Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
Note! Your computer might be affected by Booknish Jigsaw and other threats.
Threats such as Booknish Jigsaw may be persistent on your system. They tend to re-appear if not fully deleted. A malware removal tool like SpyHunter will help you to remove malicious programs, saving you the time and the struggle of tracking down numerous malicious files. SpyHunter’s scanner is free but the paid version is needed to remove the malware threats. Read SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
The Booknish Jigsaw Virus is the newest strain of the Jigsaw ransomware family. It uses a complex infection algorithm that can cause devastating damage to the infected hosts. Advanced versions of it can induce a Trojan-like behavior that can spy on the users in real time, overtake control of the machines and load additional malware. Read our full removal guide in order to get rid of active infections.
Threat Summary
Name
Booknish Jigsaw
Type
Ransomware, Cryptovirus
Short Description
The ransomware encrypts sensitive information on your computer system with the .booknish extensions and demands a ransom to be paid to allegedly recover them.
Symptoms
The ransomware will encrypt your files with a strong encryption algorithm.
Distribution Method
Spam Emails, Email Attachments
Detection Tool
See If Your System Has Been Affected by Booknish Jigsaw
Windows Data Recovery by Stellar Phoenix Notice! This product scans your drive sectors to recover lost files and it may not recover 100% of the encrypted files, but only few of them, depending on the situation and whether or not you have reformatted your drive.
Booknish Jigsaw Virus – Distribution Ways
This new strain associated with the Jigsaw virus family uses the traditional delivery tactics. Once again one of the most popular means is the use of email messages that utilize social engineering tactics that attempt to manipulate the targets into interacting with the malware elements. The hackers behind the threat can either directly attach the strains to the messages or hyperlink them in body contents. In addition the messages can be used to spread viral payloads, two popular examples are the following:
Software Installers — The criminals can embed the dangerous Booknish Jigsaw virus into application installers of various types: system utilities, creativity solutions, production software, office applications and even computer games. The virus infections are deployed automatically once the installers execute correctly.
Documents — The virus code can be embedded in documents of different types such as presentations, rich text files and spreadsheets. Usually the infections are done when the malware scripts are invoked. This is done if the victim users enable them.
The other deployment tactic is the use of browser hijackers which are dangerous browser extensions that seek to redirect the victim users to a hacker-controlled site. They are usually uploaded to the official plugin repositories which use fake user reviews, elaborate descriptions and counterfeit developer credentials. The browser plugins are made compatible with the most popular web browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer.
The Booknish Jigsaw virus can also infect legitimate sites as well by using various web scripts. The dangerous files spread by using affiliate and ad networks.
Booknish Jigsaw Virus – In-Depth Analysis
The initial security analysis reveals that the Booknish Jigsaw virus follows the behavior patterns associated with the previous versions that belong to this family of threats. Jigsaw strains are known for having a complex multi-stage infection.
The first part of the attacks are used to prepare the system for the actual ransomware module. This is done by launching a data harvesting engine that can accumulate a large database of data. The collected information can be divided into two main types:
Sensitive Private Data — The corresponding malware engines can be configured into harvesting information that can reveal the identity of the victims. Example information includes the user’s name, address, telephone number, geographic location, interests, passwords and account credentials.
Campaign Metrics Data — The hackers can instruct the Booknish Jigaw virus engine to extract data that can help optimize the attack campaigns. This includes all manners of operating system details and a detailed review of the installed hardware components.
In some cases the collected information can then be processed by a secondary module known as stealth protection. It is used to prevent certain applications from interrupting the correct virus execution. Examples include anti-virus software, virtual machine hosts or sandbox environments. Some viruses opt to deleete themselves in the event that this step is not successful in order to evade detection.
After this is done the actual malware components of the threat can be started. Administrative access to the operating system is acquired through and then system changes follows. This is usually done to the Windows Registry. The virus sample analysis indicates that the engine manipulates both the strings associated with the operating system and the user-installed applications. This can result in the inability to run certain functions and overall performance issues. Further issues can arise when the virus is instituted as a persistent threat. This means that it will automatically start once the computer is booted. In connection with this the Booknish Jigsaw virus can make it impossible for the users to enter into the recovery menu.
This particular threat also hooks to system services and key Windows components in order to infect the system as deeply as possible. We expect to see Trojan-like behavior by inducing a network connection to a hacker-controlled server. It can be used to gather the collected information hijaked by the Jigsaw malware engine in the beginning of the infection. Such infections are also used to spy on the victims and take over control of the affected machines.
