUS CAN BRING YOUR FILES BACK, the only thing they could do is delete the decryptor software, but it’s impossible they can recover your files, and if some of them is trying to sell you that, we invite you to purchase it and try.
Q: How much time do I have?
A: You have 5 days since your files were encrypted. Specifically until 2019/06/24 14:28. After this period your key will be automatically
destroyed (except for the case of having made the transaction within the period but because of the transaction remains pending of being
confirmed by the blockchain this time period is excedeed. In this case the key will remain safe throughout all this “pending of being confirmed” status of your transaction and additionally it will remain 7 days more after your transaction is confirmed in order that you have enough time to recover your files)
Q: How can I trust?
A: We strongly guarantee you can recover your files. Besides, if we didn’t do it nobody trust us and we wouldn’t get any payment. In fact, we built the decryptor in the own encryptor software as well in order to make the decryption process as simple as possible for you, thus avoiding having to download an external decryptor. Just make the payment, clickand if your payment is approved the button will become enable to click.
If somehow you closed the decryptor window and you can’t run the decryptor software you can download a copy of the decryptor through this link:
https://mega.nz/#!KclRVIRY!YrUgGjvldsoTuNZbCOjebAz5La7hbB41nJHklmlgqZo
(Don’t worry, your files won’t be re-encrypted if they already are).
Beside the instructions you can see in the above image, there is a note that states the following:
All your important files are encrypted!
All your important files (photos, documents, databases, etc.), including those on the network disks, USB, etc. were encrypted using a strong algorithm with a private and unique key generated for this computer. This key is stored in our TOR server and the only way to receive your key and decrypt your files is making a Bitcoin payment.We strongly guarantee that you can recover all your files safely and easily.
But you need to make the payment before 5 days after your files were encrypted, since the server will automatically destroy your key after that period and then nobody will ever be able to restore your files.
Don’t spend your time searching alternative solutions to recover your files because there is no other solution. If you don’t know how to buy Bitcoins click How to buy Bitcoin? TO RECOVER YOUR FILES FOLLOW THESE 3 STEPS:1. Send at least €300 worth of Bitcoin to this Bitcoin address generated for you:
[redacted] 2. Once you have made the payment click Check Payment
* your transaction may take some hours to be confirmed by the Blockchain system, so if you Check Payment and it fails wait some hours and try again. Don’t worry, we will not delete your key while your transaction is done but pending of being confirmed.3. If your payment was approved, this
button will get automatically enabled.
Then, just click it to decrypt all your files:
The extortionists want you to pay a ransom for the alleged restoration of your files, same as with a lot of ransomware viruses. You should NOT under any circumstances pay any ransom sum.
Remove LooCipher Ransomware from Your Computer
The so-called LooCipher Ransomware is a threat with highly complex code that corrupts both system settings and valuable data. So an infected system could be used in a secure manner again only after all malicious files and objects are removed. For the purpose, we recommend the help of our guide that reveals how to remove LooCipher virus from the computer. In addition, the guide presents several alternative data recovery approaches that may be helpful for the restoration of .lcphr files. We remind you to back up all encrypted files to an external drive before the recovery process.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has a bachelor's degree in Marketing. She has been with the STF team for five years, researching malware, reporting on the latest computer infections, and following digital marketing trends.
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Attention! SensorsTechForum strongly recommends that all malware victims should look for assistance only by reputable sources. Many guides out there claim to offer free recovery and decryption for files encrypted by ransomware viruses. Be advised that some of them may only be after your money.
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.
- Make sure that real people are behind the site and not fake names and profiles.
- Verify Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter personal profiles.
How to Remove LooCipher from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove LooCipher
Step 2: Uninstall LooCipher and related software 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 uninstall most programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by LooCipher 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 LooCipher 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: Scan for LooCipher with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by LooCipher.
Ransomware infections and LooCipher 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 top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.
Get rid of LooCipher from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall LooCipher and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove LooCipher via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 3 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by LooCipher.
Ransomware infections and LooCipher 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 top, choose Data Recovery - Data Recovery Wizard for Windows or Mac (depending on your OS), and then download and run the tool.
LooCipher FAQ
What is LooCipher ransomware and how does it work?
LooCipher 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 algorithm how 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.
How does LooCipher ransomware infect my computer?
Via several ways.LooCipher Ransomware infects computers by being sent via phishing e-mails, 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.
After you download and execute this attachment, a drive-by download occurs and your computer is infected with the ransomware virus.
Another way, you may become a victim of LooCipher 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 .LooCipher files?
You can't. At this point the .LooCipher files are encrypted. You can only open them once they are decrypted.
Decryptor did not decrypt my data. What now?
Do not panic and backup the files. If a decryptor did not decrypt your .LooCipher files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
One way to restore files, encrypted by LooCipher ransomware is to use a decryptor for it. But since it's a new virus, advised that the decryption keys for it may not be out yet and available to the public. We will update this article and keep you posted as soon as this decryptor is released.
How Do I restore ".LooCipher" files (Other Methods)?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .LooCipher files.
These methods are in no way 100% guarantee that you will be able to get your files back. But if you have a backup, your chances of success are much greater.
How do I get rid of LooCipher ransomware virus?
The safest way and the most efficient one for the removal of this ransomware infection is the use a professional anti malware software. It will scan for and locate LooCipher ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .LooCipher files.
Also, keep in mind that viruses like LooCipher ransomware also install Trojans and keyloggers that can steal your passwords and accounts. Scanning your computer with an anti-malware software will make sure that all of these virus components are removed and your computer is protected in the future.
What to Do If nothing works?
There is still a lot you can do. If none of the above methods seem to work for you, then try these methods:
- Try to find a safe computer from where you can can login on your own line accounts like One Drive, iDrive, Google Drive and so on.
- Try to contact your friends, relatives and other people so that they can check if they have some of your important photos or documents just in case you sent them.
- Also, check if some of the files that were encrypted it can be re-downloaded from the web.
- Another clever way to get back some of your files is to find another old computer, a flash drive or even a CD or a DVD where you may have saved your older documents. You might be surprised what will turn up.
- You can also go to your email account to check if you can send any attachments to other people. Usually what is sent the email is saved on your account and you can re-download it. But most importantly, make sure that this is done from a safe computer and make sure to remove the virus first.
More tips you can find on our forums, where you can also asks any questions about your ransomware problem.
