Electricfish malware (Removal Instructions) - Free Instructions

Electricfish malware Removal Guide

What is Electricfish malware?

Electricfish malware is a highly sophisticated cyberthreat crafted by North Korean Lazarus hacker group

Electricfish malwareElectricfish malware is a type of computer infection that can intercept traffic and steal sensitive information

Electricfish is a highly-dangerous malware that was recently spotted being used as international espionage by the North Korean hackers Lazarus (also known as Hidden Cobra or Guardians of Peace), as reported by the FBI and the US The Department of Homeland Security (DHS).[1]

Electricfish malware comes as a malicious Windows 32-bit executable and contains custom protocol that allows bad actors to tunnel the traffic via proxies between the compromised machines and their own networks. Additionally, it is also capable of bypassing the required authentication process which would normally require login details.

The main danger lies in the fact that infected users would not notice the intrusion. Therefore, it is vital to acquire reputable security tools in order to remove Electricfish malware for the affected devices.

Name Electricfish
Type Malware/trojan
Associated hacker group North Korea's Lazarus group(Hidden Cobra, Guardians of Peace)
Purpose Establish connection between a source and a destination IP address
Risk factors Sensitive data leak, installation of other malware, stolen money from bank account, etc.
Infiltration Spam emails, system vulnerabilities, brute-force attacks, malicious websites, fake updates, etc.
Termination To delete Electricfish, you should use one of the anti-malware tools that can recognize[2] the threat. We suggest FortectIntego or SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner

Just as any other severe malware, Electricfish is most likely distributed in a variety of ways. However, because the threat is distributed by professional cyber villains, it is highly likely that sophisticated infection methods are practised, such as brute-force attacks, exploits, web injects, etc. Refer to the second part of the article to secure your machine from malware in the future.

What is more, Electricfish malware is capable of evading the detection, although multiple anti-virus engines already recognize the threat, so keeping updated security software is extremely important. Some of the examples of include:[2]

  • TR/AD.Stantinko.gkqij
  • HackTool.ElectricFish
  • HackTool:Win32/ElecFish.A!dha
  • W32.Electricfish
  • TR/AD.Stantinko.gkqij
  • Gen:Variant.Ursu.349885, etc.

As soon as the connection between the source IP and the destination IP is established, Electricfish virus enables custom protocol, which consequently allows hackers to tunnel the traffic between the two. From that point, the affected victims can be spied on, and sensitive data like usernames, passwords, banking information, names, etc. can be stolen by the attackers and used for malicious purposes, such as identity or money theft.

Additionally, trojan-type viruses like Electricfish render the machine vulnerable to other infections, such as worms, backdoors, ransomware, and other dangerous malware.

Therefore, it is vital to remove Electricfish malware from the infected computer as soon as possible to protect your identity and online privacy. To do that, you should scan your PC with reputable security software, such SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and make sure that all the malicious components are eliminated with the help of FortectIntego or other similar programs.

Electricfish malware virusElectricfish malware is a tool developed by North Korean hacker group Lazarus for international espionage purposes

Malware can be avoided: here's how

Unfortunately, but the world wide web is not a secure place, although many institutions are now governing this sphere, just like in real life, we have law enforcement to protect us from criminals. Unfortunately, cyber gangs work slightly differently from real life criminals, as traces can be hidden with appropriate coding skills. Additionally, state-governed hackers are best in the business, so their products usually contain no bugs and highly sophisticated.

To avoid the most dangerous infections, however, installing powerful security software is not enough (although it is a mandatory tool for every computer that is connected to a network or the internet). Experts advise following these tips:

  • Patch your operating system as well as installed programs with the latest security patches without postponing the installation;
  • Handle spam emails with care – never open attachments or click on links inside if you are not sure they are genuine (be aware that sender address might be forged with the help of email spoofing technique);
  • Use two-factor authentication where possible, otherwise employ a password managing application;
  • Disable Remote Desktop Protocol if not used and always protect it with the strong password and a VPN;
  • Do not allow Adobe Flash auto-run, change the setting to click-to-run;
  • Do not execute pirated software installers or its cracks/keygens, as such tools are often malicious;
  • Scan every executable you download from an unknown source with tools like Virus Total;
  • Enable Firewall;
  • Use ad-blocker on high-risk websites.

Remove Electricfish malware malware with the help of powerful anti-virus tools

You cannot remove Electricfish malware manually because it is a sophisticated tool that heavily modifies Windows and embeds its code into different parts of the operating system. Additionally, tampering with Windows registry and other vital parts might disrupt or even corrupt its operation.

Therefore, you should perform automatic Electricfish malware removal instead. For that, you should access Safe Mode with Networking and temporarily disable its functionality. Once inside, you should use one of the security applications (be aware that only one should be enabled at the time or it might result in software conflict in most cases), such as FortectIntego or SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner to scan your device thoroughly.

Once you delete Electricfish virus, you should also change your passwords on all accounts and monitor your banking account in case hackers managed to breach this information while you were infected.

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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 Electricfish malware. Follow these steps

Manual removal using Safe Mode

To remove Electricfish malware without any interruptions, we suggest you enter Safe Mode with Networking as explained below:

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.

Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from Electricfish malware 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
Alice Woods
Alice Woods - Likes to teach users about virus prevention

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