FastCash virus (Free Guide) - Removal Instructions

FastCash virus Removal Guide

What is FastCash virus?

FastCash virus is a trojan horse developed by the notorious Lazarus hacker group to steal money

FastCash virusFastCash virus is a Trojan horse-type malware that focuses on stealing money from users and big companies.

FastCash virus is a malware that injects malicious code to running processes to communicate with financial services. This is a dangerous virus that already has been attacking companies on a large scale and stealing various information about people or even money from victims directly. Once executed, the Trojan.Fastcash has a goal to communicate with financial systems that utilize the ISO8583 standard and steal money from victims this way. This is a malware developed by a dangerous and well-known hacker group Lazarus. Recently the name of this group and the particular FastCash threat has reached headlines because of the WannaCry malware attacks all over the world and the more recent discovery of stealing money from ATMs using this particular trojan.

Name FastCash virus
Type Trojan
Related Lazarus group; WannaCry ransomware
Tactics Utilize malicious code to steal money from victims
Infiltration Spear-phishing email campaigns
Main danger Steals money directly from victims or collects various banking or personal credentials
Elimination Use antivirus tools to remove FastCash virus and clean the system with FortectIntego

FastCash virus was discovered in November[1] and not long after, the virus was reportedly[2] used in a huge attack, in which targeted bank networks were hacked and with the help of this trojan, hackers managed to steal cash from ATMs.

The initial alert about the activity involving this trojan stated:

According to a trusted partner’s estimation, HIDDEN COBRA actors have stolen tens of millions of dollars. In one incident in 2017, HIDDEN COBRA actors enabled cash to be simultaneously withdrawn from ATMs located in over 30 different countries. In another incident in 2018, HIDDEN COBRA actors enabled cash to be simultaneously withdrawn from ATMs in 23 different countries.

The switch to servers was used to run money transactions when FastCash virus turned cash withdrawal requests into approved transactions. Attackers managed to steal cash directly from the ATMs in Asia and Africa.

The main functions of Trojan.fastcash:

  • Monitoring incoming messages and responses on the financial system.
  • Monitoring fraudulent transactions and preventing them from reaching the switch.
  • Generating responses to redirect transaction requests and approve them.

In this recent discovery, experts found out that FastCash virus managed to steal over 10 millions of cash and these transactions started to work back in 2016.[3] However, Lazarus group have been active since 2014 when North-Korea-based hacker group was involved in various cybercrimes, including espionage.[4]

Typical Trojan functionality

Since this is a Trojan horse-type virus, you need to know about possible danger that may be caused by this FastCash virus. This is a malware that mostly focuses on bigger targets like companies and businesses but there is a possibility that you as an everyday computer user may encounter this cyber threat.

You need to be aware of the main trojan virus functionalities:

  • Infecting the system with other more severe malware like ransomware.
  • Tracking and recording your keystrokes.
  • Stealing various credentials including personal information or online banking account logins and passwords.
  • Mining cryptocurrency or running other processes in the background while using the resources of your device.

You need to remove FastCash virus from the system as soon as possible. To make sure there is no harm to the system or potential danger to your privacy. You should employ a good anti-malware program for this because trojans tend to run in the background.

FastCash virus removal can be a stressful process but you need to rely on reputable tools and do not forget to clean the virus damage with repair tools like FortectIntego. Also, you can find a few tips provided by experts,[5] and software suggestions down below.

FastCash trojanFastCash is a virus that spreads around using a spear-phishing technique which allows it to distribute all over the world.

Targeted scam used to spread malware

Spear phishing campaigns[6] are most often used to proliferate malware on the system of specific individual, company or even network of a business. This campaign focuses on sending emails that redirect to a rogue website or contains a direct payload of malware.

These emails use tactics to get attention and lure people to download and open the email or attached file on the device. These emails may pose as a message from the center for missing people or even government institutions. Cybercriminals also use names of well-known companies and services to hide the malicious purpose of the email and look more legitimate.

However, the minute people willingly download the attachment or enter the provided website malware gets on the targeted device and later can spread on the network or infect the computer with more prominent malware. You can use a firewall to block all connections from the internet and only allow services you want to. Also, make your passwords are more complex and difficult, remove devices that are unnecessary and may use the resources of your computer or be infected easily.

Make sure to perform FastCash virus termination using proper tools

FastCash virus is a trojan that targets large businesses and companies but it is possible that users get this virus on their personal computer too. When it comes to businesses and organizations they need to patch vulnerabilities and do that more frequently to avoid cyber infections on the network. Also, employing cybersecurity experts can be crucial in this case.

The best tip to users is to remove FastCash virus using trustworthy anti-malware tools. A full system scan with FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes allows users to clean the device thoroughly. Trojans may have installed other programs or files to keep the persistence.

Automatic FastCash virus removal should be the best option for this dangerous threat just make sure to use an official source when getting this tool. Also, to make sure this virus is completely out of the system, enter the Safe Mode before scanning the computer.

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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 FastCash virus. Follow these steps

Manual removal using Safe Mode

To remove FastCash virus completely, you may need to reboot the machine in Safe Mode with Networking. This way your antivirus program can form smoothly:

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 FastCash using System Restore

Try System Restore feature and get rid of FastCash virus by restoring the OS to a previous state:

  • 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 FastCash. 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 FastCash removal is performed successfully.

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

How to prevent from getting trojans

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
Lucia Danes
Lucia Danes - Virus researcher

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