An infection with the dangerous .satan Virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove .satan Virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of .satan Virus
The .satan 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 .satan 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 labelled 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 .satan Virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the .satan 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 .satan 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 .satan Virus
Security researchers detected a new ransomware threat called the .sata virus which is also known under the name of “Satan Cryptor 2.0”. It uses a modular framework that has been found to initiate a variety of malware actions after the infections have occured. The attacks are started once the infections have started.
The experts note that the .satan virus includes the ability to prevent analysis by sandboxes, virtual machines and debuggers. One of the first steps during the infection process is the information gathering module. It is able to extract a list of the available hardware components, installed software and user settings. A particular characteristic is the ability to accesss the stored contents of the web browsers. The code is compatible with the most popular ones including: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Opera and Internet Explorer. This means that the hackers can access the stored cookies, history, bookmarks, passwords and account credentials.
A next step would be to continue the data harvesting related to application settings such as the terminal service related kes. They are used in remote desktop sessions which means that if any are found the hackers can easily take over control of the computers without resorting to the use of a Trojan module.
The extracted data is used to generate the unique user ID (UUID) which identifies the host computer. The information is also used to gather enough data about the system so that the malware can evade detection from security software. The .satan virus can either delete or disable them. If it finds that it is unable to do so it may choose to delete itself to avoid detection.
The .satan virus proceeds with process spawning with various privileges, including ones with administrator access. It is able to hook up to other running processes, including system ones.
A network connection is initiated with the hacker-controlled servers. This enables the hacker operators to execute arbitrary code onto the compromised hosts. In some cases they may also opt to install a Trojan component which allows them to spy onto the computer users. The .satan virus can allow them to recrod the keystrokes and mouse movement, as well as take over control of the machines at any given time.
Another dangerous feature that is observed with the .satan virus is the ability to modify the web browser internet connection settings. This is made in order to route the traffic through the hacker-controlled services. This allows the criminals to observe all interactions.
To facilitate a deeper infection the infection engine can interact with the operating system and mount partitions, access removable storage devices and also attempt to propagate across the network shares.
Regional settings and language and preferences are extracted in order to select the most appropriate ransomware note once the encryption process is complete. It starts right after all prerequisite conditions are met. Like other famous malware strains it uses a list of built-in file type extensions: archives, images, music, videos, documents, configuration files and databases. When all files are processed the .satan extension is applied.
To extort the .satan virus victims into paying a ransomware fee a lockscreen instance is instituted. It is available in several languages (English, Korean and Chinese) and asks the sum of 0.5 Bitcoins which is the equivalent of about $9150 according to today’s currency exchange rate. It also enforces a time limit which is an additional mechanism used by the hackers. It reads the following message:
Payment Time Left
Some files have been encrypted
Please send 0.5 bit coins to my wallet address
If you paid, send the machine code to my email
I will give you key
If there is no payment within three days,
we will no longer support decryption
We support decrypting the test file.
send three small than 3 MB files to the email address
Remove .satan Virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the .satan 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
.satan 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 .satan 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 .satan 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
