.LTML Files Ransomware – How to Remove + Restore Files

This article has been created to explain what is the purpose of the .LTML files virus and how to remove this infection from your PC plus how to try and restore files that have been encrypted by it on your computer.

Coming from the abbreviation Long Term Memory Loss, this ransomware infection aims to use the AES encryption algorithm to encrypt the important files on the computers infected by it and then demand a hefty ransom fee from it’s victim In order for the files to be restored back to their original state. In the event that your computer has been infected by the .LTML ransomware virus, in case it has begun infecting victims, your files are likely to have the .LTML file extension added to them. If this is the case, we recommend that you read the following article to learn how to remove this ransomware infection from your computer and how to restore files that have been encrypted by .LTML ransomware on your PC.

Threat Summary

Name	LTML Virus
Type	Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description	Aims to encrypt the files on the victim computer via AES encryption algorithm. Developed in Visual Studio 2017
Symptoms	One of the main symptoms is the files encrypted with an added .LTML file suffux to them.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by LTML Virus Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss LTML Virus.
Data Recovery Tool	Windows Data Recovery by Stellar Phoenix 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.

.LTML Files Virus – How Did I Get Infected

In order to become a victim of this ransomware virus, several scenarios may be possible, the most likely of which is to open a malicous e-mail attachment sent to your computer as a result of becoming tricked by a spam e-mail message. Such messages often contain deceitful texts, aiming to convince users that their attachments are important documents from the likes of:

• Invoices.
• Receipts.
• Order confirmation.
• Other important file.

In addition to this, the e-mails may also pretend to come from large companies as well, such as:

• FedEx.
• PayPal.
• Dropbox.
• eBay.
• Amazon.

The attachments themselves are usually executable files or documets for Microsoft Office which could contain malicious macros embedded within them which trigger the infection process. It is always advisable to scan such e-mail attachments prior to actually opening them.

In addition to via e-mail, this ransomware infection may also be spread via other methods, such as:

• Fake setup of software.
• Fake software activation program.
• Key generator (keygen).
• Crack fix for programs or games.
• License activators for various programs.

.LTML Ransomware – More Information and Activity

The .LTML ransomware is still in development stage but may have started infecting victims already. The malware may begin the infection process by connecting to a remote host and downloading it’s malicious payload. This payload consists of several module files that help the ransomware virus to escalate it’s privileges and conduct it’s malicious activities while uninterrupted. The files may be under different names, like:

• A name, imitating a program on your computer.
• A completely random Alpha-Numerical name that has uppercase and lowercase letters as well.
• Name of the ransomware virus (LTML).

The files may be located in various different folders in Windows, but the most targeted of those are the following:

• %AppData%
• %Roaming%
• %Local%
• %Temp%
• %LocalLow%
• %Windows%
• %System32%

In addition to this, the LTML ransomware may also create registry entries in the following Windows registry sub-keys:

→ 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

This is likely done with the purpose to make it possible so that the malicious files of the LTML ransomware run automatically on your computer system as soon as Windows is booted up. In addition to those keys, the virus may also add registry entries in the following sub-keys as well in order to escalte several of it’s privileges:

→ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\ScreenSaveTimeOut
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Furthermore, the LTML virus may also delete shadow volume copies on the infected compute by running the following administrative commands in Windows Command Prompt without you noticing this:

→ process call create “cmd.exe /c vssadmin.exe delete shadows /all /quiet & bcdedit.exe /set {default} recoveryenabled no & bcdedit.exe /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures”

As soon as the malicious files of this ransomware virus are ran, it begins it’s encryption procedures.

LTML Ransomware – Encryption

In order to encrypt the files on the computers that have been infected by it, the LTML ransomware virus may begin scanning for various types of files that are used very often on the victim’s computer. Such files include:

• Documents.
• Videos.
• Images.
• Archives.
• Virtual Drive files.
• Adobe files.

