Geek's Advice

BBBW ransomware: computer virus that takes your files hostage

BBBW ransomware is a severe file-encrypting virus that belongs to the STOP/DJVU ransomware group. It operates by first infiltrating a computer system, encrypting its files, and ultimately appending .bbbw extension to the respective file names. Take for instance, a file that was hitherto known as 1.jpg is automatically renamed 1.jpg.bbbw, and the same format is applied on all others. Also, while the ransomware attack is still ongoing, various ransom notes known as _readme.txt will be dropped in all the folders. These ransom notes are a direct notification from those behind the cyberattack informing their victim about what just happened and the need for them to pay a specific amount of money as ransom in exchange for BBBW decryption tool they will promise to provide.

The ransom note will further state that BBBW ransomware virus has compromised the entire database of the infected computer including documents, videos, pictures and all other data that are potentially very important to the victim. And considering that a complex encryption key was used to accomplish it, the victim therefore has no other choice than to comply by paying the ransom fee. To pave way for that, two emails will be attached, namely support@sysmail.ch and helpsupportmanager@airmail.cc. which the victim would be expected to interface with for further directives.

In addition to that, decryption service rates will also be included as well as terms/conditions of payment. They will emphasize that paying as soon as possible attracts certain benefits such as 50% discount if the victim could pay within 72 hours i.e. 3 days of being notified. In other words, instead of paying a ransom fee of $980 they would only have to pay $490. However, once the 3 days elapses, only the maximum fee would be acceptable.

If the victim decides to reach out to them via the emails provided, the crooks would clarify that ransom payments can only be made by purchasing cryptocurrency that is equivalent to the ransom fee and transferring same to a wallet address they would make available. The idea behind this is apparently to stay off the radar and remain untraceable. In order to gain the confidence of the victim as per their capability to restore the files once ransom is paid, they sometimes suggest that excerpts of the compromised files be sent across to them for test decryption.

Similar to official FBI’s guidelines, our in-house cybersecurity experts equally advice against any form of ransom payment to cybercriminals. The major reasons why victims are advised not to pay ransom is listed below:

• Paying ransom does not guarantee file recovery/decryption
• Paying ransom makes funds available to cybercriminals thus enabling them to expand their activities and spread more malware
• When ransom fees are paid to cybercriminals, they would be encouraged to continue in their criminal activities since they would find it profitable.

Furthermore, this virus is notorious for dropping Trojans like AZORULT and VIDAR on the already infected computer. These Trojans can steal vital personal information like banking details, software login details, cryptocurrency wallets, browsing history, saved passwords etc. without the victim being aware. Such sensitive information in the wrong hands can lead to further blackmail and loss of money.

For those that are already victims of STOP/DJVU cyber-attack, you’re advised to remove BBBW ransomware virus as soon as possible. This can be done effectively by scanning updated antivirus software while the computer is set up on Safe Mode/Networking to ensure that no trace of the virus would be left. Any good antivirus can be used to do this but always ensure its efficacy has already been established. Our team’s top pick is INTEGO Antivirus because it demonstrates excellent computer malware detection rates and provides real-time protection. Additionally, we suggest downloading RESTORO to identify and repair virus damage inflicted on Windows OS files.

Ransomware Summary

REMOVE MALWARE & REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE

Ransomware distribution methods used by cybercriminals

The most common method used by cybercriminals in distributing STOP/DJVU variants such as BBBW virus is through downloading of malicious torrents. In this method, they would infect pirated software copies with malware and they become activated once they are opened by unsuspecting users. Over the years, various types of popular software copies including the so-called “cracks”, key generators and other pirated license activation tools have been deceptively cloned and uploaded to online torrent platforms by cybercriminals. The most frequently clickbait-used software names are listed below:

• Internet Download Manager;
• Adobe Photoshop;
• Tenorshare 4ukey;
• AutoCad;
• Opera browser;
• Fifa 20;
• Corel Draw;
• VMware Workstation;
• Cubase;
• Adobe Illustrator;
• League of Legends;
• KMSPico (illegal Windows activation tool).

Therefore, users of computer software contents are advised to stay away from online torrent libraries or rogue sites offering “100% working” and “full” paid software versions for free.

They may appear attractive on the face value since they are advertised to cost little or nothing relative to the genuine ones. However, downloading such contents will put the user at serious risk of malware infection. Also, such activity is fraudulent and those involved in it could be prosecuted by the original content developers for copyright infringement. Instead of partaking in such risky activities, we recommend that users should always source for their software needs from official platforms or third party agents endorsed by the original content developers.

Remember that whatever amount you will be asked to pay to obtain it legitimately can never be compared to the insane ransom fees cybercriminals slam on their victims. Also, you won’t be putting your personal sensitive data at risk.

Other methods of distributing ransomware include malicious email attachments whereby cybercriminals would create highly convincing emails and attach documents formatted on DOCX, PDF or XLS. They usually make use of these particular three because they allow JavaScript and other macro functions that enable the attachment of payload.

