Lokf File Virus - How to remove

Lokf is a file-locking virus that turns use files to “.lokf” files. This virus was created as part of an extortion scheme – cybercriminals break your files and then ask for money (a few hundred dollars) to fix them. Possibly, they also distribute a spyware virus to steal data like passwords saved in the browser. Overall, Lokf is a very serious infection.

Lokf uses cryptography to lock files. The affected files are also renamed and to have “.lokf” as a suffix. Inside, essential parts of the files are corrupted.

Lokf ransomware leaves behind some unencrypted data – text files called _readme.txt. They should be placed in multiple folders, always with the same text:

ATTENTION!

Don’t worry my friend, you can return all your files!
All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.
…

Lokf’s distributors are using the [email protected] and [email protected] addresses.

Lokf features and solutions:

Lokf symptoms	A fake Windows Update pop-up appears Files have “.lokf” appended to their names Files won’t open _readme.txt files in various folders Many cybersecurity websites are blocked
Dangers of the infection	Files might be lost Online usernames and passwords might be stolen
Deleting Lokf	Use anti-malware scanners (like SpyHunter) Change online passwords and activate 2fa
File recovery	Restore from a backup Use the free decrypter Use shadow volume copies, data recovery, etc.

How to protect yourself from ransomware

Ransomware is a threat to anyone online and new infections are discovered every day. These viruses spread a lot of ways:

• Through Remote Desktop connections, criminals get access to a computer and install ransomware on it.
• Malicious ads are used to infect computers that are vulnerable.
• Emails with infected files and links are sent to thousands of addresses.
• Ransomware is hidden in files and programs and uploaded online for people to download.

The Lokf virus is a danger to individual PC users who sometimes download free software, which includes millions and millions of people. Losing their photos, songs, projects, and documents can be devastating, but there are some ways to avoid that.

Backups are the best defense against ransomware. If we keep only one copy of important files, especially if that copy is on a computer used regularly and connected to the internet, it’s vulnerable. Lokf doesn’t take long to encrypt data and after it’s done, the file might be corrupted and impossible to recover. The answer to this is simple – just have more copies of your files on separate devices. For example, backup important documents to a thumb drive and then keep it disconnected. Copy precious photos to an SD card and put it somewhere safe. This is the only real way to keep your data from being lost to Lokf and other ransomware.

Of course, security is still important. For example, recovering from a Lokf virus attack wastes your time, so it’s good to minimize your risk. And the first thing to do is to get a good-quality antivirus tool and scan every file you download with it.  Here is the list of detections of the Lokf ransomware. Lokf hides in free programs and files downloaded from unofficial sources, especially pirate sites. You might think you’re only downloading an ebook or an unlocked program, but running it might download the Lokf virus. Lots of people use piracy to get software and files, but the websites used for it might be unsafe. The lack of oversight makes it easy for Lokf’s developers to distribute their malware.

Finally, it’s important to always update your software. Lokf might be detected as malware by an antivirus tool that has the newest definitions, but it’s a new infection and if your security software hasn’t been updated in a while, it might fail to recognize Lokf as malicious. Cybercriminals constantly try to evade detection and antivirus vendors are constantly trying to catch up, which is why updates to antivirus programs are so extremely frequent – at least once a day. Also, updating your Windows, your browser, and other software is very important, too. Security bugs that are not patched might be exploited by malicious websites and software, so it’s generally good to install updates when they become available. Otherwise, ransomware can infect you simply if you visit the wrong website.

How to fix files with the Lokf extension

Because the Lokf virus locks the files so thoroughly, it’s best to just replace them with copies from a backup. Even if you didn’t create one manually, think – maybe you emailed some important documents and can download them back after you’ve deleted Lokf?

Another possibility is the decrypter released by Emsisoft. It’s been made free for everyone and it works on Djvu ransomware, which is the family of viruses that Lokf belongs to. Lokf is a new variant of this long-lived ransomware family, so the decrypter works differently on the different versions. For example, it unlocks most files corrupted by Roland, Moresa, and others. But that’s not an option for Lokf.

The decrypter doesn’t work without the correct decryption keys. Since each victim of the Lokf virus has unique keys and they’re only known to the criminals who made this ransomware, there’s not much hope. The exception is when the Lokf virus was forced to run without the internet because then it uses only one key for everyone. Check if one of the keys that were used on your files is the offline one – go to C/systemid on the infected computer and look for personalid.txt. If one of the ids listed there ends with “t1”, that usually represents the offline key. If the volunteers and researchers working on the decrypter can find the offline key, some Lokf files can be decrypted.

There are other options, like data recovery, that are listed below. Some people have been able to recover partially encrypted files (Lokf only encrypts sections of files) by extracting the locked archives, repairing their audio, video, and other big files. Whatever you do, though, remember to also remove the Lokf virus. You can use a malware scanner for that. Although, Lokf might have broken your security software and also blocked security sites on your computer, so that needs to be taken care of first.

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 Lokf File 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 Lokf File Virus has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Lokf File 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 Lokf File Virus. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Lokf File 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 Lokf File 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 Lokf File 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.