The virus scans for the file extension of the files, which means that the following file types may be endangered of encryption, if your computer becomes infected by LTML:

“PNG .PSD .PSPIMAGE .TGA .THM .TIF .TIFF .YUV .AI .EPS .PS .SVG .INDD .PCT .PDF .XLR .XLS .XLSX .ACCDB .DB .DBF .MDB .PDB .SQL .APK .APP .BAT .CGI .COM .EXE .GADGET .JAR .PIF .WSF .DEM .GAM .NES .ROM .SAV CAD Files .DWG .DXF GIS Files .GPX .KML .KMZ .ASP .ASPX .CER .CFM .CSR .CSS .HTM .HTML .JS .JSP .PHP .RSS .XHTML. DOC .DOCX .LOG .MSG .ODT .PAGES .RTF .TEX .TXT .WPD .WPS .CSV .DAT .GED .KEY .KEYCHAIN .PPS .PPT .PPTX .INI .PRF .HQX .MIM .UUE .7Z .CBR .DEB .GZ .PKG .RAR .RPM .SITX .TAR.GZ .ZIP .ZIPX .BIN .CUE .DMG .ISO .MDF .TOAST .VCD SDF .TAR .TAX2014 .TAX2015 .VCF .XML Audio Files .AIF .IFF .M3U .M4A .MID .MP3 .MPA .WAV .WMA Video Files .3G2 .3GP .ASF .AVI .FLV .M4V .MOV .MP4 .MPG .RM .SRT .SWF .VOB .WMV 3D .3DM .3DS .MAX .OBJ R.BMP .DDS .GIF .JPG ..CRX .PLUGIN .FNT .FON .OTF .TTF .CAB .CPL .CUR .DESKTHEMEPACK .DLL .DMP .DRV .ICNS .ICO .LNK .SYS .CFG”

In order to encrypt the files on the infected computer, the LTML ransomware virus uses one of the strongest publicly available encryption algorithms out there, known as AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). It generates an automatic file encryption and symmetric decryption keys that are random for each infection. The information then may be sent to the cyber-criminals whose primary purpose is to sell you a decrypter in order to get you to pay a hefty ransom fee in order to get it. The encrypted files may have the .LTML file extension and may appear like the image below:

How to Remove LTML Ransomware and Restore Your Files

In order to remove ransowmare viruses like LTML, it is important to isolate them from being operational. To do this, we recommend to follow the removal instructions down below. They are separated in automatic and manual removal instructions. If you lack the experience in malware removal, reccomendations are to remove LTML ransowmare automatically preferrably by downloading an advanced anti-malware software. Such will ensure that your computer is free from all malware without you having to reinstall your Windows and will protect your computer against infections like LTML in the future too.

If you want to restore files that have been encrypted by the LTML ransomware infections, we strongly advise that you focus on trying out our alternative ransomware recovery methods in step “2.Restore files encrypted by LTML Virus” below. These methods are not 100% guarantee that you will be able to restore all files encrypted by this virus, but they may help you recover at least some of the encoded data.

Manually delete LTML Virus from your computer

Note! Substantial notification about the LTML Virus threat: Manual removal of LTML Virus requires interference with system files and registries. Thus, it can cause damage to your PC. Even if your computer skills are not at a professional level, don’t worry. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using a malware removal tool.

1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove LTML Virus files and objects

Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode

1. For Windows 7,XP and Vista. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Fix registry entries created by LTML Virus on your PC.

For Windows XP, Vista, 7 systems:

1. Remove all CDs and DVDs, and then Restart your PC from the “Start” menu.
2. Select one of the two options provided below:

– For PCs with a single operating system: Press “F8” repeatedly after the first boot screen shows up during the restart of your computer. In case the Windows logo appears on the screen, you have to repeat the same task again.

– For PCs with multiple operating systems: Тhe arrow keys will help you select the operating system you prefer to start in Safe Mode. Press “F8” just as described for a single operating system.

3. As the “Advanced Boot Options” screen appears, select the Safe Mode option you want using the arrow keys. As you make your selection, press “Enter“.

4. Log on to your computer using your administrator account

While your computer is in Safe Mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear in all four corners of your screen.

Step 1: Open the Start Menu

Step 2: Whilst holding down Shift button, click on Power and then click on Restart.
Step 3: After reboot, the aftermentioned menu will appear. From there you should choose Troubleshoot.

Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu you can choose Advanced Options.

Step 5: After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.

Step 6: Click on Restart.

Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You should choose Safe Mode by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries of your computer to change different settings. This is why manual clean up of your Windows Registry Database is strongly recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit lenghty, we recommend following our instructive article about fixing registry entries.

2.Find malicious files created by LTML Virus on your PC

Find malicious files created by LTML Virus

1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. 2. For Windows 7,XP and Vista.

For Newer Windows Operating Systems

Step 1:

On your keyboard press  + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.

Step 2:

Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.

Step 3:

Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:

N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.

For Older Windows Operating Systems

In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:

Step 1:

Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.

Step 2:

After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.

Step 3:

After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.

Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.

Automatically remove LTML Virus by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove LTML Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

Remove LTML Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove LTML Virus.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove LTML Virus. Back up your data to secure it against infections and file encryption by LTML Virus in the future.

Step 1:Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is highly recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter.

Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to automatically update.

Step1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Scan Computer Now’ button.

Step2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any LTML Virus files, click on the ‘Fix Threats’ button to remove them automatically and permanently.

Step3: Once the intrusions on your PC have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart it.

Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future

IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data automatically with cloud backup and insure it against any type of data loss on your device, even the most severe. We recommend reading more about and downloading SOS Online Backup .

SOS Online Backup

2. Restore files encrypted by LTML Virus

Restore Files Encrypted by LTML Virus

Ransomware infections like LTML Virus aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to directly decrypt. This is why we have suggested several alternative methods that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that they may not be 100% effective but they may help you little or a lot in some situations.

Method 1: Scanning your drive’s sectors by using Data Recovery software.
Another method of restoring your files is by trying to bring back your files via data recovery software. Here are some suggestions for preferred data recovery software solutions:

• Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery Technicians License(Pro version with more features)
• Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery
• Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery

Method 2: Trying Kaspersky and EmsiSoft’s decryptors.
If the first method does not work, we suggest trying to use decryptors for other ransomware viruses, in case your virus is a variant of them. The two primary developers of decryptors are Kaspersky and EmsiSoft, links to which we have provided below:

• Kaspersky Decryptors
• Emsisoft Decryptors

Urgent! It is strongly advisable to first remove the LTML Virus threat before attempting any decryption, since it may interfere with system files and registries. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using an advanced malware removal tool.

Method 3: Using Shadow Explorer

To restore your data in case you have backup set up, it is important to check for shadow copies in Windows using this software if ransomware has not deleted them:

• Shadow Explorer

Method 4: Finding LTML Virus decryption key while it communicates it via a network sniffing software.

Another way to decrypt the files is by using a Network Sniffer to get the encryption key, while files are encrypted on your system. A Network Sniffer is a program and/or device monitoring data traveling over a network, such as its internet traffic and internet packets. If you have a sniffer set before the attack happened you might get information about the decryption key. See how-to instructions below:

Instructions on How to Find Decryption Key for Files Encrypted By Ransowmare

Optional: Using Alternative Anti-Malware Tools

Remove LTML Virus Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove LTML Virus.
Step 1: Download STOPZilla by clicking here.
Step 2: A pop-up window will appear. Click on the ‘Save File’ button. If it does not, click on the Download button and save it afterwards.

Step 3: After you have downloaded the setup, simply open it.
Step 4: The installer should appear. Click on the ‘Next’ button.

Step 5: Check the ‘I accept the agreement’ check circle if not checked if you accept it and click the ‘Next’ button once again.

Step 6: Review and click on the ‘Install’ button.

Step 7: After the installation process has completed click on the ‘Finish’ button.

2. Scan your PC with STOPZilla Anti Malware to remove all LTML Virus associated files completely.
Step 1: Launch STOPZilla if you haven’t launched it after install.
Step 2: Wait for the software to automatically scan and then click on the ‘Repair Now’ button. If it does not scan automatically, click on the ‘Scan Now’ button.

Step 3: After the removal of all threats and associated objects, you should Restart your PC.

Vencislav Krustev

Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.

More Posts - Website