Salsa Ransomware
Salsa is a malicious ransomware strain that encrypts victim files and demands ransom payment for decryption. First observed in the wild on April 1, 2017, this ransomware has been actively targeting systems worldwide. Security researchers also track this malware under the aliases: Salsa222.
Quick facts
How Salsa ransomware works
File encryption patterns
Salsa modifies encrypted files using specific patterns to mark them as encrypted:
Ransom note and payment demands
After encrypting files, Salsa displays ransom notes demanding payment for file recovery:
notes/READ TO UNLOCK FILES.salsa.html
notes/bg222salsa.jpg
Technical indicators
Associated executable files
The following executable files are associated with Salsa ransomware:
- SalsaDownload.exe
- Salsa.exe
- SalsaDownload.exe.bin
- q.exe
- 772288
- zlfqjgdn.exe.bin
About this analysis
This Salsa 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 Salsa.
Last updated: December 30, 2025
Elastio detects Salsa inside your data and backups.
The Hunt Engine uses Deep File Inspection to identify Salsa 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