Kwaaklocked Ransomware Removal Guide

Do you know what Kwaaklocked Ransomware is?

Kwaaklocked Ransomware is the newest HiddenTear-based ransomware infection. Our specialists have detected it only recently, so it is far from prevalent malware. Actually, it seems that it is still in development, but things change quickly in the malware world, so its final version might be released in the near future and, consequently, its infection rate might increase considerably. If you have not encountered it yet, you still have a chance to prevent this infection from entering your computer; however, you could not turn the clock back if you have already encountered it. In this case, you need to remove the ransomware infection from the system as soon as possible. Unfortunately, if it has already encrypted your files, you will not decrypt any of them by erasing Kwaaklocked Ransomware. Of course, it does not mean that you can keep this malicious application installed. If you do not disable it, there is a possibility that you will find all your new files locked too. This usually happens when users accidentally launch crypto-malware again. It is never a piece of cake to delete serious malicious applications, but you cannot ignore the fact that malware is active on your PC. It is a small problem if you know nothing about malware removal because you will know exactly what you need to do after you read this report.

Kwaaklocked Ransomware has been developed to lock files on victims’ computers. We are 100% sure that it only wants users’ money, but you should not send them a cent even if you have found the .kwaaklocked extension appended to almost all your files because there are no guarantees that these files will be unlocked for you, or you will get a decryption tool for unlocking them yourself. We do not think that Kwaaklocked Ransomware differs much from other ransomware infections. That is, if this infection ever slithers onto your computer, you will also find your documents, pictures, music, videos, and a bunch of other important files encrypted. These files are locked so that you would pay money for the developer of the ransomware infection yourself. We can assure you that Kwaaklocked Ransomware is not the only infection encrypting files, but there is no doubt that it is the one that has found a way to enter your system if your files have .kwaaklocked (e.g. file.jpg.kwaaklocked) appended and, on top of that, you can find READ_IT.txt somewhere on your computer. Most probably, this file will be dropped on your Desktop. It will tell you why your files are inaccessible and, on top of that, you will find out how you can unlock them. No doubt you will be asked to send a ransom to cyber criminals. Trust us, it is not the best idea to transfer money to malicious software developers. It is very likely that crooks will take your money, but you will not get the decryptor from them. Do not let them fool you!

We are not going to lie to you – Kwaaklocked Ransomware is not one of those actively distributed infections, but this might soon change, so you cannot act in a careless way and/or keep your system unprotected. According to our researchers, crypto-malware usually starts working on victims’ computers when they open malicious attachments from spam emails they receive. Also, users might download these threats from file-sharing websites. Finally, malware installed on the system might drop more threats without permission. There are no guarantees that no new infections will enter your system if you become more cautious, so we also highly recommend installing a security application. It will not allow any new malicious applications to enter your system unnoticed.

You should be able to remove Kwaaklocked Ransomware from your system by deleting its malicious file and the ransom note it dropped, but it would be best to perform a system scan with an antimalware scanner as well because there is a possibility that you have encountered a new version of Kwaaklocked Ransomware that drops more malicious components on affected computers. It is very important to erase all files that belong to malware completely.

How to remove Kwaaklocked Ransomware

  1. Tap Win+E.
  2. Check %USERPROFILE%\Downloads, %USERPROFILE%\Desktop, %TEMP%, and %APPDATA%.
  3. If you can locate any suspicious recently added files, delete them.
  4. Remove READ_IT.txt.
  5. Empty Trash.
  6. Scan your system with a diagnostic scanner.

In non-techie terms:

Kwaaklocked Ransomware might be the reason why your files have been encrypted because this malicious application has been designed to lock users’ personal files. Cyber criminals behind this threat expect that it will be easier for them to obtain money from users with its help. Do not give them what they want even if they promise to unlock your files right after they have your money in their hands because there is a huge possibility that nothing will change, i.e. your files will stay inaccessible.