8B5LC Ransomware (.8b5lc files) — Removal Guide

The 8b5lc virus belongs to the Hive ransomware family. A harmful program of such sort encrypts all the data on your PC (images, text files, excel tables, music, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, leaving the MGzQ_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt text files in every folder with the encrypted files.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.

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What is known about the 8b5lcvirus?

☝️ A strictly accurate description for the 8b5lc would be “a Hive family ransomware-type infection”.

The renaming will be done by the following scheme: [random string].8b5lc. During the encryption, a file entitled, for instance, “report.docx” will be changed to “report.docx.C1OB3W9XNXLibv189cGzm12wBYIOC.8b5lc”.

In every directory with the encrypted files, a MGzQ_HOW_TO_DECRYPT.txt text file will be found. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the tamperers. That is pretty much the scheme of the malefaction.

8b5lc abstract:

In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the 8b5lc looks like. Each filename has the “.[random string].8b5lc” extension added to it.

An example of encrypted .[random string].8b5lc files.

How did my computer get infected with 8b5lc ransomware?

There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most exploited methods for malefactors to have the 8b5lc virus working in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer networks.

If you open your mailbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is strange to you, beware of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a harmful item enclosed in them. Thus it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with emails like these.

Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan file model². A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something legal. For example, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some software. But what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful agent that compromises your data. Since the installation wizard can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the things you’re downloading. The best way is to trust the software developers’ official websites.

As for the peer-to-peer networks like torrents or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never guess what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.

How do I get rid of the 8b5lc virus?

It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your data, the 8b5lc virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your PC to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

Sometimes racketeers would decrypt several of your files to prove that they do have the decryption tool. As 8b5lc virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures developers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the decoding tools are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.

Understandably, if the criminals succeed in encoding victim’s essential data, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. However, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of racketeers simply disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.

The best solution against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external drive. Obviously, that might be not enough. The most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all went down. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.

There are other ransomware products, besides 8b5lc, that work similarly. For instance, Qbaa, Ooii, Fgui, and some others. The two main differences between them and the 8b5lc are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become encoded, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in every directory containing encoded files.

Some fortunate people were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decoding key to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ instrument to pull the money out of their victims.

How to avert ransomware infiltration?

8b5lc ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, so as any similar malware.

You can armour your computer from its attack in three easy steps:

• Ignore any emails from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (how can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). If the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, check all elements of the suspicious letter with caution. A fake email will surely have a mistake.
• Do not use cracked or unknown software. Trojan viruses are often spreaded as a part of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy software, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try to find information about this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such software.
• And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, scan them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect armor for your PC.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft³

There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft⁴.

Download Removal Tool.

You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:

Run the setup file.

When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your computer.

An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

Press “Install” button.

Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.

Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your system for 8b5lc infections and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.

Click on “Clean Now”.

When the scan has finished, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 Can I somehow access “.[random string].8b5lc” files?

Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.[random string].8b5lc” files you will not be able to access them.

🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?

If the “.[random string].8b5lc” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the 8b5lc virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?

Of course not. The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware only deals with active viruses. The malware that has attacked your computer is must be still active and running scans from time to time to encrypt any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been mentioned above, the 8b5lc malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide criminals with easy access to your system after some time.

🤔 What actions should I take if the 8b5lc malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.

If that happened, you need to prepare a flash memory card with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or brought into your computer. To block this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.

🤔 And what should I do now?

Some of the encrypted files can be found elsewhere.

• If you exchanged your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to give those images back to you.
• If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do it again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files too.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, phone, external storage, etc.

USEFUL TIP: You can use file recovery programs⁵ to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you kill the ransomware itself with an antivirus program.

Also, you can contact the following official fraud and scam sites to report this attack:

• In the United States: On Guard Online;
• In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
• In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
• In Australia: SCAMwatch;
• In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
• In France: Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information;
• In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
• In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;

To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.

How to Remove 8B5LC Ransomware & Recover PC

Name: 8B5LC Virus

Description: 8B5LC Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .[random string].8b5lc extension. So, you can't use them at all.

Operating System: Windows

Application Category: Virus

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