How to remove Surprise virus

How dangerous is Surprise virus?

Among the increasingly growing number of new malware being created every day, there is a rising threat called the Surprise virus. This program is based on open-source EDA2 ransomware source code. The experts who investigate this virus claim that one of the ways this malicious program can enter your computer is by being remotely installed via the TeamViewer application. Identically to other ransomware viruses, once the Surprise virus secretly enters the victim’s computer it encrypts the containing files with a complicated algorithm. This AES code can only be decrypted with a help of a private decryption key which can be obtained from the virus developers themselves in exchange for ransom. Even though the experts regard Surprise virus to be a low-end ransomware, its mechanics closely resemble such famous and well-developed ransomware viruses like Locky, TeslaCrypt, CTB-Locker or CryptoWall.

You can recognize files encrypted by the Surprise virus from an unusual file extension .surprise, instead of your regular extensions. The virus also creates two notepad files DECRYPTION_HOWTO.Notepad and Encrypted_Files.Notepad, containing information about what happened to the computer and how to fix it. The first document features retrieval instructions, which state that the victim must pay a ransom of 0,5 and 25 BitCoin virtual money, which equals around US$206.63 – US$10331.25 to get the lost files back. The ransom may vary according to the importance of the files. Interestingly enough, the cyber crooks let the user decrypt one selected file, just to prove their supposed trustworthiness. Otherwise, there is no way to unlock the files because the key needed for the decryption is stored on a remote server, managed by cyber criminals. We do not recommend making any transactions in an attempt to retrieve your documents because you may be robbed not only of your files but your money as well. Therefore, the only way to keep your files safe is by storing the system backup in some external drive. Using cloud services is not a safe option either because ransomware viruses are capable of accessing these platforms as well. Since there is no safe way of getting your files back, it is better to remove Surprise virus from the computer without causing it more damage. You will need a powerful antivirus tool like FortectIntego to achieve that.

How can this virus hijack your PC?

Apart from being installed via TeamViewer, this ransomware can also enter your computer with a help of unsafe peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, deceptive software updates, trojans or infected email attachments. Knowing how this virus spreads can help you to be more cautious when downloading new software and opening email attachments. This strategy will prevent your computer from being infected, losing your files and save you some time from a lengthy and complicated Surprise virus removal process. You should also not rely on your own guts only, to tell you whether the program you are installing can be infected. Use a reputable anti-spyware or antivirus software and make sure to keep it up-to-date for the best protection.

UPDATE: A few months have passed since the Surprise ransomware virus was first released, and the virus is still on the loose. As its relation to a remote support software TeamViewer was pointed out, experts concentrated on finding out how this remote infiltration works. Two TeamViewer ID’s, 479441239 and 479440875, were thought to be related to the Surprise attacks. After the news broke, the TeamViewer representatives have issued a statement, claiming that these ID’s have been disabled and cannot be used to further spread the virus. What is more, the official TeamViewer site has released a list of recommendations on how to protect the account from misuse or break-ins. The security experts also note that the Surprise virus is under constant development. Therefore, it is a great challenge for the antivirus software creators to keep up with the virus. However, the up-to-date antivirus should be able to identify and warn you about this threat before it hits your computer.

Tips on Surprise virus removal:

As we have already mentioned, it is better to take precautions to protect yourself from this treacherous virus before it hits your PC, but, if you are among the unlucky ones, who got infected, you should remove Surprise virus from your computer immediately. You have two options to choose from. You can always opt for the manual virus removal, yet, ransomware is not your regular program you can simply uninstall with minimal effort. Because of the difficult elimination process, we suggest you use an automatic removal method instead and scan your system with an antivirus suite you can rely on. Nevertheless, the virus may try blocking the antivirus from working. In such case, you may try terminating the network connection or follow our expert-prepared Surprise virus removal guide provided below.