Remove LCK Ransomware (Virus Removal Guide)

LCK ransomware aims to encrypt your files

LCK is yet another type of Dharma ransomware that uses high-grade encryption algorithms to deny access to your files. This virus is a ransom-demanding type which means that its main goal is to ger financial benefit from the encryption. Infected files can be easily identified since their names are appended with the victim’s ID, triplock@tutanota.com email address and .LCK extension. For example, a file named A.doc is changed to  A.doc.id-A423R236.[triplock@tutanota.com].LCK. In addition, after the initial changes to your system are made, a ransom note called FILES ENCRYPTED.txt and a pop-up window appears that is containing certain cyberattack related information.

In this tutorial, we’ll cover all the essential information about LCK file virus and what you need to do to recover after such cyberattack.

Irreversible changes made to your files

If a user opens the ransom note it greets him with an unambiguous message – his files have been encrypted and there is no possible way to retrieve access to them. Hackers offer a solution – the user is urged to contact them via provided emails (triplock@tutanota.com or triplock@cock.li) and to pay a certain amount of money. After these actions are made, the victim supposedly will receive a decryption tool to revert the changes that have been made to his files.

Unfortunately, just like other Dharma malware, LCK virus possesses a really frustrating characteristic – it uses high-end encryption ciphers. For this reason, the options on how to regain access to infected files are quite limited.

The first theoretical option might be contacting the hackers and paying the ransom. However, we strongly recommend against this course of action for one simple reason – cybercriminals cannot be trusted. There are numerous cases of victims being scammed even after the payment is made. Paying the ransom will expose you to extensive and unnecessary financial damage.

The second and more rational option is to completely remove LCK ransomware from your computer and then recover the files from a backup. For this reason, we highly recommend you to do regular backups since anyone might be exposed to a cyberattack at some point. It is important to mention, that you should run files from your backup only after complete removal is done since the virus might infect those files as well.

Name	LCK ransomware
Type	Ransomware; File-encrypting virus, File Locker
Family	DHARMA/CrySiS
Versions	XATI, LINA, LOG, BLM, DATA, FLYU, FRESH, DME
File Extension	.lck
Executive file	<random>.exe
Detection names	Trojan.Ransom.Crysis.E (Bitdefender), Ransom:Win32/Wadhrama!hoa (Microsoft), Ransom.Crysis (Symantec), W32.Ransom.Gen (Webroot), Win32:RansomX-gen [Ransom] (AVG) see full list on VirusTotal
Ransom Note	FILES ENCRYPTED, info.hta
Contact emails	triplock@tutanota.com, triplock@cock.li
Damage	Once executed on the target computer system, the virus scans the whole file system and encrypts all files belonging to the victim. Additionally, the virus deletes Volume Shadow Copies.
File decryption	Try recommended file recovery tools. We do not recommend paying the ransom to attackers.
Removal	To remove this virus, scan with well-known anti-malware tools. To repair virus damage on Windows OS, scan with RESTORO software.

Ways used to distribute file-encrypting viruses

Generally, there are a few ways that could be used by malware developers to proliferate their viruses. The most used LCK ransomware distribution method is malspam campaigns. In principle, it works like this: thousands of deceitful emails are sent to random people every day. Developers of this social-engineering scheme ten to create all sorts of fraudulent messages that encourage the recipient to open a link or a file inside of it. If you open that file or link, your PC might get infected – especially if it does not possess sufficient cybersecurity measures.

The other common way to distribute this kind of malware is to proliferate it through illegal software downloads. Let us face it – most of us, at some point in the past, tried to download something illegally – piracy is an ever-growing problem that traces its roots back to the start of the internet. It is tempting to obtain a crack, keygen, or some sort of software activation tool for your pay-to-use programs. However, you should always keep in mind that the danger induced by this course of action might far outweigh the benefits.

There are other ways that could be used to distribute viruses like LCK – software bundling, adware campaigns, etc. Software bundling is a software-spreading scheme that uses harmless or even beneficial programs (that are usually free). Potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) are attached to the downloaded software and if the user is inattentive, it might slip through the installation process. Adware campaigns use intrusive ads, pop-ups, etc. to provoke interaction from you – once you press on them or allow notifications, it might install a browser hijacker. Browser hijackers make changes to your default browser settings in order to promote their fake search engine.

To avoid dealing with this kind of problem we highly recommend you download only from official and trustworthy sites. In addition, always pay attention when receiving suspicious-looking emails and ads. And most importantly – create regular backups. This will prevent you from losing your data.

Removing LCK ransomware from PC

It is important to understand that if you have been affected by LCK virus, you need to take immediate action to negate all of the potential damage that might be done to your system. Even though your files might be encrypted and irretrievable, this ransomware might do more extensive damage, especially if you try to restore files from a backup. Having this in mind, we recommend you use highly rated antimalware software to remove ransomware from your system.

In addition, you should always take care of your PC health after these kinds of cyberattacks – RESTORO is professional software that helps you repair the damage done to your system. To remove LCK ransomware from your PC, follow the steps below:

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND

Our team recommends removing malware using a professional antivirus software and then using the following tool to repair virus damage to Windows system files:

REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER

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Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

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