This blog post has been made with the purpose to show you what is .lotep Virus and explain how you can remove this ransomware from your computer and how you can recover .lotep files, encrypted by this infection without having to pay the ransom.

The .lotep virus, which is believed to be a variant of STOP ransomware has been reported to infect computers in a massive wave of spammed e-mails. The ransomware virus’s primary purpose is to infect computers while remaining undetected. The ransomware virus then encrypts the files on the computers that have been infected by it so that it can then drop it’s ransom note file, name _readme.txt which aims to convince victims into paying ransom to get the files to work again. If your computer has been infected by .lotep file virus, we recommend that you read this article as it will help you to remove this ransomware virus from your computer effectively and show you how you can try and recover files, encrypted by this ransomware.

The lotep Virus File virus has been spotted using the its own file extension. The lotep Virus File virus also communicates via TOR through which it sends a decrypter after the ransom has been paid. In case you are a victim of the new lotep Virus File virus we advise you to read this article and learn how to remove the virus files and try to decode encrypted objects.

lotep Virus File Virus – What Does It Do

Being a variant of the ransomware family, which exists in a lot of virus families, the lotep Virus File ransomware has been reported to drop one or more executable files in the %AppData% Windows directory.

After doing so, the lotep Virus File virus may modify the Windows registry entries, more specifically the Shell sub-key with the following location:

• HKLM/Software/Microsoft/WindowsNT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon/Shell

Then, the lotep Virus File virus may also modify the Run registry key to run the executable file(s) in the %AppData% directory. The key is with the following path:

• HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run/

This may result in the virus file booting alongside the Windows start-up process.

lotep Virus File also drops a ransom note file with a ransom message and places it somewhere easy to locate. Then, the lotep Virus File virus may attack files with the following file types to encrypt them:

• Videos.
• Images.
• Documents.
• Audio files.
• Archives.

After lotep Virus File encrypts the files, the virus leaves the files no longer able to be opened and likely appends a custom file extenson to them.

lotep Virus File Ransomware – How Did I Get Infected

The infection process of lotep Virus File is conducted primarily via spammed e-mails that have deceptive messages embedded within them. Such messages may pretend to be sent from services such as PayPal, UPS, FedEx and others. They may contain attachments that pretend to be invoices and other fake type of files. Other social engineering techniques include:

• Fake buttons and pictures as if the e-mails are sent from a social media site, like LinkedIn.
• Fraudulent PayPal links.
• Links to GoogleDrive and fake e-mails that look the same as if they are sent from Google.

Other infection tools may also include the usage of torrent websites and other third-party sites to upload fake updates, fake installers as well as other fraudulent executables.

Which Files May Get Affected by lotep Virus File Ransomware?

lotep Virus File Ransomware serves as a typical file-encoding Trojan. As soon as it gets access to your machine, this cryptomalware will perform a quick scan to find the paths to all of your personal files. The targeted data includes all MS Office documents, your precious photos and videos, your databases, the program files, etc. Only a few files such as the ones related to the core Windows processes may be spared. Once the operation ends, you will notice a threatening lockdown message on your desktop and the default file extension will become ‘.dll’. The cyber criminals give the victims only several days pay the ransom of Bitcoins, or else they threaten to delete forever the decryption key. The purpose of this frightening message is to shock the person and make him act irrationally. The victims often feel as the only solution to the issue is to pay the money. In reality, all specialists unanimously recommend not to follow the instructions of the hackers for several different reasons.

How to Protect Yourself from lotep Virus File Ransomware?

This ransomware may cause huge and often irreversible damage to the affected machines. Fortunately, you can prevent the infection as long as you are vigilant during your online sessions. This Trojan isn’t known to use some unique methods to infiltrate the defences of your computer. The most probable cause for lotep Virus File Ransomware to enter is via spam emails. You may receive a message with a shocking content, encouraging you to either click on a malicious link or download a compromised file. The hackers have a whole arsenal of tools to manipulate you into doing so. For example, they may claim to represent an international bank or some popular shipping company. If they address you without mentioning your name, the email is probably a scam and you should ignore it. Unfortunately, if you simply click or download the infected file, your action will most likely be enough to activate the harmful codes of lotep Virus File Ransomware. In this case, only a credible security solution may be able to prevent the forthcoming damage.

How to Delete lotep Virus File Ransomware and Decrypt Your Files for Free?

The main reasons not to pay the ransom are two. First, you may not receive the promised unlocking key even after doing exactly as the hackers demand. They often scam the victims because the Bitcoin platform doesn’t allow refunds and the people have no way to get their money back. The second reason not to finance cyber criminals is that your money will only motivate them to create more aggressive ransomware like lotep Virus File. On the other hand, if their attacks are in vain, they may stop spamming the web with such malicious Trojans. These parasites require quite some efforts to be created professionally and spread efficiently.

Once you decide not to pay the ransom, there are several other ways that may help you decrypt your personal files. You should begin the attempts by removing all traces of the malware. If you fail to delete lotep Virus File Ransomware properly, it may decrypt your files once again in the future or spread to other connected devices. The manual removal is not the recommended solution since it requires expert-level knowledge in computers. The most reliable tactic is to use dedicated security software that has added Flotep Virus File Ransomware to its database. Once the scan finishes, you should try some of the programs for restoration of files or the integrated System Restore feature. If you are lucky enough to have a spare copy of your files on some external device, you can import them back to your computer safely.

Removal Instructions for lotep Virus File

If you want to remove lotep Virus File, we strongly recommend that you first backup your data, just in case something goes wrong. Then, you can follow the manual or automatic removal instructions below, depending on which type of steps suits you more. If you lack the experience and the confidence that you will remove lotep Virus File manually, then you should do what most experts would and save yourself some time by downloading and running a scan with an advanced anti-malware software. Such programs are created to quickly identify and remove threats and programs with intrusive behaviour, like lotep Virus File, plus they also aim to ensure that your system is protected against future intrusions as well.