Remove LOMX Ransomware Virus (+DECRYPT .lomx Files)

Lomx malware is a sort of computer virus that injects your computer, encrypts your documents, and then asks to pay the money for file decryption. Besides these unpleasant activities, that virus also changes some important settings and can even disable your security tool.

Lomx virus – what is it?

Lomx ransomware can correctly be classified as a STOP/Djvu virus family. That sort of malware is aimed on single users. This feature supposes that Lomx does not bring any type of additional viruses, which sometimes helps virus of other families to take control of your PC. Since the majority people do not have anything valuable on their PCs, there is no reason to carry other malware that increases the risk of failure of the whole ransomware injection.

The typical signs of this virus activity is the emersion of .lomx files in your folders, instead of the files you used to have. The photo.jpg turns into photo.jpg.lomx, report.xlsx – into report.xlsx.lomx and so on. You cannot to prevent this action, and can’t open that files – they are ciphered with pretty strong cipher.

You can also see various other signs of ransomware activity. Abruptly stopped Microsoft Defender and inability to check the popular anti-malware forums or sites, where the ransomware removal and decryption guides are published. You will see how it works in the paragraph below. The malware removal and decryption guide are also available – check below how to wipe out Lomx ransomware and get the .lomx files back.

How did Lomx ransomware encrypt my files?

After the malware injection, the Lomx ransomware establishes a connection with its command and control server. This server is commanded by ransomware maintainers – fraudsters who manage the spreading of this virus. Another activity which is conducted by these crooks is answering the email messages of sufferers, who want to decrypt their files.

The files are encrypted with one of the strongest encryption algorithm – AES-256. The “256” digit in the name of this algo means the power of two – 2^256 for this case. 78-digit number of possible decryption password variations – it is impossible to brute force it. As cipher analysts say, it will take more time than the Earth can estimate to exist, even if you make use of the most powerful computer system. In each folder that has the encrypted documents, Lomx ransomware leaves the _readme.txt file with the following contents:

ATTENTION!

Don't worry, you can return all your files!

All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.

What guarantees you have?

You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.

You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:

https://we.tl/t-WJa63R98Ku

Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that's price for you is $490.

Please note that you'll never restore your data without payment.

Check your e-mail "Spam" or "Junk" folder if you don't get answer more than 6 hours.

To get this software you need write on our e-mail:

support@fishmail.top

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:

datarestorehelp@airmail.cc

Your personal ID:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nevertheless, you can still open some of your documents. The Lomx malware ciphers only the first 150 KB of each file, but the other piece of this document can be opened. Primarily, it works best with audio/video files, which are likely larger than 150 kilobytes. Not every media player is capable of open these files – WinAmp is the best option, since it is free and well-tested. First seconds of every song or video will be silent – this part is encrypted – but the rest of the file will be accessible like nothing happened.

Is Lomx ransomware dangerous for my PC?

As it was mentioned several paragraphs above, ransomware is not only about ciphering the files. Lomx malware makes the changes in your computer in order to prevent searching the malware removal and file decryption guides. Lomx virus does not create the software obstacle – it just modifies the settings, primarily – networking and security configurations.

Among the networking configurations, the most damaged item is the HOSTS configuration file. This text file keeps the DNS-address configurations, which are used by the browsers while requesting to the website server. If you add a specific DNS-address for the certain web page, your browser will connect that page through this DNS next time. Ransomware modifies that file, adding the unknown DNS, so any of the web browsers will show you the “Unable to resolve the DNS-address” error.

Other alterations done by the virus are aimed at prevention of operative detection of itself, and also preventing the installation of the majority of security tools. Lomx ransomware makes some modifications in Group Policies – the system configuration interface which gives you the right to modify the abilities of each app. In such a way, the virus stops the Microsoft Defender and different other antivirus tools, as well as blocks the launch of antivirus installation files.

How did I get infected?

Throughout the whole term while STOP/Djvu family existed, it was using dubious applications as the main method of ransomware injection. Under the term of questionable software I mean software that are already not controlled by the creator and distributed through the file sharing websites. These apps may be cracked, to make them possible to use without purchasing any license. One more example of such a program class is various hacking tools – cheat engines, keygens, Windows activation tools and so on.

This sort of apps may be spread in different methods – through the web page that offers a downloading link, and also through the seeding networks – ThePirateBay, eMule and so on. All these sources are well-known as the most popular computer piracy resources. People use these sites to get different programs or games for free, even if these programs must be purchased. No one can stop the users who hack these apps from adding viruses of some type to the files of the hacked tool. Hacktools, meanwhile, are created for outlaw actions, so their creators can easily insert the malware under the guise of some program part.

