BonziBuddy Ransomware

The BonziBuddy Ransomware is a Trojan that creates pop-ups asking for ransom money to repair the file damage the rest of its payload supposedly causes. While malware experts rate the BonziBuddy Ransomware's capacity for causing file damage as being limited currently, future updates may increase this threat's capacity for causing harm. Regardless, you should delegate removing all of the BonziBuddy Ransomware's components to your anti-malware software.

The 'Spyware' from Ages Past Coming Back to Haunt You

Web-browsing assistant apps have a less than perfectly clean history, and some products, such as the now-discontinued BonziBuddy, even have reputations of engaging in spying activity on their users. However, non-official sources do provide some availability for the product, which appears to be what some threat actors are relying on for distributing a new Trojan. The BonziBuddy Ransomware is an apparent prototype Trojan, developed with the purpose of either damaging your local files or frightening you into believing that it did so.

From its 2016-dated code, the BonziBuddy Ransomware is unrelated to the real BonziBuddy application, which is a Web-browsing 'helper' application that includes features centering around the use of mascots, such as singalong audio clips. However, malware experts estimate that the BonziBuddy Ransomware's campaign is being distributed in bundles with unofficial BonziBuddy downloads or being promoted by fake BonziBuddy websites.

After it launches, the BonziBuddy Ransomware generates a fake 'BonziBuddy' pop-up. Instead of the legitimate product's features, the BonziBuddy Ransomware's window displays a claim of action taken against your files, as well as additional interface options for recovering your computer. The tone of the messaging is strongly implicative of the BonziBuddy Ransomware's being the creation of a very young threat actor (a so-called 'script kiddy') or as a joke program.

Taking Care of the Buddy No One Wants

Ironically, rates of detection for the BonziBuddy Ransomware among various PC security products remain low due to the threat's limited features and payload. Despite the contents of its pop-up, malware analysts found no file-deleting or encryption-based behavior in evidence from this Trojan. Data-collecting functions or network-based security issues, such as backdoor communications, also are notably absent. For now, the BonziBuddy Ransomware's worst consequences seem to be confusing its victims with threatens that have no real backing.

While the BonziBuddy Ransomware is a low-level threat, bundle-based installers, malvertising, and similar exploits also are equally able to install additional threatening software at the same time. Using anti-malware products for cleaning the BonziBuddy Ransomware from your PC both guarantees that you've removed all of its changes and no other threats have made headway into an already-compromised environment.

There's little shame in cultivating an interest in old software and products. However, while you do so, be careful about which resources you're trusting for your downloads or worse problems than the BonziBuddy Ransomware may profit from your lack of bad habits.