Malware

Bitdefender releases Universal LockerGoga ransomware decryptor

Bitdefender has released a free decryptor to allow the victims of the LockerGoga ransomware to recover their files without paying a ransom.

The cybersecurity firm Bitdefender has released a free decryptor to allow LockerGoga ransomware victims to recover their encrypted files without paying a ransom.

“We’re pleased to announce the availability of a new decryptor for LockerGoga, a strain of ransomware that rose to fame in 2019 with the attack of the Norsk Hydro company.” reads the announcement published by the security firm. “The new decryptor is a joint effort between Bitdefender, Europol, the NoMoreRansom Project, the Zürich Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Zürich Cantonal Police.”

The company developed the tool with the help of international law enforcement agencies, including Europol, the Zürich Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the Zürich Cantonal Police.

In order to decrypt the files, users have to provide the path containing pairs of clean-encrypted files.

The decryptor can scan your entire file system or single files or folders.

The tool can also be executed silently via a command line, this feature was implemented to
automate the deployment of the tool inside a large network.

The decryptor has the “backup files” feature, enabled by default that could be used in case there will be any problem with the decryption process.

The LockerGoga ransomware operation has been active since January 2019, it targeted organizations worldwide, including the aluminum giant Norsk Hydro.

The ransomware gang was dismantled in October 2021 with the arrest of its operators and the seizure of the systems containing the master private keys used in the encryption process.

“Its operator, who has been detained since October 2021 pending trial, is part of a larger cybercrime ring that used LockerGoga and MegaCortext ransomware to infect more than 1,800 persons and institutions in 71 countries to cause an estimated damage of $US 104 million.” continues the announcement.

Therefore, this decryptor will mostly be for past victims who refused to pay the ransom and have been waiting to recover their files for free.

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook

[adrotate banner=”9″][adrotate banner=”12″]

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, LockerGoga ransomware)

[adrotate banner=”5″]

[adrotate banner=”13″]

Pierluigi Paganini

Pierluigi Paganini is member of the ENISA (European Union Agency for Network and Information Security) Threat Landscape Stakeholder Group and Cyber G7 Group, he is also a Security Evangelist, Security Analyst and Freelance Writer. Editor-in-Chief at "Cyber Defense Magazine", Pierluigi is a cyber security expert with over 20 years experience in the field, he is Certified Ethical Hacker at EC Council in London. The passion for writing and a strong belief that security is founded on sharing and awareness led Pierluigi to find the security blog "Security Affairs" recently named a Top National Security Resource for US. Pierluigi is a member of the "The Hacker News" team and he is a writer for some major publications in the field such as Cyber War Zone, ICTTF, Infosec Island, Infosec Institute, The Hacker News Magazine and for many other Security magazines. Author of the Books "The Deep Dark Web" and “Digital Virtual Currency and Bitcoin”.

Recent Posts

North Korea-linked APT groups target South Korean defense contractors

The National Police Agency in South Korea warns that North Korea-linked threat actors are targeting…

10 hours ago

U.S. Gov imposed Visa restrictions on 13 individuals linked to commercial spyware activity

The U.S. Department of State imposed visa restrictions on 13 individuals allegedly linked to the…

21 hours ago

A cyber attack paralyzed operations at Synlab Italia

A cyber attack has been disrupting operations at Synlab Italia, a leading provider of medical…

22 hours ago

Russia-linked APT28 used post-compromise tool GooseEgg to exploit CVE-2022-38028 Windows flaw

Russia-linked APT28 group used a previously unknown tool, dubbed GooseEgg, to exploit Windows Print Spooler…

1 day ago

Hackers threaten to leak a copy of the World-Check database used to assess potential risks associated with entities

A financially motivated group named GhostR claims the theft of a sensitive database from World-Check…

2 days ago

Windows DOS-to-NT flaws exploited to achieve unprivileged rootkit-like capabilities

Researcher demonstrated how to exploit vulnerabilities in the Windows DOS-to-NT path conversion process to achieve…

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.