0apt Locker EXPOSED: .0apt Files, README0apt.txt, and a 24-Hour Contact Clock

You open Documents the way you did yesterday. The first photo should still be 1.jpg. The snapshot should still be 2.png. The installer copy should still be 3.exe. The vacation shot should still be vacation.jpg. The invoice should still be invoice-2026.pdf. Instead every familiar name has a second ending tacked on. 1.jpg is now 1.jpg.0apt. 2.png is now 2.png.0apt. 3.exe is now 3.exe.0apt. A small text file named README0apt.txt is sitting in the same folder, as if it has always belonged there.

That is the trap, not a glitch.

This page is for the hour those names appear. It is not a miracle key. It is a map of the trap, so the note does not become your incident plan.

Overview

0apt Locker ransomware locks the files first. Then it keeps the old name and the old type, and hangs .0apt on the end. Then it drops README0apt.txt and talks like a recovery desk. Then it changes the desktop wallpaper so the same shout follows you even if you close the folder. The note is a storefront. It shouts that all your files are encrypted. It claims AES-256 and RSA-2048. It claims they already copied confidential data. It tells you to install Tor Browser, open a chat portal, and start talking within 24 hours. After that, it says the price doubles. After 48 hours without contact, it says the data is leaked permanently. Public copies of that note leave the chat address blank. The Personal ID line is blank too. This page will not invent an onion link, a wallet, a Session ID, an email, or a $ figure to finish their sentence.

If you are staring at a pile of .0apt files and that text note, you are in a ransom incident, not a broken disk and not a Windows pop-up. The folder is the evidence. The note is a checkout. Stay with the folder, not with the script.

The first tell is the rename. In the sample used for this page, 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.0apt. 2.png becomes 2.png.0apt. 3.exe becomes 3.exe.0apt. vacation.jpg becomes vacation.jpg.0apt. invoice-2026.pdf becomes invoice-2026.pdf.0apt. You can still read what the file used to be. You cannot open it. Windows may call the type a 0APT File and offer a useless “choose an app” box. An app cannot talk locked bytes back into a JPEG. There is 0% chance Photos can open 1.jpg.0apt because you picked a viewer.

The second tell is the note. After the files are locked, the malware drops README0apt.txt into the same folders. README sounds like documentation. 0apt is the brand. Put them together and the first English you can still read after the photos break is a sales flyer. The flyer is meant to be opened. It is not meant to be trusted.

The body of that sample is long on purpose. It opens ::: 0APT LOCKER ::: then !!! ALL YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED !!! Then a hello that says a company network has been breached by the “0apt” group. Then a WHAT HAPPENED block that names AES-256 and RSA-2048 as military-grade locks, and says you cannot recover files without their private key. Then DATA LEAK WARNING. Then HOW TO GET YOUR FILES BACK, which is just “purchase a unique decryption tool.” Then a LEGAL & REPUTATION NOTICE about government agencies, regulators, clients, partners, and a CONTACT LIST. Then INSTRUCTIONS: install Tor Browser, open a chat portal, enter a Personal ID. Then DEADLINE: 24 hours to contact or the price doubles, 48 hours or a permanent leak. Then ATTENTION: do not rename, do not try third-party decrypt, do not call the police or FBI. Then — 0apt Team —. That is the whole costume.

The chat portal line is blank. Your Personal ID line is blank. There is no printed $ figure. There is no Bitcoin wallet. There is no email address. There is no Session ID. This page will not invent them. A missing onion is not a puzzle you solve by guessing a link. A missing wallet is not a coupon. A blank ID is not a riddle. The flyer already named the only steps it wants: install Tor, open their chat, start a clock they printed. Following those steps is the product.

That is the whole pitch. A locked folder of .0apt names. A README0apt.txt file that talks like a recovery brief. A wallpaper that repeats the shout. AES-256 and RSA-2048 as scare words. A leak claim. A 24-hour contact clock. A 48-hour leak clock. A blank chat. A blank Personal ID. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. There is no reason to open a Tor chat today because a text file told you to.

The .0apt name is the first warning

Most lockers pick an extension so you notice the change in seconds. This one uses .0apt. The extra cruelty is how readable the listing stays. You do not have to decode anything. You can still see 1.jpg inside 1.jpg.0apt. You can still see 2.png inside 2.png.0apt. You can still see 3.exe inside 3.exe.0apt. You can still see the invoice year. The familiar words are still in the folder. The files are not familiar anymore.

Do not treat that readable name as a fix. Do not strip .0apt off the end and expect Photos or Excel to open the file. Do not run a bulk “extension fixer” you found in an ad. The name is a label. The lock is in the content. Editing the label can make a later trusted tool have a harder time matching the file to what it was. Leave the locked copies as they are until you have a clean machine and a plan that does not start in a criminal chat.

