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  • Active
  • Severity: Low
  • SPAM tools
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · May 2020

How to remove Drive by Exploit email

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Alice Woods · Likes to teach users about virus prevention

Drive by Exploit email is a scam that threatens to expose compromising material about the user after an alleged computer hack

Drive by Exploit email

Drive by Exploit is is a term that was incorporated in a recent money extortion scam campaign, and the email author claims that the computer owner was infected with malware using this technique. However, the term, strictly speaking, is not entirely correct, as the infection method the fake email creator is referring to is called “Drive-by download” or “Drive-by install” – this is one of many signs that victims should pay attention to when dealing with Drive by Exploit scam.

Drive by Exploit email is a common type of scam that goes around the internet, targeting people whose email login credentials were previously compromised in one of the data breaches. Unfortunately, those claims about a disturbing video and webcam recordings frighten users and they fear for their privacy and reputation. Hackers demand at least $726 in Bitcoin to allegedly keep the compromising records undisclosed. However, you should be aware that crooks are simply lying about getting malware into your machine via the drive-by download method.

However, Drive by Exploit email scam is elaborate, because many users are unfamiliar with the term “Drive by exploit,” and, while it is not entirely accurate, such infection method exists and can be used as one of the major attack vectors by cybercriminals – the information leakage is always a possible threat. This is why experts[1] recommend changing all the passwords to complex ones that are never reused for different accounts.[2]

Name Drive by Exploit email
An alternate name of a scam Your computer was infected with my private malware
Type Email scam/ phishing campaign
Claims The email states about malware infection and possible damage that this virus can cause. Also, scammers claim that private video of you was filmed and is going to be sent to your email contacts or even published online. All of those are false, and scammers only guessed your password or got that information from another scam campaign, leaked data incident
Tactics Social engineering[3] technique employed to threaten people and get money from them directly with the ransom demands
Ransom amount Goes from $726 to $1200 and differs from one campaign to another. Criminals mainly prefer Bitcoin cryptocurrency
Distribution Deceptive emails, rogue advertisements, websites, and fake domains that copy real pages. Sometimes email addresses may be included in a public database, so scammers use those to target people
Danger Paying can lead to loss of data and money. Any contact held between you and scammers can end up in a dangerous malware infection and privacy issues like identity theft
Elimination Use professional anti-malware and remove Drive-by Exploit email
Recovery To repair the system post-elimination, get FortectIntego and run a scan

Drive by Exploit email is only one of many similar extortion/sextortion scams that surfaced online. This one was reported multiple times online in these past few months, so it seems that criminals are not stopping with their malicious campaigns.[4] People who receive the scammy message report that it comes with a lengthy notification and all those claims about your private information, hacked account, pornographic content.

Drive by Exploit email virus mainly focuses on these fraudulent statements:

  • your account was accessed by hackers;
  • full control of the computer is gained;
  • spyware is installed on the machine;
  • private data and webcam video was recorded;
  • personal data can be published publicly and sent out to your contact list.

The email message states that all the malicious activities can only be stopped by paying the ransom demanded on the scammy Drive-by Exploit email. Although reports from victims state that the message is pretty much the same for all the targets, a ransom amount can go from $726 to $1200. Remember that these are fraudulent statements, and there is no malware on your device, in most cases.

Nevertheless, you should exit the window with that scam message and try to remove Drive-by Exploit email traces and possibly related programs, files. Also, your device may be exploited due to some vulnerabilities that you are not aware of, so get an anti-malware tool and scan the machine to avoid serious malware infection consequences. After a scan with anti-virus, we also recommend using FortectIntego for best results.Drive by Exploit email virusDrive-by Exploit email delivers the message stating that the person sending it is either a programmer or a hacker and tricks into believing that your device or email account has been hacked. There is no need to panic because this is a classic scam campaign that focuses on short claims and intimidation, high-pressure tactics. 

The Drive by Exploit email message states (short version):

Hi, I'm a hacker and programmer, I know one of your password is: ******** – but not only that!

Your computer was infected with my private malware, because your browser wasn't updated / patched, in such case it's enough to just visit some website where my iframe is placed to get automatically infected, if you want to find out more – Google: “Drive-by exploit”.

My malware gave me full access to all your accounts (see password above), full control over your computer and it was possible for me to spy on you over your webcam. I collected all your private data, recorded few videos of you (through your webcam) and I RECORDED YOU SATISFYING YOURSELF!

I can publish all your private data everywhere, including the darknet, where the very sick people are and the videos of you, send them to your contacts, post them on social networks and everywhere else!

You need to exit the email as soon as possible and remove Drive by Exploit email, any traces of other malware, and programs that possibly got installed already behind your back. To fully eliminate the issues surfacing on the computer, you should rely on professional anti-malware tools that can find and delete those malicious programs.

Additional tips for Drive by Exploit email removal can be:

  • remember that contacting people, clicking on links and content on the email itself can lead to direct malware installation;
  • paying is not an option because all the claims are false, so you would lose your money;
  • scammers use various scary claims, but always think about things you actually did and their statements;
  • check the system for cyber threats more often to avoid infiltrations in the first place.

 Drive by Exploit email scam campaign

Malicious files may be attached to emails and deceptive advertisements

Malware campaigns involve various distribution techniques and methods used to spread infections behind the user's back, while no symptoms are caused. It happens when various deceptive techniques get employed. Deceptive sites, copies of real domains with malicious scripts all over them, even other spam emails deliver payloads on the targeted computers.

Criminals disguise their products as common files and even plants malicious scrips in push notifications, deceptive promotional sites. You need to pay close attention to anything that appears on your screen, especially when it involves emails, social media accounts. Try to keep the AV tools running and securing the machine.

Drive by Exploit email termination should be followed with a thorough system scan

Drive by-Exploit email virus can also occur on mobile devices, despite the operating system, so you should be aware of these fraudulent emails when you check the email box on your iPhone or Android phone. The best way to avoid any infiltration of malware is to run malware scans more often on all your devices.

Drive by Exploit email removal can be performed with the anti-malware program also, and this is the best way to clean any program that can initiate the infiltration of different malware. Powerful security programs can also indicate system flaws and security issues.

You can remove Drive by Exploit email, other intruders, and PUPs that your antivirus tool indicates with a few clicks of the computer mouse. This is the best way to tackle cyber infections because all traces can be cleaned automatically. Of course, double-check before any other steps and make sure to avoid shady emails in the future.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

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