The Blue locker virus belongs to the ransomware type of malicious agent. Ransomware of this type encrypts all the data on your computer (images, documents, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, creating the restore_file.txt text files in every folder containing encrypted files.
What is known about the Blue lockervirus?
☝️ A strictly accurate designation for the Blue locker would be “a ransomware infection”.
Blue locker will append its specific .blue extension to every file’s title. For instance, a file named “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.blue”. Likewise, the Excel table with the name “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.blue”, and so forth.
In every directory with the encrypted files, a restore_file.txt 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 purchase the decryption tool from the Blue locker developers. That is how they do it.
Blue locker summary:
| Name | Blue locker Virus |
| Extension | .blue |
| Ransomware note | restore_file.txt |
| Detection | Win32/Obfuscated.NFG, Win32/GameServer.AA potentially unwanted, Win64/Agent.GG |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .blue extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Blue locker virus |
In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Blue locker looks like. Each filename has the “.blue” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .blue files.
How did my computer get infected with Blue locker ransomware?
There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited methods for tamperers to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer networks.
If you open your mailbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is unknown to you, be wary of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a harmful file enclosed in them. So it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus scheme1. A Trojan is a program that gets into your machine disguised as something different. For example, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some program. However, what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful program that corrupts your data. As the installation package can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the stuff you’re downloading. The best way is to use the software developers’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer networks like torrents or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never guess what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded items with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the Blue locker virus?
It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Blue locker virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware2 can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often criminals would decode few of your files so you know that they do have the decryption tool. As Blue locker virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware engineers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. However, the decoding instruments are constantly upgraded, so the solution may soon be available.
Understandably, if the evildoers succeed in encrypting victim’s essential data, the desperate person will probably comply with their demands. However, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your data back. It is still dangerous. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about malefactors simply 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 disk or at least on an external drive. Surely, that might be insufficient. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all happened. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the OS is rolled back.
There are other ransomware products, besides Blue locker, that work similarly. Examples of those are Xqxqx, Phv1, Mljx, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Blue locker are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes emerge in every folder containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate people were able to decrypt the blocked files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decoding code to the victims in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But obviously, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How do I avoid ransomware attack?
Blue locker ransomware doesn’t have a endless power, so as any similar malware.
You can protect yourself from ransomware infiltration taking three easy steps:
- Ignore any emails from unknown mailers with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, check all elements of the questionable email with caution. A hoax email will surely contain mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted programs. Trojans are often shared as an element of cracked products, possibly under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. But potentially dangerous programs are very hard to distinguish from trustworthy software, because trojans may also have the functionality you need. Try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the best solution is not to use such programs at all.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful shield for your personal computer.
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 PC.
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 Blue 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 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
🤔 How can I open “.blue” files?Can I somehow access “.blue” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.blue” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. In case you haven’t, there is still a chance that you do have a Restore Point from some time ago to roll back the whole system to the moment when it had no virus yet, but already had your files. The rest of the methods require patience.
🤔 You have advised using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to get rid of the Blue locker virus. Does it mean that all my files, currently encrypted, will be removed too?
Absolutely not! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will remove actual malware from your system. The ransomware that has infiltrated your computer is probably still functional and launching checks from time to time to arrest any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has been said above, the Blue locker ransomware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide hackers with easy access to your PC in the future.
🤔 What actions should I take if the Blue locker virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.
In such a case, you need to prepare a memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or imported into your system. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Many of the encoded files might still be within your reach
- If you exchanged your important files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Just ask them to give 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 drives might have all those files too.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a notebook, phone, external storage, etc.
HINT: You can use data recovery utilities5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the original 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 eradicate the virus 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.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove BLUE LOCKER Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: BLUE LOCKER Virus
Description: BLUE 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 .blue 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 are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