The extra ending also does advertising. Anyone who sees 1.jpg.0apt next to README0apt.txt can pretend they already have your case. A later fake helper will quote the extension back to you as if that were expertise. The extension is public. It is sitting in the folder. Quoting it proves nothing except that they can read a listing.

README0apt.txt is a sales floor, not a help file

The ransom note is a plain text file with a name that sounds like documentation. README0apt.txt wants the first click after the panic. Plenty of real software drops a README. This one uses that habit against you. It is meant to be the first English you can still read when the photos will not open.

Double-clicking it opens Notepad. That is why a panicked first click feels like opening the help page. It is not help. It is the demand, written so it looks official enough to follow. The filename is built to look like paperwork. README. 0apt. A .txt ending Windows already trusts. Paperwork is easier to obey than a threat.

Keep the file on disk. Then close it. Do not treat it as a set of steps you should follow. Do not tidy the filename. Do not shorten it to “the readme” when you write the incident down. Copy README0apt.txt the way you would copy a serial off a stolen laptop. That string is how a responder matches this locker. It is not a coupon you redeem by opening Tor.

ALL YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED is a shout, not a lab report

The first lines of the sample are not a diagnosis. They are a headline. ::: 0APT LOCKER ::: and !!! ALL YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED !!! do the same job a fake breaking-news banner does on a supplement page. They name the disaster in capital letters so the rest of the flyer feels like the only adult in the room. You are supposed to stop thinking and start obeying.

The shout is also a brand. Later search ads will quote it. Later “helpers” will paste 0APT LOCKER so they sound close to your folder. Anyone can copy a headline. Copying ALL YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED does not mean they can reverse .0apt. It means they read the same note you did, or they read a screenshot of it.

If the shout is sitting in more than one folder, that is normal for this family. Lockers drop the same text in many places so you cannot miss it. Finding five copies is not five incidents. It is one incident with a loud flyer. Keep one clean copy as evidence. You do not need to open every copy. You do not need to compare them in a Tor chat they left blank on purpose.

AES-256 and RSA-2048 are a costume, not a key in your hand

The note claims servers, databases, and other copies were locked with military-grade encryption algorithms (AES-256 & RSA-2048). That pair is meant to shut down argument. It sounds like a standard. It sounds like a lab. It sounds like something you cannot argue with at the kitchen table. It is still attacker copy. Naming two ciphers is not the same as handing you a proof. It is also not a reason to start a chat they own.

What the note is actually selling is helplessness. If the lock is “impossible” without their private key, then their shop is the only door. That is a sales paragraph, not a math class. You do not need to debate AES with a text file. You need to stop treating the text file as a technician.

A later helper will recite AES-256 and RSA-2048 as if that were a credential. Reciting a scare word is easy. Opening vacation.jpg.0apt again is not. If the pitch is “we know the cipher, send $ first,” you are still in the market the ransomware created.

DATA LEAK WARNING is a second squeeze

The note does not stop at locked photos. It adds a leak. Before encryption, it says, they downloaded confidential data. If you refuse to pay or do not contact them, it says that data will be published on their Tor blog for competitors and regulators to see. That is a second product on the same flyer. First they lock the files. Then they claim they already copied the files. Then they sell silence.

Treat the leak line as attacker copy, not as a completed theft report. Naming a Tor blog does not prove a blog. It does not prove they have payroll, mail, or photos sitting on a server. It also does not prove they have nothing. It is a missing proof dressed as a deadline. A stranger who later adds a screenshot of a leak site you cannot verify is still selling the same squeeze.

The LEGAL & REPUTATION NOTICE piles on. If you do not pay, it says they will send “incriminating” copies to GOVERNMENT agencies and regulators to trigger an investigation. It says they will email clients, partners, and everyone in a CONTACT LIST. That is panic copy. It is meant to make a locked folder feel like a public scandal in the next 48 hours. It is not a reason to open their blank chat at midnight.

The blank Tor chat is not a puzzle

The instructions say download Tor Browser, open Tor, and navigate to “our chat portal.” Then the address is blank. Then it says enter your Personal ID to start the negotiation. Then the Personal ID is blank. Then it says if the website is down, try again later. That is 100% of the contact they printed. There is no inbox under it. There is no Session handle. There is no wallet string. There is no onion to copy.

Public copies leave those two lines empty on purpose. This page will not invent an .onion to put in that blank. This page will not invent a Personal ID. If your own file on disk still shows a string on those lines, treat it as evidence for a report, not as a door you should walk through. Do not paste a guessed onion “just to see if the chat loads.” Do not type a made-up ID into a random Tor page that claims to be 0apt.

That gap is where copycats work. Someone will publish a long onion and call it the 0apt portal. Someone will sell a “connector” that is just more malware. Someone will ask you to run a command so they can “reach the operator on your behalf.” None of that is a reason to finish their sentence. The sample used for this page does not reprint a chat URL. Do not invent one.

