Blooper virus - How to remove

Blooper virus should not be indicated as a real ransomware since it does not fulfill file-encryption process. We also cannot help but notice that many crypto-viruses have been shaped according to WannaCry. Victims might be frightened of the consequences of turning off the main window of this infection, but it has been officially confirmed that no harmful repercussions will take place.

Latter variant has been indicated to be a sample of scareware which aims to frighten victims into paying money for file-decryption. In this case, 500 US dollars are required to be paid as the ransom. However, analysts have specifically indicated that RSA-2048 algorithm is not really applied to digital data. All you have to do is close the launched table. While the file-encoding does not occur, victim won’t be aware of this and might be tricked into paying the ransom.

This virus is not a threat

The payload of this virus is Blooper.exe. After analyzing, it was determined that the file pretends that its copyrights belong to Microsoft Corporation. Obviously, this is a deceitful attempt to convince victims that this executable is a harmless file. After arriving into an operating system, the payload will adjust the machine. Firstly, modifications in Windows Registry Keys will take place. You should not be surprised that the questionable file will be noticed in the Task Manager.

Once the primary modifications are done, the virus won’t move onto to scanning devices for files. It will simply attempt to mislead victims into thinking that their digital data has been ruined by sophisticated cryptography. A table, suggesting that “The software is now encrypting your files” will be followed by another one, insisting that “Ops! Look like your files have been encrypted!”. Only then will be the main table load up. The message should fail to intimidate you as this is not a functional ransomware virus, but only a scareware sample.

Do not feel frightened by this infection. As no actual file-encryption is done, no original extension is noticed as well. Files are supposed to function without any irregularities. However, if a more sophisticated infection would reach your operating system, then the repercussions can be much harder to swallow. If you are infected with this variant, you should close the main window that gets automatically opened. This should fix the issue on the surface, but the malicious payload will still remain in your device. Considering this, you should opt for a more thorough removal process.

You can select from two possible methods: follow the guidelines that are explained at the end of this article or simply run a scan with anti-malware tools. Manual instructions also include alternative file-decryption options, but they are not relevant to you in this case. However, knowing these possibilities is beneficial. As for the automatic elimination procedure, we are recommending Spyhunter or Hitman: either one of these programs will clean your operating system from unsolicited content.

If so it happens that your files become encrypted with actual algorithms, you are advised to stay calm and avoid paying the ransom. It is possible that alternative methods will work, or security researchers will release a free file-recovery tool (dedicated for a specific sample of ransomware). If you are a cautious user, you should already be aware of the benefits of storing files in backup storages or USB flash drives.

The last question that we should answer is very common: how did a virus end up in my operating system? There are several ways that crooks can transmit malicious content. In some cases, malicious spam campaigns are blamed for the distribution of crypto-viruses. Do not react to email letters that originate from unfamiliar sources. These letters usually contain attachments or instruct users to follow specific URLs. Be extremely careful when responding/reacting to such messages.

How to recover Blooper virus encrypted files and remove the virus

Step 1. Restore system into last known good state using system restore

1. Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt:

for Windows 7 / Vista/ XP

• Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
• Press F8 key repeatedly until Advanced Boot Options window appears.
• Choose Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

for Windows 8 / 10

• Press Power at Windows login screen. Then press and hold Shift key and click Restart.
• Choose Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Settings and click Restart.
• When it loads, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the list of Startup Settings.

 

2.Restore System files and settings.

• When Command Prompt mode loads, enter cd restore and press Enter.
• Then enter rstrui.exe and press Enter again.
• Click “Next” in the windows that appeared.
• Select one of the Restore Points that are available before Blooper virus has infiltrated to your system and then click “Next”.
• To start System restore click “Yes”.

 

Step 2. Complete removal of Blooper virus

After restoring your system, it is recommended to scan your computer with an anti-malware program, like Spyhunter and remove all malicious files related to Blooper virus. You can check other tools here.  

Step 3. Restore Blooper virus affected files using Shadow Volume Copies

If you do not use System Restore option on your operating system, there is a chance to use shadow copy snapshots. They store copies of your files that point of time when the system restore snapshot was created. Usually Blooper virus tries to delete all possible Shadow Volume Copies, so this methods may not work on all computers. However, it may fail to do so. Shadow Volume Copies are only available with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. There are two ways to retrieve your files via Shadow Volume Copy. You can do it using native Windows Previous Versions or via Shadow Explorer. a) Native Windows Previous Versions Right-click on an encrypted file and select Properties → Previous versions tab. Now you will see all available copies of that particular file and the time when it was stored in a Shadow Volume Copy. Choose the version of the file you want to retrieve and click Copy if you want to save it to some directory of your own, or Restore if you want to replace existing, encrypted file. If you want to see the content of file first, just click Open.

b) Shadow Explorer It is a program that can be found online for free. You can download either a full or a portable version of Shadow Explorer. Open the program. On the left top corner select the drive where the file you are looking for is a stored. You will see all folders on that drive. To retrieve a whole folder, right-click on it and select “Export”. Then choose where you want it to be stored.

Step 4. Use Data Recovery programs to recover Blooper virus encrypted files

There are several data recovery programs that might recover encrypted files as well. This does not work in all cases but you can try this:

• We suggest using another PC and connect the infected hard drive as slave. It is still possible to do this on infected PC though.
• Download a data recovery program.
• Install and scan for recently deleted files.

Note: In many cases it is impossible to restore data files affected by modern ransomware. Thus I recommend using decent cloud backup software as precaution. We recommend checking out Carbonite, BackBlaze, CrashPlan or Mozy Home.