An infection with the dangerous Napoleon virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove Napoleon virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of Napoleon virus
The Napoleon virus is a new virus which has been sighted in a limited attack campaign. At the moment the security researchers cannot determine the primary infection strategy. We presume that the most widely used tactics are going to be employed.
Among them are the email messages created in an automated way and sent to large lists of potential victims. The Napoleon virus can be directly attached to the messages. This is one of the easiest way for the criminals to attempt the infection. However a lot of email hosting providers usually capture the signatures of the virus and as such discard such messages or label them as dangerous or spam. Other infection methods related to this one is the option of inserting hyperlinks in the body content of the messages. The links are usually labeled as leading to a familiar website or a file of user interest. Redirects can redirect to hacker-controlled sites, infected payloads or other instances that can lead to an Napoleon virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the Napoleon virus. A popular option is the use of infected documents which may be of different types ‒ spreadsheets, rich text documents, presentations and databases. They are modified to initiate the virus once the built-in scripts are run. Usually when the files are opened a notification will ask the users to run the macros (scripts). If this is done the infection follows.
The hacker-controlled sites are specialist portals that have been created either manually or automatically by the criminals behind the Napoleon virus. They can either directly distribute the threat by initiating various scripts or automated operations or link to such instances. Redirects are usually caused by email interaction, ad networks or other browsing activity. However one of the main sources is the availability of browser hijackers. They are malicious addons made for the most popular web browsers ‒ Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, Microsoft Edge and Safari. Once installed they not only infect the users with the malware, but also redirect the victims to a hacker-controlled site. Depending on the configuration the browser hijackers can also steal sensitive information such as any stored passwords, account credentials, history, bookmarks, form data and settings.
Impact of Napoleon virus
The security community has recently posted a warning about a dangerous new malware called the Napoleon ransomware. This is an advanced threat that does not appear to originate from any of the famous ransomware families. In addition no information is available about the hacker or criminal collective behind it.
A noteworthy feature of the Napoleon virus is the fact that it can be distributed using different methods including spam messages, macro scripts and pop-up ads.
Upon infection it starts a complicated sequence of commands which can be altered depending on the targets. One of the first modules that are started in these attack types is the information harvesting one. By launching it the Napoleon virus has the ability to perform a detailed check of the system. It is able to identify the exact hardware components and installed applications. From there on further harvesting attempts can retrieve sensitive user information from the user installed software. One of the most widely used examples are the web browsers. Usually the criminals tend to integrate code that is compatible with the most popular ones (Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Opera and Google Chrome) and allow the hackers to download the users cookies, bookmarks, history, passwords and account credentials. If automatic reporting is enabled then all data is sent to the hackers at the earliest moments of infection. As a consequence even if for some reason the Napoleon virus can no longer function the hackers will be able to have access to a lot of sensitive data and online services that are owned by the victims.
The Napoleon virus can then execute several actions based on the gained data:
- Stealth Installation — By having built a complete profile of the target host the Napoleon virus has the ability to profile the active anti-virus software and potentially disable and delete them. By bypassing these measures the virus can install itself in a very stealth manner. However if it identifies that it cannot overcome them then it will delete itself to avoid detection.
- Persistent Installation — Once the Napoleon virus has gained entry into the target system it can install deeply into the system and constantly monitor the users behavior. Whenever they attempt to remove it the infection engine will disable their actions thus prohibiting the virus recovery using manual methods. In such cases the only way to overcome the infections is by using a quality anti-spyware solution, refer to our guide below.
Some of the acquired code appears to copy the Hidden Tear malware family variants where the ransomware engine is started once all prerequisite conditions have been met. Like other similar threats it uses a built-in of target file type extensions. The analysts have been able to harvest it from the acquired samples:
.1c, .3fr, .accdb, .ai, .arw, .bac, .bay, .bmp, .cdr, .cer, .cfg, .config, .cr2, .crt, .crw, .css,
.csv, .db, .dbf, .dcr, .der, .dng, .doc, .docm, .docx, .dwg, .dxf, .dxg, .eps, .erf, .gif, .htm,
.html, .indd, .iso, .jpe, .jpeg, .jpg, .kdc, .lnk, .mdb, .mdf, .mef, .mk, .mp3, .mp4, .mrw, .nef,
.nrw, .odb, .ode, .odm, .odp, .ods, .odt, .orf, .p12, .p7b, .p7c, .pdd, .pdf, .pef, .pem, .pfx, .php,
.png, .ppt, .pptm, .pptx, .psd, .pst, .ptx, .r3d, .rar, .raw, .rtf, .rw2, .rwl, .sql, .sr2, .srf, .srw,
.tif, .wb2, .wma, .wpd, .wps, .x3f, .xlk, .xls, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xlsx, .zip
As a result all all victim files are renamed with a malware extension called: ‘.[[email protected]].napoleon’. This means that the ransomware engine appends the hacker’s contact email before the .napoleon string. The ransomware note itself is crafted in a How_Decrypt_Files.hta file which contains the following message:
Your documents, photos, databases and other important files have been encrypted
cryptographically strong, without the original key recovery is impossible!