The worrisome part is that trying to decipher which email is genuine or not has become increasingly difficult in recent times. The cybercriminals now mirror their malware carrying email to appear just like random genuine ones. They also use official names like Invoice, Order Summary or Tracking Details among others. Sometimes, they may decide to hide their identity by using email spoofing techniques to disguise the sender’s address. Therefore, caution is advised when opening emails especially when such email is suspicious.

For those that have fallen victim already to STOP/DJVU ransomware, it will be in your best interest to avoid dubious websites that claim to offer decryption services because they’re scam since such do not exist at the moment. Do not throw caution to the wind with the mindset that the worst has been done already because other ransomware versions like ZORAB can still be spread through such fake STOP/DJVU decryptors.

More information about the virus

This section comes in handy for victims that may be wondering about the extent of damage that was inflicted on their computer system following BBBW ransomware attack. It discusses about the technical aspect of the ransomware. The first thing it does is to establish build.exe or build2.exe executables as well as winupdate.exe.

Afterwards, it makes connection with https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json before saving the outcome in geo.json file. At this point, the malware would commence the process of extracting details concerning the computer such as its geolocation, latitude and longitude, zip code, time zone into geo.json file. It also saves various hardware and software details into information.txt file. These pieces of information would eventually be sent to the central database.

Shown in the screenshot below is how a typical geo.json file looks like.

See an example of information.txt file created by the virus below.

The virus then profiles the geolocation of computer against their list of encryption-exempted countries that include Ukraine, Russia, Kazachstan, Syria, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Belarus. If the shows positive to any of the listed countries, it will instantly abort its mission but if otherwise, it will proceed by extracting online encryption key domiciled in their server. It will attach same to the victim’s ID before saving them in the bowsakkdestx.txt file and to the PersonalID.txt file.

You can see examples of these files shown below.

In cases whereby the malware couldn’t extract an online ID, it will resort to the use of offline encryption ID. The difference between the two is that offline ID is uniform for all victims of the same variant while online ID is unique for each victim. The implication is that offline ID enhances the possibility to decrypt .bbbw files in the future. For more information, check this guide on possibilities of STOP/DJVU affected data decryption.

When it gets to this point, the ransomware then proceeds to the data encryption process by scanning every folder and encrypting them with Salsa20 before using the RSA-2048 key to secure the encryption. While this is taking place, the virus will also mark each file with more extensions.

Shown here is a screenshot of _readme.txt ransom note the virus drops in all the folders.

Afterward, the virus will delete the Volume Shadow Copies by leveraging the Command Prompt task as shown here:

^{vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet}

Lastly, the virus would blacklist certain domains by adding them to the Windows HOSTS file by mapping them to a local host IP. This function will effectively prevent the victim from having access to any of the blacklisted websites. The DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error message may appear whenever they try to log in. The idea behind this is to prevent the victim from getting any form of help online.
At this point, the virus would drop more malware on the already compromised computer such as VIDAR Trojan.

Remove BBBW Ransomware Virus and Recover Your Files

For victims who unfortunately had their files encrypted by this malware variant, you’re advised to inform the appropriate authorities about the incident while you equally remove BBBW ransomware virus ASAP.

You can make use of the detailed steps provided below as a guide. When removing the virus, it is recommended to boot your computer set through Safe Mode with Networking because it will hibernate certain functions and enable the antivirus to work perfectly. However, use of genuine and reputable antivirus is strongly advised, for instance, INTEGO Antivirus. Additionally, you may want to download RESTORO to repair Windows OS files damaged by computer malware.

Steps to follow after complete BBBW ransomware virus removal as recommended by our experts:

• It is very important to get in touch with relevant law enforcement agencies within your area and inform them about the cyber-attack.
• Make use of your backup device to restore your lost files but always ensure that the malware is totally removed before plugging any external device to your computer.
• Change all passwords that were used on the compromised computer without delay.
• Learn possible ways through which files infected with STOP/DJVU variants can be decrypted.

Nevertheless, computer users can’t afford to be careless with their activities and therefore should avoid all the risk factors outlined in this article. It is always better to prevent a ransomware attack than trying to manage the fallout.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND

Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system:

STEP 1. REMOVE AUTOMATICALLY WITH ROBUST ANTIVIRUS

REMOVE & PROTECT WITH INTEGO

Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7.. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs.

Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer.

Read full review here.

STEP 2. REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER

DOWNLOAD RESTORO

RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically.

RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them.

Read full review here.

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Norbert Webb

Norbert Webb is the head of Geek’s Advice team. He is the chief editor of the website who controls the quality of content published. The man also loves reading cybersecurity news, testing new software and sharing his insights on them. Norbert says that following his passion for information technology was one of the best decisions he has ever made. “I don’t feel like working while I’m doing something I love.” However, the geek has other interests, such as snowboarding and traveling.