An infection with the dangerous jCandy Virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove jCandy Virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of jCandy Virus
The jCandy 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 jCandy 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 jCandy Virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the jCandy 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 jCandy 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 jCandy Virus
The jCandy virus is a malware that has just been identified by the security community. The limited number of captured samples do no give out the main infection sources. The security analysis is not yet complete however from the initial gathered data there seems to be no correlation between the jCandy virus and any of the famous malware families. The hacker or criminal collective behind the threat is also unknown.
The available strains associated with the malware showcase a base engine that can be updated in the future to include additional components. Example components include the following:
- Trojan Module ‒ Trojan components are used to spy on the infected machines in real time. Depending on the type of malware code the hackers may be able to directly view the victim’s display, record their keystrokes or capture the mouse movement.
- Information Stealing ‒ jCandy virus can be used to steal data of all kinds including the following: hardware components, installed applications and user settings.
- Additional Virus Delivery ‒ The jCandy virus infection can be used to install other threats to the compromised computers.
- Persistent Installation ‒ If configured in such a way the jCandy virus can counter any manual removal attempts automatically.
- Stealth Protection ‒ The criminals can bundle a protective module which is used to hide the instance from security software. In the onset of infection the base engine scans for any virtual machine, sandbox or debugging environments that might be active. If such are found then the malware automatically deletes itself to prevent discovery.
At the moment all released virus samples are rated as initial versions. If the attacks prove succesful then we might see updated or forked versions of jCandy. When all prerequisite conditions are met the ransomware process is started. It seeks to process files based on a built-in list of target file type extensions. Example of victim data typically includes the following: archives, images, videos, music, documents, backups, configuration files and databases. All processed files receive the .locky extension which is generic sign of Hidden Tear based viruses.
An application frame is created which serves as a lockscreen. Depending on the version of the jCandy virus it can block normal user interaction until the threat is completely removed. It reads the following message:
jCandy
YOUR FILES HAVE BEEN LOCKED
We have encrypted ALL your important files!
We have NOT deleted ANY files. Your files have been LOCKED!
If you would like access to your files you will need to purchase $200 USD worth of BITCOIN
and have it sent to this bitcoin address below.
After the payment is received your files will be decrypted and this program will delete itself.
You have 48 hours to send the payment and have your files unlocked.
If you fail to do so, your files will be DELETED~ Kind regards, jCandy
We recommend that all users abstain from communicating with the hackers and use our full jCandy Virus removal guide below to recover their data and delete the active infections.
Remove jCandy Virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the jCandy 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
jCandy 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 jCandy 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 jCandy 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
