An infection with the dangerous .TEST virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove .TEST virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of .TEST virus
The .TEST 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 .TEST 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 .TEST virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the .TEST 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 .TEST 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 .TEST virus
The CryptoMix ransomware family has gained a new member as security researchers uncovered a new strain called the .TEST virus. It features some built-in counterfeit identities which aim to confuse the users or the security software. The executable files that carry the threat may be named as frtan.exe and include includes copyright stating that the file comes frm the Alibaba Group.
The .test virus has been found to initiate a complex behavior pattern as soon as the infection has been instituted on the target computer. Depending on the hacker configuration and target users the malware samples can perform different dangerous alterations to the hosts. The captured samples have been fount to cause a lot of changes related to the way the computer boots and works in order to protect the dangerous code from manual removal methods.
Some malware samples have been found to extract sensitive information from the infected host, several categories can be identified:
- System Information — The .test virus is able to collect information about the available hardware components, installed software and user configuration.
- Language Settings — The .test virus has the ability to extract all settings and user set values that are related to the regional and language settings. The data allows the hackers to locate the user and their individual preferences. Based on their language of choice a respective message or ransomware note can be shown.
- Personally-identifiable Information — The infection engine harvests information from the browsers and applications such as accounts, passwords, preferences, bookmarks, history and etc.
The .test virus has been found to disable certain Windows functionality including services, the Windows registry and etc. The security experts note that boot-up options are also being changed. Data recovery is obstructed by the .test virus infection engine as it deletes the shadow volume copies of all found data.
The ransomware engine is started when all prior steps have been taken. Like previous samples that originate from this malware family it uses a built-in list of target file type extensions. Examples include the following: documents, archives, music, videos, image, databases, backups and configuration files. All processed files are not only renamed with the .test extension, but also have their names obfuscated with a random 32-character-long ID.
The ransomware note itself is created in a _HELP_INSTRUCTION.TXT file which contains the following text:
Hello!
Attention! All Your data was encrypted!
For specific informartion, please send us an email with Your ID number:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Please send email to all email addresses! We will help You as soon as possible!
IMPORTANT: DO NOT USE ANY PUBLIC SOFTWARE! IT MAY DAMAGE YOUR DATA FOREVER!
DECRYPT-ID-[id] number
We recommend that all users abstain from communicating with the hackers and use our full .TEST virus removal guide below to recover their data and delete the active infections.
Remove .TEST virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the .TEST 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
.TEST 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 .TEST 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 .TEST 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
