Remove SimpleLocker Ransomware For Android or PC

by Tsetso Mihailov | September 1, 2015 | 0 Comments Android, Android Malware, malware, Windows

Threat Summary How Did I Become Infected?More About ‘SimpleLocker’ Ransomware How To Remove ‘SimpleLocker’ Ransomware From Your Smartphone And PC?

Threat Summary

Name	SimpleLocker
Type	Ransomware, RaaS
Short Description	SimpleLocker locks all of the user’s files and demands a payment. The Ransomware is detected on Android devices
Symptoms	Files are locked and a ransom message is displayed. Instructions are included in a file.
Distribution Method	Distribution method is not clear yet. SimpleLocker may be distributed via unsafe browsing, corrupted attachments, drive-by downloads, malicious apps, etc.
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss SimpleLocker.
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.

A new Ransomware infection, carrying the name ‘SimpleLocker’ is been detected by security software out in the wild. The attack may affect both Android devices as well as PCs. This type of trojan horse infection is employed with the purpose of scanning the victim device for necessary and important files and encrypt them. After that, it may leave a ransom note prompting the user to pay in exchange for the decryption keys. ‘SimpleLocker’ may change the files extension to an unfamiliar one(ex: .aaa, .crypt, etc). This type of ransomware uses a strong algorithm to encrypt user files that are very difficult to decrypt. The ransom payment for decryption of the files encrypted by ‘SimpleLocker’ is usually done by using anonymous TOR – based networking and involves BitCoins for maximum identity concealment.

How Did I Become Infected?

There are several ways you could have become a victim of this devious threat. One of them is by opening a spam mail with an attached document or a picture in it that might have contained malicious code within its own. More so, you may have clicked on an ad or could have been redirected to a drive-by download type of web page. Such pages may initiate a download, containing ‘SimpleLocker’ concealed as a Java applet, Flash Player or an ActiveX update. Some web pages may directly inject exploit creating code within the user device. Experts advise on being aware what you install on your device. This is because PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) usually administer most pop-ups and redirects that may be bundled with other free programs you may have downloaded online.

More About ‘SimpleLocker’ Ransomware

One variant of the ‘SimpleLocker’ Ransomware is believed to display the following message on either your smartphone, tablet or other devices:

→“Attention! Your phone has been blocked! The device has been blocked for the distribution of child pornography, zoophilia, and other sick things. To unlock your phone, you need to pay 900 hryvnias.
1.Find a payment fulfillment terminal, located in your proximity.
2.In it, locate Money.
3.Enter
4. Input 260 hryvnias and tap on ‘Pay’
Do not forget to take your receipt! After the payment has been conducted your device will be unencrypted in 24 hours. IN CASE, YOU HAVEN’T PAYED YOU WILL LOSE ALL THE DATA ON YOUR DEVICE FOREVER!”

The principle of ‘SimpleLocker’ ransomware is the same for both Android devices and PCs – It scans and encrypts data. What is interesting is that this particular ransomware is reported by researchers to encrypt whole memory cards in phones, asking for ransom. Also, it is believed to lock out the screen of the device with the ransom note, without giving any possibility to the user in accessing his information. Users may simply reboot their smartphones, but this may not help at all since it activates once more. It is even worse for users who have all of their contacts saved on their phone since this particular attack may also encrypt the contact entries and cause a lot of headaches.

For PCs, the situation varies but usually it involves making an anonymous payment by downloading TOR browser, which uses virtual private networking and several other technologies to mask identities. Some variants of this ransomware may try to convince users that they are dealing with a government institution and have committed a crime while browsing. FBI and other law enforcement agencies are one of the most preferred ones when it comes to these type of attacks. They are designed to use the fear in inexperienced users from the law hence convince them to conduct a payment.

How To Remove ‘SimpleLocker’ Ransomware From Your Smartphone And PC?

Such Particular attack is not to be underestimated since it can cause a lot of damage to your information. One efficient strategy to remove it is to perform a complete wipe-out of the device you have ‘SimpleLocker’ installed on. After that, you can reinstall all your applications. Either way, malware researchers strongly advise against complying with the attackers’ demands since it is in no way a guarantee that it will benefit you in any way.

Please follow these simple instructions to help you deal with the threat on Android devices.

Tsetso Mihailov

Tsetso Mihailov is a tech-geek and loves everything that is tech-related, while observing the latest news surrounding technologies. He has worked in IT before, as a system administrator and a computer repair technician. Dealing with malware since his teens, he is determined to spread word about the latest threats revolving around computer security.

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Guide 1: How to Remove SimpleLocker from Windows.
Guide 2: Get rid of SimpleLocker on Mac OS X.
Guide 3: Remove SimpleLocker in Google Chrome.

Guide 4: Erase SimpleLocker from Mozilla Firefox.
Guide 5: Uninstall SimpleLocker from Microsoft Edge.
Guide 6: Remove SimpleLocker from Safari.
Guide 7: Eliminate SimpleLocker from Internet Explorer.
Guide 8: Disable SimpleLocker Push Notifications in Your Browsers.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

How to Remove SimpleLocker from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove SimpleLocker

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter's malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

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".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

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 SimpleLocker 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 SimpleLocker 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 SimpleLocker 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.

IMPORTANT!
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 SimpleLocker with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is 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. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

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.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Get rid of SimpleLocker from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall SimpleLocker and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

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 SimpleLocker:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

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 SimpleLocker. 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 SimpleLocker. 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 SimpleLocker 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:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

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 SimpleLocker. 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 2: Scan for and remove SimpleLocker files from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as SimpleLocker, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.

Click the button below below to download SpyHunter for Mac and scan for SimpleLocker:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove SimpleLocker from Google Chrome.

Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu

Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"

Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.

Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Erase SimpleLocker from Mozilla Firefox.

Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window

Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.

Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"

Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Uninstall SimpleLocker from Microsoft Edge.

Step 1: Start Edge browser.

Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.

Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".

Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.

Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove SimpleLocker from Safari.

Step 1: Start the Safari app.

Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.

Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".

Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.

Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.

Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.

A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the SimpleLocker will be removed.

How to Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.

Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.

Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Eliminate SimpleLocker from Internet Explorer.

Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.

Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'

Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.

Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.

Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.