HORSEMAGYAR Ransomware (.LIKEOLDBOOBS File) — Removal Guide

Horsemagyar virus: what is known so far?

The renaming will be done by this scheme: [victim’sID][spanielearslook].likeoldboobs. After the encryption, a file named, for instance, “report.docx” will be altered to “report.docx.[spanielearslook].likeoldboobs”.

In every directory that contains the encoded files, a Horse.txt text file will be created. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information on the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note most probably contains a description of how to purchase the decryption tool from the Horsemagyar developers. That is it.

Name	Horsemagyar Virus
Extension	.likeoldboobs
Ransomware note	Horse.txt
Detection¹	Ransom:Win32/Cryptolocker.PAL!MTB, UDS:Trojan-Banker.Win32.Bandra, Trojan:MSIL/AgentTesla.EPQ!MTB
Symptoms	Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .likeoldboobs extension and you can’t open them.
Fix Tool	GridinSoft Anti-MalwareSee If Your System Has Been Affected by Horsemagyar virus

In the screenshot below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Horsemagyar looks like. Each filename has the “.likeoldboobs” extension added to it.

Horsemagyar Virus - encrypted .likeoldboobs files

An example of encrypted .likeoldboobs files.

How did Horsemagyar ransomware end up on my PC?

Nowadays, there are three most exploited methods for hackers to have the Horsemagyar virus working in your system. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer networks.

If you open your inbox and see emails that look like familiar notifications from utility services companies, postal agencies like FedEx, web-access providers, and whatnot, but whose sender is strange to you, beware of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a harmful file attached to them. Thus it is even more dangerous to open any attachments that come with emails like these.

Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file scheme². A Trojan is an object that gets into your computer pretending to be something legal. For example, you download an installer for some program you want or an update for some program. However, what is unpacked reveals itself a harmful agent that encodes your data. Since the update wizard can have any title and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the stuff you’re downloading. The best thing is to use the software developers’ official websites.

As for the peer-to-peer file transfer protocols like torrents or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never know what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is a good idea to scan the folder containing the downloaded objects with the antivirus as soon as the downloading is finished.

How do I get rid of the Horsemagyar virus?

Often tamperers would decrypt some of your files to prove that they really have the decryption program. As the Horsemagyar virus is a relatively new ransomware, security software developers have not yet found a way to reverse its work. Nevertheless, the decoding instruments are constantly updated, so the solution may soon arrive.

Of course, if the tamperers succeed in encrypting the victim’s essential data, the hopeless person will probably comply with their demands. However, paying a ransom does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your blocked information back. It is still risky. After receiving the money, the racketeers may deliver the wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of ransomware developers simply disappearing after getting the money without even bothering to reply.

The optimal safety measure against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external storage. Obviously, that might be insufficient. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all started. But at least it is something. It is also advisable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the system is rolled back.

There are other ransomware products, besides Horsemagyar, that work similarly. Examples of those are Bbnm, Sijr, Hhjk, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Horsemagyar are the ransom amount and the encoding method. The rest is almost identical: files become encoded, their extensions changed, ransom notes emerge in each folder containing encoded files.

Some fortunate people were able to decrypt the arrested files with the help of the free software provided by anti-ransomware specialists. Sometimes the hackers accidentally send the decryption code to the victims in the ransom note. Such an epic fail allows the injured part to restore the files. But of course, one should never rely on such a chance. Make no mistake, ransomware is a criminals’ tool to pull the money out of their victims.

How to avert ransomware infiltration?

You can armour your system from ransomware infiltration by taking several easy steps:

Ignore any letters from unknown mailboxes with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are expecting (can you win in a money prize draw without participating in it?). In case the email subject is likely something you are expecting, check all elements of the dubious email with caution. A hoax letter will surely contain a mistake.
Do not use cracked or untrusted software. Trojan viruses are often distributed as an element of cracked software, possibly as a “patch” which prevents the license check. But untrusted programs are difficult to distinguish from trustworthy ones, because trojans sometimes have the functionality you need. Try to find information on this software product on the anti-malware forums, but the optimal way is not to use such programs at all.
And finally, to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful defense for your PC.

There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft">⁴.

Download Removal Tool.

You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:

Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware

Run the setup file.

When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your PC.

An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

Press “Install” button.

Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.

Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your system for Horsemagyar infections and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.

Click on “Clean Now”.

When the scan has finished, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.

FAQ

🤔 Can I somehow access “..likeoldboobs” files?

There’s no way to do it, unless the files “..likeoldboobs” files are decrypted.

🤔 What should I do to make my files accessible as fast as possible?

Hopefully, you have made a copy of those important files. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. There are other ways to beat ransomware, but they take time.

🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Horsemagyar virus?

Of course not. Your encrypted files are no threat to your PC.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will delete active malware from your system. The ransomware that has attacked your system is probably still active and running scans every so often to arrest any new files you might create on your PC after the infection. As it has been mentioned above, the Horsemagyar malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide criminals with easy access to your computer in the future.

🤔 What should I do if the Horsemagyar malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation code.

If that happened, you need to prepare a flash memory card with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to execute the procedure. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or brought into your system. To stop this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential applications to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.

🤔 What can I do right now?

Many of the blocked files might still be within your reach

If you exchanged your important files via email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to give those images back to you.
If you have initially got any of your files from the Web, you can try to do it again.
Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
Maybe you still have the needed files on your old PC, a portable device, phone, flash memory, etc.

HINT: You can use file recovery programs⁵ to get your lost data back since ransomware blocks the copies of your files, deleting the authentic ones. In the video below, you can see how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you can do it only after you remove the virus with an antivirus program.

Also, you can contact the following governmental fraud and scam sites to report this attack:

In the United States: On Guard Online;
In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
In Australia: SCAMwatch;
In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
In France: Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information;
In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;

To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.