The $ucylocker virus belongs with the ransomware type of infection. A harmful program of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (images, text files, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, creating the READ_IT.txt files in each folder with the encrypted files.
What is $ucylocker virus?
☝️ A strictly accurate denomination for the $ucylocker is “a ransomware infection”.
$ucylocker adds its own .WINDOWS extension to the name of each encoded file. For example, an image entitled “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.WINDOWS”. Likewise, the Excel table named “table.xlsx” will end up as “table.xlsx.WINDOWS”, and so forth.
In each directory that contains the encoded files, a READ_IT.txt text document will be created. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the racketeers. That is how they do it.
$ucylocker abstract:
| Name | $ucylocker Virus |
| Extension | .WINDOWS |
| Ransomware note | READ_IT.txt |
| Detection | Crytex.Virus.FileInfector.DDS, Win32/Filecoder.OLC, Malware-Cryptor.InstallCore.5 |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .WINDOWS extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by $ucylocker virus |
In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the $ucylocker looks like. Each filename has the “.WINDOWS” extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .WINDOWS files.
How did my machine catch $ucylocker ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited ways for evil-doers to have ransomware planted in your system. These are email spam, Trojan introduction and peer-to-peer networks.
If you access your mailbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is unknown to you, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a ransomware item attached to them. Thus it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan horse scheme1. A Trojan is an object that gets into your PC pretending to be something different. Imagine, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some service. However, what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful program that compromises your data. As the installation wizard 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 optimal way is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer file transfer protocols like BitTorrent or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never know 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 objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the $ucylocker virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your data, the $ucylocker virus will most likely install the Azorult Spyware on your PC to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware2 can derive your logins and passwords from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Often racketeers would unblock some of your files to prove that they do have the decryption program. Since $ucylocker virus is a relatively new ransomware, anti-malware engineers have not yet found a method to undo its work. However, the anti-ransomware instruments are constantly updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Understandably, if the tamperers succeed in encrypting victim’s critical files, the desperate person will probably comply with their demands. However, paying to racketeers does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still dangerous. After receiving the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the victim. There were reports of malefactors just disappearing after getting the money without even writing back.
The best solution against 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 storage. Surely, that might be not enough. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working on when it all started. But at least it is something. It is also wise to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.
There are other ransomware products, besides $ucylocker, that work similarly. For instance, Isal, Bpws, Znto, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the $ucylocker are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is the same: files become inaccessible, their extensions altered, ransom notes appear in each directory containing encoded files.
Some lucky victims were able to decrypt the arrested files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decryption key to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But of course, one should never rely on such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a criminals’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.
How do I avert ransomware injection?
$ucylocker ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can armour your PC from ransomware injection in three easy steps:
- Ignore any emails from unknown senders with strange 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?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, scrutinize all elements of the dubious letter carefully. A fake letter will surely contain a mistake.
- Avoid using cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often spreaded as a part of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are difficult to tell from reliable software, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. You can try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal solution is not to use such programs at all.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful shield 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 system.
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 PC for $ucylocker 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.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.WINDOWS” files?Are the “.WINDOWS” files accessible?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.WINDOWS” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
If the “.WINDOWS” 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. All other solutions require time.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the $ucylocker malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
Absolutely not! Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete the infections from your computer. The ransomware that has infiltrated your device is must be still active and running scans every so often to encode any new files you might create on your PC after the initial attack. As it has been mentioned above, the $ucylocker malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide criminals with easy access to your PC in the future.
🤔 What to do if the $ucylocker ransomware has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation key.
In such an unfortunate situation, you need to prepare a flash memory card with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. The point is that the ransomware runs automatically as the system launches and encrypts any new files created or brought into your computer. To stop this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run upon system boot. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What can I do right now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be at your disposal
- If you exchanged your important files by email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared images 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 Internet, you can try downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a notebook, phone, external storage, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ data recovery utilities5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the video below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you can do it only after you remove 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 $UCYLOCKER Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: $UCYLOCKER Virus
Description: $UCYLOCKER Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .WINDOWS 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 Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