These cracked programs, regardless of their source, are one of the most often sources for various malware, and surely the most widespread one for Lomx ransomware. The best solution is to stop using of it, and not only because of malware spreading risks. Avoiding the license purchase is an illegal action, and both hackers and folks who use cracked programs fall under the charge of piracy.

How do I remove Lomx ransomware?

The Lomx malware is extremely hard to remove manually. Really, because of the number of modifications it makes into your PC, it is almost unreal to find them all and fix. The best decision is to use antivirus software. But which one to choose?

You may see the offers to make use of Microsoft Defender, that is already inside of your system. But as it was mentioned before, the majority of STOP/Djvu malware examples disable it even before the ciphering process. Making use of the third-party program is the only possible solution – and I can advice you the GridinSoft Anti-Malware as an option for that case. It has impressive detection abilities, so the Lomx ransomware will not be missed. It is also capable of system recovery, which is heavily demanded after the Lomx virus attack.

To remove Lomx malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software.

After the ransomware removal, you can go to file decryption. Malware removal is needed to prevent the repeating encryption of your files: while Lomx ransomware is active, it will not pass any unencrypted file.

How to decrypt the .lomx files?

There are two ways to recover your files after a Lomx virus attack. First one and the most obvious is file decryption. It is performed with a special program, designed by Emsisoft, and named Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP/Djvu. This program is free. Analysts update its decryption keys databases as often as possible, so you will surely get your files back, sooner or later.

Another option to get your files back is to try to recover them from your physical disks. Since Lomx virus deletes them and substitutes with an encrypted copy, the residue of the documents are still stored on the disk drive. After the removal, the information about them is wiped from the file system, but not from a disk. Special apps, like PhotoRec, are able to recover these files. It is free, too, and may also be used for file recovery in case when you have deleted a thing unintentionally.

Decrypting the .lomx files with Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu

Download and install Emsisoft Decrypter tool. Agree with its EULA and continue to the interface.

The interface of this program is extremely easy. All you have to do is to select the folder where the encrypted files are stored, and wait. If the program has the decryption key which corresponds to your ransomware case – it will decrypt it.

During the use of Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu, you may observe various error messages. Don’t worry, that does not mean that you did something wrong or a program does not work properly. Each of these errors refer to a specific case. Here is the explanation:

Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [your ID]

The program does not have a corresponding key for your case. You need to wait for some time until the key database will be updated.

No key for new variant online ID: [your ID]

Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible.

This error means that your files are encrypted with an online key. In such a case, the decryption key is unique and stored on the remote server, controlled by crooks. Unfortunately, the decryption is impossible.

Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]

This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future.

Ransomware uses the offline key to encrypt your files. This key is not unique, so you likely have it in common with another victim. Since offline keys must be collected, too, it is important to keep calm and wait until the analysts team finds one which will fit your case.

Remote name could not be resolved

This error indicates that the program has problems with DNS on your computer. That’s a clear sign of malicious alterations in your HOSTS file. Reset it using the official Microsoft guide.

Recovering the .lomx files with PhotoRec tool

PhotoRec is an open-source tool, which is created to recover the deleted or lost files from the disk. It checks each disk sector for the residues of deleted files, and then tries to recover them. That app is able to recover the files of more than 400 different formats. Because of the described feature of ransomware encryption mechanism, it is possible to use this tool to get the original, unencrypted files back.

Download PhotoRec from the official website. It is absolutely free, however, its developer warns that he does not guarantee that this program will be 100% effective for file recovery purposes. Moreover, even paid apps can barely give you such a guarantee, because of the chain of random factors that can make the file recovery harder.

Unzip the downloaded archive to the folder you like. Don’t worry because of its name – TestDisk – this is the name of the utility developed by the same company. They decided to spread it together since PhotoRec and TestDisk are often used together. Among the unzipped files, search for qphotorec_win.exe file. Run this executable file.

Before you can start the recovery process, you need to specify several settings. In the drop-down list, choose the logic disk where the files were stored before the encryption.

Then, you need to specify the file formats you need to recover. It may be difficult to scroll all 400+ formats, luckily, they are sorted by alphabetical order.

Finally, name the folder you want to use as a container for recovered files. The program will likely dig out a lot of useless files, which were deleted intentionally, so desktop is a bad solution. The best option is to use the USB-drive.

After these easy manipulations, you may just press the “Search” button (it turns active if you specified all required parameters). The recovery process may take several hours, so keep patient. It is recommended not to use the computer during this term, since you may overwrite some files you are intending to recover.

Frequently Asked Questions