Content:
The New Zealand Police virus, also known as “Nga Pirihimana o Aotearoa” or New Zealand E-crime Lab ransomware, is targeting users physically located in New Zealand and does it in a fairly vicious way. This malicious code causes the affected operating system to display a scary-looking lock screen each time the users starts their PCs. Not only is it impossible to bypass this fake block page in any regular way – the malware intimidates its victims through accusing them of committing cybercrime.
For the user to avoid actual prosecution and get the hijacked system unlocked, the virus persistently demands a fee to be paid via Ukash, a well-known payment system based on the use of vouchers one can buy at multiple stores all of over the country. However, there are numerous apparent downfalls of following the ransomware’s requirements, which is, by the way, a very wrong thing to do because the whole system lockup thing has absolutely nothing to do with the actual institution of the New Zealand Police. Purchasing a Ukash card for paying the criminals means you go the easy way that will not lead you into getting rid of the malware at all. Whereas the noxious lock page may go away in this case, the PC will remain contaminated, which may upset you in various ways in the future.
The malicious entity underlying this entire campaign is called Reveton – a hazardous infection distributed via powerful exploit kits such as the infamous Blackhole. For infestation purposes, this cyber threat takes advantage of outdated software on a targeted computer, mostly Java or PDF. The malicious scenario usually takes place in the background, so neither the user’s consent or even awareness is necessary.
In this article we will provide a sole alternative to paying the ransom if you are infected with the New Zealand Police ransomware, namely proven advice for removing this virus.
The cybercriminals have been moderately inventive in terms of this particular malware. The ransomware code appears to be the same in all cases, and the system lock screen has not undergone significant updates since campaign launch. Differing components are the graphics of the page’s header as well as the main warning text proper. In some instances the inscription is “Attention! Your PC is blocked due to at least one of the reasons specified below”, while in others it says: “Attention! Your computer has been blocked up for safety reasons listed below”. Basically, there’s nothing but a play on words that makes one scenario different from the other. To get a better idea of what this spooky thing looks like, see snapshots below:
In addition to the above-mentioned inoperability of the contaminated PC due to the bogus police alert appearing immediately after system startup, the malware is known to also do the following:
Due to specificity of this infection, standard cleanup through the use of security software is barely applicable. Likewise, manual removal is considerably aggravated because of inability to access system directories where the virus embeds its components.
Thus, having thoroughly analyzed this malware, we came up with a number of removal methods that proved to be the most efficient for complete extermination of the New Zealand Police Ukash virus.
For carrying out this removal procedure, you will need a USB drive to further launch the cleanup software from. Please note that all the data on this USB drive will be lost, so make sure you back it up before proceeding.
This cleanup method allows restoring your operating system to the time period when it was not contaminated with the New Zealand Police ransomware. This procedure will not lead to loss of any files. To perform system restore, please stick to the following steps:
Download, install and run reliable security software to get efficient protection from malicious software further on.
Exposure management is changing the way we assess risk, but not everyone is out in… Read More
Introduction: Navigating the SOCaaS Revolution In today's hyperconnected digital landscape, where cyber threats evolve faster… Read More
The Middle East and Asia are fast-growing hubs for both digital innovation and cyber threats,… Read More
In Europe, digital forensics and incident response firms operate within a complex landscape shaped by… Read More
The United States is home to many of the world’s leading digital forensics and incident… Read More
Third-party vendors have transformed operations for many entities. Tasks like payroll, shipping logistics, and IT… Read More