1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam virus (Virus Removal Guide)

1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam virus Removal Guide

What is 1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam virus?

1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam virus seeks to scare users with fake error screen

1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam virus is a malicious program created by shameless technical support scammers. It belongs to the huge group of Tech Support Scam malware – these programs are all meant to deceive the computer user, pull wool over his or hers eyes, and convince him or her to follow scammer’s commands that supposedly can fix the computer. The virus arrives in the form of WinCPU.exe file, which entirely differs from other Tech Support Scam threats. It appears that this virus establishes a backdoor on the compromised system. Once installed, this Trojan horse connects to its Command&Control server and waits for commands. It checks the remote server every 5 minutes to see if new commands have been created, and executes them immediately. The virus saves the following files to AppData folder:

  • ImageLoader.exe;
  • AutoUpdare.bat;
  • WinCPU.exe.

1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam virus displays either one or another screen

In the case of successful 1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam Trojan attack, the virus launches a big black window on the compromised PC’s screen containing a message that tells the victim to dial 1-844-324-6233 for help immediately. The virus displays the following warnings to intimidate the user:

A problem has been detected and windows has been shutdown to prevent damage to your computer.
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

If this is the first time you’ve seen this stop error screen, restart your computer.
If this screen appears again, follow these steps: of Contact us 1-844-324-6233

Then the fake message continues to babble about problems that might have caused the error and suggests checking if any new hardware or software has been installed correctly. Suddenly, it changes the topic and suggests installing Windows updates, disabling BIOS memory options, and applying other “fixes” that should help to fix the made-up “problem.” The message is clearly designed to confuse inexperienced PC users and make them feel like they need some professional help. Then again, all of sudden the bogus message announces that Zeus Trojan has been detected on the system. It showcases such lines for the victim:

Zeus was detected and put in quarentine
Zeus is very dangerous software used by criminals to steal data such as credit card information, access to banking accounts, passwords to social networks and emails.
***STOP: 0X00D1 (0X00C,0X002,0X00,0XF86B5A89)
***gv3.sys – Address F86B5A89 at FB6B6000, DataStamp 3dd991eb

The trojan is not precisely programmed, and in case its installation gets interrupted, it becomes unable to display the error message and launches a large gray screen with an X in the middle of it. Now, we would like to talk about what needs to be done in case the real or the corrupted window appears on your computer screen. It goes without saying that you should NOT call tech support scammers; instead, you should immediately run a system scan with anti-malware software. A powerful anti-malware should detect the malware automatically and remove 1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam from the system. Make sure you use a right anti-malware tool – we suggest FortectIntego, but feel free to use any other reliable anti-malware tool if you wish to.

How does this virus spread?

What’s unusual about this virus is that it still spreads like a simple potentially unwanted program (PUP), which means that it can arrive in a software bundle along harmless free programs that can be easily downloaded from the Internet. We highly advise you to adjust setup settings and use Advanced or Custom settings for the installation to make sure that you notice all bundled items. To exclude them, just deselect them. However, this Trojan horse can be distributed with the help of other malware distribution techniques such as malvertising or malicious email campaigns.

How to remove 1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam?

1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam removal should be completed ONLY with a powerful malware removal tool. You should not try to remove 1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam virus manually since you do not know what commands this Trojan horse had time to execute behind your eyes. A thorough system scan with a professional anti-malware tool is highly recommended in this case. If you do not have such program, install one of the trustworthy ones that we recommend, and if this piece of malware attempts to stop you from launching the security program, follow these steps:

Offer
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Intego Happiness
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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 1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam virus. Follow these steps

Manual removal using Safe Mode

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 1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam 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 1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam. 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 1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam removal is performed successfully.

Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from 1-844-324-6233 Tech Support Scam and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes

How to prevent from getting malware

Access your website securely from any location

When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.

If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.

 

Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks

While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.

Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection. 

 

About the author
Olivia Morelli
Olivia Morelli - Ransomware analyst

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