Extract text from Locky encrypted files (YKCOL)
To convert YKCOL Encrypted files to another format, you need Malwarebytes or other Encoded software.
To convert other file formats to the "Ransomware Encrypted File" file type, you need software like Malwarebytes or a similar tool.
A .YKCOL file is not a standard data format. It is a file that has been maliciously encrypted by a variant of the Locky ransomware (with "ykcol" simply being "locky" spelled backward). When a computer is infected, the ransomware searches for valuable files like DOCX, XLSX, and JPG, encrypts their contents using strong cryptographic algorithms (typically RSA-2048 and AES-128), and appends the .ykcol extension to the filename.
Because the internal data is mathematically scrambled, you cannot simply open these files with their original software, nor can standard file converters process them. The file lacks the standard headers and structures that software requires to read the data. This means a .YKCOL file cannot be converted to PDF or PNG using normal methods. Attempting to force-open the file in a text editor will only display random, unreadable characters.
The real-world disadvantage is complete data loss unless you have the corresponding private decryption key, which the attackers hold for ransom. The best workaround is to restore your files from an offline backup. Alternatively, security research organizations occasionally release free decryption tools on platforms like No More Ransom.
Standard online converters fail to process this format because it is a closed, proprietary, and hostile encryption wrapper. We can inspect the file and show its internal structure, but restoring the original data requires specialized decryptors, not a standard format conversion.
Convert.Guru analyzes your YKCOL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert YKCOL file to BASE64, HEX, BIN, ENC, CRYPT, AES, DES, RSA, PGP, GPG, ASC or KEY, you can use Malwarebytes or similar software from the "Ransomware Encrypted Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert CER, BIN, PEM, DER, KEY, P7S, PFX, ENC, P12, BASE64, P7B or HEX files to YKCOL, try Malwarebytes or another comparable tool in the "Ransomware Encrypted Data" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our YKCOL converter.