The Bulwark virus falls under the MedusaLocker ransomware family. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all the data on your computer (images, documents, excel sheets, audio files, videos, etc) and adds its own extension to every file, leaving the !-Recovery_Instructions-!.html files in each folder containing encrypted files.
What is Bulwark virus?
☝️ A scientifically accurate description for the Bulwark would be “a MedusaLocker family ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Bulwark will append its own .bulwark extension to every file’s name. For example, a file named “photo.jpg” will be altered to “photo.jpg.bulwark”. In the same manner, the Excel table with the name “table.xlsx” will end up as “table.xlsx.bulwark”, and so on.
In every folder with the encrypted files, a !-Recovery_Instructions-!.html text file will be found. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other remarks. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is it.
Bulwark outline:
| Name | Bulwark Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | MedusaLocker ransomware |
| Extension | .bulwark |
| Ransomware note | !-Recovery_Instructions-!.html |
| Detection | Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.ST!MTB, NSIS:AdwareX-gen [Adw], Ransom:Win32/StopCrypt.SS!MTB |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .bulwark extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Bulwark virus |
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Bulwark looks like. Each filename has the “.bulwark” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.bulwark” files look.
How did Bulwark ransomware end up on my PC?
There is a huge number of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited ways for hackers to have ransomware acting in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer networks.
If you open your mailbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a malicious file enclosed in them. So it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan virus scheme2. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your PC disguised as something different. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some service. However, what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful agent that encrypts your data. As the installation package can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the stuff you’re downloading. The best way is to trust the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent or eMule, the threat 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. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded files with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the Bulwark virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your files, the Bulwark virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your computer to seize your credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned program can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Often criminals would decrypt few of your files to prove that they really have the decryption program. Since Bulwark virus is a relatively new ransomware, security software engineers have not yet found a method to undo its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware tools are frequently upgraded, so the solution may soon arrive.
Of course, if the evildoers succeed in encoding victim’s essential files, the desperate person will probably comply with their demands. Despite that, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still risky. After obtaining the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports about racketeers simply disappearing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.
The best countermeasure to ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud disk or at least on an external storage. Of course, that might be not enough. Your most crucial thing could be that file you were working on when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also advisable to scan your drives with the antivirus program after the system restoration.
Bulwark is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. For instance, Oflg, Ofww, Aawt, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Bulwark are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes emerge in each directory containing encrypted files.
Some lucky users were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free software provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the criminals accidentally send the decryption key to the wronged in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But obviously, one should never expect such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a tamperers’ technology to pull the money out of their victims.
How to avert ransomware attack?
Bulwark ransomware has no superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can defend your computer from its injection within three easy steps:
- Ignore any emails from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (how can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the suspicious letter with caution. A hoax email will always have a mistake.
- Avoid using cracked or untrusted software. Trojans are often spreaded as a part of cracked software, possibly under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are very hard to tell from reliable ones, as trojans may also have the functionality you seek. Try to find information about this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal solution is not to use such programs at all.
- And to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful defense for your system.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft3
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft4.
Download Removal Tool.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
Run the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your PC.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your system for Bulwark infections and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has completed, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.
Frequently Asked Questions
🤔 How can I open “.bulwark” files?Can I somehow access “.bulwark” files?
Unfortunately, no. You need to decipher the “.bulwark” files first. Then you will be able to open them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.bulwark” files ASAP. How can I do that?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. In case you haven’t, there is still a chance that you do have a Restore Point from some time ago to roll back the whole system to the moment when it had no virus yet, but already had your files. All other solutions require time.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Bulwark malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
Of course not. Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your system off the actual viruses. The virus that has infected your computer is must be still functional and launching checks from time to time to encode any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has already been said, the Bulwark virus does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide hackers with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What should I do if the Bulwark virus has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.
In such an unfortunate situation, you need to have a flash memory drive with a previously installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the cleaning. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or imported into your system. To block this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Many of the encrypted files might still be at your disposal
- If you sent or received your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or family members. Just ask them to post those pictures back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Web, you can try downloading them again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud drives might have all those files as well.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, cellphone, flash memory, etc.
HINT: You can use data recovery programs5 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware blocks 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 won’t be able to do it before you eradicate the ransomware itself with an anti-malware program.
Also, you can contact the following official fraud and scam sites to report this attack:
- In the United States: On Guard Online;
- In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
- In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
- In Australia: SCAMwatch;
- In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
- In France: Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information;
- In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
- In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;
To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove BULWARK Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: BULWARK Virus
Description: BULWARK Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .bulwark extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
- Here are Best Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
