GNL Locker Ransomware

GNL Locker Ransomware is a malicious program that infects user’s computer through .BAT files. You should be aware that .BAT files are usually run by Command Prompt that executes their commands. Therefore, such data should be scanned with an antimalware tool before opening it, especially if it comes from an unknown source. Nevertheless, if you already infected your computer, we can help you delete the malware. Simply slide below the article, where you will see our removal guide. Although we must warn you that if you erase the malware, your files will remain encrypted. Thus, you can only clean your system from the malicious program. The chances of unlocking your data might be small too, because even if you pay the ransom, no one can assure you that the ransomware’s developers will deliver the decryption key.

GNL Locker Ransomware encrypts data of various types, e.g. it could lock files that have the following extensions: .sql, .mp4, .7z, .rar, .m4a, .wma, .avi, .wmv, .csv, .d3dbsp, .zip, .sie, .sum, .ibank, .t13, .t12, .qdf, .gdb, .tax, .pkpass, .bc6, .bc7, .bkp, .qic, .bkf, .sidn, .sidd, .mddata, .itl, .itdb, .icxs, .hvpl, .hplg, .hkdb, .mdbackup, .syncdb, .gho, .cas, .svg, .map, .wmo, .itm, .sb, .fos, .mov, .vdf, .ztmp, .sis, and many others. The files that get encrypted should also have the .locked extension. For example, if you had a text document named as selected_quotes.doc, after the encryption it would look like selected_quotes.doc.locked. Obviously, your files will remain in their folders, but you cannot open your data once it is encrypted. The cyber criminals who enciphered your data used the RSA encryption system with the key of 2048 bits of length. This cryptosystem is complicated, and it might be impossible to break it. Probably, it is the reason no one developed a decryptor yet.

Apparently, GNL Locker Ransomware can infect your computer through malicious email attachments or links. Users should receive an email with a suspicious file, but it could also be a link to a harmful website instead. Opening strange attachments via email or following the provided links from an unfamiliar sender is never a good idea. The only way to avoid such malware as GNL Locker Ransomware in the future is to check suspicious email content before opening it. For instance, you could scan it with a security tool.

Once the malware infects your system and locks your files, it will change your desktop wallpaper with the UNLOCK_FILES_INSTRUCTIONS.png. The text on your screen should state the same information that is given in the text file by the same title as the wallpaper. Like any other note left by the ransomware’s creators, it states that you must pay the ransom. In this case, the cyber criminals who developed GNL Locker Ransomware demand for a sum that is roughly from 190 to 250 US dollars. To scare you into paying the ransom, they warn you that the amount will be tripled if you do not pay it until given date. What’s more, the note also warns that “Antivirus software CANNOT recover your files!” It is true, but the fact is that if you had a reliable antimalware tool before you opened the malicious file, the security tool might have stopped the infection from encrypting your data.

In situations like this one, users should remember what data they have on removable media devices, social media, remote clouds, etc. It might appear that you can recover quite a lot of your data from different sources, so paying the ransom is not your only option. At any case, you should carefully think it through, because you cannot be sure if the cyber criminals will hold to their end of the deal. If you already made up your mind to eliminate the malware, you should take a look at the manual removal instructions below. However, keep it in mind that the file you will have to delete can be identified only by you, so the instructions cannot be very accurate. On the other hand, if you cannot find the malicious file associated with the GNL Locker Ransomware yourself, you could try to use a trustworthy security tool instead. It would help you locate and erase the malware with automatic tools.

Erase GNL Locker Ransomware

1. Open the Windows Explorer.
2. Navigate to: %APPDATA%\Roaming
3. Locate a .bat file with a random name.
4. Right-click the malicious file and select Delete.
5. Erase UNLOCK_FILES_INSTRUCTIONS.txt from Desktop and other locations.
6. Close the Explorer.
7. Empty Recycle bin.