Lockyc
Overview
Executive Summary
Lockyc (often detected as a direct variant or sophisticated copycat of the infamous Locky ransomware) is a highly destructive malware strain engineered for rapid financial extortion. Operating as a Cryptovirus, Lockyc infiltrates Windows systems, utilizes strong, unbreakable encryption algorithms (typically RSA-2048 and AES-128) to lock down the victim's critical data, and demands a ransom payment (usually in Bitcoin) in exchange for the decryption key.Infection Vector and Technical Capabilities
Lockyc is predominantly distributed via massive, automated spam campaigns (often driven by the Necurs botnet). The emails contain malicious attachments, such as `.docm` (Word with macros) or `.js` (JavaScript) files hidden within `.zip` archives. When executed, these scripts download and launch the core ransomware payload. Once executed, Lockyc operates with devastating efficiency:- Evasion and Command-and-Control: The ransomware frequently utilizes Domain Generation Algorithms (DGA) to contact its C2 servers. This allows it to securely exchange the public encryption key necessary to begin locking files while evading static IP blocklists.
- Rapid File Encryption: Lockyc immediately begins scanning local drives, removable media, and critically, all mapped and unmapped network shares. It targets a vast array of file extensions (documents, databases, images, source code) and encrypts them, appending a specific extension (e.g., `.locky`, `.zepto`, or `.osiris`) to the files.
- Shadow Copy Deletion: To prevent easy recovery, Lockyc executes commands (like `vssadmin.exe delete shadows /all /quiet`) to instantly destroy Windows Volume Shadow Copies and disable local backup routines.
Threat Assessment
A Lockyc infection is a catastrophic security incident resulting in immediate, severe operational downtime and massive data loss. Due to the strength of modern encryption, files cannot be recovered without the private key or a viable offline backup.Incident Response and Remediation
- Immediate Physical Isolation: Disconnect the infected machine from the network immediately (pull the Ethernet cable/disable Wi-Fi) to halt the encryption process and prevent the ransomware from traversing SMB shares to encrypt centralized file servers.
- Do Not Reboot: Leave the machine powered on. Rebooting may trigger further destructive routines or destroy the encryption key if it temporarily resides in RAM.
- Restore from Offline Backups: The only reliable remediation is to completely wipe the infected system (bare-metal reinstall) and restore the data from secure, offline backups that were unreachable by the ransomware.
Known aliases
Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
This family has been observed using the following ATT&CK techniques: T1486 T1490 T1566.001 T1059 T1568.002
Tactical Mitigations
Based on the techniques used by this family, consider the following defensive strategies:
- T1059: Restrict execution of scripting languages such as PowerShell, VBScript, or Python to authorized administrators. Enforce Script Block Logging.
- T1566.001: Scan email attachments for malicious macros, scripts, or suspicious archive files.
Generated Detections (Boilerplate)
These YARA and Sigma rules are auto-generated based on the family name and aliases. They must be heavily tuned before deployment in a production environment.
YARA Rule
rule MALWARE_WIN_LOCKYC {
meta:
description = "Detects Lockyc (ransomware)"
author = "SystemHelpdesk Boilerplate Generator"
date = "2026-07-06"
strings:
$s1 = "lockyc" ascii wide nocase
$s2 = "ransomware.lockyc" ascii wide nocase
$s3 = "trojan-ransom.win32.locky" ascii wide nocase
$s4 = "filecoder.locky" ascii wide nocase
condition:
uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}Sigma Rule
title: Suspicious Lockyc Activity
id: 735b009adb0ee720bcf405178e87bb8f
status: experimental
description: Detects generic indicators of the lockyc malware family.
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection:
Image|endswith:
- '\cmd.exe'
- '\powershell.exe'
CommandLine|contains:
- "*lockyc*"
- "*ransomware.lockyc*"
- "*trojan-ransom.win32.locky*"
- "*filecoder.locky*"
condition: selection
level: mediumReferences & External Analysis
- Search "lockyc" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I remove the Lockyc Ransomware from Windows?
Manual removal of Lockyc is highly discouraged as it may leave persistence mechanisms intact. We recommend disconnecting the device from the internet and utilizing a professional incident response service or enterprise-grade EDR software to conduct a full forensic sweep.
Is Lockyc a virus or a Ransomware?
Lockyc is classified as a Ransomware. Unlike traditional viruses that infect files, modern malware like Lockyc typically operates as a standalone payload designed to compromise systems, steal data, or deploy secondary stage implants.
What are the main symptoms of a Lockyc infection?
Symptoms of Lockyc can include unexpected system slowness, unauthorized outbound network traffic to unknown IP addresses, disabled security software, and suspicious background processes running from AppData or Temp directories.
Related Families (Category: ransomware)
Explore other malware families in the same category:
Protect Your Network Against Ransomwares
Want to prevent Lockyc and similar threats from compromising your organization? Read our comprehensive defensive guide: Ransomware Protection Guide.
Machine-readable
Get this profile as JSON: https://jordanricky1604-ship-it.github.io/malware-families-catalog/api/lockyc.json
Ecosystem & Interactive Environments
This profile is part of the Malware Families Catalog, a public dataset of 2,899 malware families. The catalog is also published across our ecosystem: Hugging Face, Kaggle, Zenodo, Replit, StackBlitz, CodeSandbox, and CodePen.