Once all prerequsite conditions have complete the ransomware engine is started. Like previous versions it uses a strong AES cipher in order to affect target user data. The victim files are chosen based on a built-in list of file types. Example data that is compromised includes the following:
Archives
Documents
Backups
Databases
Images
Videos
Music
As a result .booknish extension is applied to the victim files. One of the interesting features is that instead of a traditional ransom note an application frame that is created to look like a notification message. It contains the following text:
You have been weened Your personal files are being deleted. Your photos, videos, documents, etc… rekt
Every hour I select some of them to delete permanently, therefore I won’t be able to to access them, either. During the first 24 hour you will only lose a few files, the second day a few hundred, the third day a few thousand, and so on. If you turn off your computer or try to close me, when I start next time you will get 1000 files deleted as a punishment.
An initial ransomware sum is quoted, at the time of writing the captured strains of the Booknish Jigsaw request the sum of 100 US Dollars.
Remove Booknish Jigsaw Virus and Restore .Booknish Jigsaw Files
If your computer system got infected with the Booknish Jigsaw ransomware virus, you should have a bit of experience in removing malware. You should get rid of this ransomware as quickly as possible before it can have the chance to spread further and infect other computers. You should remove the ransomware and follow the step-by-step instructions guide provided below.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by Booknish Jigsaw and other threats. Scan Your PC with SpyHunter SpyHunter is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as Booknish Jigsaw. Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
To remove Booknish Jigsaw follow these steps:
1. Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Booknish Jigsaw files and objects
Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode
1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.
For Windows XP, Vista and 7 systems:
1. Remove all CDs and DVDs, and then Restart your PC from the “Start” menu. 2. Select one of the two options provided below:
– For PCs with a single operating system: Press “F8” repeatedly after the first boot screen shows up during the restart of your computer. In case the Windows logo appears on the screen, you have to repeat the same task again.
– For PCs with multiple operating systems: Тhe arrow keys will help you select the operating system you prefer to start in Safe Mode. Press “F8” just as described for a single operating system.
3. As the “Advanced Boot Options” screen appears, select the Safe Mode option you want using the arrow keys. As you make your selection, press “Enter“.
4. Log on to your computer using your administrator account
While your computer is in Safe Mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear in all four corners of your screen.
Step 1: Open up the Start Menu.
Step 2: Click on the Power button (for Windows 8 it is the little arrow next to the “Shut Down” button) and whilst holding down “Shift” click on Restart.
Step 3: After reboot, a blue menu with options will appear. From them you should choose Troubleshoot.
Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu choose Advanced Options.
Step 5: After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.
Step 6: From the Startup Settings menu, click on Restart.
Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You can choose any of the three Safe Mode options by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.
Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries on your computer to change different settings. This is why cleaning your Windows Registry Database is recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit long and tampering with registries could damage your computer if not done properly you should refer and follow our instructive article about fixing registry entries, especially if you are unexperienced in that area.
2. Find files created by Booknish Jigsaw on your PC
Find files created by Booknish Jigsaw
1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. 2. For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.
For Newer Windows Operating Systems
Step 1:
On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
Step 2:
Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
Step 3:
Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:
Step 1:
Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
Step 2:
After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
Step 3:
After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
Use SpyHunter to scan for malware and unwanted programs
3. Scan for malware and unwanted programs with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Scan your PC and Remove Booknish Jigsaw with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Booknish Jigsaw and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove Booknish Jigsaw. Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
Step 1: Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.
It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
Step 1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.
Step 2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the ‘Next’ button.
Step 3: If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.
Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future
IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats. We recommend you to read more about it and to download SOS Online Backup.
4. Try to Restore files encrypted by Booknish Jigsaw
Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Booknish Jigsaw
Ransomware infections and Booknish Jigsaw aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested several alternative methods that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that these methods may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
Method 1: Scanning your drive’s sectors by using Data Recovery software. Another method for restoring your files is by trying to bring back your files via data recovery software. Here are some suggestions for preferred data recovery software solutions:
Method 2: Trying Kaspersky and EmsiSoft’s decryptors. If the first method does not work, we suggest trying to use decryptors for other ransomware viruses, in case your virus is a variant of them. The two primary developers of decryptors are Kaspersky and EmsiSoft, links to which we have provided below:
To restore your data in case you have backup set up, it is important to check for Volume Shadow Copies, if ransomware has not deleted them, in Windows using the below software:
Method 4: Finding the decryption key while the cryptovirus sends it over a network via a sniffing tool.
Another way to decrypt the files is by using a Network Sniffer to get the encryption key, while files are encrypted on your system. A Network Sniffer is a program and/or device monitoring data traveling over a network, such as its internet traffic and internet packets. If you have a sniffer set before the attack happened you might get information about the decryption key. See how-to instructions below:
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7.
2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Booknish Jigsaw and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
