Locky Virus... help please!

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  1. Posts : 8
    Windows 10
       #1

    Locky Virus... help please!


    My computer came down with the Locky Virus this morning. When I googled it a company called Equipe Microfix came up and they said for $500 (for their labor) and 1.2 bitcoin they would fix the problem. I.e. go on the dark web to get a private key and decrypt program and use team viewer to access my computer.

    Forgive me if this is an obvious question (I'm not a tech savvy guy) but do I just pay them and be done with it? Sounds shady but is there an alternative?

    All of my files have been renamed a long extension and "_Locky_recover_instructions.txt " is in every folder. It says I have to download and install Tor Browser.

    Thanks in advance for any help!
    Last edited by derekimo; 17 Mar 2016 at 19:28.
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  2. Posts : 5,452
    windows 10 Pro ver 21H2 build 19044.1348
       #2

    ................When I googled it a company called Equipe Microfix came up and they said for $500 (for their labor) and 1.2 bitcoin they would fix the problem. I.e. go on the dark web to get a private key and decrypt program and use team viewer to access my computer.............



    I do NOT have a solution for you, EXCEPT........................... Don't fall for the SCAM.
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  3. Posts : 5,452
    windows 10 Pro ver 21H2 build 19044.1348
       #3

    If you google for " How to remove Locky Virus ", you will find "Removal Tool" mentioned in many sites.
    Make your own selection.
    I have no experience with that. So I will not make recommendation.

    Maybe we have a "security" expert amongst us ?
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  4. Posts : 1,092
    Win 10 Pro x64
       #4

    Do you have a backup? That is your only sensible option I'm afraid. Have a look at this,

    If you open this file and allow the macro to run, the malware is downloaded and runs on your PC, encrypting your files. A ransom message is then displayed demanding payment in order to unlock your encrypted files. Note that once your files are encrypted, the only guaranteed way to restore them is from backup. Microsoft does not recommend you pay the ransom; there is no guarantee that this will give you access to your files
    Locky malware, lucky to avoid it | Microsoft Malware Protection Center
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  5. Posts : 8
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Thanks


    Thanks all. Guess I've got to do some googling. Can I change my user name on this forum? If so, how? Thanks!
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  6. Posts : 1,092
    Win 10 Pro x64
       #6

    Google isn't going to help you fix this, you may end up in even worse shape.

    You don't have a backup?

    What do you want your username changed to, I'll make sure it gets noticed.
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  7. Posts : 1,092
    Win 10 Pro x64
       #7

    I would trust what they are saying here,

    Locky Ransomware - How to Remove, Support and Discussion Topic - Page 4 - General Security

    Unfortunately, as noted by Grinler, the site owner of Bleeping Computer in this news article, there is no known way to decrypt files encrypted by Locky.
    Over anything I found Googling.
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  8. Posts : 149
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #8

    You can't get them back unless you have a backup.

    These removal/recovery tools are just as bad malware/spyware wise as the locky virus itself.
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  9. Posts : 39,777
    Win 7 32, Win 7 64 Pro, Win 8.1 64 Pro, Win 10 64 Education Edition, Win 11 Pro
       #9

    And, what now? Do you pay? Do you refuse? What? And, here’s your answer: DO NOT COMPLY! Do not pay. Just don’t. To go through with the ransom is to open the door to unknown third parties into your private life. You’ll give strangers access to your personal and financial information, and that’s something you can’t take back once you’ve done it. So, don’t do it. Make the wiser choice and say goodbye to your data. After all, it’s not worth your privacy.
    Sorry to hear you were the victim of this, but there is no way, at this point, to decrypt the files without paying. Even if you do pay, you may not get the key. Once they have your money, they are not obligated to supply the key.

    This doesn't help you now, but it will down the road. Make a system image on a regular basis. Keep that image on an external drive that is not always connected to the PC/Lappy. Keeps several images of different times on this drive in case you inadvertently make one with malware.

    If you have one of these, should something like this happen again, you simply restore the most recent image you made with a minimal loss of data (depending on when you made the image file). This is the best defense against malware/viruses such as this.

    System Image - Create in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

    A system image is an exact copy of a drive or partition which can be used to restore your PC to the state it was in at the time the image was made. By default, a system image only includes the drives that Windows requires to run, including Windows 10 itself, your system settings, programs, and files. You may also include any other drive in the image if you wish. When you restore your computer from a system image it is a complete restoration, you cannot choose individual items to restore and all of your current programs, system settings, and files are replaced with the contents of the system image.

    This tutorial will show you how to create a system image backup in Windows 10 to be able to use to restore the contents of your computer back to the state it was in when the system image was created if your hard drive fails or your computer ever encounters problems.
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  10. Posts : 8
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #10

    Thank you all. I appreciate it. Derekimo can you private messsage me? It says I don't have 5 posts so can't do it
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