Remove LOTUS Virus (.[paymei@cock.li].LOTUS Files Ransomware) – Dharma Ransomware

LOTUS – General Info

The LOTUS mean a ransomware-type infection. The infection comes from the Dharma ransomware family. LOTUS was elaborated specifically to encrypt all major file types. As soon as the file is encrypted people are not able to use them. LOTUS adds the “.[paymei@cock.li].LOTUS” extension for each file encrypted by it. For example, the file “myphoto.jpg“, when encrypted by LOTUS, will be renamed into “myphoto.jpg.[paymei@cock.li].LOTUS“. As soon as the encryption is finished, LOTUS places a special text file into every folder containing the encrypted data.

The message given by LOTUS text file requesting the ransom is definitely the like the statements given by other ransomware virus representatives belonging to the Dharma family. It actually mentions that the information is encrypted which the only way to bring back it is to use a an unique decryption key. Unfortunately, this is definitely true. The sort of cryptography mechanism applied by LOTUS is still not properly examined. Still, it is definitely certain that each victim may be given the specific decryption key, which is absolutely distinct. It is difficult to bring back the files without the key available.

Another trick of LOTUS is that the victims cannot access to the key. The key is saved on a particular server run by the frauds associated with LOTUS ransomware. To get the key and recover the important info people have to pay the ransom.

Nevertheless, irrespective of the asked for quantity, people need to stay away from paying the virus. Cyber frauds are unfair, so they tend to totally ignore what their victims feel about the problem, even when the payment reaches their pockets. This is why paying the ransom typically does not provide any positive outcome and people just lose their money for nothing.

We highly recommend that you do not contact these crooks and certainly do not transfer money into their accounts. It is said to admit that there are no utilities able to crack LOTUS ransomware and to recover the information data free of charge. Therefore, the only best decision is to recover the lost information from the available backup.

Virus Summary

Name	LOTUS Ransomware
File Extension	.[paymei@cock.li].LOTUS
Type	Ransomware
Family	Dharma
Short Description	The ransomware encrypts all the data stored on your system and requires a ransom to be paid on your part supposedly to recover your important files.
Symptoms	File encryption by the ransomware is performed by means of the AES and RSA encryption algorithms. Once the encryption is completed, the ransomware adds its special [paymei@cock.li].LOTUS extension to all the files modified by it.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments
Similar Infections	Tomle, 4help, Text
Removal Tool	GridinSoft Anti-Malware

Keep in mind that the internet is now overwhelmed with threats that look comparable to LOTUS ransomware. It is similar Tomle and many other ransomware-type threats. Destructive programs of such kind are normally elaborated to encrypt essential information and to state the need prior to the user to pay the ransom. The peculiarity of all such ransomware threats is that all apply a similar algorithm to create the special decryption key for data decryption.

Thus, as long as the ransomware is still being developed or has some hidden bugs, by hand recovering the information is just not feasible. The only way to avoid the loss of your crucial information is to frequently create backups of your important information.

Remember that even if you create such backups, they should be placed into a special storage utility not connect to your main PC. You may use the USB Flash Drive or external hard drive for this purpose, or refer to the help of the cloud storage. If you save your backup files on your common system they may be encrypted together with other files, so it’s absolutely not a good storage location.

How did ransomware infect my PC?

There are a number of methods used by online scams to distribute LOTUS ransomware. Despite the fact that it doubts how exactly LOTUS injects your system, there are some leaks through which it may penetrate the system:

• integration with third-party software, especially freeware;
• spam e-mails from unknown senders;
• websites rendering free hosting services;
• pirated peer-to-peer (P2P) downloads.

Frequently LOTUS virus might be presented as some genuine software, for instance, in the pop-ups instructing users to execute some important software application updates. This is the typical technique used by online scams to persuade people into downloading and installing LOTUS infection manually, by methods of their direct participation in the installation process.

Additionally, the criminals might describe different e-mail spam techniques to inject harmful codes into copmuter. So, they may describe to sending unsolicited spam e-mails with tricky notifications promoting users to download the attachments or click on certain download links, for example, the ones encouraging users to open some receipts, documents, tax reports or invoices.

Needless to mention, opening such documents or clicking on such dangerous links may severely harm the system. Fictitious Adobe Flash Player update notifies may result in LOTUS ransom injection. As for the cracked software, these illegally downloaded programs may likewise include destructive codes leading to LOTUS secret installation. Lastly, injection of LOTUS may happen by means of Trojans that privately get injected into the system and install destructive tools without the user’s permission.

Is there any method to prevent the injection of LOTUS ransomware?

Although there is no 100% guarantee to prevent your computer from getting infected, there are some pieces of advice we wish to show with you. To start with, be very cautious when you surf the web and specifically while downloading complimentary apps. Keep away from opening suspicious email attachments, especially when the sender of the email is not familiar to you.

Bear in mind that some freeware installers may include other unwanted utilities in the package, so they may be malicious. Make sure that your current antivirus software and your entire operating system is always appropriately updated.

Of course, downloading pirated software is unlawful and may lead to vital damage to be produced your PC. Hence, stay away from downloading cracked software. You are also highly encouraged to reconsider your existing security software and potentially change to another security solution that can render much better services of defending your PC.

Below please find the quotation from the LOTUS text file:

Pop-up window:

YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED
Don\'t worry,you can return all your files!
If you want to restore them, write to the mail: paymei@cock.li YOUR ID -
If you have not answered by mail within 12 hours, write to us by another mail:paymei@tuta.io
!ATTENTION!
Do not rename encrypted files.
Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss.
Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.
==============================

MANUAL.txt:

all your data has been locked us
You want to return?
write email paymei@cock.li or paymei@tuta.io

Screenshot of files with “.[paymei@cock.li].LOTUS” extension added by the ransomware:

Use GridinSoft Anti-Malware to remove LOTUS ransomware from your computer

1.Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:

  GridinSoft Anti-Malware

2. Double-click on the setup file.

When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-ag.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your computer.

An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

3. Press Install button for run GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

3.Once installed, GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically run.

4. Wait for the GridinSoft Anti-Malware scan to complete.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your computer for Win Speedup 2018 and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so we suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.

5. Click on “Clean Now”.

When the scan has completed, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.