24 hours is a fuse, not a courtesy

DEADLINE is printed in the note like a shipping policy. You have 24 hours to contact us. After this, the price will double. That sentence does two jobs. It makes waiting feel expensive. It also hides the fact that they never printed the first price. There is no $ sticker. There is no bitcoin total. “Double” of a blank number is still a blank number. The clock is the product. The missing $ is the hook.

Do not start a kitchen-timer because a text file said 24 hours. Do not convert a made-up $ figure in your head and decide it is “not that much if we pay today.” The flyer never gave you one. Do not “test” a smaller amount to see if they answer. A test payment is still a payment. It still tells them this victim pays.

The CISA StopRansomware Guide is blunt about this kind of squeeze. Paying does not ensure the files come back, does not ensure the systems are clean, and does not ensure anyone on the other side keeps a promise. A chat that starts with a locked folder and a 24-hour clock is not a vendor. A blank portal is not a checkout you should complete.

48 hours is a leak clock they printed

The next line is the second fuse. If we do not hear from you within 48 hours, your data will be leaked permanently. Other families use 7-day key threats. This one uses two days and the word permanently. The feeling is the same. Wait, and something worse happens. Open Tor, and maybe the worse thing stays off.

Do not add extra clocks the note never printed. Do not start a personal countdown because a forum post said “they only wait two days.” The published flyer already printed 48 hours. Leave the rest uninvented. Do not send a small file because a later message offered a test decrypt the original note never printed. Silence is not rude here. Silence is how you stay out of their queue.

The wallpaper points back to the note

0apt Locker also changes the desktop wallpaper. The glass repeats the brand. 0APT LOCKER. ALL YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED. You cannot recover your files without our private key. DATA LEAK WARNING. Then a Tor Browser line. Then a blank line where a chat address would go. Then a last instruction: open README0apt.txt for more.

That wallpaper is not a second incident. It is the same flyer painted on the desktop so you cannot look away. It is meant to make closing Explorer feel useless. It is meant to make the note feel like the only remaining document on the machine. Photograph the wallpaper from a phone if you can do it without opening Tor. Then leave it. You do not need to argue with a background image. The evidence is still the .0apt names and README0apt.txt.

Notice what the wallpaper does not give you. It does not give you a company, a refund policy, or a $ price. It does not give you an onion. It points you back to the text file. The text file points you at Tor. Tor is where they want the rest of the night to happen. That loop is the product.

No printed $ price is not kindness

The note never prints a $ ransom. It never prints a bitcoin total. It never prints a wallet. It tells you to open a chat they own and figure the rest out in a negotiation. That missing number is not mercy. It lets whoever answers set a price after they see who you are. A family photo folder and a contractor laptop can get two different asks. Inventing a $ amount here would only help the costume.

Do not convert a made-up $ figure in your head. Do not let a later “helper” invent one and call it the original 0apt price. The published flyer left the amount off. A blank price plus a 24-hour double threat is how they make you feel late before you have even spoken. You do not owe that feeling a payment.

Do not call the police is a scare line

The ATTENTION block is blunt. Do not rename encrypted files. Do not try to decrypt using third-party software, or you may lose data forever. Do not call the police or FBI, or we will leak data immediately. That last line is not a legal briefing. It is how a locker tries to cut you off from anyone who is not them.

Read it as theater. Criminal shops love “do not tell anyone” warnings because a person who is afraid to report is a person who will open Tor. The warning also makes the flyer feel official, like a sealed case file. It is still a text file in Documents. It is still sitting next to 1.jpg.0apt and 2.png.0apt.

Leaving the locked names alone is still good advice, for a different reason than they want. Renaming is not a repair. Third-party miracle decryptors from ads are often a second scam. Calling that out does not mean you should obey the rest of the flyer. It does not mean you should skip an official report. It does not mean you should skip counsel. The people who locked the files do not get a vote on who you tell.

0apt is a locker name, not a product you bought

0apt looks like a version string. It looks like a tool tag. It looks like something a developer might type. This page is not a smear of any ordinary app that happens to share four characters. If a program you actually installed happens to use similar letters, that does not make it this locker. This locker is the one that appends .0apt, drops README0apt.txt, changes the wallpaper, and prints a 24-hour contact clock with a blank chat.

Do not hunt a random app folder because the flyer used those letters. Do not uninstall a title you like because a ransomware note stole a short name. Do not mail a software vendor as if they ran the lock. The brand on the note is costume. The evidence is the extra ending on 1.jpg.0apt, 2.png.0apt, and 3.exe.0apt, plus README0apt.txt.

