Viro Ransomware Removal Guide

Do you know what the Viro ransomware is?

The Viro ransomware is a computer infection in its development stage, since the infection does not have characteristics typical of damaging ransomware. Viro does not encrypt files, which is the key element in ransomware, but works as a keylogger and might be developed into a worm, which is possible due to the program code detected. Generally, ransomware infections are profit-oriented malicious software programs that lock users out of their operating systems and demand money in return to the access to the data encrypted. With the Viro ransomware on the computer, your data remains intact, but that does not mean that you should not take immediate preventative actions. The infection should be removed from the computer; moreover, the system should be protected against many other threats.

Visually, the Viro ransomware is designed to look like a ransomware infection since the infection displays a warning saying that the PC is infected. The supposedly encrypted files are said to be released after paying a payment which is not specified in the short pop-up warning. The infection also changes the desktop background to multiple images of a young man resembling Jesus Christ. Usually, cyber criminals replace the user's desktop wallpaper with a ransom message, which is not the case with Viro. The Viro threat does not create any .txt files containing information about encryption, neither does it display a warning with information about ransom submission. All that this infection is capable of is collecting browsing history, which implies that the infection might aimed at collecting information about web servers or databases.

The possible purpose of collecting Internet-related information is feasible due to the fact that the Viro ransomware is based on the Hidden Tear open-source code which was used to create ransomware looking for files related to webs servers, which has suggested that businesses were their targets. In the begining, Hidden Tear was created as an educational project by Turkish security group Otku Sen. Shortly after releasing Hidden Tear, everyone with some coding skills and interest in malware could launch their malicious campaigns. Ransomware infections based on this code uses AES encryption and used to be capable of evading some AV platforms because of the authenticity. Originally, the open-source ransomware was programmed to encode files that are located only in "\test" directory on the desktop. Needless to say, skilled cyber schemers are capable of modifying this feature so as other locations and files become the target of the attack. This does not mean that individual computer users might not be set up as criminals' major targets.Viro Ransomware Removal GuideViro Ransomware screenshot
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Hidden Tear was spotted in July of 2016 and peaked a few months later with a quick drop-down. In 2017, Hidden Tear reached its another peak in March. The complexity of ransomware based on Hidden Tear vary, which only proves that the source is being used by schemers of different technical knowledge. For example, the Viro ransomware does not encrypt files and does not specify money submission. Another infection D3evilH0en sets the ransom at around $600 and attaches the .anonfive to encrypted files. Moreover, there is a Hidden Tear-based infection that forces victims to play a game and get a specific score in order to recover their files.

Even though still in development, the Viro ransomware should be removed from the computer. If you intend browsing the Internet with Viro running on your computer, you risk exposing information that could be used against you. No matter how you label a piece of software, every program that is installed covertly without your permission is a potential risk, and you should act accordingly once you learn about its present on your device.

Below you will found our instructions on how to remove the Viro ransomware, which does not make any complex changes within the system. Although the removal process is easy to computer users of different skills, we suggest that you consider installing a reputable security program which can remove Viro and fight off multiple threats.

How to remove the Viro ransomware

  1. Check the desktop for malicious files and delete them if anything questionable is spotted.
  2. Open the Downloads folder and remove questionable files.
  3. Open the Temporary folder and check it for questionable files.
  4. Empty the Recycle bin after removing files.

In non-techie terms:

The Viro ransomware is a computer infection based on an open-source code dubbed Hidden Tear. The infection is in development; thus, it is not yet capable of encrypting files. However, its code shows that the infection might start functioning as a worm and is already running as a keylogger recording browsing history. The Viro ransomware should be removed from the computer, which can be done manually or by a malware removal program.