CitiBank virus (Virus Removal Guide) - Mar 2021 update

CitiBank virus Removal Guide

What is CitiBank virus?

CitiBank virus is the name used for phishing emails that pretend to come from the official bank but deliver Emotet malware instead

CitiBank email malwareCitiBank email virus - a spam campaign that has been active since 2003

CitiBank virus is a term used to describe a chain of spam messages that deliver malicious software by imitating notes from CitiBank officials. Users are provided with emails that offer to view transaction information by pressing the “Download Your transaction details” hyperlink which truly has Emotet malware hidden inside a Word document. Once this file is opened, the malware activates and starts operating as a banking trojan.[1]

This type of activity can end up with enormous monetary losses straight from your bank account. CitiBank email virus is also very similar to HSBC virus. These threats can lead to serious issues and even system damage, so rely on the instructions below that show how you can clear the infection without causing additional damage to the functions or the computer itself.

Name CitiBank virus
Type Spam tool
Sub-type Malware/Trojan virus
Possible danger This spam campaign can bring Emotet and similar viruses to the surface
Similar to HSBC virus
Avoidance Manage all of your emails carefully and always identify the senders to avoid possible malware infiltration via email messages
Elimination Perform a full system scan and detect any type of suspicious content with anti-malware tools
Repair FortectIntego can act as a virus damage repair tool

CitiBank virus always comes in a tricky message that fools potential victims with its legitimate look. The main task of these spam campaigns is to imitate well-known organizations and companies and infect the biggest number of users possible. If you ever run into this type of scamming activity, you will possibly be provided with an email like this:

CONFIRMATION

American Airlines AAdvantage

Account ending in 3691

We've resolved your dispute

Dear,

We're pleased to let you know that your dispute has been resolved – you'll see the credit in the next two business days – it'll be listed with your account activity on your statement. This credit is permanent.

We included the below transaction details for the dispute on account ending in 3691 for your reference.

Download your transaction details.

Your Citi Team

CitiBank email virus might not only distribute Emotet but it can also come together with other notorious malware. Email spam campaigns are also known for spreading Trojan horses such as TrickBot and NanoCore RAT.[2] If you ever end up with such a virus on your system, be prepared to take immediate actions or losses can be huge.

First of all, if a trojan reaches your machine via the CitiBank virus, you will find unknown processes running in your Task Manager or similar locations. These tasks are supposedly carried out for malicious purposes such as data stealing, banking information leaking, photo and video theft, and gaining remote access to the system.

In order to avoid such big losses, you need to remove the CitiBank virus right away. Use reliable anti-malware software such as Malwarebytes or SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner for completing system scans and thoroughly checking the entire computer for malware traces. If some malicious objects are found, delete them right away by using automatic programs.

CitiBank email virusCitiBank email virus - a chain of spam emails that urge clicking on hyperlinks for account access but truly start the downloading process of malware

CitiBank virus removal should not be postponed at any costs. The sooner you get rid of the dangerous threat, the better it will be for your machine. Unfortunately, if malware still managed to enter your system, you should not try to remove it on your own, leave the entire job for antivirus software instead.

Reports about hackers misusing the name of CitiBank have been flooding the Internet sphere since 2003! Back then, the spam campaign has been found distributing malware detected as Troj/Downloader!4c52 (also known as Downloader-DI).[3] The phishing activity first began in Australia and kept spreading fastly.

MailGuard has also detected some phishing activity related to CitiBank email virus back in 2017. The company alerted that email spam has been putting banking data in big danger. The suspicious message came claiming that “Your Citibank account has been temporarily limited” and to restore access the user needs to click on the “Sign on to Citibank Online” link.[4]

CitiBank itself has released a report on the increasing rate of email spam and what to do about it since 2003.[5] The organization has claimed to be working with law enforcement agencies against these phishing events and has been looking forward to receiving satisfying results. Citi has also answered users questions about scam avoidance.[6]

CitiBank virusCitiBank virus is an email scam campaign that is used to distribute trojans such as Emotet

Learn to avoid malware on the Web area

Nowadays the increasing rate of malware attacks is not a surprising fact as more and more people gain access to the Worldwide Web. If the user does not take crucial precaution tips or has an outdated anti-malware lurking on the computer, the safety level of the machine decreases slightly and might bring lots of unpleasant consequences.

LesVirus.fr specialists[7] have made research on the most popular malware distribution places and discovered that it is email spam. This technique appears to be a powerful weapon used by numerous hackers worldwide. By sending official-looking messages, these people aim to trick users into opening suspicious links/attachments and installing malware on their PCs.

Managing your email correctly is very important if malicious infectious want to be avoided properly! Always take a look at the sender and his/her email address before opening the message, check for grammar and text style mistakes. If you have not been expecting to receive anything important lately, delete the email even if it does not look too tricky.

Talking about automatic protection, it is also necessary for each user. An investment in anti-malware is an investment in your own security. Reputable tools help to secure files, personal data, and the entire database of your machine. However, for proper operation, you need to ensure that these programs always receive regular updates.

Elimination purposes for CitiBank email virus

If CitiBank email spam has ever ended up on your computer, you should close the message window immediately. If you did not enter any suspicious links or attachments provided, you are probably safe. However, you can never deny the possibility of a threat slipping through security barriers just by opening a spam message.

To check if your computer is still secure and safe, you should download antivirus software such as SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, or Malwarebytes. Launch these tools and wait until the system scan is finished. If the results are bad and some type of malware did get into your machine, do not hesitate and continue with CitiBank virus removal process.

Also, use only reputable programs that can find these threats, other pieces, and even related programs installed behind your back. This is the only and the most reliable way to remove CitiBank virus. This needs to be done just in case if any difficulties occur along the way and you will not be capable of dealing with them. Besides, eliminations that are performed with the help of antivirus software are usually done in a safer and more effective way so that the user has to put less effort. Do not forget about the virus damage and make use of FortectIntego.

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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 CitiBank virus. Follow these steps

Manual removal using Safe Mode

Activate Safe Mode with Networking to disable any types of malicious processes:

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 CitiBank using System Restore

Use these steps to turn on System Restore and discard malicious changes on your Windows machine:

  • 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 CitiBank. 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 CitiBank removal is performed successfully.

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

How to prevent from getting malware

Protect your privacy – employ a VPN

There are several ways how to make your online time more private – you can access an incognito tab. However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of Private Internet Access VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise. Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and Private Internet Access VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals. 

No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool

If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers – human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence. In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.

If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. Data Recovery Pro is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market – it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.

About the author
Alice Woods
Alice Woods - Likes to teach users about virus prevention

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