How The Attack Works

The shop is simple once you stop reading it as a rescue. Lock the files. Brand the names with .0apt. Drop README0apt.txt. Paint the wallpaper with the same shout. Claim AES-256 and RSA-2048. Claim a leak. Point recovery at Tor. Leave the chat blank. Leave the Personal ID blank. Print a 24-hour clock so the missing $ feels urgent. Print a 48-hour leak so silence feels fatal. Forbid renaming, miracle tools, and the police. Sign it 0apt Team. Then wait for someone else to sell the missing onion.

1. The lock keeps the old name so you recognize the loss

0apt Locker encrypts the files it wants as leverage, then appends .0apt. That is why 1.jpg is still readable as 1.jpg.0apt, why 2.png is still readable as 2.png.0apt, and why 3.exe is still readable as 3.exe.0apt. The operators want you to inventory the damage in seconds. They want you to see the photo, the snapshot, the installer, the vacation shot, and the invoice in one glance. A coded filename can confuse you. A readable filename makes you feel the theft.

If only one folder looks wrong, do not assume the rest of the disk is safe. Ransomware walks trees. It hits Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Downloads, and any drive letter it can reach, including a USB stick you forgot was plugged in. Do not plug in a copy “just to check.” Checking is how the extra copy gets the same .0apt ending.

Double-clicking a renamed file does not bring the photo back. The thumbnail may already look broken. Excel may ask for a workbook that is still sitting in the same folder, only the bytes inside are no longer a workbook. That broken open is the first proof. The second proof is the extra ending. Together they are enough. You do not need to open a Tor chat to confirm what you are looking at.

2. README0apt.txt takes the first click

Once the names are branded, the malware needs a voice. Other families cover the glass. This one drops a text file. README0apt.txt feels like the machine itself left you a note. It feels like a help file you must finish before you can do anything else. That is how a locked photo folder starts to feel like a checkout.

The note is also a hiding trick. While you are reading it, you are not calmly sorting 1.jpg.0apt next to 2.png.0apt. You are not photographing Explorer. You are not calling someone who can help. The demand is in Notepad. The evidence is in the listing. Read the note as a sales flyer. Then close it. Keep the file. The files next to it still matter more than the shout.

Notice what the note does not give you. It does not give you a company, a refund policy, or a way to prove the other side will ever send a key. It does not give you a $ price. It does not give you a test decrypt. It gives you a tone that says this is already decided. That tone is the product.

3. The wallpaper repeats the shout so you cannot look away

After the folder is branded, the desktop changes. 0APT LOCKER. ALL YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED. Private key. DATA LEAK WARNING. Tor Browser. A blank line. Open README0apt.txt for more. A wallpaper is harder to close than a text file. It sits behind every window. It makes the incident feel like the operating system itself is talking.

Do not treat the wallpaper as a login. Do not hunt a hidden password in the pixels. Do not “restore default wallpaper” as if that were a decrypt. Changing the picture back does not unlock vacation.jpg.0apt. It only removes one piece of evidence if you do it before you photograph the screen. Take the photo first. Then leave the glass alone until you have a clean machine and a real plan.

4. AES and RSA are the costume that makes the shop feel inevitable

WHAT HAPPENED is the lab-coat paragraph. We exploited vulnerabilities. All your servers, databases, and other copies are locked. Military-grade. AES-256. RSA-2048. You cannot recover your files without our private key. Each of those sentences is meant to end the conversation you have not even started. Being hacked plus private-key control sounds like you cannot beat this at the kitchen table.

You do not need to argue cryptography with a README. You need to stop treating the README as a technician. Leave 1.jpg.0apt named as it is. Leave 2.png.0apt named as it is. Leave 3.exe.0apt named as it is. The cipher names printed in that file are part of the pitch. They are not a recovery procedure.

5. The leak line is the second product

DATA LEAK WARNING turns a locked folder into a reputation threat. The note says they already downloaded confidential data. It says a Tor blog is waiting for competitors and regulators. The LEGAL & REPUTATION NOTICE adds government mail and a CONTACT LIST blast. That pair is meant to make a 24-hour clock feel small. Files can wait. Shame cannot. That is the trick.

A missing proof is not proof of a theft, and it is not proof of safety. It is a missing sentence with a 48-hour fuse glued to it. A stranger who later adds a leak site, a countdown page, or a $ sticker is rewriting the flyer so they can stand in the aisle. The original shop already named the contact method. It already named the clocks. It did not need you to invent the missing onion to get you to panic.

6. Tor Browser plus a blank chat is the door they want

The recovery step is not a key sitting on the desk. It is a browser they tell you to install, then a chat portal with no address printed, then a Personal ID with no value printed. That is the whole door. It looks like support because support uses chat. Criminal shops use chat too, because a thread is where a missing $ figure becomes a negotiation and a locked photo becomes a sample they asked you to attach.

Do not install Tor because README0apt.txt said to. Do not hunt a blank portal “just to see.” Do not send a screenshot of Explorer to prove the lock. They already chose the extension. They already chose the note filename. A photo of 1.jpg.0apt sitting next to 2.png.0apt does not make you a verified customer. It makes you a person still following the flyer.

