The ransom note (“_readme.txt“) explains that all personal files such as images, photos, documents and videos have been encrypted. In order to decrypt .sqpc files, the victim is instructed to pay a ransom in Bitcoin. According to the criminals, the victim may pay a lower price with 50% discount if he/she contacts the attackers via provided emails within 3 days (72 hours). In such case, the ransom price is $490. However, if the victim delays contacting the attackers, the ransom price will be worth $980. The note also instructs to check for criminals’ reply in Spam or Junk folders in case no answer is received within 6 hours after writing to helpdatarestore@firemail.cc or helpmanager@mail.ch. These two emails have been used in many previous DJVU versions, such as MPAL, QEWE, LEZP, MPAJ and others. If you have been affected by SQPC file virus, we strongly advise you not to pay the ransom. Often times, ransomware victims pay the ransom in a rush, but criminals fail to provide working keys due to flaws in ransomware. Moreover, remember that cybercriminals are quick to vanish once they receive what they wanted – your money. In addition, another reason not to pay the ransom is that by paying, you would fund their malicious business and motivate them to create malware continuously.
Threat Summary
Ransomware installs a password-stealer and modifies Windows HOSTS file
During the attack, SQPC virus displays a fake Windows update prompt and disables Windows Task Manager so that the victim could not end the malicious process rapidly. Screenshot of the fake Windows update displayed by the ransomware: Next thing it does is install AZORULT Trojan on the system. This additional malware piece is designed to steal login credentials (usernames, passwords) from victim’s computer and transmit them to cybercriminals. Therefore, the primary thing you need to do is eliminate malware from your computer before taking actions to recover your files. In addition, you might discover a fact that you can no longer open certain Google search results or specific websites after SQPC ransomware attack. This happens due to the virus’ ability to modify Windows HOSTS file and restrain the victim from connecting to certain websites. We strongly advise you to remove SQPC ransomware virus using a software that includes anti-malware tool. RESTORO has Avira AntiVirus engine installed on it, besides, it can repair damaged Windows OS files (such as modified HOSTS file), so you might want to try it. Please read the instructions provided below this post to understand how to remove malware safely.
Ransomware infects computers via illegal downloads – stay away from them
Ransomware type threats are typically distributed via email attachments, deceptive links, compromised websites pushing downloads or, in case of STOP/DJVU, malicious illegal downloads. To be precise, the ransomware operators tend to hide this virus in software cracks and keygens. Therefore, if you have suddenly decided to download a torrent for a paid software to have it activated for free, keep in mind that there’s a high chance it contains STOP/DJVU variant like SQPC virus. Therefore, we suggest you to think twice before taking such risky decisions. Some of the downloads known to infect people with this virus are KMSPico, game cracks, Photoshop cracks, 3D modelling software cracks, and other restricted files. Please, consider purchasing legitimate software licenses instead of looking for their illegal copies online. Cyber criminals take advantage of saving users because such illegal downloads sadly are very popular.
Guide on preventing ransomware infections
In order to avoid ransomware attacks, we strongly advise you to refrain from opening suspicious email attachments (deceptive emails often have words “urgent”, “important” “your eyes only” and similar phrases in the subject field and claim to be delivering an imporant document to the victim. Moreover, avoid using dubious download managers and visiting shady-looking websites. In addition, downloading software cracks and keygens is a strong no-no. To avoid hidden malware attacks, you should only obtain software license keys from the developer or a trusted vendor only.
Best way to remove SQPC ransomware virus
The easiest way to remove SQPC ransomware virus is to delete it from Safe Mode with Networking. The point of booting your PC in this mode is to provide a safe and clean environment to eliminate malicious files and other components without being interrupted by ransomware processes. Please use the instructions provided below to learn how to boot your PC in this mode and remove the virus safely. Once SQPC ransomware removal is complete, we strongly suggest you to repair damaged system using RESTORO. It can fix damage done to Windows OS system files. OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here.
Alternative software recommendations
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking
Before you try to remove the virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, see a video tutorial on how to do it: Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10 users Now, you can search for and remove SQPC ransomware files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable malware removal program. In addition, we suggest trying a combination of INTEGO Antivirus (removes malware and protects your PC in real-time) and RESTORO (repairs virus damage to Windows OS files).
Method 2. Use System Restore
In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10 users After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won’t be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future. Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.
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