Home Malware Programs Ransomware ‘The Firewall of the United States’ Ransomware

‘The Firewall of the United States’ Ransomware

Posted: February 5, 2013

Threat Metric

Threat Level: 1/10
Infected PCs: 54
First Seen: February 5, 2013
Last Seen: January 31, 2023
OS(es) Affected: Windows

The Firewall of the United States Ransomware Screenshot 1'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware is one of many examples of ransomware Trojans attacking the United States under the guise of having the legal authority to block your computer. However, 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware isn't affiliated with any law enforcement group from the US or elsewhere; furthermore, 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware has no functions to detect the illegal 'downloading' crimes that 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware supposedly acts to prevent. Like any ransomware Trojan, 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware's fee should be ignored as a non-viable means of unlocking your PC. As an alternative, you should disable 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware through any methods necessary and then remove 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware with an anti-malware utility of your choice.

Explaining 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware: Why the US Isn't China Just Yet

While the War on Terror and IP-based struggles between government, corporations and private citizenry have caused an overall increase of computer-related legislation, 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware hopes to capitalize on this by punishing one of the most common types of criminals: the hapless illegal downloader or software pirate. After being installed, 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware displays a screen-sized fake alert that threatens you with up to three years of imprisonment as a consequence of your illegal downloads.

However, SpywareRemove.com malware analysts stress that this just is a simple scam to make you pay a GreenDot MoneyPack fee – the proceeds of which go to malware-distributing criminals rather than the US government or any supposedly damaged parties. Even though 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware recommends that you pay this fee to avoid any legal penalties and to remove its desktop-blocking pop-up, paying 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware's fee actually will not deactivate 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware.

'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware's format also bears a heavy resemblance to similar ransomware from the Reveton family that have been distributed throughout Europe, Canada and Australia. Some of the latest examples of other members of 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware's probable family include Cyber Crime Unit Ransomware, Malta Police Force MPF Ransomware, the Ministerio del Interior Virus, 'Il vostro computer è stato bloccato' Ransomware, 'Your computer has been locked!' Ransomware and 'Canadian Police Association' Ransomware.

Cranking Down the Heat on 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware's Attacks

In addition to its desktop-covering pop-up, 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware also may install other malware, block security-related programs or redirect your browser away from safe sites. It goes without saying that using your PC with 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware active-in-memory can be considered nearly impossible, besides the security risks that are involved in any ransomware Trojan infection like 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware.

Naturally, SpywareRemove.com malware research team strongly recommends that you use anti-malware applications to delete 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware and any related malware that may have been installed either through 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware or through a common infection vector. Before you do so, you should disable 'The Firewall of the United States' Ransomware with the Safe Mode feature or by booting a clean OS from an uninfected source (such as USB drive devices).

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following messages's were detected:
# Message
1THE FIREWALL OF THE UNITED STATES
COMPUTER BLOCKED
This computer has been blocked to Americans by the US Government Firewall
Illegally downloaded material
(audio, videos or software)
has been located on your computer
By downloading, those were reproduced, thereby involving a criminal offence under Section 106 of Copyright Act.
The downloading of the copyrighted material via the Internet or music sharing networks is illegal and is in the accordance with Section 106 of the Copyright Act subject to a fine or imprisonment for a penalty of up to 3 years.
Furthermore, possession of illegally downloaded material is punishable under Section 184 paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code and may also lead to the confiscation of the computer, with which the files were downloaded.
To perform the payment, enter the acquired GreenDot MoneyPack code in the designated payment field and press the “OK” button.

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