The Busavelock virus falls within the MedusaLocker ransomware family. A harmful program of such sort encrypts all userâs data on the computer (images, text files, excel sheets, music, videos, etc) and adds its extra extension to every file, leaving the How_to_back_files.html text files in every folder with the encrypted files.
Busavelock virus: what is known so far?
âïž A strictly correct denomination for the Busavelock would be âa MedusaLocker family ransomware-type infectionâ.
Busavelock adds its own .busavelock53 extension to every fileâs name. For instance, an image entitled âphoto.jpgâ will be changed to âphoto.jpg.busavelock53â. Likewise, the Excel table named âtable.xlsxâ will become âtable.xlsx.busavelock53â, and so on.
In every directory that contains the encrypted files, a How_to_back_files.html text file will appear. It is a ransom money note. It contains information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other remarks. The ransom note usually contains a description of how to buy the decryption tool from the Busavelock developers. You can obtain this decrypting software after contacting [email protected] and [email protected] by email. That is basically the scheme of the felony.
Busavelock summary:
| Name | Busavelock Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | MedusaLocker ransomware |
| Extension | .busavelock53 |
| Ransomware note | How_to_back_files.html |
| Contact | [email protected] and [email protected] |
| Detection | Backdoor:Win32/Berbew.BU, Ransom:Win32/MoneyMessage.MK!MTB, TrojanDownloader:Win32/Fareit.A |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .busavelock53 extension and you canât open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Busavelock virus |
The How_to_back_files.html file accompanying the Busavelock ransomware states the following:
YOUR PERSONAL ID: - /!\\ YOUR COMPANY NETWORK HAS BEEN PENETRATED /!\\ All your important files have been encrypted! Your files are safe! Only modified. (RSA+AES) ANY ATTEMPT TO RESTORE YOUR FILES WITH THIRD-PARTY SOFTWARE WILL PERMANENTLY CORRUPT IT. DO NOT MODIFY ENCRYPTED FILES. DO NOT RENAME ENCRYPTED FILES. No software available on internet can help you. We are the only ones able to solve your problem. We gathered highly confidential/personal data. These data are currently stored on a private server. This server will be immediately destroyed after your payment. If you decide to not pay, we will release your data to public or re-seller. So you can expect your data to be publicly available in the near future.. We only seek money and our goal is not to damage your reputation or prevent your business from running. You will can send us 2-3 non-important files and we will decrypt it for free to prove we are able to give your files back. Contact us for price and get decryption software. email: [email protected] [email protected] * To contact us, create a new free email account on the site: protonmail.com IF YOU DON\'T CONTACT US WITHIN 72 HOURS, PRICE WILL BE HIGHER.
In the image below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Busavelock looks like. Each filename has the â.busavelock53â extension added to it.
An example of encrypted .busavelock53 files.
How did my machine catch Busavelock ransomware?
There are plenty of possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most exploited methods for criminals to have the Busavelock virus working in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer file transfer.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan horse model. A Trojan is an object that infiltrates into your machine pretending to be something different. Imagine, you download an installer for some program you need or an update for some service. But what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful agent that corrupts your data. As the update wizard can have any title and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the files youâre downloading. The optimal way is to use the software developersâ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like BitTorrent or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Web. You can never know what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded files with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is done.
How do I get rid of the Busavelock virus?
It is important to inform you that besides encrypting your files, the Busavelock virus will probably install Vidar Stealer on your PC to get access to credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That program can extract your credentials from your browserâs auto-filling data.
Often tamperers would decrypt some of your files so you know that they indeed have the decryption program. Since Busavelock virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures engineers have not yet found a way to undo its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware tools are constantly upgraded, so the solution may soon be available.
Understandably, if the tamperers succeed in encrypting victimâs critical data, the desperate person will probably fulfill their demands. Despite that, paying to criminals gives no guarantee that youâre getting your data back. It is still risky. After receiving the money, the racketeers may send a wrong decryption key to the injured party. There were reports of racketeers simply vanishing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The best solution against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external storage. Of course, that might be insufficient. Your most crucial thing could be that one you were working upon when it all went down. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the system restoration.
There are other ransomware products, besides Busavelock, that work similarly. For instance, Neon, Neqp, Xaro, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Busavelock are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is the same: documents become encoded, their extensions changed, ransom notes emerge in every directory containing encoded files.
Some fortunate people were able to decode the blocked files with the aid of the free software provided by anti-ransomware experts. Sometimes the hackers mistakenly send the decryption code to the victims in the ransom note. Such an extraordinary fail allows the victim to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperersâ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How do I avoid ransomware injection?
Busavelock ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can defend your system from ransomware attack within several easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without participating in it?). In case the email subject is more or less something you are expecting, check all elements of the suspicious email with caution. A fake email will surely contain a mistake.
- Avoid using cracked or unknown programs. Trojans are often shared as a part of cracked products, possibly under the guise of âpatchâ which prevents the license check. But potentially dangerous programs are difficult to tell from trustworthy ones, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. Try to find information about this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the best way is not to use such programs at all.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft2
Download Removal Tool.
Run the setup file.
Press âInstallâ button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
Click on âClean Nowâ.
FAQ
đ€ How can I open â.busavelock53â files?Can I somehow access â.busavelock53â files?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the â.busavelock53â files you will not be able to access them.
đ€ What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?
Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. 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.
đ€ What should I do if the Busavelock malware has blocked my PC and I canât get the activation key.
đ€ And what should I do now?
Some of the encrypted files can be found elsewhere.
- If you exchanged your important files by email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might have shared images or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to post those images back to you.
- If you have initially downloaded any of your files from the Internet, you can try to do it again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud storage might have all those files too.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old PC, a laptop, cellphone, external storage, etc.
HINT: You can use file recovery utilities4 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware arrests the copies of your files, deleting the original ones. In the video below, you can learn how to use PhotoRec for such a restoration, but remember: you can do it only after you kill the virus 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 sĂ©curitĂ© des systĂšmes dâinformation;
- In Germany: Bundesamt fĂŒr Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
- In Ireland: An Garda SĂochĂĄna;
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.
Leave a Comment