Kwaaklocked Ransomware Removal Guide

Kwaaklocked Ransomware is categorized as crypto-malware by researchers specializing in malware detection and analysis. Because of this, if this malicious application ever slithers onto your computer, no doubt you will find a bunch of files completely encrypted. According to malware analysts, it should target .txt, .doc, .xls, .docx, .png, .sql, .asp, .aspx, .html, .xml, .psd and some other files. As you can see, Kwaaklocked Ransomware locks the most important files on victims’ computers. Luckily, this malicious application is not a prevalent threat, so there is a possibility that you will never encounter it; however, keeping the system protected at all times is a must. If you have not managed to prevent it from entering your system, i.e. you are reading this article because Kwaaklocked Ransomware has already entered your system and done its dirty job, you must delete it from your computer right away. Do not leave any chances to lock more files on your computer for it. Specialists do not think that it is one of those sophisticated malicious applications that can launch automatically on system startup due to the entry created in the system registry, but it will start working again and thus searching for files that have not been encrypted yet if you ever launch it – it might become active if you double-click on its malicious file. Continue reading to find out how it can be removed fully. It is the only way to protect your new files from it.

Kwaaklocked Ransomware is another threat that has been developed on the HiddenTear engine. According to researchers who have analyzed it, there is a possibility that it is still in development, so if it is true, it means that it is not prevalent. Of course, this might change soon. Even if Kwaaklocked Ransomware is still in development, it locks files mercilessly once it manages to enter computers successfully. You will find the most important files encrypted, as mentioned in the first paragraph. You do not need to check your files one by one – you will immediately see which ones have been locked. These files affected by the ransomware infection get the .kwaaklocked extension appended, for instance, dog.jpg.kwaaklocked. Once files become inaccessible, this infection drops a ransom note. It is a .txt file (READ_IT.txt) that contains a short message for users. You will find out what has happened to your files if you read it and how you can fix them. We are 99% sure that you will be asked to send a ransom in Bitcoin. Yes, there might be no free tools for unlocking data, but you can restore your files from a backup, so we see no reason why users should send money to cyber criminals. Keep in mind that there are no guarantees that the decryption tool will reach you. We do not even know whether cyber criminals really have the decryptor.

It is still not easy to talk about the distribution of Kwaaklocked Ransomware because it is one of those infections that are not prevalent. According to researchers, if crooks start distributing this threat actively, they should spread it as an email attachment masqueraded as an important file. Also, they might upload it to a P2P or another dubious website. If you stop opening spam email attachments and no longer download software from untrustworthy websites, you will definitely reduce the chances of becoming a malware victim, but we also highly recommend that you install a security application to prevent even the sneakiest malicious applications from entering the system illegally.

You cannot unlock any of your files by deleting Kwaaklocked Ransomware from your computer, but you still have a chance to protect your new files by erasing this malicious application. This ransomware infection does not seem to be sophisticated malware, so it should be possible to disable it completely by removing its malicious file and a ransom note READ_IT.txt. Do not forget to scan your system with an antimalware scanner too to check whether the ransomware infection has been erased fully.

Kwaaklocked Ransomware removal guide

1. Open Explorer by pressing Win+E.
2. Delete the malicious file you have launched recently (it might be located in %USERPROFILE%\Desktop, %USERPROFILE%\Downloads, %TEMP%, and %APPDATA%).
3. Remove READ_IT.txt dropped on your computer.
4. Empty Recycle Bin.