The Admin locker virus belongs with the ransomware type of malicious agent. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, documents, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, creating the !!!Recovery File.txt text files in every directory with the encrypted files.
Admin locker virus: what is known so far?
☝️ A scientifically correct denomination for the Admin locker would be “a ransomware malicious agent”.
Admin locker adds its specific .admin1 extension to the name of each encoded file. For example, a file named “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.admin1”. In the same manner, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be altered to “table.xlsx.admin1”, and so on.
In every folder containing the encrypted files, a !!!Recovery File.txt text file will appear. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the Admin locker developers. That is basically the scheme of the crime.
Admin locker summary:
| Name | Admin locker Virus |
| Extension | .admin1 |
| Ransomware note | !!!Recovery File.txt |
| Detection | Win32/Filecoder.FCT.A, Ransom.StopCrypt, BScope.Adware.FileTour |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .admin1 extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Admin locker virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Admin locker looks like. Each filename has the “.admin1” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .admin1 files.
How did my machine catch Admin locker ransomware?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited methods for malefactors to have ransomware settled in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer file transfer.
If you access your inbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is strange to you, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a viral file attached to them. So it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file scheme1. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your computer pretending to be something legal. For instance, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some program. But what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful program that encrypts your data. As the installation package can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the resource of the stuff you’re downloading. The best thing is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols 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. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is complete.
How to remove the Admin locker virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Admin locker virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your computer to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware2 can extract your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Sometimes criminals would decrypt some of your files to prove that they do have the decryption tool. Since Admin locker virus is a relatively recent ransomware, security software developers have not yet found a method to undo its work. However, the decoding instruments are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.
Of course, if the hackers do the job of encoding victim’s critical files, the hopeless person will most likely fulfill their demands. Nevertheless, paying to racketeers gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After getting the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of racketeers just disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The optimal safety measure against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud drive or at least on an external storage. Obviously, that might be not enough. Your most important thing could be that file you were working on when it all went down. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the OS restoration.
Admin locker is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. For instance, Ygvb, Tuid, Udla, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Admin locker are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: documents become blocked, their extensions changed, ransom notes are created in each directory containing encoded files.
Some lucky people were able to decrypt the arrested files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How to avert ransomware infiltration?
Admin locker ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can armour yourself from its attack in several easy steps:
- Ignore any emails from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the suspicious email with caution. A hoax email will always contain mistakes.
- Never use cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often shared as a part of cracked products, most likely under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. But dubious programs are difficult to tell from trustworthy software, as trojans may also have the functionality you seek. You can try to find information about this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.
- And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect defense for your system.
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 computer for Admin locker 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 completed, 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.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.admin1” files?Is it possible to open“.admin1” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.admin1” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
If the “.admin1” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Admin locker virus?
Of course not. The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete active malware from your computer. The virus that has infected your PC is probably still functional and running scans periodically to arrest any new files you might create on your PC after the initial attack. As it has already been said, the Admin locker malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide hackers with easy access to your PC in the future.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Admin locker virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.
If that happened, you need to have a memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. You see, the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or brought into your machine. To stop this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Many of the blocked files might still be at your disposal
- If you exchanged your important files via email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Just ask them to post those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud storage might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, mobile, flash memory, etc.
HINT: You can employ file recovery programs5 to get your lost data back since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but remember: you can do it only after you remove the virus with an anti-malware program.
Also, you can contact the following governmental 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.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove ADMIN LOCKER Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: ADMIN LOCKER Virus
Description: ADMIN LOCKER Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .admin1 extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
- You can read more on spyware variants and nature in the respective section of GridinSoft official website.
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
- Here’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
