“Critical System Failure” virus (Simple Removal Guide)

“Critical System Failure” virus Removal Guide

What is “Critical System Failure” virus?

“Critical System Failure” virus – what should you do about it?

If you just got an alert message on your computer screen, stating that your Windows Security has been compromised, and if the pop-up title says “Critical System Failure,” then your computer has been infected by Critical System Failure virus. This virus belongs to Tech Support Scam family, and it is meant to display deceptive and scary warnings on the PC screen. There are many similar viruses created already, such as Fake Windows Activation screen, Productkeyupdate, or “Call certified Microsoft technicians” virus. The particular threat that we are discussing in this article asks the victim to dial 855-616-6772 number to call technical support “experts,” which are simply scammers seeking to deceive inexperienced users and swindle money from them. Typically, scammers seek to achieve at least one of these goals:

  • Talk the victim into buying useless and possibly insecure software;
  • Gain remote access to the computer;
  • Convince the victim to reveal personal data, such as bank card details.

Computer users are advised to ignore such phony alerts and take measures to remove “Critical System Failure” malware from the compromised computer. Luckily, there is a way to block these pop-ups and eliminate the virus from the system without even using a malware removal tool – just enter 642358497351 into the “Response code” box and click Next. That should close the pop-up and remove malware from the computer. If this does not work, it means that you are infected with an updated version of this malware, and it means that using a malware removal tool is the best option to get rid of it. We strongly recommend using FortectIntego or SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner software. You can find comprehensive instructions on how to start “Critical System Failure” removal procedure below this post.

Critical System Failure pop-up claims that the computer has been compromised

How do such viruses spread?

Tech support scammers get surprisingly creative when it comes to distribution of such malicious programs. They seek to integrate their programs into computer systems silently and without causing suspicion to actually make users believe that the computer has been compromised somehow and needs to be fixed immediately. Sadly, unskillful computer users can easily fall for such deceptive messages and call tech support scammers. What is even worse, they might believe what these scammers say and do as they command. We would like to say that all computer users should consider annoying pop-up messages or web pages suspicious if they urge the victim to get in touch with tech support team ASAP.
To avoid installing such deceptive Trojans, users should pay more attention to programs they install and how they install them. We advise users to opt for Custom/Advanced settings when installing new programs rather than leaving Default/Standard mode on. Advanced or Custom settings provide the possibility to see all attached downloads and detach them by removing check marks next to them. What is more, users should stay away from offers to install fake Java updates. These can be encountered while visiting untrustworthy third-party pages, gambling or adult-oriented sites. Such bogus software updates frequently contain hidden files that appear to be malicious. Do not be tricked into installing them unknowingly!

How to remove Critical System Failure malware?

You must remove Critical System Failure virus if you do not want to see these lying messages anymore and, of course, if you wish to protect your system. We strongly advise you to check the entire system for its components and delete all suspicious files at once. Now, this can be a hard task to do, unless you are a professional at programming and can identify malicious files. Otherwise, we do not recommend you to play around with random files and delete the ones that you consider untrustworthy. You might end up deleting essential and necessary files instead of dangerous ones. Therefore, you should go for automatic Critical System Failure removal option and remove it by using one of the following programs:

Offer
do it now!
Download
Fortect Happiness
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Download
Intego Happiness
Guarantee
Compatible with Microsoft Windows Compatible with macOS
What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of “Critical System Failure” virus. Follow these steps

Manual removal using Safe Mode

Enter this code in the “Response Code” field – 642358497351 . This should close the pop-up and uninstall the malware. If this does not work, then follow these instructions and scan your system with anti-malware software.

Important! →
Manual removal guide might be too complicated for regular computer users. It requires advanced IT knowledge to be performed correctly (if vital system files are removed or damaged, it might result in full Windows compromise), and it also might take hours to complete. Therefore, we highly advise using the automatic method provided above instead.

Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking

Manual malware removal should be best performed in the Safe Mode environment. 

Windows 7 / Vista / XP
  1. Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
  2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 button (if that does not work, try F2, F12, Del, etc. – it all depends on your motherboard model) multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
  3. Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list. Windows 7/XP
Windows 10 / Windows 8
  1. Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
    Settings
  2. Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
    Update and security
  3. On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
  4. Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
  5. Click Restart now.
    Reboot
  6. Select Troubleshoot. Choose an option
  7. Go to Advanced options. Advanced options
  8. Select Startup Settings. Startup settings
  9. Press Restart.
  10. Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking. Enable safe mode

Step 2. Shut down suspicious processes

Windows Task Manager is a useful tool that shows all the processes running in the background. If malware is running a process, you need to shut it down:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details.
    Open task manager
  3. Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
  4. Right-click and select Open file location.
    Open file location
  5. Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
    End task
  6. Delete the contents of the malicious folder.

Step 3. Check program Startup

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Go to Startup tab.
  3. Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
    Startup

Step 4. Delete virus files

Malware-related files can be found in various places within your computer. Here are instructions that could help you find them:

  1. Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
    Disk cleanup
  2. Select the drive you want to clean (C: is your main drive by default and is likely to be the one that has malicious files in).
  3. Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:

    Temporary Internet Files
    Downloads
    Recycle Bin
    Temporary files

  4. Pick Clean up system files.
    Delete temp files
  5. You can also look for other malicious files hidden in the following folders (type these entries in Windows Search and press Enter):

    %AppData%
    %LocalAppData%
    %ProgramData%
    %WinDir%

After you are finished, reboot the PC in normal mode.

Remove “Critical System Failure” using System Restore

  • Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt
    Windows 7 / Vista / XP
    1. Click Start Shutdown Restart OK.
    2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
    3. Select Command Prompt from the list Select 'Safe Mode with Command Prompt'

    Windows 10 / Windows 8
    1. Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
    2. Now select Troubleshoot Advanced options Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
    3. Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window. Select 'Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt'
  • Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
    1. Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter. Enter 'cd restore' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    2. Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again.. Enter 'rstrui.exe' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    3. When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of “Critical System Failure”. After doing that, click Next. When 'System Restore' window shows up, select 'Next' Select your restore point and click 'Next'
    4. Now click Yes to start system restore. Click 'Yes' and start system restore
    Once you restore your system to a previous date, download and scan your computer with FortectIntego and make sure that “Critical System Failure” removal is performed successfully.

Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from “Critical System Failure” and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes

How to prevent from getting malware

Do not let government spy on you

The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet. 

You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.

Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.

Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack

Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact – you can set this process to be performed automatically.

When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the data restoration process.

About the author
Gabriel E. Hall
Gabriel E. Hall - Passionate web researcher

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