How to remove BOK ransomware virus

Should you get terrified by BOK ransomware?

BOK virus attempts to intimidate the victims by declaring that all of their files have been encrypted. It happens to be just another file-encrypting malware. Though it employs the standard encryption method AES, virus researchers have doubts about whether the virus is going to evolve into such cyber threat as Cerber which already marked its fifth installment ^[1]. However, there are multiple cases when old viruses are revived again ^[2] causing a massive havoc in the international cyber space. Likewise, it is unwise to underestimate this virus. Remove BOK with the help of an anti-spyware program such as FortectIntego.

Such infamous cases of CryptoWall, TeslaCrypt, and Locky, has been inspiring international hackers to enter the market. Even the joint project of major cyber security companies did not ward off the bright minds to join such risky business ^[3]. Likewise, the developers of this malware weren’t alarmed enough and manifested their programming capabilities as well. In fact, BOK ransomware is an obvious rip-off of Locky virus. One of its previous versions appended .shit extension to corrupted files ^[4]. Likewise, the current malware attaches .bok file extension to every affected file. It is still unknown whether the developers of BOK malware have any relation to the cyber gang of Locky.

Following the style of the latter, the malware encodes all your personal files with AES encryption method. This method has been proven to lock out the data successfully as several cipher cycles are run to generate a unique public key. Only a matching private key unlocks the affected data. Alternatively, users who perform backups frequently do not need to worry as they can restore the data from them. Otherwise, if you happened to be one of those users who did not anticipate ransomware landing on their computers and did not back up your valuable documents, proceed to the last section of the article. You might consider paying the money to hackers, but there are no viable guarantees that you will receive the files even after remitting the payment. We urge you to start BOK removal process right away.

Does BOK also spread through spam?

Many new hackers walk already the trodden path by other cyber criminals, so few develop their own distribution techniques. Certainly, compiling several of them makes a threat more destructive. There are cases when ransomware is delivered to a victims’ computer via an insidious exploit kit. Unfortunately, the latter often disguise in fake Flash player updates ^[5]. Furthermore, you should not forget that spam and phishing still dominate the market when it comes to ransomware distributing. Surprisingly, many users still fall for invoice or tax report emails. Giving into a curiosity to extract the attachment leads to a rapid BOK hijack or the infiltration of another file-encrypting malware. In order to lower the risk of ransomware attack, do not rush to open the attachment. Otherwise, dealing with the outcomes becomes a nerve-wracking activity.

Eliminating the ransomware

When it comes to any file-encrypting malware, you should not waste your energy on meddling with the virtual infection manually. In this case, it would better to rely on a malware elimination tool, for example, FortectIntego or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes. After BOK removal process is finished, you can proceed to data recovery guidelines. While IT professionals are working on a free decryption software, alternative programs might come in handy. More information is provided below. In case the malware has meddled with your system settings and you cannot remove BOK virus properly, go through the guidelines to regain the access.