.lockymap Extension Virus - How to remove

.lockymap virus is the name of ransomware infection that can lock your personal files and add this extension to the end of them. It is a typical ransomware virus that only aims to infect as many computers as possible and then try to force users to pay the ransom.

If your computer got infected with .lockymap, your personal files will be locked by employing strong cryptography. Cyber criminals claim they will provide you with decryption tool if you agree to pay the ransom, but we have discovered that it’s not necessarily true. You can get ’scammed’ and not receive a solution for decryption even if you pay them.

That is why we do not recommend to do that. Instead for that, go for other alternatives that can save your lost (locked) files and help to remove .lockymap extension virus itself. In this article, we are going to talk about specific techniques that can be used to achieve that, so stay tuned.

Key Facts on .lockymap virus

.lockymap Extension Virus belongs to the notorious family of Locky viruses. We have seen infections like Locky Imposter or ArmaLocky and they tend to operate in a very similar manner. So once those malicious files of .lockymap get uploaded to your system, the virus automatically activates and starts scanning your computer for various files that can be encrypted. Unfortunately, most of your personal files can be locked, including but not limited to photos, text documents, audio and video files and so on.

Then, the actual process of encryption starts. So in order to completely lock those files stored on your hard drive, .lockymap employs ’RSA encryption algorithm. This allows to change the file structure and make it unusable until this process is reversed. As we have mentioned before, .lockymap virus adds .lockymap extension, but it is not the only one. .lockedfile extension can be added as well.

Either way, after this is done, you won’t be able to open your files. Also, a file named LOCKY-README.txt will be dropped on your desktop. It is a ransom note with all essential information on this infection, provided by cyber criminals:

Please be adviced:

All your files, pictures document and data has been encrypted with Military Grade Encryption RSA ABS-256.
Your information is not lost. But Encrypted.

In order for you to restore your files you have to purchase Decrypter.

Follow this steps to restore your files.

1* Download the Tor Browser. ( Just type in google “Download Tor“

2‘ Browse to URL : http://4wcgqlckaazungm.onion/index.php

3* Purchase the Decryptor to restore your files.

It is very simple. If you don’t believe that we can restore your files, then you can restore 1 file of image format for free.
Be aware the time is ticking. Price will be doubled every 96 hours so use it wisely.

Your unique ID :

CAUTION:

Please do not try to modify or delete any encrypted file as it will be hard to restore it.

SUPPORT:

You can contact support to help decrypt your files for you.

Click on support at http://4wcgqlckaazungm.onion/index.php

The amount you will be forced to pay as a ransom is not disclosed but usually, it’s something around $150-$500. We do not encourage you to pay the ransom nor contact cyber criminals due to the following reasons:

• You can’t be sure that they will keep their word and provide working decryptor;
• You would support cyber criminals this way;
• They can attack you next time with another similar virus;
• There are other alternatives to solve this problem.

The fact that .lockymap managed to get inside of your computer indicates that the security level of your system is really week. Also, there is a possibility that other malware is already operating on it, so it should be removed too.

How .lockymap Extension Virus Infected Your Computer

.lockymap Extension Virus usually is distributed with spam emails, so you can get infected simply by opening the attachment that looks innocent. Also, there are other ways how this dangerous ransomware could have been infiltrated into your computer.

As we have mentioned before, there might be other malware that is already operating on your computer and it was able to infiltrate malicious files of .lockymap extension virus into your system.

Regardless of the method, your computer was infected by, you should protect it with dedicated software that features a real-time protection. There are some free options, such as IObit Malware Fighter or Plumbytes, so feel free to check them out. By the way, Malware Fighter also features dedicated functionality to fight against ransomware. It is capable to stop those viruses even if they are already inside of your computer because any attempt to modify your files without authorization is denied and the user is warned about it.

Removal of .lockymap Extension Virus And File Restore

First of all, you have to erase .lockymap Extension Virus from your computer. If you just simply try to decrypt your files without removing the virus itself, your data is probably going to be encrypted again. To remove the virus, you should get a decent anti-malware program, such as Spyhunter. Either one of those do a really good job in removing ransomware viruses, so .lockymap Extension Virus will be detected and removed within minutes.

Unfortunately, it’s not enough to only remove this virus because it won’t unlock your encrypted files. Also, there is no free decryption tool for .lockymap Extension Virus right now, so you will have to use other alternatives. One of the most common one – to restore your files from a backup. Obviously, if you do have one. In case you have a backup file that was made before this infection hit the computer, follow this system restore guide.

Also, you can find instructions on how to restore your system after a ransomware attack, feel free to follow them.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to recover .lockymap Extension Virus 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 .lockymap Extension Virus has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of .lockymap Extension Virus

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 .lockymap Extension Virus. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore .lockymap Extension Virus 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 .lockymap Extension Virus 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 .lockymap Extension Virus 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.