This article has been created with the main idea to explain what is SEED LOCKER ransomware and how you can remove it from your computer and try to restore .seed encrypted files.
A new ransomware virus, called SEED LOCKER was recently reported to encrypt the files on the computers, compromised by it to extort their owners to pay ransom to the cyber-criminals. In addition to this, the SEED LOCKER ransomware may also display a ransom note, containing the extortionists’ ransom message to victims, called !#_How_to_decrypt_files_#!.txt. The note demands victims to contact the crooks on seed@firemail.cc or backupseed@tuta.io e-mails. If your computer has become a victim of the SEED LOCKER infection, we suggest that you read the article underneath carefully.
Threat Summary
| Name | SEED LOCKER |
| Type | Ransomware, Cryptovirus |
| Short Description | Aims to encrypt the files on the computers compromised by it in order to extort victims to pay ransom to get the files back. |
| Symptoms | Files are encrypted with the added .seed file extension. SEED LOCKER drops a ransom note, called !#_How_to_decrypt_files_#!.txt. |
| Distribution Method | Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
Download
Malware Removal Tool
|
User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss SEED LOCKER. |
| 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. |
SEED LOCKER – Distribution
SEED LOCKER ransomware aims to infect victims by different mehtods. The crooks who are behind it may upload the infection file of the ransomware virus by attaching it to multiple different e-mails, where the file may pretend to be leigtimate document, like:
- Picture.
- Invoice.
- Receipt.
- Work-related document.
In addition to being sent to infect via e-mail, the SEED LOCKER infection file may also come on your computer as a result of having it’s malicious file to be uploaded on various different types of sites, where it may pretend to be a legitimate program, such as:
- Crack.
- Patch.
- Activator.
- Portable version of a program.
SEED LOCKER Ransomware – Activity
The SEED LOCKER ransomware virus aims to drop it’s payload files upon victim infection. The files are generally located in the following Windows directories under different, often random names:
- %AppData%
- %Local%
- %Roaming%
- %LocalLow%
- %Temp%
In addition to this, SEED LOCKER ransomware may also drop it’s ransom note file, called !#_How_to_decrypt_files_#!.txt:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SEED LOCKER <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Hello , dear friend ! 1. { ALL YOUR FILES HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED! ] Your files are NOT damaged! Your files are modified only. This modification is reversible. The only 1 way to decrypt your files is to receive the decryption program. 2. [ HOW TO RECOVERY FILES? ] To receive the decryption program write on our e-mail: seed@firemail.cc or backupseed@tuta.io And in subject write your ID: id-00c0e5 3. [ FREE DECRYPTION! ] Free decryption as a guarantee. We guarantee the receipt of the decryption program after payment. To believe, you can give us up to 3 files that we decrypt for free. Files should not be important to you! (databases, backups, large excel sheets, etc.) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SEED LOCKER <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The ransom note even offers victims to decrypt 3 files for free as a guarantee that they can decrypt their files if victims pay the ransom. Even if you send 3 files for free decryption, it is strongly recommended to not pay any form of ransom, since you cannot trust the criminals who encrypted your files and helping them only makes them expand their operation.
In addition to dropping files, the SEED LOCKER ransomware may also create multiple mutexes and interact with system files of Windows. This may result in the ransomware virus obtaining administrative permissions on the victim’s computer. This may be done to interfere with the following 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
In addition to this, the SEED LOCKER ransomware may also execute some or all of the following commands to delete your shadow copies and disable Windows recovery:
→sc stop VVS
sc stop wscsvc
sc stop WinDefend
sc stop wuauserv
sc stop BITS
sc stop ERSvc
sc stop WerSvc
cmd.exe /C bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No
cmd.exe /C bcdedit /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures
C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe” /C vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet
SEED LOCKER – Encryption Process
In order to encrypt files on the computer that is infected by it, the SEED LOCKER ransomware may first check if the virus has been activated on the same machine before and more importantly, if it’s running in a virtual drive and not a real PC. If yes, the virus may self-delete, but if it’s running on an actual PC, it may scan for and encrypt files that have the following file extensions:
→ “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 Encoded Files .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”
After encryption, SEED LOCKER adds it’s own file extension .seed and the files begin to appear like the following:
The encryption process of .seed file ransomware may be conducted with the aid of several different types of malicious activities in order to replace blocks of data from the original file with encrypted data in order to render the file itself no longer openable.
Remove SEED LOCKER and Try Restoring .seed Files
If you want to remove the SEED LOCKER ransomware virus, we would strongly suggest that you follow the removal instructions underneath this article. They have been created with the primary idea to help you delete these virus files even manually or automatically from your computer. If manual removal does not seem to give any results, we recommend that you remove SEED LOCKER automatically from your computer, preferrably by downloading an advanced anti-malware software and running a scan of your computer with it. Such scan will ensure that all the malicious files an objects are deleted from your comptuer and it is secured.
If you want to try and restore files, encrypted by SEED LOCKER, we recommend that you see the alternative file recovery methods down below. They have been made to help you restore as many encrypted files on your computer as possible.
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.
Follow Me:
- Step 1
- Step 2
- Step 3
- Step 4
- Step 5
Step 1: Scan for SEED LOCKER with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Ransomware Automatic Removal - Video Guide
Step 2: Uninstall SEED 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 SEED 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 SEED 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 SEED LOCKER
Step 5: Try to Restore Files Encrypted by SEED 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 SEED 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.
SEED LOCKER-FAQ
What is SEED LOCKER Ransomware?
SEED 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 SEED 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 SEED LOCKER Infect?
Via several ways.SEED 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 SEED 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 .SEED LOCKER files?
You can't without a decryptor. At this point, the .SEED 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 .SEED LOCKER files successfully, then do not despair, because this virus is still new.
Can I Restore ".SEED LOCKER" Files?
Yes, sometimes files can be restored. We have suggested several file recovery methods that could work if you want to restore .SEED 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 SEED 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 SEED LOCKER ransomware and then remove it without causing any additional harm to your important .SEED 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 SEED 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 SEED LOCKER Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this SEED 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 SEED 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.
- Make sure that real people are behind the site and not fake names and profiles.
- Verify Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter personal profiles.