LATCHNETWORK Ransomware 🔐 (.LATCHNETWORK File) — Removal Guide

The Latchnetwork virus falls under the MedusaLocker ransomware family. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, text files, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its specific extension to every file, creating the how_to_back_files.html files in each folder with the encrypted files.

What is known about the Latchnetworkvirus?

☝️ A strictly correct denomination for the Latchnetwork would be “a MedusaLocker family ransomware malicious agent”.

Latchnetwork will append its extra .LATCHNETWORK extension to the name of each encrypted file. The random digit may appear at the end of this extension. During the test we met .LATCHNETWORK3 extension. For example, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.LATCHNETWORK4”. Likewise, the Excel table with the name “table.xlsx” will be changed to “table.xlsx.LATCHNETWORK4”, and so forth.

In every directory with the encrypted files, a how_to_back_files.html file will be created. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about 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 ransomware developers. That is basically the scheme of the malefaction.

Latchnetwork abstract:

In the picture below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Latchnetwork looks like. Each filename has the “.LATCHNETWORK” extension appended to it.

How did Latchnetwork ransomware end up on my PC?

There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most popular ways for criminals to have ransomware working in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer file transfer.

If you access your mailbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, beware of opening those emails. They are most likely to have a malware file attached to them. Thus it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with letters like these.

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 Web. You can never know 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 complete.

How do I get rid of the Latchnetwork virus?

It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Latchnetwork virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your machine to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware³ can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

Often racketeers would unblock some of your files to prove that they do have the decryption tool. As Latchnetwork virus is a relatively recent ransomware, safety measures designers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decryption instruments are frequently upgraded, so the effective countermeasure may soon be available.

Sure thing, if the evildoers succeed in encoding someone’s essential data, the desperate person will probably fulfill their demands. However, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your data back. It is still risky. After receiving the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of criminals just vanishing after getting the money without even writing back.

The best countermeasure to 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 storage. Surely, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that file you were working on when it all happened. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the anti-malware utility after the system is rolled back.

Latchnetwork 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, Fatp, Powd, Bowd, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Latchnetwork are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: files become encoded, their extensions changed, ransom notes appear in every directory containing encoded files.

Some fortunate users were able to decrypt the arrested files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decoding code to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But naturally, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a bandits’ technology to lay their hands on the money of their victims.

How to avert ransomware attack?

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

You can defend your PC from ransomware injection in several easy steps:

• Ignore any letters from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (how can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the dubious letter with caution. A hoax letter will surely contain mistakes.
• Avoid using cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often shared as a part of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” preventing the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are very hard to distinguish from reliable ones, because trojans may also have the functionality you seek. You can try searching for information about this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal solution is not to use such programs at all.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft⁴

Download Removal Tool.

Run the setup file.

Press “Install” button.

Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.

Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.

Click on “Clean Now”.

FAQ

🤔 How can I open “.LATCHNETWORK” files?Can I somehow access “.LATCHNETWORK” files?

There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.LATCHNETWORK” files are decrypted.

🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.LATCHNETWORK” files ASAP. How can I do that?

If the “.LATCHNETWORK” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. 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. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 What should I do if the Latchnetwork malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.

🤔 And what should I do now?

Many of the encrypted files might still be at your disposal

• If you exchanged your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
• You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to give those pictures 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 too.
• Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, cellphone, memory stick, etc.

HINT: You can employ data recovery programs⁶ to get your lost data back since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you can do it only after you remove the ransomware itself with an anti-malware 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.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
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