BOMBO Ransomware – [email protected]

The Bombo virus falls under the Dharma ransomware family. Malware of this type encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, documents, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file.

What is known about the Bombo virus?

☝️ Bombo is a Dharma family ransomware-type infection.

The renaming will be executed by this scheme: .BOMBO. As a part of encryption, a file entitled, for instance, “report.docx” will be altered to “report.docx.id-A1B9D831.[[email protected]].BOMBO”.

The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the Bombo developers. You can get this decryptor after contacting [email protected] via email. That is how they do it.

Bombo Summary:

In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Bombo looks like. Each filename has the “.BOMBO” extension added to it.

How did my computer get infected with Bombo ransomware?

There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.

There are currently three most exploited ways for tamperers to have ransomware planted in your system. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer file transfer.

• If you access your inbox and see emails that look just like notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is unknown to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a malware item enclosed in them. Thus it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
• Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse scheme. A Trojan is an object that gets into your PC pretending to be something different. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some software. But what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful agent that encrypts your data. Since the update file can have any name and any icon, you’d better be sure that you can trust the source of the stuff you’re downloading. The best thing is to use the software companies’ official websites.
• As for the peer file transfer protocols like torrent trackers or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never guess what you download until you get it. So you’d better be using trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.

How do I get rid of ransomware?

It is crucial to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Bombo virus will probably install Vidar Stealer on your PC to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware can extract your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.

How сan I avoid ransomware infection?

Bombo ransomware has no endless power, neither does any similar malware.

You can armour your computer from its attack taking several easy steps:

• Ignore any letters from unknown senders with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are waiting for (how can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are waiting for, check all elements of the suspicious email carefully. A hoax letter will always have mistakes.
• Do not use cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often distributed as an element of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, untrusted programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy ones, as trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. Try searching for information on this program on the anti-malware forums, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

🤔 Can I somehow access “.BOMBO” files?

Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.BOMBO” files you will not be able to access them.

🤔 The encrypted files are very important to me. How can I decrypt them quickly?

It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. If not, there is still a function of System Restore but it needs a Restore Point to be previously saved. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 What actions should I take if the Bombo virus has blocked my PC and I can’t get the activation code.

🤔 What could help the situation right now?

Many of the blocked files might still be at your disposal

• If you exchanged your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
• You may have shared images or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to send those pictures back to you.
• If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try downloading them again.
• Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
• It might be that you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, phone, flash memory, etc.

USEFUL TIP: You can use data recovery programs² to get your lost data back since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the video below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but be advised: you can do it only after you remove the ransomware itself with an antivirus program.

1. My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
2. Here are Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2024.