What is YYYYBJQOQDU ransomware? And how does it execute its attack?
YYYYBJQOQDU ransomware is one of the latest ransomware threats discovered in the last week of March 2019. According to security experts, it was able to affect home users and small businesses that are mostly from East Asia, particularly in China and South Korea, although it seems to be on its first stage of distribution.
The instant it invades a computer, YYYYBJQOQDU ransomware might create a fake instance of Windows Update to avoid detection and connect to command servers that were undetected when uploading the decryption keys. After that, it drops several malicious components in the computer that launches and represses processes. It also modifies some registry entries which allows the crypto-malware to run automatically each time the infected computer is turned on.
After modifying essential system settings, YYYYBJQOQDU will scan the entire drive of the system looking for files to encrypt. It mostly targets user-generated files like images, videos, documents, audio files, and many more. It uses a strong encryption algorithm in encrypting files. Following data encryption, it places a text file named “YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED.txt”. This text file contains the ransom note that states:
“====== the Attention! ======
All your files are, documents, photos, databases, and other important files are encrypted and have the extension: .YYYYBJQOQDU
You are not able to decrypt it by yourself
The only method of recovering files is to purchase a unique private key. Only we can give you this key and only we can recover your files.
To be sure we have the decryptor and it works you can send an email to [email protected] and decrypt one file for free.
But this file should be of not valuable!
Do you really want to restore your files?
Write to email [email protected]
Your personal ID: [10 hex uppercase letters] Attention!
* Do not rename encrypted files.
* Do not try to decrypt your data using third-party software, it may cause permanent data loss.
* Decryption of your files with the help of third parties may cause increased price (they add their fee to our) or you can become a victim of a scam.”
How does YYYYBJQOQDU ransomware spread over the web?
YYYYBJQOQDU ransomware spreads the web using spam emails. Usually, ransomware developers use obfuscated files and attach them to spam emails. These obfuscated files might be ZIP files, executable files, and documents with macro scripts that are used in installing ransomware threats like this one. These spam emails could also contain some malicious links that redirect you to the source of ransomware infections.
Kill YYYYBJQOQDU ransomware from your compromised PC with the help of the following removal instructions.
Step_1: First, tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your keyboard to open the Task Manager.
Step_2: After opening the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for any suspicious-looking process that takes up most of your CPU’s resources and is most likely related to YYYYBJQOQDU ransomware.
Step_3: After that, close the Task Manager.
Step_4: Tap Win + R, type in appwiz.cpl and click OK or tap Enter to open Programs and Features under Control Panel.
Step_5: Under the list of installed programs, look for YYYYBJQOQDU ransomware or anything similar, and then uninstall it.
Step_6: Next, close the Control Panel and tap Win + E keys to launch File Explorer.
Step_7: Navigate to the following locations below and look for the malicious components of YYYYBJQOQDU ransomware such as YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED.txt, [random].exe, and other suspicious files, then delete all of them.
- %TEMP%
- %WINDIR%\System32\Tasks
- %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Templates\
- %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
- %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
Step_8: Close the File Explorer.
Before you proceed to the next steps below, make sure that you are tech-savvy enough to the point where you know exactly how to use and navigate your computer’s Registry. Keep in mind that any changes you make will highly impact your computer. To save you trouble and time, you can just use Restoro, this system tool is proven to be safe and excellent enough that hackers won’t be able to hack into it. But if you can manage Windows Registry well, then by all means go on to the next steps.
Step_9: Tap Win + R to open Run and then type in Regedit in the field and tap enter to pull up Windows Registry.
Step_10: Navigate to the following path:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\
- HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
Step_11: Delete the registry keys and sub-keys created by YYYYBJQOQDU ransomware.
Step_12: Close the Registry Editor and empty the Recycle Bin.
Try to recover your encrypted files using the Shadow Volume copies
Restoring your encrypted files using Windows Previous Versions feature will only be effective if YYYYBJQOQDU ransomware hasn’t deleted the shadow copies of your files. But still, this is one of the best and free methods there is, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
To restore the encrypted file, right-click on it and select Properties, a new window will pop up, then proceed to Previous Versions. It will load the file’s previous version before it was modified. After it loads, select any of the previous versions displayed on the list like the one in the illustration below. And then click the Restore button.
Congratulations, you have just removed YYYYBJQOQDU Ransomware in Windows 10 all by yourself. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit fixmypcfree.com daily.
Now that’s how you remove YYYYBJQOQDU Ransomware in Windows 10 on a computer. On the other hand, if your computer is going through some system-related issues that have to get fixed, there is a one-click solution known as Restoro you could check out to resolve them.
This program is a useful tool that could repair corrupted registries and optimize your PC’s overall performance. Aside from that, it also cleans out your computer for any junk or corrupted files that help you eliminate any unwanted files from your system. This is basically a solution that’s within your grasp with just a click. It’s easy to use as it is user-friendly. For a complete set of instructions in downloading and using it, refer to the steps below
Perform a full system scan using Restoro. To do so, follow the instructions below.
