Gopher Ransomware
Gopher is a malicious ransomware strain that encrypts victim files and demands ransom payment for decryption. First observed in the wild on March 1, 2021, this ransomware has been actively targeting systems worldwide. Security researchers also track this malware under the aliases: Bad-Gopher.
Quick facts
How Gopher ransomware works
File encryption patterns
Gopher modifies encrypted files using specific patterns to mark them as encrypted:
Ransom note and payment demands
After encrypting files, Gopher displays ransom notes demanding payment for file recovery:
notes/BAD_GOPHER.txt
notes/READ_TO_DECRYPT.html
notes/HELP-ME-RESTORE-MY-FILES-BACK.html
notes/HELP-ME-RESTORE-MY-FILES.html
notes/IMPORTANT-FILES_ENCRYPTED.html
notes/BAD_GOPHER.jpg
Technical indicators
Associated executable files
The following executable files are associated with Gopher ransomware:
- Restore Your Files.exe
- restore your files.exe
- yyt.bin
- ransomw.exe
About this analysis
This Gopher ransomware analysis is part of Elastio's comprehensive ransomware detection database. Elastio provides advanced ransomware protection and recovery, helping organizations defend against and recover from ransomware attacks like Gopher.
Last updated: December 30, 2025
Elastio detects Gopher inside your data and backups.
The Hunt Engine uses Deep File Inspection to identify Gopher across live data, replicated data, and backups. If this family is in your environment, Elastio finds it before encryption completes. Run a scan against your recovery points to confirm.
Recent ransomware
Explore other threats in our database