Remove Lokas Ransomware (.lokas Decryption)

The Lokas virus is just one of the many variants from a large ransomware family called STOP or DJVU. It seems that group behind this malware made this file-locking scheme as the main source of profit and it is evident on their continuous development of newer variants almost day after day. Being the recent edition of the family, there is no perceptible adjustment to Lokas as per evaluation of malware researchers. Every single element of previous edition as Cezor, Besub, and Litar is retained on Lokas.

As discovered by malware researcher Michael Gillespie, this ransom virus follows the usual pattern of distribution method. It typically spreads via spam email messages wherein the malicious code is attached and masquerading as valuable document. Attackers behind Lokas have crafted the content and make it appear that sender is a prominent company or organization to be able lure users into opening the attached file.

Once the attached Lokas virus is initiated, it scans the computer’s storage for important files and encrypts them with a sophisticated algorithm that requires a combination of private key and decryption software to restore. Unfortunately, only the attackers can instantly provide the recovery solution but the cost is too pricey, which ordinary computer users may not afford. Standard ransom money as stipulated on the ransom note and is common to this type of ransomware is $980. Though, victims can avail of the 50% discount if payment was made within the first 72 hours.

Generally, money is the main rationale why cyber crooks keeps on developing and spreading ransomware as Lokas. As precedent, it encrypts victim’s data and rename it with .lokas extension, which renders it temporary useless. In order to reclaim access to infected files, attackers are demanding ransom payment to be paid via their assigned processor and only currency they accept is Bitcoin, which is digital and non-traceable.

Paying the developers of Lokas do not guaranteed the recovery of files according to security experts. Remember that victims are dealing with swindlers that can flee away after collecting the payment. Thus, users must deal with ransomware attack intelligently and if possible, just archive all infected files and wait for the free Lokas decryption tool if ever ransomware researchers can provide one.

How to Remove Lokas Ransomware

Ransomware files are placed deeply into the system and on various locations, thus, thorough scanning is vital to totally remove Lokas virus. Aside from our suggested tool, you may also run your own security program.

Though affected files may be impossible to decrypt due to complexity of the encryption, you can still try recovery method like alternative tool, Shadow Explorer or Previous Version as described below.

Stage 1: Scan the Computer with Anti-Malware Tool

1. Download free anti-malware scanner called MalwareBytes Anti-Malware.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Download Link (this will open a new window)

2. After downloading, install the program. It may run automatically or you have to double-click on the downloaded file MBSetup.exe.

3. Carry out the installation with default setup process.

4. After the installation process, click the Get Started button to launch the program.

5. Continue with the prompts until the main program opens.

6. On the main console, click on Scan to run most complete detection method to find hidden objects associated to Lokas ransomware.

7. Scanning may take a while. Please wait until the anti-malware tool is done with the checking.

8. Once the scan has completed, the tool will display the list of detected threats. Remove all identified malicious items and restart the computer if necessary.

Stage 2: Double-check for Lokas’s leftover with Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool

1. Download the free scanner called Malicious Software Removal Tool.
Malicious Software Removal Tool Download Link (this will open a new window)

2. The tool automatically checks the operating system and suggest appropriate download version. Click on Download button to begin. Save the file to a convenient location, preferably on Desktop.

3. After downloading the file, Windows will prompt that download has completed. Click Run to start scanning for Lokas ransomware. Another option is to browse the location folder and double click on the file to run.

4. The tool will display Welcome screen, click Next. Please note the message “This tool is not a replacement for an antivirus product.” You must understand that this program is made specifically to find and remove malware, viruses, Trojans, and other harmful elements on the computer. It was not designed to protect the computer.

5. Next, you will see Scan Type. Please choose Full Scan to ensure that all Lokas ransom virus entities and other harmful files left on the computer will be found and removed. For advanced computer user, you can opt for Customized Scan, if there are other drives or folders you wanted to include in this scan.

6. Full scan may take a while, please wait for Malicious Software Removal Tool to complete the tasks. However, you may cancel the scan anytime by clicking on the Cancel button.

7. After scanning, the tool will reveal all identified threats. There may be other threats that our first scan fails to detect. Please remove/delete all detected items.

8. When removal procedure is complete, you may now close Malicious Software Removal Tool. We hope that Lokas ransomware have been completely deleted from the computer. Please restart Windows to proceed with the normal operation.

Stage 3 : Unlocking files with Lokas Decryption Tool

So far, this Lokas decryption tool works only for files that were encrypted using offline keys. This happens sometimes if the virus is unable to communicate to remote server to obtain unique keys; instead, it will use offline keys when encrypting files. However, there is a little chance of recovering files using this tool due to limited available offline keys that were integrated with this decryption tool.

For additional information (download link, supported versions, instructions) about StopDecrypter, please proceed to ransomware decryption tool archive page.

If you received a message stating that “No keys were found for the following IDs (.lokas)”, please copy and submit the information to the official download page to include your information (log file) and have it archive in case decryption software becomes available.

We will update this section once the full decryption tool is on hand. In the meantime, please try other options below.

Option 1: Windows Previous Version Tool

Windows Vista and Windows 7 have a feature called Previous Versions. However, this tool is only usable if restore point was made prior to Lokas ransomware infection. To use this tool and recover files affected by the virus, please follow these steps:

1. Open My Computer or Windows Explorer.

2. Right-click on the affected files or folders. From the drop-down list, please click on Restore previous versions.

3. New window will open display all backup copy of files and folders you wanted to recover. Choose the appropriate file and click on Open, Copy, or Restore. Restoring selected files overwrites the current encrypted files on the computer.

Option 2: Use ShadowExplorer to restore files encrypted by Lokas Ransomware

Just like Previous Version tool, ShadowExplorer is taking advantage of shadow copy created by Windows. This tool allows you to retrieve older version of files before it was encrypted by Lokas ransomware.

1. Download ShadowExplorer from the official web site.

2. Install the program with the default settings.

3. The program should run automatically after installation. If not, double-click on ShadowExplorer icon.

4. You can see the drop-down list on top of the console. Please select proper drive and the most recent point-in-time shadow copies of files you wish to restore prior to Lokas ransomware infection.

5. Right-click on the Drive, Folder, or File you wish to restore and click Export…

6. Lastly, ShadowExplorer will prompt for location where you want to save the copy of recovered files.