Home Malware Programs Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware

'.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware

Posted: September 4, 2018

The '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan that encrypts your digital media for holding it hostage. Along with being unable to open the files that it affects, the '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware infections also create ransoming messages for the criminal's unlocking services and may cause other system changes, such as hijacking your desktop or deleting backups. Keep backups on other devices for maximized security and have anti-malware products to remove the '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware without paying the ransom, if possible.

A Fake of the '.locky File Extension' Ransomware Has Very Real Attacks

Malware experts are just verifying another clone or copycat of the well-known '.locky File Extension' Ransomware or the 'Locky' family of file-locking Trojans. This new Trojan, the '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware, is a variant of the preexisting PyLocky Ransomware, but with some aesthetic and ransoming details updated, possibly due to a change in the administrator. The risks of the '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware infections, as usual, include a potentially permanent lack of access to the infected PC's documents, images and other media files.

The '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware runs with a standard Windows Registry exploit that guarantees its system persistence while it locks different files. Media types at risk can include but, emphatically, aren't restricted to Excel spreadsheets, Word or PDF documents, JPG pictures, MP3 audio, AVI movies, and the contents of directories related to the user's Windows account, including the desktop and downloads. Although the '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware doesn't use the same file-locking method as the '.locky File Extension' Ransomware, malware experts have yet to investigate this threat for any free decryption opportunities.

The '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware also adds the extension in its name to each file that it blocks and creates a minor variant of the traditional, TXT ransom note from the '.locky File Extension' Ransomware family. The instructions use fake claims of 'military-grade' encryption for pushing their victims into interacting with a TOR domain that hosts the ransoming service, where criminals take cryptocurrencies in return for their possible decryption help. Paying the ransom is not ideal for data recovery, due to the high rate of fraud among these transactions.

Mapping a Shortcut Out of the '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware's Data Attacks

There is no freeware solution for the '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware's locking method, which, as of last analyses of its family by malware researchers, uses a secure combination of the 3DES-CBC and RSA-2048 encryptions. Users can work around the limitations of cracking in encryption algorithms by guaranteeing that they never need to do so, and keeping their files backed up to other devices whenever possible. All files that the '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware attacks should be identifiable by searching for the extension it appends, which doesn't remove or obfuscate the rest of the filename.

E-mail is the dominant strategy that threat actors employ for distributing file-locking Trojans like the '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware. Victims may compromise their PCs after opening attachments that use disguises for looking like non-hazardous content, such as billing notices or memos. The attacks also may exploit Web-browsing vulnerabilities that can be prevented by patching all software and disabling abusable features like Flash and JavaScript. Most anti-malware services should delete the '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware immediately, in either of these circumstances.

A Trojan that includes lies in its ransom notes isn't strange for the file-locking Trojan industry but should keep all PC users on their toes. The word of a program like the '.lockymap File Extension' Ransomware is no better than that of a criminal, and just as likely to harm you by taking for granted.

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