FXLOCKER Ransomware Virus Removal

The Fxlocker virus belongs with the ransomware type of malicious agent. Malware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (images, text files, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, leaving the README.txt text files in every folder which contains 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 Fxlocker virus?

Fxlocker will append its specific .fxlocker extension to every file’s title. For instance, an image named “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.fxlocker”. Likewise, the Excel file named “table.xlsx” will become “table.xlsx.fxlocker”, and so on.

In every folder that contains the encrypted files, a README.txt file will be found. It is a ransom money note. It contains information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the racketeers. You can obtain this tool after contacting haxcn@proton.me, wikicn@proton.me by email. That is how they do it.

Fxlocker Summary:

The README.txt document coming in package with the Fxlocker malware states the following:

[NOTICE]
Your system has been encrypted by FXLocker.


Please follow the payment instructions to recover your files.


[INSTRUCTIONS]
1. Payment amount: 0.75892 BTC
2. Bitcoin Address: 1FxA6Eaa
3. Payment Deadline: 2025-02-17


Contact Support with your Reference ID to obtain the decryption keys.


[INFORMATION]
Reference ID: NJQPTUJC6FFOVFIV


[WARNINGS]
- Failing to complete payment within the deadline may lead to permanent data loss.
- Failing to complete payment within the deadline may lead to permanent data loss.
- Do not rename encrypted files; this can prevent decryption.

 

[CONTACT SUPPORT]
haxcn@proton.me, wikicn@proton.me


[NOTICE]
You have until 2025-02-17 to complete the payment. Failure to comply will result in the permanent loss of your files.

/***************************************************
* PAY ATTENTION *
***************************************************
Please do not close this window or restart your computer.
Every action you take could result in permanent loss of your data.
Click the 'Contact Support' button below to secure your files.
***************************************************

In the image below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Fxlocker looks like. Each filename has the “.fxlocker” extension added to it.

An example of encrypted .fxlocker files.

How did Fxlocker ransomware end up on my PC?

There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware injection.

Nowadays, there are three most exploited ways for evil-doers to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer-to-peer file transfer.

• If you access your inbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are very likely to have a harmful file 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 scheme. A Trojan is a program that gets into your machine pretending to be something legal. For instance, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some service. But what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful program that corrupts your data. As the update file can have any title and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the things you’re downloading. The best thing is to trust the software developers’ official websites.
• As for the peer networks like torrent trackers or eMule, the threat 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. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is a good idea to scan the directory containing the downloaded objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.

How to remove ransomware?

It is important to note that besides encrypting your data, the Fxlocker virus will most likely deploy Vidar Stealer on your machine to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

Remove Fxlocker with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware

We have also been using this software on our systems ever since, and it has always been successful in detecting viruses. It has blocked the most common Ransomware as shown from our tests with the software, and we assure you that it can remove Fxlocker as well as other malware hiding on your computer.

To use Gridinsoft for remove malicious threats, follow the steps below:

1. Begin by downloading Gridinsoft Anti-Malware, accessible via the blue button below or directly from the official website gridinsoft.com.

2.Once the Gridinsoft setup file (setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe) is downloaded, execute it by clicking on the file.

3.Follow the installation setup wizard's instructions diligently.

4. Access the "Scan Tab" on the application's start screen and launch a comprehensive "Full Scan" to examine your entire computer. This inclusive scan encompasses the memory, startup items, the registry, services, drivers, and all files, ensuring that it detects malware hidden in all possible locations.

Be patient, as the scan duration depends on the number of files and your computer's hardware capabilities. Use this time to relax or attend to other tasks.

5. Upon completion, Anti-Malware will present a detailed report containing all the detected malicious items and threats on your PC.

6. Select all the identified items from the report and confidently click the "Clean Now" button. This action will safely remove the malicious files from your computer, transferring them to the secure quarantine zone of the anti-malware program to prevent any further harmful actions.

8. If prompted, restart your computer to finalize the full system scan procedure. This step is crucial to ensure thorough removal of any remaining threats. After the restart, Gridinsoft Anti-Malware will open and display a message confirming the completion of the scan.

Remember Gridinsoft offers a 6-day free trial. This means you can take advantage of the trial period at no cost to experience the full benefits of the software and prevent any future malware infections on your system. Embrace this opportunity to fortify your computer's security without any financial commitment.

Trojan Killer for “Fxlocker” removal on locked PC

In situations where it becomes impossible to download antivirus applications directly onto the infected computer due to malware blocking access to websites, an alternative solution is to utilize the Trojan Killer application.

