Geek's Advice

BPQD ransomware encrypts all computer files, demands a ransom from the user

BPQD ransomware is a malicious virus that infects computers and encrypts files contained in them. This malware is the latest to emerge from the notorious STOP/DJVU ransomware family. After encrypting files, the virus will equally append .bpqd extension to all the filenames accordingly. E.g. a file formerly identified as 1.jpg will automatically be renamed 1.jpg.bpqd, document.docx will appear as document.docx.bpqd and so on. While the attack is still happening, the ransomware will also drop notes known as _readme.txt in every folder it can locate in the compromised computer. The notes will contain messages sent by the cybercriminals informing the victim about the situation and the need for them to contact them to pay certain fees as ransom in exchange for BPQD decryption tool they will promise to provide.

They will further expatiate that BPQD ransomware virus has succeeded in making all files unreadable inclusive of pictures, documents and various data that may be very important to the victim, and considering the fact they made use of very strong and unique encryption key, then it leaves the victim no other option than to pay the ransom fees they’re asking for to the cybercriminals. Also included will be two email addresses, namely; support@sysmail.ch and supportsys@airmail.cc which the victim would be expected to respond to them with.

Furthermore, they will equally list their decryption service prices as well as the terms and conditions involved with the payment of ransom. They will claim that paying within 72 hours or 3 days of being notified by the cybercriminals will afford the victim a 50% discount. Therefore, instead of paying the full amount of $980, half of it, i.e. $490 would be acceptable by them but once the 3 days grace period elapses, only 100% payment must be made to them.

However, suppose the victim decides to reach out to them. In that case, the cybercriminals will still reel out more conditions by stating that the victim can only make payment through purchase of cryptocurreny that is worth the ransom fee and transferring same to a wallet address of their choice. The reason why they use such method of payment is apparently to avoid being trailed and arrested by law enforcement agencies that may have been notified. In order to convince the victim and pressure them into making payment ASAP, they may request small encrypted file that doesn’t contain valuable information for test decryption. They may send you a decrypted version of it.

No matter the pressure, our cybersecurity experts advise that victims should follow FBI’s guidelines on issues relating to ransom payments and it clearly says NO TO RANSOM PAYMENT. There are various reasons given for this verdict and they include the following:

• There is no guarantee of recovering lost data even after paying ransom fees.
• When you pay ransom fees, you’re encouraging cybercriminals to continue in such acts since they would find it profitable.
• It might be illegal to pay ransom.

To broaden the damage scale on the computer, the malware equally installs information-stealing Trojans – VIDAR or AZORULT with hopes to use to steal sensitive personal information such as software login details, cryptocurrency wallets, and banking details, passwords saved on PC and browsing history. Once cybercriminals get hold of such information, they could use them to perpetrate further crimes like blackmails and robbery.

If your computer was compromised by the discussed malware and you can notice new extensions appended to their names, the most important step to take now is to remove BPQD ransomware virus from your PC without further delay. You can do this effectively by booting your computer through Safe Mode with Networking prior to scanning with an up-to-date antivirus. If you’re not sure of any reliable antivirus to use, we advise you make use of INTEGO Antivirus because it is strong and very effective. You can also download RESTORO to help you repair possible virus damages on your Windows OS files.

Ransomware Summary

REMOVE MALWARE & REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE

Ransomware distribution techniques you should be aware of

Computer systems often become infected with STOP/DJVU ransomware such as BPQD virus after their user tries to download from malicious online torrents. Cybercriminals usually embed malware on pirated software copies which they use as bait to prey on unsuspecting users. Therefore, opening fake “cracks” or key generators can result in severe malware infection. In contemporary times, victims have continuously reported of malware attacks after downloading certain pirated software copies from online torrents platforms. Some of the most popular ones used by cybercriminals are listed below:

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

For those that usually visit online torrents platform to illegally download software contents, it is high time you stop it because you could become a victim of ransomware at any moment. Aside the risk of malware attack, downloading copyrighted software contents from such platforms is a copyright infringement and is punishable by law. Instead, it is better to encourage genuine software developers by patronizing their works and paying the requisite fees. Also remember that whatever amount you pay to obtain it legally will always be insignificant compared to the outrageous ransom fees often demanded by cybercriminals. In addition to that, you won’t be at risk of losing vital personal data.

