Terminate Badut Clowns Ransomware (Crypto-Malware/Ransomware)

What is Badut Clowns ransomware? And how does it implement its attack?

Badut Clowns ransomware is a new cyber threat that’s been spotted as of late. According to security experts, it is a new variant of the infamous Jigsaw ransomware. It attaches a “.badutclowns” suffix to every file it locks using a sophisticated encryption algorithm. Like its predecessor, it is created to lock valuable data in a computer and demands a ransom in exchange for file recovery. This time, this new Jigsaw variant demands $200 in Bitcoins. As for how it implements its attack, nothing much has changed since it mostly resembles other Jigsaw variants.
Once it has managed to infect a targeted PC, it will begin to implement its attack by adding more malicious files to help it in executing some tasks in the system which keeps the crypto-malware undetected by any programs, specifically, antivirus programs installed. It may also create and modify some entries in the Windows Registry. This allows it to run on every system boot.
Once all the changes made are applied, Badut Clowns ransomware will scan the entire drive of the system to look for its targeted files. It then starts the encryption using a strong encryption algorithm and appends the .badutclowns suffix on each one of the compromised data. After the data encryption, it opens a pop-up window which contains the ransom note that reads:
“Important. I’m Badut Clowns, Welcome to my little game
Perhaps you are busy looking for a way to recover your files, but don’t waste your time.
Nobody can recover your files without our decryption service.
I will give you 1 hour from now, to send a sum of $200 via bitcoin
If you ignore this warning, we will lock all your personal data within 2 hours
Not only that, We will destroy your pc harddisk within 2 hours
We have controlled your wifi network and will spread this malware to all connected devices
Now, let’s start enjoy our little game together!
Now, let’s start and enjoy our little game together!
1 file will be deleted
[View encrypted files]
Please, send at least $200 worth of Bitcoin here:
3Qjb7LK3v7RFgir3XrRsVbK8a22hdicoLV
[I made a payment, now give me back my files!]”
Furthermore, it also changes the desktop background of the infected computer with a scary image that has the following message:
“If you rate a programmer or coder 7.5/10 on knowledge basis,
you would definitely have to rate a hacker 10
Because behind every successful Coder there an even more successful
De-coder to understand that code
[email protected]
–badut clowns—”
How does Badus Clowns ransomware proliferate?
The malicious payload of this new Jigsaw variant might be distributed using the commonly used method by ransomware developers – spam emails. The malicious payload may be in the form of a zip file, PDF file or a document with macro scripts that once opened, will run a command that launches Badut Clowns ransomware into the computer. Thus, you need to be more cautious when it comes to downloading email attachments.
Terminate Badut Clowns ransomware from your computer by following the removal instructions provided below.
Step 1: Press the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys at the same time to open a menu and then expand the Shut down options which is right next to the power button.
Step 2: After that, tap and hold the Shift key and then click on Restart.
Step 3: And in the Troubleshoot menu that opens, click on the Advanced options and then go to the Startup settings.
Step 4: Click on Restart and tap F4 to select Safe Mode or tap F5 to select Safe Mode with Networking.
Step 5: After your PC has successfully rebooted, tap Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
Step 6: Go to the Processes tab and look for any suspicious-looking processes that could be related to Badut Clowns ransomware and then end each one of their processes.

Step 7: Exit the Task Manager and open the Programs and Features section under Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.
Step 8: Look for any suspicious-looking programs that could be related to Badut Clowns ransomware and then uninstall it.

Step 9: Close Control Panel and tap Win + E keys to open File Explorer.
Step 10: Now navigate to the following locations and look for the malicious components created by Badut Clowns ransomware like [random].exe and then make sure to delete them all.

%APPDATA%
%TEMP%
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
%USERPROFILE%\Downloads
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop

Step 11: Close the File Explorer.
Before you proceed to the next steps below, make sure that you are tech savvy enough to the point where you know exactly how to use and navigate your computer’s Registry. Keep in mind that any changes you make will highly impact your computer. To save you the trouble and time, you can just use [product-name] this system tool is proven to be safe and excellent enough that hackers won’t be able to hack into it. But if you can manage Windows Registry well, then by all means go on to the next steps.
Step 12: Tap Win + R to open Run and then type in regedit in the field and tap enter to pull up Windows Registry.

Step 13: Navigate to the listed paths below and look for the registry keys and sub-keys created by Badut Clowns ransomware.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

Step 14: Delete the registry keys and sub-keys created by Badut Clowns ransomware.
Step 15: Close the Registry Editor and empty your Recycle Bin.
Try to recover your encrypted files using the Shadow Volume copies
Restoring your encrypted files using Windows’ Previous Versions feature will only be effective if Badut Clowns ransomware hasn’t deleted the shadow copies of your files. But still, this is one of the best and free methods there is, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
To restore the encrypted file, right-click on it and select Properties, a new window will pop-up, then proceed to Previous Versions. It will load the file’s previous version before it was modified. After it loads, select any of the previous versions displayed on the list like the one in the illustration below. And then click the Restore button.

To ensure the removal of Badut Clowns ransomware from your system including the malicious components it has created on your system, follow the advanced steps below.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot it.
After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the Safe Mode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.