Golden Ransomware

Golden Ransomware might not emerge as a fully-fledged infection, but because we cannot guarantee it at this point, we want to warn all Windows users that this threat exists, and that it is targeted at their personal files. Unless you have been living under a rock, you must have heard of at least one incident where an infection slithered in silently and then corrupted personal files using encryption. While most file-encrypting infections nowadays are targeted at healthcare institutions, banks, governments, and big companies, isolated Windows users can become victims too. In most cases, infections are targeted at personal files, and they can successfully encrypt them to use that as leverage when forcing victims to pay huge payments as ransom. However, there are also plenty of imposters who only pose as file-encryptors. So, is the ransomware discussed in this report a real threat or just an imposter? Continue reading to find out. Of course, in both cases, you want to remove Golden Ransomware, and we have a few tips that will help you delete this infection right away.

According to our research team, Golden Ransomware does not encrypt files. At least, not right now. The thing is that this malicious infection might be in development stages, and the cyber criminal behind it could still be testing it out and adding or removing features. So, can we say that this malware will never encrypt files? We certainly cannot. That being said, there is a good chance that this malicious threat could be a screen-locker that only wants victims to believe that they have to worry about file decryption. It is easiest to find out whether or not files were encrypted by checking them, and that is hard to do because Golden Ransomware makes it impossible for the user to close the infection’s window. It represents a flashing text that suggests visiting a link to “unlock [the] computer.” Most likely, if you visited the link – and the obtained sample did not include them at all – you would be asked to pay a ransom. The warning presented by the infection also states this: “You can only remove [malware] with our services.” Rest assured that you can delete the infection yourself.

It is not exactly clear how the malicious Golden Ransomware spreads, but if it does that successfully, it uses the “shutdown -a” command to prevent victims from closing the infection’s window and checking if their files were encrypted. This window cannot be closed or killed via the Task Manager. That is meant to convince the victim that the only thing they can do is follow the instructions on the screen. That, of course, is not the truth. The instructions you can find below suggest rebooting the operating system to Safe Mode. If you do that successfully, you will be able to check if your files were encrypted, as well as to initiate the removal. Of course, if you are thinking about installing anti-malware software to delete the threat automatically, you will need to reboot to Safe Mode with Networking, but the reboot process is pretty much the same regardless of your boot option.

Why should you install anti-malware software? In this situation, you might use it to automatically delete Golden Ransomware, and considering that the launcher of this infection could be dropped anywhere, and its name could be random or misleading, you really could use the help. If you look beyond that, you also can use the software to protect your operating system and personal files in the future. Hopefully, your personal files are not corrupted even if Golden Ransomware attacks successfully, but you must keep in mind that there are hundreds and thousands of infections that could harm your files. You want them protected, and anti-malware software is not the only thing that can help. You also want to back up files, and you want to do that outside the operating system because backups can save you if your files ever get corrupted, lost, or stolen.

N.B. If you have any concerns or questions about the removal of Golden Ransomware, do not hesitate to communicate with our research team via the comments section below.

Golden Ransomware Removal

Reboot Windows 10/Windows 8

1. Restart the PC, wait for BIOS to load, and immediately start tapping F8.
2. In the boot menu click See advanced repair options.
3. Select Troubleshoot, then click Advanced options, and move to Startup Settings.
4. Click Restart and then choose Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking.

Reboot Windows 7/Windows Vista/Windows XP

1. Restart the PC, wait for BIOS to load, and immediately start tapping F8.
2. Select Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking.

Delete the ransomware

1. Find and Delete the {unknown name}.exe file that launched the ransomware. Could be here:
   • %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
   • %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
   • %TEMP%
2. Launch RUN by tapping Win+R keys on the keyboard.
3. Enter regedit.exe into the box to open Registry Editor.
4. Move to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
5. Delete the value named SysAudio.
6. Empty Recycle Bin.
7. Reboot the operating system back to normal mode.
8. Install and run a malware scanner to check for malicious leftovers.