“This User Is Disabled” Tech support scam virus (Virus Removal Instructions)
“This User Is Disabled” Tech support scam virus Removal Guide
What is “This User Is Disabled” Tech support scam virus?
How not to get entangled in the “This User Is Disabled” Tech Support Scam?
“This User Is Disabled” virus is a Tech Support Scam (also known as Power Cam virus) which spreads around with the help of freeware or shareware bundles. The virus manifests itself the next time the device is booted after the virus infiltration. “This User Is Disabled” malware belongs to the new generation of Tech Support viruses that accommodate the qualities of the malicious ransomware infections. Especially in the last couple of years ransomware has proven to be one of the most profitable money extortion strategies, so malware developers started integrating its working principles to other forms of malicious software, one of them being tech support viruses. Though these particular viruses do not utilize file encryption functionality like most ransomware do, they apply other means of obstructing the victims from accessing data stored on their computers. “This User Is Disabled” Tech support scam, in particular, uses a lock screen which opens every time the computer is booted. This fake Windows login screen features the typical user name and password input box but rejects all login attempts with the following notification:
The user is disabled due to some malicious files found in system, ensure you have complete protection. Call Technician Now 1-914-465-0012
The user is urged to call the supposed tech support number several times. This toll-free number is also placed at the top of the screen. Following the warning about a disabled user account, calling the indicated number may indeed seem like a reasonable thing to do. Nonetheless, you should know that Microsoft never displays notifications like these, so seeing them on your computer only signifies one thing — you are being targeted by fraudulent scammers. If you are in such a situation right now, DO NOT ring up the indicated number or enter any details into the login box. Reboot your PC in Safe Mode instead, to get rid of the lock screen and then proceed to the “This User Is Disabled” removal immediately. Initiate a full system scan with ReimageIntego — a sophisticated anti-malware software that will get rid of the virus for you automatically.
The consequences of “This User Is Disabled” hijack are usually very unpleasant. The victims may end up with a corrupted computer if the scammers manage to trick them into allowing to access it remotely. During the time the malicious third parties have the control over the computer, they may not only mess with the system’s settings but also secretly install tracking software to spy on the user’s activity even after the initial malware is eliminated from the device. This way, sensitive information such as online banking credentials, account logins and similar can be easily transferred to the hackers, and they may use it however they want. Luckily, this information leak can be stopped if the victim hurries up to remove “This User Is Disabled” virus from the infected device.
How does tech support scam travel around?
Though it may surprize some of the home users, “This User Is Disabled” is able to infiltrate computers only with the help of the computer users themselves. Of course, it is not a conscious and voluntary decision. Usually, the virus victims find their computers blocked by “This User Is Disabled” lock screen after installing some freeware or shareware software on their computers. So, as you can already suspect, the infiltration takes place sometime during the installation process. Indeed, if the computer user does not setup software properly, i.e.: rushes through the installation constantly clicking the “Next” button, the malware can enter the system quite easily. “Advanced” and “Custom” installation settings offers an escape from such situations. These modes allow manually choosing the software that it worth installing and rejecting the one that is unnecessary of potentially dangerous.
“This User Is Disabled” Tech Support Scam virus removal guide
With all of its malicious functionalities, “This User Is Disabled” virus creates an impression of a serious malware infection, when in truth, its working principles are rather simple. This means that it does not take special effort to remove “This User Is Disabled” from the infected computer either. You can complete this process in a couple of minutes by employing specialized security software, anti-spyware, anti-malware or antivirus and scanning the system with it. We also recommend checking the below-indicated guidelines in case you want to remove “This User Is Disabled” manually and clear your browser from potentially malicious elements that might accompany the malware on your computer.
Getting rid of “This User Is Disabled” Tech support scam virus. Follow these steps
Manual removal using Safe Mode
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
- Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
- 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.
- Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
Windows 10 / Windows 8
- Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
- Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
- On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
- Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
- Click Restart now.
- Select Troubleshoot.
- Go to Advanced options.
- Select Startup Settings.
- Press Restart.
- Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking.
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:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
- Click on More details.
- Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
- Right-click and select Open file location.
- Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
- Delete the contents of the malicious folder.
Step 3. Check program Startup
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
- Go to Startup tab.
- Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
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:
- Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
- 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).
- Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:
Temporary Internet Files
Downloads
Recycle Bin
Temporary files - Pick Clean up system files.
- 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 “This User Is Disabled” Tech support scam using System Restore
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Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt
Windows 7 / Vista / XP- Click Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
- When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
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Select Command Prompt from the list
Windows 10 / Windows 8- Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
- Now select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
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Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window.
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Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
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Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.
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Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again..
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When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of “This User Is Disabled” Tech support scam. After doing that, click Next.
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Now click Yes to start system restore.
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Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.
Bonus: Recover your data
Guide which is presented above is supposed to help you remove “This User Is Disabled” Tech support scam from your computer. To recover your encrypted files, we recommend using a detailed guide prepared by 2-spyware.com security experts.If your files are encrypted by “This User Is Disabled” Tech support scam, you can use several methods to restore them:
Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from “This User Is Disabled” Tech support scam and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as ReimageIntego, 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.
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