To decrypt your files you need to buy the special software – NAPOLEON DECRYPTER
Using another tools could corrupt your files, in case of using third party
software we don’t give guarantees that full recovery is possible so use it on
your own risk.If you want to restore files, write us to the e-mail: [email protected]
In subject line write encryption and attach your ID in body of your message
also attach to email 3 crypted files. (files have to be less than 2 MB)
It is in your interest to respond as soon as possible to ensure the restoration
of your files, because we wont keep your decryption keys at our server more than
one week in interest of our security.
Only in case you do not receive a response from the first email address
withit 48 hours, please use this alternative email adress: [email protected]Your personal identification number: [RANDOM CHARACTERS]
We recommend that all users abstain from communicating with the hackers and use our full Napoleon virus removal guide below to recover their data and delete the active infections.
Remove Napoleon virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the Napoleon virus requires being familiar with system files and registries. Removing important data accidentally can lead to permanent system damage. If you don’t feel comfortable with manual instructions, download a powerful anti-malware tool that will scan your system for malware and clean it safely for you.
SpyHunter anti-malware tool will diagnose all current threats on the computer. By purchasing the full version, you will be able to remove all malware threats instantly. Additional information about SpyHunter / Help to uninstall SpyHunter
Napoleon virus – Manual Removal Steps
Start the PC in Safe Mode with Network
This will isolate all files and objects created by the ransomware so they will be removed efficiently. The steps bellow are applicable to all Windows versions.
1. Hit the WIN Key + R
2. A Run window will appear. In it, write msconfig and then press Enter
3. A Configuration box shall appear. In it Choose the tab named Boot
4. Mark Safe Boot option and then go to Network under it to tick it too
5. Apply -> OK
Remove Napoleon from Windows
Here’s a way to remove the program. This method will work regardless if you’re on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP. Simply selecting the program and pressing delete won’t work, as it’ll leave a lot of small files. That’s bad because these leftovers can linger on and cause all sorts of problems. The best way to delete a program is to uninstall it. Here’s how you can do that:
1. Hold the “Windows” button (It’s between CTRL and Alt on most keyboards) and press “R”. You’ll see a pop-up window.
2. In the textbox, type “appwiz.cpl”, then press“ Enter ”.
3. The “Programs and features” menu should now appear. It’s a list of all the programs installed on the PC. Here you can find the program, select it, and press “Uninstall“.
Remove Napoleon Virus From Your Browser
Before resetting your browser’s settings, you should know that this action will wipe out all your recorded usernames, passwords, and other types of data. Make sure to save them in some way.
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1. Start Mozilla Firefox. In the upper right corner, click on the Open menu icon and select “Add-ons“.
2. Inside the Add-ons Manager select “Extensions“. Search the list of extensions for suspicious entries. If you find any, select them and click “Remove“.
3. Click again on the Open menu icon, then click “Options“.
4. In the Options window, under “General” tab, click “Restore to Default“.
5. Select “Search” in the left menu, mark the unknown search engine and press “Remove”.
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1. Start Google Chrome. On the upper-right corner, there a “Customize and Control” menu icon. Click on it, then click on “Settings“.
2. Click “Extensions” in the left menu. Then click on the trash bin icon to remove the suspicious extension.
3. Again in the left menu, under Chrome, Click on “Settings“. Go under “On Startup” and set a new page.
4. Afterward, scroll down to “Search“, click on “Manage search engines“.
5. In the default search settings list, find the unknown search engine and click on “X“. Then select your search engine of choice and click “Make default“. When you are ready click “Done” button in the right bottom corner.
2. In the “Manage add-ons” window, bellow “Add-on Types“, select “Toolbars and Extensions“. If you see a suspicious toolbar, select it and click “Remove“.
3. Then again in the “Manage Add-ons” window, in “Add-on Types“, Select “Search Providers“. Chose a search engine and click “Set as default“. Select the unknown search engine and click “Remove and Close”.
4. Open the Tools menu, select “Internet Options”.
5. In the “General” tab, in “Home page”, enter your preferred page. Click “Apply” and “OK”.
Repair Windows Registry
1. Again type simultaneously the WIN Key + R key combination
2. In the box, write regedit and hit Enter
3. Type the CTRL+ F and then write the malicious name in the search type field to locate the malicious executable
4. In case you have discovered registry keys and values related to the name, you should delete them, but be careful not to delete legitimate keys
Click for more information about Windows Registry and further repair help
