This article has been created to best explain how to remove LOCKER-PAY ransomware virus from your computer and how to unlock your screen effectively.
The LOCKER-PAY ransomware virus is a threat which aims to lock your computer screen and then demand that you make a payment to unlock it. The virus may use different types of scripts to prevent users to bypass the lockscreen even after you press every key on your keyboard. In case your computer has been infected by the LOCKER-PAY ransomware virus, we strongly recommend that you read this article instead of paying a hefty ransom fee.
Threat Summary
| Name | LOCKER-PAY |
| Type | Lockscreen Ransomware |
| Short Description | Locks your screen and keeps it that way until you pay a ransom in BTC. |
| Symptoms | The screen Is locked with an annoying message and you cannot work on your computer. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
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Malware Removal Tool
|
User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss LOCKER-PAY. |
LOCKER-PAY Ransomware Virus – Distribution
The LOCKER-PAY ransomware may be spread via multiple different methods, the primary of which may be via e-mail malspam, like the example below displays:
Usually such e-mails tend to carry the infection file of ransomware viruses, like LOCKER-PAY. The files are either concealed documents with malicous macros which cause an infection by clicking on the “Enable Content” button or be direct executable type of files, for example:
→ .exe, .vbs, .wsf, .js, .htm, .hta, .bat
Once the victim clicks on those files, the infection process is triggered and conducted in an obfuscated manner so that the victim is unable to detect that his or hers computer is being attacked.
Other methods by which you can end up a victim of the LOCKER-PAY ransomware threat are if you open a malicous file that pretends to be a legitimate setup of a program you were looking to download online. The same goes for any type of downloaded file – game cracks, key generators and many others.
LOCKER-PAY Virus – Analysis
The LOCKER-PAY ransomware threat is a locksreen type of malware, which aims to modify the settings on your computer so that it completely denies you from using it. This is done by firstly dropping the malicious files of LOCKER-PAY immediately after infection. They may be more than one and may be located under different names in the following Windows folders:
After dropping the malicious files, the LOCKER-PAY virus may attack numerous Windows registry entries in the Windows registry editor. As soon as it does this, the ransomware may display an error message, restart the infected computer, after which locks out the screen, displaying the following image:
Text from image:
“YOUR SYSTEM HAS BEEN LOCKED BY LOCKER-PAY RAMSOMWARE!
Your system is now locked! You can’t use antivirus, listen music, edit documents, etc.
But don’t worry! I haven’t encrypt them yet.
You have 48 hours to buy special unlocking key.
After this time, your hard drive will be FORMATTER!
If you reboot your computer or try to close me, your hard drive will be FORMATTER too!
See “How can I pay?” to do a payment. It’s very easy =)
After, if you done payment, if you enter unlocking key to the box below, your computer will be unlocked and you’ll see desktop with your files.”
After the lock procedure, the user cannot use any aspect of his computer, except to type the Unlock key and to click on the “How can I pay?” button to see further unlock instructons.
Despite the situation being as it is, security experts strongly urge all victims of LOCKER-PAY not to do any type of Bitcoin payment to cyber-criminals, because they should not be trusted and remove the virus instead.
Remove LOCKER-PAY Ransomware and Unlock Your Screen
There are multiple methods to remove this virus from your computer. We strongly suggest you to try and bypass the lockscreen in Safe Mode, using the instructions below after which you should be able to remove it by following either the manual or the automatic removal instructions to get rid of LOCKER-PAY. For maximum effectiveness during the removal process, we advise you to boot into Safe Mode with networking and install and advanced anti-malware software which has the one and only goal to fully and safely remove the LOCKER-PAY threat and ensure future protection against malware.
Ventsislav Krastev
Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.
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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.
About the LOCKER-PAY Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this LOCKER-PAY 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 LOCKER-PAY 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.
References
1. How to Recognize Spam Emails with Ransomware
2. How Does Ransomware Encryption Work?
3. How to Decrypt Ransomware Files
4. Ransomware Getting Greedier and Bigger, Attacks Increase by 40%
5. 1 in 5 Americans Victim of Ransomware
How to Remove LOCKER-PAY from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove LOCKER-PAY
1. Hold Windows Key + R.
2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.
3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".
4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.
5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.
Step 2: Uninstall LOCKER-PAY 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:
1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.
2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.
3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by LOCKER-PAY 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 LOCKER-PAY there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.
2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.
3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.
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 LOCKER-PAY with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.
2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.
4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.
Video Guide for Automatic and Fast Removal
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by LOCKER-PAY.
Ransomware infections and LOCKER-PAY 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.
1. Download the recommended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:
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.
Step 6: How to Restore Files Encrypted by Ransomware (Video Guide)
Get rid of LOCKER-PAY from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall LOCKER-PAY 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:
2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:
3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to LOCKER-PAY:
4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.
5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to LOCKER-PAY. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash
”.
6. Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference.
Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to LOCKER-PAY. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
7. Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:
- 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 LOCKER-PAY 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:
1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:
2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:
3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as LOCKER-PAY. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.
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 LOCKER-PAY.
Ransomware infections and LOCKER-PAY 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.
1. Download the recommended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:
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.
LOCKER-PAY FAQ
What is LOCKER-PAY ransomware and how does it work?
LOCKER-PAY 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 LOCKER-PAY ransomware infect my computer?
Via several ways.LOCKER-PAY 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 LOCKER-PAY 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 .LOCKER-PAY files?
You can't. At this point the .LOCKER-PAY 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 .LOCKER-PAY files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
One way to restore files, encrypted by LOCKER-PAY 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 ".LOCKER-PAY" files (Other Methods)?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .LOCKER-PAY 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 LOCKER-PAY 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 LOCKER-PAY ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .LOCKER-PAY files.
Also, keep in mind that viruses like LOCKER-PAY 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.
How to 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.
