Internet Crime Complaint Center Ransomware

Posted: November 27, 2012

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Threat Level:	10/10
Infected PCs:	12

First Seen:	November 27, 2012
Last Seen:	November 11, 2020
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware displays a pop-up alert that claims to be sent by the IC3, a joint FBI-BJA-NW3C organization that's dedicated to combating online crime, but the actual origins of 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware and its pop-up lie in the same coder teams that develop and distribute malware such as banking Trojans and variants of the Ukash Virus. 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware uses psuedo-legalese to threaten you with prosecution as a result of online crimes like breaking copyright laws, but SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have noted that 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware both is incapable of backing up its threats and can't detect criminal activity in the first place. The appropriate means of removing 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware don't involve paying its ransom fee, but, instead, using Safe Mode to deactivate 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware and then running a thorough scan with anti-malware software.

'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware: the Complaint that You Should Be Happy to Disregard

While the Internet Crime Complaint Center is a reputable organization with actual legal authority, 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware doesn't have any affiliation with the IC3 (or the FBI, which also is mentioned prominently in 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware's pop-up alert). Similar to FBI Moneypak Ransomware and the FBI Green Dot Moneypak Virus, 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware targets American victims and requests a MoneyPak-based payment before the 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware will remove its pop-up warning and unlock your computer.

Although 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware's warning message is a simple HTML pop-up, 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware displays it without borders, enlarges it to cover your entire screen and forces it always to be 'on top' of other programs and the rest of the Windows interface. This makes it essentially impossible to delete the 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware or take any other actions until you've deactivated the 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware first.

The Free Way to Expurge 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware and Its Fake Warning

While 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware's fake alert recommends that you pay a MoneyPak fee before you face additional penalties, this should be avoided. The only practical effect of giving in to 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware's ransom is to fund malware developers with more money on top of the estimated millions they've already acquired through ransomware attacks.

Contrary to its claims, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have found that the 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware can be disabled safely by booting into Safe Mode or, in the worst cases, loading an OS from a removable drive (such as a removable USB device). Appropriate anti-malware products should be used to delete 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware after it's been prevented from launching itself.

Since 'Internet Crime Complaint Center' Ransomware also has a high probability of changing your web browser's settings to induce a state of poor security, SpywareRemove.com malware experts also recommend that you double-check your browser and Registry to make sure that any other attacks are reverted during your system scan. Depending on the case, it can be necessary to restore affected software or files from backups or reinstall them to guarantee your safe computer usage in the future.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following messages's were detected:

#	Message
1	Internet Crime Complaint Center Department of Federal Bureau of Investigation All activity of this computer is being recorded using audio, video and other devices. Saved data will be used for identification. Illegal activity report is sent to government agencies. Threat of prosecution reminder You have been violating Copyright and Related Rights Law (Video, Music, Software) and illegally using or distributing copyrighted content, thus infringing Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8, also known as the Copyright of the Criminal Code of United States of America. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8 of the Criminal Code provides for a fine of two to five hundred minimal wages or a deprivation of liberty for two to eight years. You have been viewing or distributing prohibited pornographic content (child porn, zoofilia, etc.) thus violating article 202 of the Criminal Code of the United States of America. Article 202 of the Criminal Code provides for a deprivation of liberty for four to twelve years. Pursuant to the amendment to the Criminal Code of the United States of America of May 28, 2011, this law infringement (if it is not repeated first time) may be considered as conditional in case you pay the fine to the State. Fines may only be paid within 72 hours after the infringement. As soon as 72 hours elapse, the possibility to pay the fine expires, and a criminal case is initiated.

Message

Internet Crime Complaint Center
Department of Federal Bureau of Investigation
All activity of this computer is being recorded using audio, video and other devices.
Saved data will be used for identification.
Illegal activity report is sent to government agencies.
Threat of prosecution reminder
You have been violating Copyright and Related Rights Law (Video, Music, Software) and illegally using or distributing copyrighted content, thus infringing Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8, also known as the Copyright of the Criminal Code of United States of America. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8 of the Criminal Code provides for a fine of two to five hundred minimal wages or a deprivation of liberty for two to eight years.
You have been viewing or distributing prohibited pornographic content (child porn, zoofilia, etc.) thus violating article 202 of the Criminal Code of the United States of America. Article 202 of the Criminal Code provides for a deprivation of liberty for four to twelve years.
Pursuant to the amendment to the Criminal Code of the United States of America of May 28, 2011, this law infringement (if it is not repeated first time) may be considered as conditional in case you pay the fine to the State.
Fines may only be paid within 72 hours after the infringement. As soon as 72 hours elapse, the possibility to pay the fine expires, and a criminal case is initiated.