There is a really little number of security tools that are able to be set up on the USB drives, and antiviruses that can do so in most cases require to obtain quite an expensive license. For this instance, I can recommend you to use another solution of GridinSoft - Trojan Killer Portable. It has a 14-days cost-free trial mode that offers the entire features of the paid version. This term will definitely be 100% enough to wipe malware out.

Trojan Killer is a valuable tool in your cybersecurity arsenal, helping you to effectively remove malware from infected computers. Now, we will walk you through the process of using Trojan Killer from a USB flash drive to scan and remove malware on an infected PC. Remember, always obtain permission to scan and remove malware from a computer that you do not own.

Step 1: Download & Install Trojan Killer on a Clean Computer:

1. Go to the official GridinSoft website (gridinsoft.com) and download Trojan Killer to a computer that is not infected.

2. Insert a USB flash drive into this computer.

3. Install Trojan Killer to the "removable drive" following the on-screen instructions.

4. Once the installation is complete, launch Trojan Killer.

Step 2: Update Signature Databases:

5. After launching Trojan Killer, ensure that your computer is connected to the Internet.

6. Click "Update" icon to download the latest signature databases, which will ensure the tool can detect the most recent threats.

Step 3: Scan the Infected PC:

7. Safely eject the USB flash drive from the clean computer.

8. Boot the infected computer to the Safe Mode.

9. Insert the USB flash drive.

10. Run tk.exe

11. Once the program is open, click on "Full Scan" to begin the malware scanning process.

Step 4: Remove Found Threats:

12. After the scan is complete, Trojan Killer will display a list of detected threats.

13. Click on "Cure PC!" to remove the identified malware from the infected PC.

14. Follow any additional on-screen prompts to complete the removal process.

Step 5: Restart Your Computer:

15. Once the threats are removed, click on "Restart PC" to reboot your computer.

16. Remove the USB flash drive from the infected computer.

Congratulations on effectively removing Fxlocker and the concealed threats from your computer! You can now have peace of mind, knowing that they won't resurface again. Thanks to Gridinsoft's capabilities and commitment to cybersecurity, your system is now protected.

Often racketeers would unblock several of your files so you know that they really have the decryption tool. As Fxlocker virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware engineers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. However, the decoding instruments are constantly upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.

Understandably, if the tamperers succeed in encoding victim’s essential data, the desperate person will most likely comply with their demands. Nevertheless, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your data back. It is still risky. After obtaining the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports about ransomware developers just disappearing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.

The optimal countermeasure to 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 disk. Surely, that might be insufficient. Your most important thing could be that one you were working upon when it all went down. But at least it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the OS is rolled back.

Fxlocker 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, Sage, Held, Prince, and some others. The two major differences between them and the Fxlocker are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: files become blocked, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in every directory containing encoded files.

Some fortunate victims were able to decrypt the arrested files with the aid of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decoding key to the victims 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. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ instrument to lay their hands on the money of their victims.

How do I avoid ransomware infection?

Fxlocker ransomware doesn’t have a superpower, neither does any similar malware.

You can protect your system from ransomware infiltration taking several easy steps:

• Ignore any emails from unknown mailboxes with unknown addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the dubious email carefully. A hoax email will surely contain mistakes.
• Do not use cracked or unknown software. Trojans are often spreaded as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. But dubious programs are very hard to tell from reliable ones, as trojans may also have the functionality you seek. You can try to find information about this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal solution is not to use such software.
• And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a perfect armor for your personal computer.

FAQ

How can I open “.fxlocker” files?Are the “.fxlocker” files accessible?

Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.fxlocker” files first. Then you will be able to open them.

The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?

Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

If GridinSoft deletes the Fxlocker malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?

No way! Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will remove active threats from your system. The ransomware that has infiltrated your system is most likely still active and it scans your system periodically to arrest any new files you might create on your PC after the attack. As it has been said above, the Fxlocker ransomware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide criminals with easy access to your computer in the future.

What should I do if the Fxlocker ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.

In such a case, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system launches and encodes any new files created or imported into your machine. To suppress 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.

What could help the situation right now?

Some of the encrypted data can be found elsewhere.

• If you sent or received your critical files via email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• You may have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Simply ask them to give those images back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try downloading them again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files too.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, cellphone, memory stick, etc.

HINT: You can use data recovery utilities¹ to get your lost data back since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you remove the ransomware itself with an antivirus program.

1. Here are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2024.