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.
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 MM Locker from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove MM Locker
Step 2: Uninstall MM Locker 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 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: Scan for MM Locker with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by MM Locker.
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 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 MM Locker from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall MM Locker 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 MM Locker 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 MM Locker.
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 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 and how does it work?
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 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 MM Locker ransomware infect my computer?
Via several ways.MM Locker 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 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. At this point the .MM Locker 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 .MM Locker files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
One way to restore files, encrypted by MM Locker 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 ".MM Locker" files (Other Methods)?
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% 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 MM Locker 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 MM Locker ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .MM Locker files.
Also, keep in mind that viruses like MM Locker 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.
