Do you know what $ucyLocker Ransomware is?
There is probably no worse nightmare for a computer user than finding out that a malicious program like $ucyLocker Ransomware has managed to infiltrate the system and encrypt all important files. Our researchers say that this new severe threat is based on the well-known Hidden Tear Ransomware, which is an open-source infection that was made for security experts to learn more about this type of threats. Unfortunately, ever since this open-source program became available for the public, hacker wannabes and cyber criminals also started to use it as a base for their next attack and created beasts like Fabsyscrypto Ransomware and Uyari Ransomware. Our researchers do not advise you to pay the ransom fee for the decryption key because it is more likely that you will not get it anyway. If you do not have a backup copy of your most important files, there is a chance that you will have a great loss because it seems that there is no free recovery tool on the web as yet. Still, we recommend that you remove $ucyLocker Ransomware from your computer.
Most probably the most frequent reason for malware infection is the mouse click, i.e., you clicking over the wrong content while surfing the web. Unfortunately, you can easily infect your computer with this devastating threat with a single click, too. You may be presented with a software download or update notification in the form of a banner or pop-up ad while browsing. If you fall for this trick, you may click OK or Install and there you go, you may drop this ransomware in the background. The same can happen when you try to download free software from questionable sources, such as suspicious torrent and freeware pages. These sites usually promote malicious bundles and infections like this disguised as the free program you are just looking for. Remember what price you have to pay when you let a ransomware on board. By the time you delete $ucyLocker Ransomware, all your files will be encrypted and you will not be able to do anything to save or recover them. So be more cautious next time you click on a website.
Another very popular distribution method is spamming campaigns. You may get a mail with an attached file, where the file looks like a document or an image of an invoice, for example, but, in reality, it is a malicious executable like in this case, "VapeHacksLoader.exe." Many users are tricked by this attachment because it may have a fake extension as well as a matching icon. This spam can convince you that it is urgent for you to open it and check out the attachment for further information. Obviously, the subject matter of such a spam has to be something that you could believe or would consider vital to see. This can be a bank notification that suspicious activities were detected on your card or bank account, an overdue invoice, problems with a flight booking, and so on. It is quite likely that you would want to see the content of such a mail even if you knew or felt that “it cannot be me.” Once again we need to remind you that viewing this attachment is tantamount to activating this vicious program. If you do not have a backup, the sad truth is that all you can do is delete $ucyLocker Ransomware and pray that a free tool emerge on the web soon.
This ransomware appends “.WINDOWS” extension to your original file names. It mostly targets the usual personal files, such as photos, documents, videos, music files, and databases, in order to cause the biggest possible damage to you. After the encryption, this infection creates a text file called “READ_IT.txt” on your desktop. This file contains some basic information about the attack. In order to protect its malicious intentions, this threat blocks your Task Manager so that you cannot end the malicious process. Fortunately, your screen is not locked so you can still trick this ransomware and enable your Task Manager, and soon we will show you how you can do that. Your screen turns black and the ransom note comes up as a program’s screens without a window. You are informed first about your computer being locked – which is not exactly true – and that you should not close this window if you want to be able decrypt your files. You have to click Next to get to the following page where you are told that your files have been encrypted and have to pay for your files to be decrypted. And, finally, on the last page you are asked to pay 0.16 Bitcoins (about 412 US dollars at current exchange rate) to the Bitcoin wallet address provided below. Well, we definitely cannot and will not encourage you to pay any money to these criminals. If you want to use a safe computer, it is important that you remove $ucyLocker Ransomware right now. So let us tell you how.
First of all, you need to make sure that your Task Manager is up and running; otherwise, you cannot kill the malicious process. Although this requires a reboot and the infection may not start up with Windows the next time, it is still important that you restore your Task Manager and that you check whether you find any suspicious process operating in the background. Then, you can take care of the rest. Please follow our instructions below if you want to take this dangerous threat down single-handedly. It should be clear by now that even such a severe danger can show up on your computer with the greatest of ease. Therefore, we suggest that you employ an authentic malware removal application, such as SpyHunter.
Enable your Task Manager
- Tap Win+R and enter gpedit.msc to launch the Local Group Policy Editor window. Click OK.
- Open the following settings by using the directory structure on the left: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Ctrl+Alt+Del Options.
- Double-click the “Remove Task Manager” option.
- Mark “Disable” or “Not configured” from the radio buttons.
- Click OK and exit the editor.
- Reboot your PC for the change to take effect.
Remove $ucyLocker Ransomware from Windows
- Tap Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager.
- If you find the malicious process, select it and click End task.
- Exit the Task Manager.
- Tap Win+E to open the File Explorer.
- Locate and bin the malicious executable file you saved from the spam or in other ways. This file could be named "VapeHacksLoader.exe"
- Bin the ransom note (“READ_IT.txt”) from the desktop.
- Empty your Recycle Bin and reboot your system.
In non-techie terms:
$ucyLocker Ransomware can hit you hard if you let this vicious program on board. This ransomware program can encrypt all your important files and asks for a relatively high amount of money for the decryption key. Please keep in mind that you may never get anything in return for you money as the general experience shows. We recommend that you start saving backups onto a portable hard disk or to a cloud storage place. Right now only this could save you from losing your files. We advise you to remove $ucyLocker Ransomware from your system even if this infection is not decryptable at the moment. Hopefully, you understand now why it is so important to protect your PC more efficiently. Therefore, we suggest that you install a reliable anti-malware application.