If someone later says they will “talk to 0apt for you” through a chat they found, that is a broker pitch. Brokers need you in the same funnel. You do not owe them a seat. Report the incident through official desks. Let counsel decide if contact is ever required for a specific legal reason. That decision is not yours to make from Notepad at midnight.

7. 24 hours and a doubled price keep you from thinking

The 24-hour line is a fuse. Contact us. After this, the price will double. Other families print a $ amount so you can pay without talking. This one prints a clock and hides the amount. You are supposed to feel that waiting is already a mistake. You are supposed to open Tor before you have even asked what the number is.

Do not add a $ sticker the flyer never printed. Do not start a personal countdown because a later message said “pay $ now to keep the original deal.” The published note did not print a first price. Double of nothing is still a sales trick. Leave the amount uninvented. Leave the chat unopened.

8. 48 hours and a permanent leak keep you from reporting

The 48-hour line is the second fuse. If they do not hear from you, your data will be leaked permanently. That word permanently is doing a lot of work. It makes an official report feel slow. It makes counsel feel slow. It makes breakfast feel slow. It is still a sentence in a text file. It is not a court date. It is not a confirmed publication.

Do not try to beat the 48-hour clock by sending a first message “just to stop the leak.” That first message is the product. It tells them a victim is live. It tells them a victim reads English. It tells them a victim is afraid of the CONTACT LIST line. You can still tell the people whose files lived on the machine. You can still tell counsel. You can still tell an official desk. The people who locked the files do not get a seat in that call.

9. Third parties will sell a 0apt conversation

After a ransomware incident, search results fill up with companies that say they can decrypt 0apt Locker or “all .0apt files.” Some of those shops are ordinary overpriced consultants. Plenty are a second scam. They will quote README0apt.txt so they sound close to the case. They will mention AES-256 and RSA-2048. They will mention the 24-hour clock. They will mention the 48-hour leak. They will mention a Tor chat as if they already called the original crew. They will ask for a sample file, a remote-access session, or a deposit.

A demo that “unlocks one file” is not proof they can unlock the vacation photo. Anyone can open one junk file they control. Anyone can send you an onion that makes a Tor window appear. A Tor window is not Photos opening vacation.jpg again. If a later message skips the original blank portal and asks for coin over ordinary mail, that is still the same market, or a copycat standing in the same doorway. Do not answer. Do not help them set a wallet the public copy left off on purpose.

A real public decryptor, when one exists, shows up on an official project page that already existed before your incident. It does not need a $ send. It does not need a Tor chat. If the pitch is “we can decrypt, pay us first,” you are still in the market the ransomware created. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. Until a trusted project publishes one, treat any site that says “we already have the 0apt key” as a second sales pitch.

10. Payment and opening that chat close nothing

Paying a stranger for a private key is not a guarantee. The people who send the note can take the money and disappear. They can send a string that only makes a decryptor show an error. They can come back later and lock the same machine again. A chat thread makes that outcome easier, not harder. You cannot leave a review on a blank Tor portal.

Opening a Tor chat for this strain is the free version of the same dead end. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain. Starting a thread does not rebuild a JPEG. It only keeps you in their story while the rest of the disk still needs a real plan.

If this is a company machine, tell counsel and your incident lead. If this is a home PC, tell the people whose files lived on it. Change passwords from a clean device. Watch bank and email alerts. Opening that chat is not useful work. Filling a blank Personal ID is not useful work. It is the checkout, even when the flyer never printed a $ figure and never printed an onion.

What To Do If Your Files End in .0apt

Do not pay. Do not open a Tor chat for this strain. Do not invent an onion, a wallet, a Session ID, an email, or a $ figure to finish README0apt.txt. Do not type a guessed portal into Tor “just to see.” Do not send a test file. Do not send proof of payment. If you already opened a chat before you found this page, stop there. Do not pay a deposit to “hold the original 24-hour price” for anyone who quotes the note.

• STEP 1: Use Rkill to terminate suspicious programs.
• STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove for Ransomware and Unwanted Programs
• STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to remove Trojans and other Malware
• STEP 4: Use AdwCleaner to remove Malicious Browser Extensions and Adware
• STEP 5: Perform a final check with ESET Online Scanner
• STEP 6: Restore the files encrypted by ransomware

STEP 1: Use Rkill to terminate suspicious programs.

In this first step, we will download and run Rkill to terminate suspicious programs that may be running on your computer.

RKill is a program that was developed at BleepingComputer.com that attempts to terminate known malware processes so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections. When RKill runs it will kill malware processes and then removes incorrect executable associations and fixes policies that stop us from using certain tools.

