How To Remove Shootlock Ransomware And Restore Infected Data

Proper Guide To Delete Shootlock Ransomware From System

Shootlock Ransomware is one of the most destructive file-encrypting virus that encrypts unprotected users’ files and then asks them to pay the attackers an amount of ransom in order to regain access to the locked files. It was first discovered by security analyst Michael Gillespie and belongs to the family of Makop ransomware. This hazardous crypto-malware uses a strong encryption algorithm to lock your vital files such as images, videos, audios, documents, archive, PDFs etc. and makes you unable to open them again. Data locked by this pernicious threat can be easily identified as it renames them by adding victims unique ID, attackers’ email address and appending “.shootlock” extension with the name of each of them. After that, opening the infected files will become impossible for you unless you use the decryption tool that is kept on attackers’ server.

Once your important files get locked by Shootlock Ransomware, you will receive a ransom note named “readme-warning.txt” on the desktop that informs you about the unkind situation and is based on question and answer format. The note also contains an email addresses in order to contact the attackers and get further details. Crooks state that if you want to get the required software and open the locked files, you must pay them a sum of ransom in BitCoins or any other crypto-currency. Cooks also offer to decrypt two infected files for free to prove that the decryption is possible however, that should be less than 1 MB in size and can not be databases.

Text Presented In The Ransom Note:

::: Greetings :::

Little FAQ:

.1.

Q: Whats Happen?

A: Your files have been encrypted and now have the “shootlock” extension. The file structure was not damaged, we did everything possible so that this could not happen.

.2.

Q: How to recover files?

A: If you wish to decrypt your files you will need to pay in bitcoins.

.3.

Q: What about guarantees?

A: Its just a business. We absolutely do not care about you and your deals, except getting benefits. If we do not do our work and liabilities – nobody will cooperate with us. Its not in our interests.

To check the ability of returning files, you can send to us any 2 files with SIMPLE extensions(jpg,xls,doc, etc… not databases!) and low sizes(max 1 mb), we will decrypt them and send back to you. That is our guarantee.

.4.

Q: How to contact with you?

A: You can write us to our mailbox: [email protected] or [email protected]

.5.

Q: How will the decryption process proceed after payment?

A: After payment we will send to you our scanner-decoder program and detailed instructions for use. With this program you will be able to decrypt all your encrypted files.

.6.

Q: If I don’t want to pay bad people like you?

A: If you will not cooperate with our service – for us, its does not matter. But you will lose your time and data, cause only we have the private key. In practice – time is much more valuable than money.

:::BEWARE:::

DON’T try to change encrypted files by yourself!

If you will try to use any third party software for restoring your data or antivirus solutions – please make a backup for all encrypted files!

Any changes in encrypted files may entail damage of the private key and, as result, the loss all data.

Should You pay the Ransom?

You certainly don’t want to lose your important files locked by Shootlock Ransomware however; it’s not a good idea to deal with the hackers. Keep in mind that the only purpose of such criminals is to extort illicit revenues from the victimized users; you have absolutely no guarantee that they will deliver the required software even after the payment is made. It has been seen that such kind of hackers often ignore the victims after taking the extortion and cause them to lose both files as well as money. Furthermore, if you decide to make the payment, they can steal your personal data regarding banking details during the transaction and misuse those stuffs for bad intentions. This will create even worse situation for you. So, never trust on the attackers no matter what circumstance is and try to remove Shootlock Ransomware from the PC without wasting any time.

How To Restore The Infected Files?

This hazardous ransomware is able to delete the shadow volume copies (temporary backup made by OS) of the infected files and also specific system restore points and therefore, restoring those data become even more complicated for the victims. In such precarious situation, you should use a strong file-recovery application which you can download right here via the link given under this article. Moreover, you should keep making frequent backups by the help of which, you can easily retrieve the infected or lost files if such hazardous situation occurs whenever. As long as Shootlock Ransomware stays on your computer; it can affect many parts of the machine and run in the background until you completely get rid of it.

Spiteful Files Attached to Spam Emails And Pirated Software Packages:

File-encrypting threats mostly rely on silent ways to get into the targeted PCs. Malicious files can trigger and cause the ransomware attack pretty quickly without even noticed by the users. The payload drop as well as the file locking process both take place without your knowledge. Spam emails that have vicious macro-filled documents can pretend as genuine notifications from companies like eBay, Amazon, DHL or other Online shopping platforms. These types are selected because invoices, order information and other files related to financial details are mainly sent by such companies. However, such files and data sent out during pirated software installations can trigger intrusion of direct ransomware or the malware that is designed to inject the crypto-virus executable file. And hence, we highly advise to stay away from pirating or torrent sites and delete questioning emails once you obtain them.

Quick Glance

Name: Shootlock Ransomware

Type: Ransomware, Crypto-virus

Description- Destructive malware that aims to encrypt users’ crucial files and then ask them to pay off for the decryption key/tool.

Extension- .shootlock (files are also appended with a unique ID and the cyber criminals’ email address)

Ransom demanding message: “readme-warning.txt”

Attackers’ contact- [email protected] and [email protected]

Symptoms: Users can not open files available on their desktop, previously functional files now have different extensions, A ransom demanding message is displayed on the desktop screen. Users are asked to pay an amount of ransom to unlock their encoded data and files.

Distribution methods: Torrent websites, spam emails, peer to peer network sharing, unofficial activation and updating tools.

Damage: All files are encrypted and cannot be accessed without paying ransom, Additional password stealing Trojans and malware infections can be installed along with ransomware infections and other malware.

Removal: To remove this virus from the system, we advise you to use a reliable anti-malware tool. Once malware gets removed, you can recover your files by using existing backup or data-recovery software.

Other Common Symptoms of Shootlock Ransomware:

Shootlock Ransomware downgrades the overall system performance severely as it consumes huge amount of memory resources and increases the usage of CPU. It causes the PC to respond slower than ever before and take more than usual time to complete any task. This nasty crypto-virus includes potential to deactivate all the running security services and Windows Firewalls and allow other Online parasites to infiltrate the machine as well and cause more damages inside. It changes the default registry settings by making vicious entries in it which allows the virus to get automatically activated every time the PC is started. Due to this, many other perilous issues occur in the device such as frequent system crash, application malfunctioning, boot errors, hard drive failure and so on. And therefore, looking at all these hazards, you are strongly recommended to remove Shootlock Ransomware from the system as early as possible.

Antimalware Details And User Guide

Click Here For Windows

Click Here For Mac

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

Step 2: Delete Shootlock Ransomware using “System Restore”

Step 1: Remove Shootlock 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 Shootlock Ransomware using “System Restore”

Log-in to the account infected with Shootlock 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 Shootlock 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 Shootlock 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 Shootlock 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 Shootlock 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 Shootlock 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 Shootlock 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 Shootlock 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 Shootlock 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.