How to remove LockBit Ransomware

Easy methods delete LockBit Ransomware from PCs

Are you searching for the solution to remove LockBit Ransomware from machine? Have you ever noticed this cunning crypto-malware in your machine? If yes, then you can read this article carefully. Here, we are discussing about LockBit Ransomware in details and providing all the possible solutions to remove this infection as well as data recovery steps. Let’s starts the discussion.

What is LockBit Ransomware?

LockBit Ransomware is very harmful crypto-malware and computer infection that is belongs to ransomware family. This nasty file virus is creation of malware programmers using powerful encryption algorithm techniques. It is designed to encrypt/lock data including images, audios, videos, games, pdf, ppt, xlx, css, html, text, documents, databases, archive and other types of files. It renames each file stored in your computer hard drives with .abcd File Extension and makes them locked. After encryption process, “Restore-My-Files.txt” ransom note is dropped into every affected folder that claims the only way to recover or decrypt your encrypted files is to purchase and use its decryption software/tools/keys. It also claims that in order to rename encrypted files and use third party third parties’ data recovery tools, you will lose all files & folders stored in your computer permanently.

LockBit Ransomware’s ransom note “Restore-My-Files.txt” states that all files stored in your System hard disk has been locked due to security reasons and requires paying certain amount of ransom money in Bitcoin cryptocurrency for decryption. The ransom note contains the information about this ransomware, how you can decrypt or recover your encrypted files, technical support’s email ID and ransom money details as well. Initially, cybercriminals behind this ransomware attacks provides free decryption test for some encrypted files. It asks you to send 2-4 encrypted files on email ID provided on ransom note that successfully decrypt these files.

Let’s take have a look at message displayed on ransom note:

All your important files are encrypted!

There is  only one way to get your files back:

1. Contact with us
2. Send us 1 any encrypted your file and your personal key
3. We will decrypt 1 file for test(maximum file size – 1 MB), its guarantee what we can decrypt your files
4. Pay
5. We send for you decryptor software

We accept Bitcoin

Attention!

Do not rename encrypted files.

Do not try to decrypt using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss.

Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased  price(they add their fee to our)

Contact information: [email protected]

Be sure to duplicate your message on the e-mail: [email protected]

Your personal id: XXXXXXXXXXX

Threat Analysis

Name: LockBit Ransomware

Type: File Virus, Crypto-Malware, Ransomware, File Locker

Description: This dubious crypto-malware is capable of encrypting all files stored in your computer and drops the copies of ransom note on screen. In other word, we can say that you can’t open or use your personal files or data as usual like before.

Distribution methods: Malicious ads or popup messages, fake software updates or security alert messages, spam email messages, infected attachments, torrent websites, bundles of freeware or shareware and many other tricks.

Motives of crooks: Aims to collect your sensitive information and shares it to other hackers or third parties to generate some revenue. They also want to steal your money from your wallet or e-wallet.

Removal & recovery solution: In case if your System has infected from LockBit Ransomware or related infection, then you need to scan your System with powerful antivirus software. After complete scan and malware removal, you can use powerful data recovery software to restore files encrypted by ransomware.

Should I pay ransom money?

After successful free decryption test, LockBit Ransomware forces you to pay demanded ransom money to decrypt rest of the files. Otherwise, they will delete all encrypted files permanently. We recommended you to please avoid paying any amount of extortion money to them. They will never decrypt your files at any cases. In order to pay ransom money, they can keep record of your some information such as IP address, URLs search, user name & password of your various accounts, age, address, browser history, typed words, banking information and more details as well. So, it is important to delete LockBit Ransomware from computer as soon as possible.

How your System gets infected from LockBit Ransomware?

The ransomware is mostly get install in your computer from malicious email messages, infected email attachments and bundles of free software packages which you are downloaded from internet. Scammers or cybercriminals use the name like “Urgent”, “Official”, “Important”, “Priority” or other similar keywords as subject emails, which contains some text messages with malicious hyperlinks and attachments. In order to open such malicious attachments or click on such suspicious hyperlinks, it executes encryption module in your computer and starts locking all files stored in your machine. So, you should be alert while surfing online and avoid opening attachments coming from unknown emails.

Precautionary measures:

• You should create backup your all files and save it on some safe external storage devices.
• You should keep up-to-date your Operating System like Windows, Mac, Linux and other OS
• Remove all the faculty software running in your device and update rest of the software
• Scan your PCs with powerful antivirus software in regular time intervals
• Hover your mouse over any hyperlinks before click and check if the hyperlinks are belongs to some trustworthy domains or sources.

Antimalware Details And User Guide

Click Here For Windows

Click Here For Mac

Step 1: Remove LockBit Ransomware through “Safe Mode with Networking”

Step 2: Delete LockBit Ransomware using “System Restore”

Step 1: Remove LockBit Ransomware through “Safe Mode with Networking”

For Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Boot the PC in “Safe Mode”. Click on “Start” option and continuously press on F8 during the start process until the “Windows Advanced Option” menu appears on the screen. Choose “Safe Mode with Networking” from the list.