1. Download Rkill.

   You can download RKill to your computer from the below link. When at the download page, click on the Download Now button labeled iExplore.exe. We are downloading a renamed version of Rkill (iExplore.exe) because some malware will not allow processes to run unless they have a certain filename.

   

   RKILL DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Rkill)

2. Run RKill.

   After downloading, double-click the iExplore.exe icon to kill malicious processes. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   The program may take some time to search for and end various malware programs.

   

   When it is finished, the black window will close automatically and a log file will open. Do not restart your computer. Proceed to the next step in this guide.

STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove Ransomware and Unwanted Programs

In this second step, we will install Malwarebytes to scan and remove any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present on your computer.

Malwarebytes is one of the most popular and trusted anti-malware tools for Windows — and it’s completely free for removing infections. It catches threats that many antivirus programs miss, including adware, browser hijackers, and trojans. Follow the steps below to scan and clean your PC in just a few minutes.

1. Download Malwarebytes

   Click the button below to download the latest version of Malwarebytes for Windows from the official source. The free version is all you need — it will scan your computer and remove adware, browser hijackers, and other malicious software at no cost.

   

   DOWNLOAD MALWAREBYTES FOR WINDOWS (FREE)
   
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Install Malwarebytes

   When the download finishes, open your Downloads folder and double-click the MBSetup file. If Windows shows a User Account Control pop-up, click “Yes” to allow the installation.

   

3. Follow the On-Screen Prompts to Install Malwarebytes

   The setup wizard will walk you through a few quick screens:

   • Choose where you’re installing the program — “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer” — then click Next.

     

   • Malwarebytes will now install on your device. This usually takes under a minute.

     

   • When installation is complete, the “Welcome to Malwarebytes” screen will open automatically.

     

   • On the final screen, click Open Malwarebytes to launch the program.

     

4. Enable “Scan for Rootkits”

   Before scanning, turn on rootkit detection so Malwarebytes can find even the most hidden threats. Click the Settings gear icon on the left side of the screen.

   

   In the settings menu, find “Scan for rootkits” and click the toggle so it turns blue.

   

   Done? Click “Dashboard” in the left pane to return to the main screen.

5. Start the Scan

   Click the blue Scan button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its virus database and start checking your computer for malware.

   

6. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   The scan checks your entire system for browser hijackers and other malicious programs, so it can take several minutes. Feel free to do something else — just check back occasionally to see the progress.

   

7. Quarantine the Detected Threats

   When the scan is done, you’ll see a list of everything Malwarebytes found — malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs. Click the “Quarantine” button to remove all of them at once.

   

   Malwarebytes will now remove the malicious files and registry entries and move them safely into quarantine.

   

8. Restart Your Computer

   Some threats can only be fully removed after a reboot. If Malwarebytes asks you to restart, click Yes. Once you’re logged back in, your PC is clean and you can continue with the next steps in this guide.

   

STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to remove Rootkits and other Malware

In this third step, while the computer is in normal back, we will download and run a scan with HitmanPro to remove Trojans, rootkits, and other malicious programs.

HitmanPro is a second-opinion scanner — it’s designed to catch what your main antivirus might have missed. Instead of relying on a single detection engine, it checks the behavior of files in the locations where malware usually hides. Anything suspicious gets sent to the cloud, where it’s analyzed by two of the best antivirus engines available: Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Good news: scanning is completely free, with no limits. You only need a license when it’s time to remove what was found — and even then, you can activate a free one-time 30-day trial to clean your PC at no cost. (A full license is $24.95 per year for 1 PC.)

1. Download HitmanPro

   Click the button below to download HitmanPro. Remember — the scan is free, so you have nothing to lose by checking your PC.

   DOWNLOAD HITMANPRO (FREE SCAN)
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Install HitmanPro

   When the download finishes, open your Downloads folder and double-click the file: “hitmanpro.exe” on 32-bit Windows, or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” on 64-bit Windows.

   

   If a User Account Control pop-up asks whether HitmanPro can make changes to your device, click “Yes” to continue.

   

3. Follow the On-Screen Prompts

   On the HitmanPro start screen, click “Next” to begin the system scan. No lengthy setup required — it goes straight to work.

   

   

4. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   HitmanPro will now check your computer for malicious programs. This usually takes just a few minutes thanks to its cloud-based scanning.
   

5. Review the Results and Click “Next”

   When the scan is done, HitmanPro will show you everything it found. Click “Next” to remove the detected threats.

   

6. Click “Activate Free License”

   To remove the malicious files, click the “Activate free license” button. This starts your free 30-day trial — no payment details needed — and unlocks the full cleanup.
   

   When the removal is complete, HitmanPro will show a summary of everything it cleaned. Click Next, then click Reboot if prompted. If there’s no reboot prompt, just click Close — your PC is clean.

STEP 4: Use AdwCleaner to remove Malicious Browser Extensions and Adware

In this next step, we will use AdwCleaner to remove malicious browser policies and unwanted browser extensions from your computer.

