MADA Ransomware

Posted: January 29, 2018

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Ranking:	12,784
Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	143

First Seen:	October 29, 2023
Last Seen:	March 8, 2025
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The MADA Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan that can encrypt media to keep you from opening it until you agree to pay its ransom, as well as deleting them potentially. Try to avoid paying the threat actor, who may not give you a matching decryption solution. Instead, use backups or free decryption programs to save your files while anti-malware software removes the MADA Ransomware from your computer.

Crooks Going a Little MAD for Bitcoins

The file-erasing antics of the Jigsaw Ransomware appear to have either a competitor or an update: the MADA Ransomware, a Trojan offering identical features for erasing data after it already holds them hostage. Malware researchers aren't able to confirm any active infection methods, but the Trojan's functions are working as anticipated and may block you from opening your files or removing them under some arbitrary conditions permanently.

Based on their names and associated file data, the MADA Ransomware's installers may arrive on random PCs with the disguise of fake versions of the Chrome browser. The Trojan uses an unknown encryption method for scanning and locking a variety of content automatically, which often can include documents and other media associated with programs like Microsoft's Word or Adobe's Acrobat Reader. The MADA Ransomware also may or may not include secondary changes to these files, such as an added extension ('dog.bmp.encrypted,' 'dog.bmp.locked' and so on).

Although malware experts have yet to surmise the suitability of unlocking the above media freely, the MADA Ransomware's author offers a premium solution: paying Bitcoins with further details available by contacting his e-mail address. Most notably, however, the same ransom message also carries warnings about the MADA Ransomware's deleting files on a timer or during a system reboot, which is a hallmark of the notorious Jigsaw Ransomware's campaign.

Putting the Puzzle Pieces of Your Files Back Together

If the MADA Ransomware is, in fact, a modification of the original Jigsaw Ransomware, free decryption utilities may be compatible with it. Speak with an anti-malware specialist with experience versus cryptography-including threats for additional help on how to determine any possible recovery methods via third-party programs. Malware experts don't encourage delivering the ransom, which isn't a surefire promise of getting the decryptor necessarily. Having backups from before the infection always is the most definitive way of retrieving any content that Trojans with this payload type try to harm.

The fact that the MADA Ransomware's author uses a Gmail-based account for negotiations makes it unlikely that this project is a heavily-funded or professional one. Infection strategies for low-level campaigns of this type can use corrupted Web advertisements, spam e-mails, or content on file-sharing networks for soliciting downloads from their victims. All of these attacks are preventable by conventional anti-malware technology that should eliminate the MADA Ransomware, while also blocking its payload.

Whether it's deletion or encryption, the MADA Ransomware is a problem for users who don't care to give their files the attention that they deserve. As long as it's inexpensive and easy to copy your media, there's no reason not to take the next step and make sure that those copies are residing somewhere safe.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

aboocaricable.com