‘USA Cyber Crime Investigations’ Ransomware

Posted: October 16, 2013

Threat Metric

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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.

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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.

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Threat Level:	10/10
Infected PCs:	4

First Seen:	October 16, 2013
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware is part of a new branch of fake Police Trojans targeting specific states within the USA, although their attacks continue to be the standard desktop-locking ones that malware experts have learned to expect from these types of PC threats. By using fake legal warnings about your supposed online history to trick you into paying a fake fee, the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware hopes to profit off of random victims while keeping their Windows desktops locked. However, paying the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware never is necessary for unlocking your computer, and deleting the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware through standardized anti-malware solutions always is suggested as the ideal response to its pop-ups.

The Investigation that Proceeds Onto Your PC without Probable Cause

The 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware is one of several fake Police Ransomware Trojans (along with the 'Cyber Command of New York' Ransomware and the 'Cyber Command of South Texas' Ransomware) that deliver fake legal warning messages specialized for specific regions of the United States as a means of extorting money from their victims. A specialist in the state of California, the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware, nonetheless, displays a pop-up warning that's copy-pasted from related PC threats based on the Urausy family of ransomware. This warning message, which simply is a modified browser window, claims that your computer's been used to commit illegal acts ranging from downloading copyright-protected content to viewing pedophilia-based pornography.

Of course, the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware doesn't make any effort to detect these crimes and its accusations have no purpose besides the intent to make its victims panic. The 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware will block your access to the Windows desktop, supposedly until you pay the 'legal fee' that the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware requests, although malware analysts warn that there's nothing legal about the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware's ransom, which shouldn't be paid and has no affiliation with the US government.

Shelving the File on a Fake Investigation that's Netting Real Money for Criminals

Since the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware launches automatically and tries to block your access to other programs while the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware is open, disabling the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware usually is the first thing you'll want to do when disinfecting your computer. Using Safe Mode or using a spare USB device as an emergency boot drive both are viable ways to do this, after which you should be able to remove the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware with any anti-malware program of your choice – without the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware's pop-up getting in your way.

Exploit kits and other threatening download techniques are expected to be heavily involved in the distribution of the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers suggest keeping your software updated, avoiding potentially unsafe website links and having anti-malware products with browser-protecting features as some of the most viable defenses against attacks that could install the 'USA Cyber Crime Investigations' Ransomware without needing your permission.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following messages's were detected:

#	Message
1	USA Cyber Crime Investigations Cyber Command of [State name] (Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Texas, Utah, Maryland, Washington, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, Indiana, Hawaii, Georgia, Florida or California) ATTENTION! Your computer has been blocked up for safety reasons listed below. You are accused of viewing/storage and/or dissemination of banned pornography (child pornography/zoophilia/rape etc). You have violated World Declaration on non-proliferation of child pornography. You are accused of committing the crime envisaged by Article 161 of United States of America criminal law. Article 161 of United States of America criminal law provides for the punishment of deprivation of liberty for terms from 5 to 11 years. Also, you are suspected of violation of "Copyright and Related rights Law" (downloading of pirated music, video, ware.) and of use and/or dissemination of copyrighted content. Thus, you are suspected of violation of Article 148 of United States of America criminal law. Article 148 of United States of America criminal law provides for the punishment of deprivation of liberty for terms from 3 to 7 years or 150 to 550 basic amounts fine. It was from your computer, that unauthorized access had been stolen to information of State importance and to data closed for public Internet access. Unauthorized access could have been arranged by yourself purposely on mercenary motives, or without your knowledge and consent, provided your computer could have been affected by malware. Consequently, you are suspected - until the investigation is held - of innocent infringement of Article 215 of United States of America criminal law ("Law on negligent and reckless disregard of computers and computer aids"). Article 215 of United States of America criminal law provides for the punishment of deprivation of liberty for terms from 5 to 8 years and/or up to 100.0000 fine. Further, after information of your personal computer was examined, it was found out that your personal computer had been regularly used for bulk spamming, either arranged by yourself purposely on mercenary motives, or without your knowledge and consent, provided your computer could have been affected by malware. Bulk-spamming is a way to disseminate malware of banned pornography. Consequently, you are suspected - until the investigation is held - of innocent infringement of Article 301 of United States of America criminal law ("On bulk-spamming and malware (virus) dissemination`). Article 301 of United States of America criminal law provides for the punishment of deprivation of liberty for term up to 5 years, and up to 250.0000 fine. Please, mind that both your personal identities and location are well identified, and criminal case can be opened against you in course of 96 hours as of commission of crimes per above Articles. Criminal case can be submitted to court. However, pursuant to Amendments to the United States of America criminal law dated October 9, 2013, and according to Declaration on Human Rights, your disregard of law may be interpreted as unintended (if you had no incident before) and no arraignment will follow. However, it is a matter of whether you have paid the fine to the Treasury (to the effect of initiatives aimed at protection of cyberspace). The penalty set must be paid in course of 48 hours as of the breach. On expiration of the term, 48 hours that follow will be used for automatic collection of data on yourself and your misconduct, and criminal case wilt be opened against you. Amount of firm is 300$. You can settle the fine with MoneyPak or MoneyGram xpress Packet vouchers. As soon as the money arrives to the Treasury account, your computer will be unblocked in course of 24 hours. Then in 7 day term you should remedy the breaches associated with your computer. Otherwise, your computer will be blocked up again and criminal case will be opened against yourself (with no option to pay fine). Please mind, that you should enter or4 verified pussy of vouchers and abstain from caching out of vouchers once used for fine payment. If erroneous pussy were entered, or if attempt was made to cancel vouchers after transaction, then, apart from above breaches, you will be charged with fraud (Article 377 of United States of America criminal law; 1 to 3 years of imprisonment) and criminal case will be opened.