Now, a windows homescreen appears on the desktop and work-station is now working on “Safe mode with networking”.

For Windows 8 Users: Go to the “Start Screen”. In the search results select settings, type “Advanced”. In the “General PC Settings” option, choose “Advanced startup” option. Again, click on the “Restart Now” option. The work-station boots to “Advanced Startup Option Menu”. Press on “Troubleshoot” and then “Advanced options” button.  In the “Advanced Option Screen”, press on “Startup Settings”. Again, click on “Restart” button. The work-station will now restart in to the “Startup Setting” screen. Next is to press F5 to boot in Safe Mode in Networking.

For Windows 10 Users: Press on Windows logo and on the “Power” icon. In the newly opened menu, choose “Restart” while continuously holding “Shift” button on the keyboard. In the new open “Choose an option” window, click on “Troubleshoot” and then on the “Advanced Options”. Select “Startup Settings” and press on “Restart”. In the next window, click on “F5” button on the key-board.

Step 2: Delete LockBit Ransomware using “System Restore”

Log-in to the account infected with LockBit Ransomware. Open the browser and download a legitimate anti-malware tool. Do a full System scanning. Remove all the malicious detected entries.

In case if you cannot start the PC in “Safe Mode with Networking”, Try using “System Restore”

• During the “Startup”, continuously press on F8 key until the “Advanced Option” menu appears. From the list, choose “Safe Mode with Command Prompt” and then press “Enter”

• In the new opened command prompt, enter “cd restore” and then press “Enter”.

• Type: rstrui.exe and Press “ENTER”

• Click “Next” on the new windows

• Choose any of the “Restore Points” and click on “Next”. (This step will restore the work-station to its earlier time and date prior to LockBit Ransomware infiltration in the PC.

• In the newly opened windows, press on “Yes”.

Once your PC gets restored to its previous date and time, download the recommended anti-malware tool and perform a deep scanning in order to remove LockBit Ransomware files if they left in the work-station.

In order to restore the each (separate) file by this ransomware, use “Windows Previous Version” feature. This method is effective when “System Restore Function” is enabled in the work-station.

Important Note: Some variants of LockBit Ransomware delete the “Shadow Volume Copies” as well hence this feature may not work all the time and is applicable for selective computers only.

How to Restore Individual Encrypted File:

In order to restore a single file, right click on it and go to “Properties”. Select “Previous Version” tab. Select a “Restore Point” and click on “Restore” option.

In order to access the files encrypted by LockBit Ransomware, you can also try using “Shadow Explorer”. In order to get more information on this application, press here.

Important: Data Encryption Ransomware are highly dangerous and it is always better that you take precautions to avoid its attack on your work-station. It is advised to use a powerful anti-malware tool in order to get protection in real-time. With this help of “SpyHunter”, “group policy objects” are implanted in the registries in order to block harmful infections like LockBit Ransomware.

Also, In Windows 10, you get a very unique feature called “Fall Creators Update” that offer “Controlled Folder Access” feature in order to block any kind of encryption to the files. With the help of this feature, any files stored in the locations such as “Documents”, “Pictures”, “Music”, “Videos”, “Favorites” and “Desktop” folders are safe by default.

It is very important that you install this “Windows 10 Fall Creators Update” in your PC to protect your important files and data from ransomware encryption. The more information on how to get this update and add an additional protection form rnasomware attack has been discussed here.

How to Recover the Files Encrypted by LockBit Ransomware?

Till now, you would have understood that what had happed to your personal files that got encrypted and how you can remove the scripts and payloads associated with LockBit Ransomware in order to protect your personal files that has not been damaged or encrypted until now. In order to retrieve the locked files, the depth information related to “System Restore” and “Shadow Volume Copies” has already been discussed earlier. However, in case if you are still unable to access the encrypted files then you can try using a data recovery tool.

Use of Data Recovery Tool

This step is for all those victims who have already tries all the above mentioned process but didn’t find any solution. Also it is important that you are able to access the PC and can install any software. The data recovery tool works on the basis of System scanning and recovery algorithm. It searches the System partitions in order to locate the original files which were deleted, corrupted or damaged by the malware. Remember that you must not re-install the Windows OS otherwise the “previous” copies will get deleted permanently. You have to clean the work-station at first and remove LockBit Ransomware infection. Leave the locked files as it is and follow the steps mentioned below.

Step1: Download the software in the work-station by clicking on the “Download” button below.

Step2: Execute the installer by clicking on downloaded files.

Step3: A license agreement page appears on the screen. Click on “Accept” to agree with its terms and use. Follow the on-screen instruction as mentioned and click on “Finish” button.

Step4: Once the installation gets completed, the program gets executed automatically. In the newly opened interface, select the file types that you want to recover and click on “Next”.

Step5: You can select the “Drives” on which you want the software to run and execute the recovery process. Next is to click on the “Scan” button.

Step6: Based on drive you select for scanning, the restore process begins. The whole process may take time depending on the volume of the selected drive and number of files. Once the process gets completed, a data explorer appears on the screen with preview of that data that is to be recovered. Select the files that you want to restore.

Step7. Next is to locate the location where you want to saver the recovered files.