LOL (Dharma) ransomware Removal

What may be said about this infection

The ransomware known as LOL (Dharma) ransomware is categorized as a severe threat, due to the possible damage it might cause. It is likely it is your first time coming across this kind of malware, in which case, you may be in for a big surprise. Ransomware encodes files using strong encryption algorithms, and once it’s done executing the process, you’ll no longer be able to access them. File encrypting malware is thought to be one of the most harmful threats you can have as decrypting files is not always likely. You will be given the option of paying the ransom for a decryptor but many malware researchers do not suggest doing that. There are plenty of cases where paying the ransom doesn’t mean file decryption. Keep in mind that you’re anticipating that cyber criminals responsible for encoding your data will feel any responsibility to aid you in file recovery, when they do not have to. The future activities of these cyber crooks would also be financed by that money. Do you really want to support the kind of criminal activity. And the more people comply with the demands, the more of a profitable business ransomware becomes, and that kind of money is sure to lure in various crooks. Consider investing that requested money into backup instead because you could be put in a situation where data loss is a risk again. If you had backup available, you could just terminate LOL (Dharma) ransomware and then recover files without worrying about losing them. Ransomware distribution methods might be not known to you, and we’ll explain the most common ways below.
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How to avoid a ransomware infection

You could generally see ransomware added to emails as an attachment or on questionable download web pages. Seeing as these methods are still rather popular, that means that users are pretty careless when they use email and download files. However, some ransomware do use sophisticated methods. All criminals have to do is pretend to be from a trustworthy company, write a plausible email, add the malware-ridden file to the email and send it to potential victims. Money related problems are a frequent topic in those emails as users tend to engage with those emails. Oftentimes, criminals pretend to be from Amazon, with the email warning you that there was unusual activity in your account or a purchase was made. You need to look out for certain signs when dealing with emails if you wish to protect your system. First of all, if you are not familiar with the sender, check their identity before opening the file attached. You will still need to investigate the email address, even if the sender is known to you. Glaring grammar mistakes are also a sign. The way you are greeted might also be a clue, a real company’s email important enough to open would include your name in the greeting, instead of a universal Customer or Member. Out-of-date program vulnerabilities may also be used by ransomware to get into your device. A program has weak spots that could be exploited by data encoding malware but they’re often patched by vendors. Unfortunately, as as could be seen by the widespread of WannaCry ransomware, not everyone installs those patches, for various reasons. You’re suggested to frequently update your software, whenever an update is released. If you do not want to be disrupted with updates, they could be set up to install automatically.

What does it do

When your computer becomes contaminated with ransomware, you will soon find your files encrypted. Even if infection was not evident initially, you’ll definitely know something is not right when your files cannot be accessed. You’ll also notice a strange extension added to all affected files, which can help identify the ransomware. Unfortunately, it might not be possible to decrypt data if the ransomware used powerful encryption algorithms. After the encryption process is completed, a ransom note will appear, which ought to explain, to some extent, what has happened and how you ought to proceed. The decryption tool proposed will not come free, obviously. If the ransom amount is not specified, you’d have to use the given email address to contact the hackers to find out the amount, which may depend on how much you value your files. Obviously, paying the ransom isn’t encouraged. You should only consider paying as a last resort. Try to recall maybe you do not remember. You may also be able to locate a decryption tool for free. If the file encoding malicious program is decryptable, someone could be able to release a utility that would unlock LOL (Dharma) ransomware files for free. Look into that option and only when you are completely sure a free decryption utility is unavailable, should you even think about complying with the demands. If you use some of that money to buy backup, you would not face likely file loss again because you may always access copies of those files. If you have stored your files somewhere, you may go get them after you fix LOL (Dharma) ransomware virus. Become familiar with how ransomware is spread so that you do your best to avoid it. Stick to legitimate web pages when it comes to downloads, be careful when dealing with files added to emails, and make sure software is up-to-date.

How to remove LOL (Dharma) ransomware

It would be a better idea to obtain an anti-malware tool because it’ll be needed to get the ransomware off your computer if it still remains. To manually fix LOL (Dharma) ransomware is no simple process and you might end up causing more harm. Going with the automatic option would be a much better choice. An anti-malware utility is designed for the purpose of taking care of these threats, it might even prevent an infection. Choose a trustworthy utility, and once it is installed, scan your device for the the infection. However, an anti-malware tool it is not able to restore your files. After the threat is cleaned, ensure you regularly make backup for all your data.
Download Removal Toolto remove LOL (Dharma) ransomware

Learn how to remove LOL (Dharma) ransomware from your computer

• Step 1. Remove LOL (Dharma) ransomware using Safe Mode with Networking.
• Step 2. Remove LOL (Dharma) ransomware using System Restore
• Step 3. Recover your data

Step 1. Remove LOL (Dharma) ransomware using Safe Mode with Networking.

• a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking.
• b) Step 2. Remove LOL (Dharma) ransomware.

a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking.

For Windows 7/Vista/XP

1. Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
2. Press and keep pressing F8 until Advanced Boot Options appears.
3. Choose Safe Mode with Networking

For Windows 8/10 users

1. Press the power button that appears at the Windows login screen. Press and hold Shift. Click Restart.
2. Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart.
3. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Networking.

b) Step 2. Remove LOL (Dharma) ransomware.

You will now need to open your browser and download some kind of anti-malware software. Choose a trustworthy one, install it and have it scan your computer for malicious threats. When the ransomware is found, remove it. If, for some reason, you can't access Safe Mode with Networking, go with another option.

Step 2. Remove LOL (Dharma) ransomware using System Restore

• a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
• b) Step 2. Restore files and settings.

a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

For Windows 7/Vista/XP

1. Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
2. Press and keep pressing F8 until Advanced Boot Options appears.
3. Select Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

For Windows 8/10 users

1. Press the power button that appears at the Windows login screen. Press and hold Shift. Click Restart.
2. Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart.
3. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

b) Step 2. Restore files and settings.

1. You will need to type in cd restore in the window that appears. Press Enter.
2. Type in rstrui.exe and again, press Enter.
3. A window will pop-up and you should press Next. Choose a restore point and press Next again.
4. Press Yes.

While this should have taken care of the ransomware, you might want to download anti-malware just to be sure no other threats are lurking.  

Step 3. Recover your data

• a) Using Data Recovery Pro to recover encrypted files.
• b) Restore files through Windows Previous Versions
• c) Using Shadow Explorer to recover files

While backup is essential, there is still quite a few users who do not have it. If you are one of them, you can try the below provided methods and you just might be able to recover files.

a) Using Data Recovery Pro to recover encrypted files.

1. Download Data Recovery Pro, preferably from a trustworthy website.
2. Scan your device for recoverable files.
3. Recover them.

b) Restore files through Windows Previous Versions

If you had System Restore enabled, you can recover files through Windows Previous Versions.

1. Find a file you want to recover.
2. Right-click on it.
3. Select Properties and then Previous versions.
4. Pick the version of the file you want to recover and press Restore.

c) Using Shadow Explorer to recover files

If you are lucky, the ransomware did not delete your shadow copies. They are made by your system automatically for when system crashes.

1. Go to the official website (shadowexplorer.com) and acquire the Shadow Explorer application.
2. Set up and open it.
3. Press on the drop down menu and pick the disk you want.
4. If folders are recoverable, they will appear there. Press on the folder and then Export.

* SpyHunter scanner, published on this site, is intended to be used only as a detection tool. More info on SpyHunter. To use the removal functionality, you will need to purchase the full version of SpyHunter. If you wish to uninstall SpyHunter, click here.