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Booyah Ransomware

Posted: April 25, 2016

Threat Metric

Threat Level: 8/10
Infected PCs: 646
First Seen: April 25, 2016
Last Seen: June 23, 2022
OS(es) Affected: Windows

The Booyah Ransomware is a Trojan that encodes your saved data using an algorithm, afterward selling you a service for reversing this attack and restoring all content. Although free decryption solutions aren't always available, most file encrypting threats like the Booyah Ransomware may be rendered harmless by using complete and safe backup resources. The Booyah Ransomware is a threatening software, and, like all threats, should be removed by a qualified anti-malware product or a PC security professional.

A PC Ransom as Loud as Any Shout

The traditional goal of modern threats is always to make money, but some con artists are more impatient than others in achieving that end. The Booyah Ransomware is one of the newer Trojans showing off the consequences of that mindset by using a daily timer that makes its ransom more expensive the longer a victim hesitates on making payments. Concerning its file structure and messages, this threat is very similar to the equally-new Salam Ransomware, possibly as a consequence of them both deriving from the same ransomware-building kit.

The Booyah Ransomware arrives in an executable file with a standard program installation routine that includes an interior DLL. This DLL file is the primary component that accomplishes the Booyah Ransomware's encryption attack by scanning for files on your PC and using an unidentified algorithm to encrypt non-OS data, making the content unusable. The Booyah Ransomware finishes by dropping a ransom note, identical to the Salam Ransomware's, inside the same directories as the affected data. You also may find other content, possibly including key-related data, in the same locations. Text files within your default AppData folder also may list your impacted data, which provides useful information due to the Booyah Ransomware's failing to rename extensions (as is the habit of most file encryptors).

The Booyah Ransomware's demands increasingly higher ransom payments with each day that passes with its fee unpaid. Since you can't use the affected data without a decryption process, unprepared PC owners could have no choice but to pay as soon as possible, or lose all of their PC's contents.

Muting a Ransom that Gets Louder by the Day

Malware researchers typically recommend that all PC users make some use of reliable backups, which can provide simple recovery options against threats like the Booyah Ransomware. While local data may be subject to being deleted by threatening software, network-based storage servers may not be targeted. Removable hard drives also can remain detached until you disinfect your computer, allowing you to restore your data after the fact. Under no circumstances should paying for decryption be necessary for any well-organized PC user.

Because the Booyah Ransomware is a new threat, and limited information is available on its distribution, malware experts have no evidence of confirmed delivery methods. In the past, encryption-based threats have been known for using e-mail as an installation point, with attached documents and corrupted macro content taking the bulk of the responsibility. Scanning these attachments with anti-malware products can detect and remove the Booyah Ransomware or a related Trojan dropper, before any encryption attacks trigger.

The ongoing prominence of encryption in threat attacks shows that it may be far more tedious to recover from a security compromise than it is to prevent one. If you're in doubt about a file's source or contents, taking the time to analyze it with a security product before taking the risk of opening it may save you hundreds of dollars.

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