Loki Locker Ransomware - How to remove

Loki Locker is a malicious program that infects Windows PCs and encrypts files. It then asks the victim to contact the cybercriminals responsible for the infection and to pay them to fix the broken files.

Encrypted data can’t be read, and if it’s not decrypted, then it may as well be lost. There are a few ways to restore lost data besides paying money to extortionists, however, there’s no guarantee that all the data can be recovered.

About Loki Locker:

Threat type	Ransomware.
Loki Locker infection symptoms	File names include the address “[email protected]” and end with “Loki”, files won’t open and can’t be read.
Can you recover your data?	Restore backups, use file recovery tools.
How to delete Loki Locker	Use antivirus programs (Spyhunter, others) to find and delete malware, if needed, reset your passwords.

Loki Locker encrypts files

Encryption is used to keep our information safe while being sent over the internet. It can also be used to password-lock files and folders.

But there’s a type of malicious software, called ransomware, that abuses encryption to lock data on computers and then extort the victims. Media files, documents, and other user-created files are encrypted, then the malware leaves ransom notes with instructions to contact the extortionists.

Loki Locker is one such malicious program. It infects PCs and encrypts data, then marks the encrypted files by changing their names. Note that the name change is only cosmetic and doesn’t affect the contents of the files.

The extension used by Loki Locker looks like this:

[email][id]<original name>.Loki

The email is [email protected], the id is random numbers and letters.

For example, a file called

document.docx

gets renamed to

[[email protected]][A456E42B]document.docx.Loki

In addition, Loki Locker changes the infected computer’s desktop background picture with a message like this:

Loki locker

All your files have been encrypted due to a security problem with your computer
If you want to restore them, write us to the e-mail: [email protected]
Write this ID in the title of your message: A456E42B
In case of no answer in 24 hours write us to this e-mail: [email protected]

Finally, the Loki ransomware shows a window with a longer ransom note, where it offers to decrypt a single file as proof that decryption is possible.

The ransom note that Loki Locker displays looks a lot like the ransom notes shown by Phobos and Dharma ransomware, such as Eject. The file name template is similar, too. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s a connection between these infections.

How to delete Loki Locker

Remove all malware

First, it’s important to remove Loki Locker in order to use your computer normally. It’s also important to note that, often, malware infections spread in groups of two and three. It’s very possible that if there’s one virus on your computer, there are others, too.

You can find and delete malicious files with an antivirus app, such as Spyhunter, and if spyware or adware is found, it’s a good idea to change your passwords once the malware has been deleted.

You can also reset your PC, but if you keep any of your files, then you should still check them with an antivirus scanner.

It would help to learn how Loki Locker infected your computer so that you can avoid it happening again.

Recover your data

If you have a backup of your data, then you can simply restore it after cleaning your PC.

But if you don’t have backups, the situation is a bit more complicated. There’s no free decryptor for Loki Locker and it’s unlikely that there ever will be one. Our post on file recovery after a ransomware attack has a few suggestions, such as file recovery and repair, but there’s no guaranteed way to recover all the encrypted files. In fact, even paying the ransom does not guarantee that, as extortionists tend to be unreliable.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to recover Loki Locker 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 Loki Locker Ransomware has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Loki Locker 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 Loki Locker Ransomware. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Loki Locker 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 Loki Locker 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 Loki Locker 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.