Cybercriminals also distribute ransomware through malicious email attachments whereby they compose believable messages that would be accompanied with attachments crafted with the use of formats like XLS, DOCX and XLS among similar ones that allow JavaScript and other macro functions. They use such platforms to embed payload that would be triggered once they’re opened in any PC.

In recent times, it has become increasingly difficult to detect which email is genuine or scam ones embedded with malware. This is because they often impersonate as family or friends, or even popular corporate brands like Amazon, eBay, FedEx etc. with catchy tags like Invoice, Tracking Details, Order Summary among similar ones. Alternatively, they may decide to make use of email spoofing techniques to hide their originating address. However, the advice is that people should thread with caution when opening random emails. If an email appears odd, then you may as well avoid opening it or any attachment that comes with it.

Finally, it would be in the best interest of STOP/DJVU ransomware victims to avoid suspicious websites that make bogus claims of offering decryption solutions. Most of these sites are fraudulent and they often distribute other versions of ransomware groups such as ZORAB through fake STOP/DJVU decryptors.

More details concerning the infection

For those that want to understand in full details what actually happened during BPQD ransomware attack, you can avail yourself the information contained in this section. The ransomware begins the attack by downloading and running build.exe or build2.exe executables as well as winupdate.exe. Afterwards, it will make a connection with https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json and would save the response in geo.json file. Following that, the malware will gather every piece of information concerning your computer and would store them in the geolocation-related database, including data such as your computer’s geolocation, time zone, zip code, longitude and latitude. The screenshot below shows examples of how geo.json files appear to look like.

The ransomware will also create another file (information.txt) for storing computer’s hardware details, installed software list and other active processes.

At this point, the virus will make a comparison between the country code it extracted from the computer against their list of encryption-exempted countries listed as the Russian Federation, Syria, Ukraine, Armenia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazachstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus. If it detects that the computer under attack is domiciled in any of these countries, it will immediately abort its mission, but if it scales through, the ransomware will then extract online encryption key from their database and would merge it with the victim’s ID before saving the result in bowsakkdestx.txt file and to PersonalID.txt file. Here is an example of what these files look like.

If for any reason the virus couldn’t get any online encryption key as expected, it will opt for the use of hardcoded offline key as a replacement. The difference is that such key will be uniform for all victims and improves the victim’s chances of ever decrypting .bpqd files someday, unlike the online key that is unique to each victim and more difficult to breach.

The ransomware will now begin full data encryption process by scanning every folder and encrypting it with Salsa20 before locking it with RSA-2048 encryption key. While this is going on, original filenames will be given additional extension.

Shown below is a screenshot of _readme.txt ransom note which is usually left in all the folders.

At this stage, the virus will delete all Volume Shadow Copies using the help of Command Prompt task as displayed below:

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

Lastly, the virus will add certain domains to the Windows HOSTS file and also map them to the local host IP, thus effectively preempting any possible attempt by the victim to seek help online. Any attempt to browse the blacklisted sites will bring up DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error message.

Remove BPQD Ransomware Virus and Restore lost Files

The first thing you’re advised to do following a ransomware attack is to remove BPQD ransomware virus as soon as possible. Afterwards, you follow the steps outlined below. Meanwhile, always remember to make use of only genuine antivirus software such as INTEGO Antivirus and also set up your system in Safe Mode with Networking before running it.

Once BPQD ransomware virus removal is done, check these recommendations by our team:

• Get in touch with the local authorities assigned to handle such tasks and report the cyber-attack.
• Make use of any backup device available to you in recovering your lost files, but ensure that the virus is totally removed before plugging in any external device.
• This is time to learn possible ways to repair or decrypt files damaged by STOP/DJVU ransomware versions.
• Also change all login credentials that you were using on the compromised computer.
• Download RESTORO (secure download link) to identify and repair virus damage on Windows operating system files.

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.