What is HorseLeader Ransomware?
HorseLeader Ransomware is a dangerous computer infection that has to be removed from your system as soon as possible. It is very unfortunate that you got this infection because it might not be possible to restore all of the files that were affected by the encryption. However, you should still look into all the possible ways that can help you retrieve at least some of your data. And don’t forget that you need to protect yourself from similar intruders in the future. To be ready, you have to learn more about HorseLeader Ransomware and other similar infections.
Where does HorseLeader Ransomware come from?
Based on what our researchers tell us, this infection comes from the GarrantyDecrypt family. It is supposedly very similar to Horsedeal Ransomware. Judging from the name, we can assume that HorseLeader Ransomware is a new version of the previously released infection. Consequently, it is highly possible that this program behaves just like its predecessor. Thus, to avoid HorseLeader Ransomware, you should stay away from spam emails and random downloads.
It is very often that ransomware travels via spam email attachments. It means that users download and open the malicious installer files themselves. This happens because spam email that distribute HorseLeader Ransomware and other similar infections are quite sophisticated, and they often look like regular document files. That is why users get tricked into opening them. For example, we know that the installer file for HorseLeader Ransomware pretends to be a legitimate MS Word file.
Therefore, if users have to deal with multiple attachment files every single day, they might not think twice before opening the malware installer file, too. Especially if it looks like most of the files that they have to open every day. How would it be possible to prevent this infection? Well, you could always scan the received files with a security tool of your choice. If you scan your files before opening them, you would definitely avoid the likes of HorseLeader Ransomware.
What does HorseLeader Ransomware do?
It’s probably not that hard to understand that HorseLeader Ransomware is an infection that will encrypt your files and hold them hostage, waiting for you to pay the ransom fee. This program is quite aggressive and it doesn’t leave anything in its wake.
When it runs on your computer, the infection locates and kills multiple processes that might interfere with the encryption. For instance, it might kill Outlook and MS Word programs, as well as Team Viewer, Excel, Visual Studio, and other frequently used programs. Then, the infection will scan your computer looking for all the files it can encrypt, after that, the system will no longer be able to read the affected files.
All the files that get encrypted receive a new extension to their names. For example, if you were to have a file invoice.xlsx, after the encryption the filename would be invoice.xlsx.horseleader. In a sense, the extension works like a stamp that tells you the files were affected by HorseLeader Ransomware, but you don’t need an extension to realize that you can no longer access your data.
After that, HorseLeader Ransomware will also display a ransom note on your screen. The ransom note is very short, but it’s also very clear:
Contact us!
ICQ - @Horseleader
XMPP – horseleader@xmpp.jp
It doesn’t even say that your files were encrypted (like most of the other ransomware programs do). You’re supposed to understand what happened and contact these criminals for further instructions. We hope that you would never do that because it would only encourage the people behind HorseLeader Ransomware to create more dangerous infections.
How do I remove HorseLeader Ransomware?
In reality, it is not that complicated to remove this infection from your computer. It is far more difficult to restore your files. There is no public decryption tool available at the moment, so you might need to search for other file recovery methods.
Of course, if you have a file backup, then there will be no problem. A file backup refers to some file storage (like an external HDD or a cloud drive) where you regularly save copies of your files. If you do have one, simply remove this infection from your system, delete the encrypted files, and then transfer the healthy copies of your data back into a clean system.
Manual HorseLeader Ransomware Removal
- Remove the most recent files from Desktop.
- Delete recently downloaded files from the Downloads folder.
- Press Win+R and enter %TEMP%. Press OK.
- Delete the most recent files from the directory.
- Run full system scan with SpyHunter.
100% FREE spyware scan and
tested removal of HorseLeader Ransomware*
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