Lmas Ransomware - How to remove

Lmas is a malicious program, file-encrypting ransomware. It spreads with pirated programs and infects Windows computers. It encrypts files and gives their names the suffix “lmas”. And then, the lmas malware leaves ransom notes that ask the victims to pay hundreds of dollars if they want to get their data back.

Together with urnb, fdcz, and other ransomware, lmas is part of the Djvu family of malware.

About lmas:

Threat type	Ransomware, trojan.
How lmas works	It’s installed by infected programs, it encrypts files and changes their names, it leaves ransom notes behind.
Can you fix your files?	Avoid contacting the extortionists, restore data from backups, try the free decryptor.
How to delete lmas ransomware	Use antivirus apps (Spyhunter, others) and/or use Windows recovery options, protect your accounts by changing your passwords.

How lmas ransomware works

Lmas ransomware likely spreads with pirated programs, cracks, apps downloaded from unofficial websites, game cheats, and similar unofficial programs and content.

Users who install programs infected with lmas might notice their computer slowing down before their files all change their icons and names. File icons change to blank pages and their names get a second file type extension – “.lmas”.

document.docx.lmas

You can set your File Explorer settings to display file extensions in the View tab in the top menu.

Most of the files whose names lmas changed can’t be opened and read. Some of their contents have been corrupted, which breaks the files.

Lmas ransomware also places files called “_readme.txt” in various folders. These text files are lmas’ ransom notes – they give the contact details of the people behind lmas, as well as a demand for money. Extortionists want to get up to $980 in exchange for fixing the files.

The goal of lmas is to break files so that the victims are pressured into paying a ransom of hundreds of dollars to the criminals behind this malware.

How to get your files back

Lmas ransomware uses cryptography to break user files. And just like outsiders can’t read your encrypted chat messages or your online banking activity (What is encryption? | Types of encryption), you can’t read your own files after lmas encrypted them. The only way to fix them is to get the decryption key, which only the people responsible for lmas ransomware have.

Paying money to the extortionists behind lmas is a bad idea. Even if you’re desperate to get your data back, remember a few things:

• there’s a chance that the criminals will take your money and not help you or even ask for more money,
• if you reveal personal information while talking to the criminals, they might use it in future scams or they might target you again.

Backups are very helpful against ransomware. Even if you didn’t set up backups intentionally, you might have your photos on another device, or you might have uploaded your most important documents on the cloud. If so, you can recover at least some of the data that lmas ransomware destroyed.

Try a data recovery program (EaseUS, others) that can restore deleted files for you.

Check out the Emsisoft decryptor and scan your files with it. There’s a (small) chance that your files can be decrypted without you having to pay the ransom.

And look into file repair options (Repair MP4, MOV, 3GP, M4V, WAV, MP3 after STOP/DJVU ransomware).

How to delete lmas ransomware

To delete lmas ransomware and other malware, you can wipe your drives or use antivirus apps, such as Spyhunter.

If you reset your PC (Recovery options in Windows 10), you’ll have to reinstall your programs. If you keep any of your files, it’s still advised to scan your computer with antivirus tools.

It’s likely that lmas wasn’t the only malicious program that was installed. So, once your computer is clean, it’s a good idea to reset your passwords. Be careful of phishing messages, too (5 ways to detect a phishing email – with examples).

Important -- edit the hosts file to unblock security websites

TL DR : The hosts file is edited to block security sites Before the virus can be removed, it's necessary to fix the hosts file (the file which controls which addresses connect to which IPs). That is the reason the majority of security websites is inaccessible when infected with this particular parasite. This infection edits this file to stop certain websites, including anti-malware download sites, from being accessed from the infected computer, making browsers return the "This site can't be reached" error. Luckily, it's trivial to fix the file and remove the edits that were made to it.

Find and edit the hosts file

The hosts file can be found on C:/Windows/System32/Drivers/etc/hosts. If you don't see it, change the settings to see hidden files.

1. In the Start Menu, search for Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel, find Appearance and Personalization.
3. Select Folder Options.
4. Open the View tab.
5. Open Advanced settings.
6. Select "Show hidden files...".
7. Select OK.

Open this file with administrator privileges.

1. Open the Start Menu and enter "notepad".
2. When Notepad shows up in the result, right-click on it.
3. In the menu, choose "Run as administrator"
4. File->Open and browse for the hosts file.

The hosts file should look like this: Delete additional lines that they connect various domain names to the wrong IP address. Save the file.

Download and run the antivirus program

After that, download antivirus programs and use them to remove the ransomware, the trojan, and other malware. Spyhunter (https://www.2-viruses.com/reviews/spyhunter/dwnld/).

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to recover Lmas Ransomware encrypted files and remove the virus

Step 1. Restore system into last known good state using system restore

1. Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt:

for Windows 7 / Vista/ XP

• Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
• Press F8 key repeatedly until Advanced Boot Options window appears.
• Choose Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

for Windows 8 / 10

• Press Power at Windows login screen. Then press and hold Shift key and click Restart.
• Choose Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Settings and click Restart.
• When it loads, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the list of Startup Settings.

 

2.Restore System files and settings.

• When Command Prompt mode loads, enter cd restore and press Enter.
• Then enter rstrui.exe and press Enter again.
• Click “Next” in the windows that appeared.
• Select one of the Restore Points that are available before Lmas Ransomware has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Lmas Ransomware

After restoring your system, it is recommended to scan your computer with an anti-malware program, like Spyhunter and remove all malicious files related to Lmas Ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Lmas Ransomware affected files using Shadow Volume Copies

If you do not use System Restore option on your operating system, there is a chance to use shadow copy snapshots. They store copies of your files that point of time when the system restore snapshot was created. Usually Lmas Ransomware tries to delete all possible Shadow Volume Copies, so this methods may not work on all computers. However, it may fail to do so. Shadow Volume Copies are only available with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. There are two ways to retrieve your files via Shadow Volume Copy. You can do it using native Windows Previous Versions or via Shadow Explorer. a) Native Windows Previous Versions Right-click on an encrypted file and select Properties → Previous versions tab. Now you will see all available copies of that particular file and the time when it was stored in a Shadow Volume Copy. Choose the version of the file you want to retrieve and click Copy if you want to save it to some directory of your own, or Restore if you want to replace existing, encrypted file. If you want to see the content of file first, just click Open.

b) Shadow Explorer It is a program that can be found online for free. You can download either a full or a portable version of Shadow Explorer. Open the program. On the left top corner select the drive where the file you are looking for is a stored. You will see all folders on that drive. To retrieve a whole folder, right-click on it and select “Export”. Then choose where you want it to be stored.

Step 4. Use Data Recovery programs to recover Lmas Ransomware encrypted files

There are several data recovery programs that might recover encrypted files as well. This does not work in all cases but you can try this:

• We suggest using another PC and connect the infected hard drive as slave. It is still possible to do this on infected PC though.
• Download a data recovery program.
• Install and scan for recently deleted files.

Note: In many cases it is impossible to restore data files affected by modern ransomware. Thus I recommend using decent cloud backup software as precaution. We recommend checking out Carbonite, BackBlaze, CrashPlan or Mozy Home.