LOL Virus 🔐 Ransomware (.LOL File) — How to Remove?

The Lol virus falls within the ransomware type of infection. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, documents, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its specific extension to every file, leaving the Message.txt text files in every folder which contains the encrypted files.

Lol virus: what is known so far?

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

Lol will add its specific .lol extension to every file’s name. For instance, a file entitled “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.lol”. Likewise, the Excel file with the name “table.xlsx” will be renamed to “table.xlsx.lol”, and so on.

In every directory that contains the encrypted files, a Message.txt text file will appear. It is a ransom money note. Therein you can find information about the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to buy the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is it.

Lol abstract:

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

How did Lol ransomware end up on my PC?

There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most exploited ways for tamperers to have the Lol virus settled in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer-to-peer networks.

If you open your mailbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose mailer is unknown to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a viral file enclosed in them. Therefore, it is even more dangerous to download any attachments that come with letters like these.

As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrent trackers 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 files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is complete.

How to remove the Lol virus?

It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Lol virus will most likely deploy the Azorult Spyware on your PC to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware² can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.

Sometimes criminals would decode few of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption tool. As Lol virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures designers have not yet found a method to undo its work. However, the anti-ransomware tools are constantly upgraded, so the solution may soon arrive.

Of course, if the evildoers succeed in encoding someone’s essential data, the hopeless person will probably comply with their demands. Despite that, paying a ransom does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After receiving the ransom, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of hackers simply disappearing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.

The optimal solution against ransomware is to have aan OS 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 crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also advisable to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the system is rolled back.

Lol 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, Eewt, Ofoq, Aawt, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Lol are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: files become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in each folder containing encoded files.

Some lucky people were able to decrypt the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the racketeers accidentally send the decoding key to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the victim to restore the files. But naturally, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a criminals’ instrument to lay their hands on the money of their victims.

How to avert ransomware injection?

Lol ransomware has no endless power, so as any similar malware.

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

• Ignore any emails from unknown senders with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (how can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the suspicious letter carefully. A hoax email will surely contain mistakes.
• Do not use cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often distributed as an element of cracked software, most likely under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, dubious programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable software, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you seek. You can try to find information about this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the best solution is not to use such programs at all.

Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft³

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 “.lol” files?Are the “.lol” files accessible?

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

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

It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. The rest of the methods require patience.

🤔 What to do if the Lol malware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.

🤔 What could help the situation right now?

Many of the blocked files might still be at your disposal

• If you exchanged your critical 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 give those pictures back to you.
• If you have initially downloaded 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 as well.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, cellphone, memory stick, etc.

HINT: You can employ file recovery programs⁵ to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the original ones. In the video below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, 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 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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