AdwCleaner is a free on-demand scanner that specializes in adware, browser hijackers, and unwanted toolbars — the exact threats that mainstream antivirus programs often miss. It also includes tools that repair the damage malware leaves behind, like hijacked browser settings and malicious policies. It’s a quick scan that’s well worth running.

1. Download AdwCleaner

   Click the button below to download AdwCleaner — it’s free, portable, and requires no installation.

   

   DOWNLOAD ADWCLEANER (FREE)
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Run AdwCleaner

   Open your Downloads folder and double-click the file named “adwcleaner_x.x.x.exe“. There’s no installation — the program starts right away.
   

   If Windows asks whether you want to allow AdwCleaner to run, click “Yes“. When the license agreement appears, click I agree to continue.

   

3. Enable “Reset Chrome policies”

   This setting removes malicious browser policies — a trick malware uses to lock your browser settings so you can’t change them back. Click “Settings” on the left side of the window, then turn on “Reset Chrome policies“.

   

4. Start the Scan

   Click “Dashboard” on the left side of the window, then click the “Scan” button.

   

5. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   AdwCleaner will now check your computer for adware and other malware. This usually takes only a few minutes — it’s one of the fastest scanners around.

   

6. Quarantine the Detected Threats

   When the scan finishes, AdwCleaner will list everything it found. Click the “Quarantine” button to remove all the malicious items at once.

   

7. Click “Continue” to Finish the Cleanup

   Save any open work first — AdwCleaner needs to close your open programs before it can clean. When you’re ready, click the “Continue” button.
   

   AdwCleaner will now delete all detected malware from your computer. If it asks you to restart your PC, allow it — your computer will be clean when you log back in.

STEP 5: Perform a final check with ESET Online Scanner

This final step involves installing and running a scan with ESET Online Scanner to check for any additional malicious programs that may be installed on the computer..

ESET Online Scanner is a free second-opinion scanner that performs a deep, full-system check for viruses, trojans, rootkits, and other malware. We use it as the final step because it’s thorough — if anything slipped past the previous scans, ESET will find it. A clean result here means your computer is malware-free.

1. Download ESET Online Scanner

   Click the button below to download ESET Online Scanner.

   

   DOWNLOAD ESET ONLINE SCANNER (FREE)
   (The link opens in a new page where your download will start)

2. Run the Installer

   When the download finishes, open your Downloads folder and double-click “esetonlinescanner.exe“.
   

3. Install ESET Online Scanner

   On the start screen, select your language from the drop-down menu and click Get started.

   

   On the Terms of use screen, click Accept.
   

   Choose your preferences for the Customer Experience Improvement Program and the Detection feedback system (either choice is fine), then click Continue.
   

4. Start a Full Scan

   Click Full Scan — this checks your entire computer, not just the common hiding spots.

   

   Select Enable for Detection of Potentially Unwanted Applications — this lets ESET catch adware and bundled junk programs, not just viruses. Then click Start scan.

   

5. Wait for the Scan to Finish

   ESET will now check every file on your computer. Because it’s a full scan, this can take a while — often an hour or more, depending on how much data you have. Leave it running in the background and check on it from time to time.

   

6. Review the Results

   When the scan completes, the Found and resolved detections screen appears. Any threats found were automatically cleaned and quarantined — there’s nothing extra you need to do. Click View detailed results if you want to see exactly what was removed.
   

   If ESET found nothing — congratulations, your computer has passed the final check and is malware-free.

STEP 6: Restore the files encrypted by ransomware

Unfortunately, in most cases, it’s not possible to recover the files encrypted by this ransomware virus because the private key which is needed to unlock the encrypted files is only available through the attackers. However, below we’ve listed three options you can use to try and recover your files.

Option 1: Search a decryption tool for this ransomware

The cybersecurity community is constantly working to create ransomware decryption tools, so you can try to search these sites for updates:

• https://id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com/
• https://decrypter.emsisoft.com/
• https://noransom.kaspersky.com/
• https://www.avast.com/ransomware-decryption-tools

Option 2: Use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free to recover the encrypted files

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free can restore files and repair corrupted files with simple clicks. Its powerful scanning algorithms can identify and retrieve huge file type library, including all of the popular video files, audio files, photos, and document formats.
While the free version only allows you to recover 2 GB of data, this can be helpful to see if the recovery is possible and restore back the most important files from your computer.

1. Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free.

   You can download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free by clicking the link below.

   

   EASEUS DATA RECOVERY WIZARD FREE DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard)

2. Double-click on the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free setup file.

   When EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free has finished downloading, double-click on the setup file to install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   

   You may be presented with a User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow EaseUS to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free installation.

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.

   When the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard installation begins, click on the “Install Now” as seen in the image below.
   

   When your EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard installation completes, click the “Start Now” button to start the program.
   

