Home Malware Programs Ransomware U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus

Posted: March 8, 2013

Threat Metric

Ranking: 16,939
Threat Level: 1/10
Infected PCs: 649
First Seen: March 11, 2013
Last Seen: September 1, 2023
OS(es) Affected: Windows

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus Screenshot 1The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus is a criminal program that displays a fake legal alert that claims to have locked your PC's desktop to punish you for viewing child pornography, downloading copyright-protected files and other Internet-based crimes. Because the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus displays its alert without determining the potential innocence of its victims and doesn't have any ties to the actual Department of Homeland Security, you don't need to take the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus's legal warnings to heart. Likewise, SpywareRemove.com malware experts suggest explicitly avoiding the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus's fine – paying the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus off will not unlock your PC, but removing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus with appropriate security software will do so.

Why Your Lack of Security is the Reason for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus's Existence

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus's main function is to create a desktop-blocking pop-up that prevents you from accessing your shortcuts, start menu or other parts of the Windows' interface. With a demographic and pop-up design that's somewhat reminiscent of previous United States-based Trojans like the FBI Green Dot Moneypak Virus, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virusalso claims that its attack is justified by your illegal computer usage (although SpywareRemove.com malware analysts note that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus doesn't try to confirm this accusation). To regain access to your PC, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus asks you to pay a three hundred USD fine through MoneyPak, after which you supposedly will be given an unlock code.

Of course, this money doesn't make its way to the US government, but to criminals who are responsible for designing and distributing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus, whose attacks are very similar to past attempts by similar Police Trojans throughout the world. SpywareRemove.com malware research team has particularly noted that the legal texts that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus cites are very similar to the ones used by various Police Trojans in Europe, such as the Cyber Crime Unit Ransomware, 'Il vostro computer è stato bloccato' Ransomware, the Ministerio del Interior Virus, 'Votre ordinateur est bloque' France Ransomware, 'Canadian Police Association' Ransomware and the Latvijas Policijas Virus.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus infections may be derived from spam e-mail messages, misleading links spread through social engineering networks or, in particular, websites that host (either intentionally or by the mistake of being hacked) redirects to drive-by-downloads. In many cases, exploit kits are involved in these attacks, and SpywareRemove.com malware researchers emphasize having appropriate web browser security as one of the easiest ways of avoiding a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus.

Protecting Your Digital Homeland from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus's Terrorism

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus doesn't need to be paid to be removed, and you will not incur any legal penalties for removing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus. However, SpywareRemove.com malware experts warn that you may need to use various security techniques (such as the generally-useful Safe Mode feature) for disabling U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus and its pop-up.

When the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus's pop-up no longer blocks you from using your other programs, you can proceed with deleting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus. To make sure that all of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Virus's files are removed as cleanly as possible, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers suggest using anti-malware software whenever it's on-hand.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following messages's were detected:
# Message
1U.S. Department of Homeland Security
National Cyber Security Division
This computer has been blocked
THE WORK OF YOUR COMPUTER HAS BEEN SUSPENDED ON THE GROUNDS OF THE VIOLATION OF THE LAW OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Article 184. Pornography involving children
Imprisonment for the term of up to 10-15 years(The use or distribution of pornography material)
Artticle 171. Copyright
Imprisonment for the term of up to 2-5 years. (The use or sharing copyrighted files)
Article 113. The use of unlicensed software
Imprisonment for the term of up to 2 years (The use of unlicensed software)
To unlock the computer you are obliged to pay a fine of $300. You must pay the fine through MoneyPAK.
You have 48 hours to pay the fine. If the fine has not been paid, you will become the subject of criminal prosecution without the right to pay the fine. The Department for the Fight Against Cyberactivity will confiscate your computer and take You to Court.

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