Message

USA Cyber Crime Investigations
Cyber Command of [State name] (Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Texas, Utah, Maryland, Washington, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, Indiana, Hawaii, Georgia, Florida or California)
ATTENTION! Your computer has been blocked up for safety reasons listed below. You are accused of viewing/storage and/or dissemination of banned pornography (child pornography/zoophilia/rape etc). You have violated World Declaration on non-proliferation of child pornography. You are accused of committing the crime envisaged by Article 161 of United States of America criminal law.
Article 161 of United States of America criminal law provides for the punishment of deprivation of liberty for terms from 5 to 11 years. Also, you are suspected of violation of "Copyright and Related rights Law" (downloading of pirated music, video, ware.) and of use and/or dissemination of copyrighted content. Thus, you are suspected of violation of Article 148 of United States of America criminal law.
Article 148 of United States of America criminal law provides for the punishment of deprivation of liberty for terms from 3 to 7 years or 150 to 550 basic amounts fine.
It was from your computer, that unauthorized access had been stolen to information of State importance and to data closed for public Internet access.
Unauthorized access could have been arranged by yourself purposely on mercenary motives, or without your knowledge and consent, provided your computer could have been affected by malware. Consequently, you are suspected - until the investigation is held - of innocent infringement of Article 215 of United States of America criminal law ("Law on negligent and reckless disregard of computers and computer aids").
Article 215 of United States of America criminal law provides for the punishment of deprivation of liberty for terms from 5 to 8 years and/or up to 100.0000 fine.
Further, after information of your personal computer was examined, it was found out that your personal computer had been regularly used for bulk spamming, either arranged by yourself purposely on mercenary motives, or without your knowledge and consent, provided your computer could have been affected by malware. Bulk-spamming is a way to disseminate malware of banned pornography. Consequently, you are suspected - until the investigation is held - of innocent infringement of Article 301 of United States of America criminal law ("On bulk-spamming and malware (virus) dissemination`).
Article 301 of United States of America criminal law provides for the punishment of deprivation of liberty for term up to 5 years, and up to 250.0000 fine.
Please, mind that both your personal identities and location are well identified, and criminal case can be opened against you in course of 96 hours as of commission of crimes per above Articles. Criminal case can be submitted to court.
However, pursuant to Amendments to the United States of America criminal law dated October 9, 2013, and according to Declaration on Human Rights, your disregard of law may be interpreted as unintended (if you had no incident before) and no arraignment will follow. However, it is a matter of whether you have paid the fine to the Treasury (to the effect of initiatives aimed at protection of cyberspace).
The penalty set must be paid in course of 48 hours as of the breach. On expiration of the term, 48 hours that follow will be used for automatic collection of data on yourself and your misconduct, and criminal case wilt be opened against you. Amount of firm is 300$. You can settle the fine with MoneyPak or MoneyGram xpress Packet vouchers.
As soon as the money arrives to the Treasury account, your computer will be unblocked in course of 24 hours.
Then in 7 day term you should remedy the breaches associated with your computer. Otherwise, your computer will be blocked up again and criminal case will be opened against yourself (with no option to pay fine).
Please mind, that you should enter or4 verified pussy of vouchers and abstain from caching out of vouchers once used for fine payment. If erroneous pussy were entered, or if attempt was made to cancel vouchers after transaction, then, apart from above breaches, you will be charged with fraud (Article 377 of United States of America criminal law; 1 to 3 years of imprisonment) and criminal case will be opened.