4. Select a location to start recovering the encrypted files.

   Choose the drive or folder where you are the encrypted files that you want to recover and click “Scan“.
   

5. Wait for the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan to complete.

   EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will now scan your computer files that can be restored. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
   

6. Find the files you want to recover.

   When the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan is finished scanning it will show a screen that displays the files that can be recovered. This tool can recover a lot of data, use the “Filter” button to quickly filter specific file types and find the files that you want to recover.
   

   Click the “Preview” button or double-click on a file for a full preview.
   

7. Select your files and click “Recover”.

   Finally, select the the files you want to recover and click “Recover“.
   
   Choose a safe location to save all the files.
   
   The free version only allow you to recover 2 GB of data, however, this will allow you to recover the most important files and see if EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can correctly recover them.
   

Option 3: Try to restore your files with ShadowExplorer

This ransomware will attempt to delete all shadow copies when you first start any executable on your computer after becoming infected. Thankfully, the infection is not always able to remove the shadow copies, so you should continue to try restoring your files using this method.

1. Download ShadowExplorer.

   You can download ShadowExplorer from the below link.

   SHADOW EXPLORER DOWNLOAD LINK
   (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “ShadowExplorer”)

2. Install ShadowExplorer.

   Double-click on the ShadowExplorer-x.x-setup file to start the installation process, then follow the on-screen promts to install this program.
   

3. Select snapshot date.

   Open ShadowExplorer and then from the top bar select the drive where the files that you want to save are located, then select from the snapshot available one previous to this infection.

   

4. Export the files that you want to recover.

   Once you have found a copy of the original file or folder, right-click on it and the select “Export”. A window will prompt you where you want to save the file or folder.
   

Keep every .0apt name exactly as it is. Keep at least one locked sample, including a documented name such as 1.jpg.0apt, 2.png.0apt, or 3.exe.0apt. Do not bulk-rename 1.jpg.0apt back to 1.jpg, or 2.png.0apt back to 2.png, or 3.exe.0apt back to a normal program, or vacation.jpg.0apt back to a normal JPEG, or invoice-2026.pdf.0apt back to a normal PDF. Stripping the extra ending is not a repair. It can make a later trusted tool worse, not better. The original name is already sitting in front of .0apt. You do not need to edit it to know what you lost.

Keep README0apt.txt with the locked files. Do not “clean up” every copy of the note. Do not fill in an onion so the flyer looks complete. Do not invent a Personal ID. The blank chat line, or the string on your disk, is part of how you prove this was this strain and not a different locker that only sounds similar. Keep the contact marks as identifiers: the 0APT LOCKER shout, the AES-256 and RSA-2048 line, the 24-hour contact clock, the 48-hour leak claim, and the 0apt Team sign-off. Those artifacts are evidence. They are not instructions you should carry out.

Do not open a Tor chat for this strain. Do not ask a friend to write them “just to see.” A blank portal is still the people who locked the files, or whoever is standing in that doorway today. If a later message quotes README0apt.txt and offers “the real onion,” that is still the same shop. If a later message skips the original blank chat and asks for coin over a different address, that is still the same shop, or a copycat standing in the same doorway.

Do not pay. There is no printed $ figure to “match.” A calm chat is still a ransom. The 24-hour double threat is still a ransom. The 48-hour leak claim is still a ransom. If someone claims they can already decrypt 0apt files for a fee because they can recite AES-256, RSA-2048, and the 24-hour clock, they are selling a report, not a key. If they mention README0apt.txt as proof they “already called the crew,” they read the same note you did. Do not answer. Do not complete their checkout. Do not help them fix the flyer.

If Windows still offers to pick an app for the .0apt type, decline it. There is no player for that ending.

The Bottom Line

0apt Locker ransomware is a locker with a readable filename, a README that shouts ENCRYPT, a wallpaper that repeats the shout, and a checkout that prints a 24-hour contact clock. It keeps the old name and appends .0apt. 1.jpg becomes 1.jpg.0apt. 2.png becomes 2.png.0apt. 3.exe becomes 3.exe.0apt. The note is README0apt.txt. It claims AES-256 and RSA-2048, claims a leak, points you at Tor Browser, leaves the chat portal blank, leaves the Personal ID blank, says the price doubles after 24 hours, and says data is leaked permanently after 48 hours. It prints no $ figure, no wallet, no email, and no Session ID. There is no public free decryptor known for this strain.

Do not pay. Do not open a Tor chat for this strain. Do not invent an onion. Do not rename the pile in bulk. Keep README0apt.txt and a .0apt sample. If you take one sentence with you, take this. A folder of names ending in .0apt, plus README0apt.txt with a 24-hour contact clock, a 48-hour leak claim, and a blank chat, is ransomware on the first sighting. Treat it that way before anyone offers to fill the portal the flyer left empty.