Spongebob Ransomware

What is Spongebob Ransomware?

Spongebob Ransomware is a malicious program you should eliminate right away without any hesitation and to assist you in this task our researchers at Anti-spyware-101.com have prepared manual removal instructions available at the end of this report. Nevertheless, before you scroll below, it might be a good idea to get more information about the infection. Especially, if you wish to know how to protect your computer from threats like Spongebob Ransomware or even more dangerous malware you could yet come across in the future. Provided you still have some questions about the malicious program after reading our text or need more help with the threat’s removal, you could leave us a message in the comments section as well.

Where does Spongebob Ransomware come from?

It is unknown how widely Spongebob Ransomware could be distributed, but we can list a few ways it might enter your system. One of the most popular ways to spread such malware is to send infected email attachments. The computer gets infected right after the user unknowingly opens the malicious file. There are even cases when the ransomware’s creators manage to hack into one’s system and launch the threat manually. We could also mention more known distribution methods, e.g. malicious pop-up ads, software installers, and other doubtful content found on unreliable P2P file sharing networks, etc.

Clearly, there are many ways one might infect the system and to protect the device you have to be cautious every time you open attachments sent by someone unfamiliar, download files from suspicious sites, etc. What’s more, we would recommend regular system and other software updates to make the computer less vulnerable. Besides, having an antimalware tool you can rely on could also make it easier for you to guard the computer.

How does Spongebob Ransomware work?

The sample we tested did not encrypt even a single file. Yet, the malicious program’s window shown a ransom note claiming it damaged private data located on the computer. The rest of the text urges to pay the ransom in three days or else it will be doubled, although the price itself is not mentioned. All the ransom note says is that the user should purchase some Bitcoins and send them to the provided Bitcoin wallet (12ewZLPDtKmVtL8JQsr3ita5MZBn5dWZVh). The hackers do not even leave any contact details like an email address to communicate with them about the price.

If Spongebob Ransomware’s creators were seeking to trick users into thinking the infection did encrypt their data they would probably program it to lock user’s screen so he would be unable to check whether the statements said in the ransom note are true. However, the threat does not block the screen, and by opening their files, users can see their data was not damaged. Our researchers say, it is more likely that the current version of Spongebob Ransomware is distributed not widely just to test it; in which case, it is possible the hackers will come back with a version capable of encrypting user’s data. Either way, if you were lucky to encounter this early version that cannot encrypt data, you should not pay any attention to what the ransom note says and clean up your system as fast as possible.

How to delete Spongebob Ransomware?

Firstly users should choose how they wish to get rid of Spongebob Ransomware. If you feel up to the task, you may try erasing it manually. The instructions available below this paragraph will tell you what to do, so it should not be too complicated unless you are inexperienced in these matters. There is one other way to delete the malicious program. Users can pick a trustworthy antimalware tool, install it on the infected computer, and begin a full system scan. Right after the scan, the tool should place a removal button that you can click and eliminate all identified threats at the same time.

Erase Spongebob Ransomware from the system

1. Tap Ctrl+Alt+Delete at the same time.
2. Launch Task Manager and navigate to the Processes tab.
3. See if you can find a process belonging to the malware.
4. Select it with a mouse click and press the End Task button.
5. Exit the Task Manager.
6. Tap Windows key+E to open File Explorer.
7. Check the following folders:
   %TEMP%
   %USERPROFILE%\desktop
   %USERPROFILE%\downloads
8. Look for the threat’s launcher, a file you opened before the malicious program appeared.
9. Right-click this file and press Delete.
10. Leave the File Explorer.
11. Empty Recycle bin.
12. Restart the system. Download Removal Tool100% FREE spyware scan and
    tested removal of Spongebob Ransomware*

Stop these Spongebob Ransomware Processes: