What is LOCKED_PAY Ransomware?
If your personal files were “locked” by LOCKED_PAY Ransomware, you might be thinking about following the instructions that were introduced to you by the creator of this infection. In fact, we do not really know if the attacker has also created the threat because it appears to have the code of the infamous Jigsaw Ransomware infection (just like Rodentia Ransomware, Bisquilla Ransomware, and other threats), and so it is possible that the attacker has simply used the code that was developed by the original creator. All in all, following the instructions by whoever is responsible for this malware is a bad idea. Anti-Spyware-101.com researchers warn that you are likely to waste your savings by following the demands that are delivered using a window launched by the threat. So, what are you supposed to do? Hopefully, you have backups that can replace the corrupted files, but if that is the case, we suggest that you delete LOCKED_PAY Ransomware before you move on.
How does LOCKED_PAY Ransomware work?
If you have no clue where LOCKED_PAY Ransomware has come from, you have to consider the possibility that a clandestine Trojan has dropped this infection onto your computer. Perhaps cybercriminals exploited a remote access vulnerability to execute the infection without your notice? If you remember opening a strange spam email attachment or downloading new software right before the attack occurred, you can blame no one but yourself for the invasion of this infection. In fact, regardless of the situation, there is a good chance that you failed to protect your system reliably. Maybe the security software installed on your PC is outdated? Maybe you skipped the latest security updates? Maybe you did not protect your operating system at all thinking that malware would never invade your computer. Whatever the case, if you cannot open your personal files, and the “.LOCKED_PAY” extension is appended to their names, there is no doubt that LOCKED_PAY Ransomware has managed to slither in. Before you even realize that your files are no longer readable, you are likely to be introduced to the ransom note.
As we have mentioned already, the ransom note by LOCKED_PAY Ransomware is delivered via a window. It is launched soon after the files are encrypted, and it informs that you need a decryption key to have all of them restored. To obtain the key, you are instructed to pay a ransom and then click a special “GET MY DECRYPTION KEY” button. This is extremely suspicious because the ransom note does not ask you to identify yourself, and that means that even if you pay the ransom, the attackers will not be able to know whether or not you did it. There is no way to contact them to prove your payment. Clearly, this is all just a scam, and so you must not waste your money. On top of that, it is unclear how much the attackers want. According to the ransom note, you can choose to pay using Bitcoin or Monero, but the sums do not match at all. The requested 0.005 Bitcoin convert to around 40 US Dollars, while the requested 800 Monero convert to around 40,000 Dollars. It is very obvious that you are being scammed, and so we suggest that you focus not on the ransom but on the removal of LOCKED_PAY Ransomware.
How to delete LOCKED_PAY Ransomware
We cannot guarantee that you can remove LOCKED_PAY Ransomware manually because that depends on your ability to identify and remove the infection’s launcher. We do not know where this file is within your system, and we cannot know its name either. Are you stuck? That is how most victims are likely to feel, but if you employ automated anti-malware software, your system will be cleared from malware in no time. First, the tool will scan the entire system to determine which threats exist. Then, it will initiate removal, and your system will be cleared within a few moments. Of course, whether you delete LOCKED_PAY Ransomware manually or automatically, you still need to think about your security. Anti-malware software will take care of Windows protection, but you need to be careful about how you yourself act online. Also, you need to take better care of your files, which you can do by creating backup copies outside the system. Hopefully, you have backups that can replace the files that were corrupted.
Removal Instructions
- If you can identify the malicious [unique name] file that launched the threat, Delete it.
- Launch Windows Explorer (tap Win+E keys) and enter %APPDATA% into the field at the top.
- If a folder named Path exists, Delete it with all of the files inside.
- Empty Recycle Bin and then run a full system scan using a trusted malware scanner.
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