Do you know what PyLock Ransomware is?
PyLock Ransomware is one of those threats that can ruin a day. Its main goal is to encrypt all of your personal files without your notice, and if that is done successfully, the attackers can take matters into their own hands. As you might have gathered already, they want your money, and they use an alleged decryption tool to push you into giving it away. Should you do it? Should you trust cybercriminals? Our research team does not suggest wasting your money or trusting the attackers, but, of course, you have to do what you believe is the right thing. If you are confused and if you need guidance, continue reading this report. You will learn how to secure your system and your personal files, and you will also learn how to remove PyLock Ransomware from your Windows operating system.
Just like most file-encrypting infections – such as mr.yoba@aol.com Ransomware, MGS Ransomware, or Nuksus Ransomware – the malicious PyLock Ransomware is most likely to reach out to potential victims via email. According to our research team, online chats could be used as well. The installer of the threat could be introduced to you as a document, a photo, or a video, and you might not suspect a thing once you open it. Of course, that is how the malicious threat can enter your operating system without your notice. Once in, it jumps into action right away. PyLock Ransomware can disable the Task Manager and delete shadow volume copies. By doing the latter, the infection ensures that the victim cannot restore files using internal backup with the help of a system restore point. Hopefully, you have backups of your personal files stored on physical drives or online.
PyLock Ransomware screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
Once volume shadow copies are destroyed, and your personal files are encrypted (the “.locked” extension should be added to their names), PyLock Ransomware is meant to introduce you to a ransom note. This note is delivered using a window named “.:Encrypted:.v2.40,” and, according to it, all files were encrypted using the AES-256 key. It is stated that to decrypt the files, you need a “decryption key,” which you can obtain by transferring 5 Bitcoin to the attackers’ Bitcoin Wallet. If you have not checked it yet, 5 Bitcoin is around 42,000 US Dollars. That is a ridiculously huge ransom, and most functional file-encryptors do not go over the 1 Bitcoin line. Needless to say, not many victims have that kind of money to put on the line, and even if money is not an issue for you, do you really want to give it to cybercriminals? After all, it is impossible to know if the attackers would give you the decryptor even if you paid the ransom and then sent them a message to solutionshelp@protonmail.com as instructed.
Unfortunately, if PyLock Ransomware encrypted your personal files, it is most likely that you will not get them back even if you do what the attackers want you to do. Hopefully, backups exist outside your infected system, and you can replace the corrupted files with them after the removal of the threat. Needless to say, you must delete PyLock Ransomware, and you must do it soon. Unfortunately, the threat’s components might have random names, and their locations could be random too, which is why we cannot guarantee that you will be able to successfully follow the instructions below. The good news is that anti-malware software can save the day. You need it to have your operating system secured anyway, and so it is best if you install it without further hesitation.
Remove PyLock Ransomware
- Tap Win+R keys to access Run and then enter regedit into the dialog box.
- In Registry Editor, move to HKCU\SOFTWARE\.
- Right-click the key named Crypter and then click Delete.
- Move to HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
- Right-click the value named Crypter and select Modify.
- Copy the path in the value data box.
- Tap Win+E keys to access Explorer and then paste the copied path into the quick access field.
- Right-click the malicious [unknown name].exe file and choose Delete.
- Go back to the Registry Editor and Delete the Crypter value.
- Using Explorer, move to the following directories to check for malicious files (delete if found):
- %TEMP%
- %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
- %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
- Close all windows and then Empty Recycle Bin.
- Perform a full system scan to check if leftovers do not exist using a trusted malware scanner.
In non-techie terms:
You need to secure your operating system. You need to beware of spam emails, malicious downloaders, and vulnerability exploits that could be used to drop malware. You also need to backup your personal files to ensure that you have replacements for the original files in case something goes awry. If you take care of this, PyLock Ransomware will not create big problems. However, if you are not prepared, and if the malicious threat attacks, you might end up losing all of your personal files. Once that happens, the attackers might try to convince you to pay a huge ransom, but since there are no guarantees that you would get what you are promised, we do not recommend wasting your money. In any case, you must delete PyLock Ransomware, and if you cannot do it yourself, quickly install legitimate and reliable anti-malware software that will clear your operating system from dangerous infections automatically.