Austrian Polizei Virus

What is Austrian Polizei Virus?

The Austrian Polizei message "Ihr Computer ist aus einem oder mehreren der unten aufgeführten Gründe gesperrt" blocks computer screens and demands payment of a 100 Euro fine using Ukash or PaySafeCard. This message is not sent by the Austrian Police, it is a scam delivered by a ransomware virus.

Cyber criminals responsible for developing this virus hope that computer users from Austria will fall for the deceptive text displayed within the message and pay the bogus fine.

The fake Austrian Polizei Cybercrime Investigation Department message states that the user must pay a fine for allegedly watching child pornography or owning pirated copies of copyrighted video and music files.

Furthermore, this rogue message attempts to create a sense of urgency by stating that the user pays the fine within 72 hours. Neither the Austrian Police nor any other authority, internationally, use screen-locking messages to collect fines for any law violations.

Thus, if you see such a message on your screen, you are dealing with a ransomware virus. This particular ransomware originates from a family called "Flimrans" and targets users predominantly from Austria.

Note, however, that rogue messages developed by cyber are often localized so that PC users from different countries see variants of the screen-locking messages as if sent by local authorities.

If you live in Austria and observe this message (screenshot below) on your computer screen, your operating system is infiltrated with a ransomware virus. Do not trust this message or pay any fines, since paying this fine is equivalent to sending your money to cyber criminals.

A variant of this ransomware virus, Österreichischen Polizei "Der Computer ist gesperrt Internetdienstanbieter", originates from a family called Revoyem (DirtyDecrypt). Note that at time of writing, no known tools are available to decrypt the files encrypted by this ransomware virus.

Austrian Polizei Cyber Crime Investigation Department rasnowmare is proliferated using 'exploit kits' which use any detected security vulnerabilities in order to infiltrate users' operating systems. The best way to protect your PC is by using legitimate antivirus and anti-spyware programs.

Other known variants of this scam exploit the names of Politie Office Central, Polisen Enheten för databrott, United States Courts, and many others in order to scare computer users from different countries into paying bogus fines. If your computer is already infected with Austrian Polizei virus, use the removal instructions provided to eliminate this scam.

A fake message presented by the Austrian Polizei ransomware virus:

POLIZEI.
Cyber Crime Investigation Department.
Achtung! Ihr Computer ist aus einem oder mehreren der unten aufgeführten Gründe gesperrt.
Sie haben gegen das Gesetz über «Urheberrecht und verwandte Schutzrechte., Video, Musik, Software) verstoßen und unrechtmäßig urheberrechtliche Inhalte genutzt, bzw. verbreitet und somit gegen Art. 128 des Strafgesetzbuches der Bundesrepublik Österreich verstoßen. Art. 128 des Strafgesetzbuches zieht eine Strafe in Höhe von 2 bis 500 Mindestlöhnen oder eine Freiheitsstrafe von 2 bis 8 Jahren in Betracht. Sie haben verbotene pornografische Inhalte eingesehen oder verbreitet (Kinderpornografie/Zoophilia etc.) und damit gegen Art. 202 des Strafgesetzbuches der Bundesrepublik Österreich verstoßen. Art. 202 des Strafgesetzbuches zieht eine Freiheitsstrafe von 4 bis 12 Jahren in Betracht. Von ihrem Computer aus wurde ein rechtswidriger Zugang zu Computerdaten durchgeführt oder Sie... Art. 208 des Strafgesetzbuches zieht eine Strafe in Höhe von 100.000e und/oder Freiheitsstrafe von 4 bis 9 Jahren in Betracht. Von ihrem Computer aus wurde ein rechtswidriger Zugang ohne ihre Kenntnis durchgeführt. Womöglich ist ihr Computer von schädlichen Programmen befallen, diesbezüglich verstoßen sie das Gesetz über die 'Fahrlässige Verwendung eines Computers'.
Art. 210 des Strafgesetzbuches zieht eine Strafe von 2000€ bis 8000€ in Betracht. Von ihrem Computer aus wurden Spam Vorgänge durchgeführt - das Versenden von Spamnachrichten oder jeglichen anderen rechtswidrige Werbehandlungen mit der Absicht Profit zu machen. Womöglich wurde dies ohne ihre Kenntnis durchgeführt und ihr Computer ist von schädlichen Programmen befallen. Art. 212 des Strafgesetzbuches zieht eine Strafe von in Höhe von 250.000e und eine Freiheitsstrafe von bis zu 6 Jahren in Betracht. Wurde diese Handlung ohne ihre Kenntnis durchgeführt, so fallen sie unter den oben aufgeführten Art. 210 des Strafgesetzbuches der Bundesrepublik Österreich. Derzeit wird ihre Person und ihr Standort festgestellt, innerhalb von 72 Stunden wird ein Strafverfahren bezüglich einem oder mehreren der oben aufgeführten Artikel eingeleitet. Im Zusammenhang mit der Änderung des Strafgesetzbuches der Bundesrepublik Österreich vom 28 August 2012 kann das vorliegende Vergehen (wenn es nicht wiederholt begangen wurde) als Verwarnung angesehen werden im Falle einer etwaigen Strafzahlung an den Staat. Die Strafe kann jeweils nur 72 Stunden nach Begehen der Straftat entrichtet werden. Nach Ablauf der Frist von 72 Stunden verfällt die Möglichkeit einer Strafzahlung und innerhalb der nächsten 72 Stunden wird automatisch gegen Sie ein Strafverfahren eingeleitet. Der Betrag der Strafzahlung beläuft sich auf 100€. Bei dem Entrichten der Strafe wird ihr Computer innerhalb von 1 - 72 Stunden nach Eingang des Geldes auf dem Staatskonto entsperrt. Nach der Entsperrung ihres Computers werden ihnen 7 Tage gegeben, uni all ihre Verstöße zu korrigieren. Wenn nach Ablauf der 7 Tage nicht alle Gesetzesverstöße korrigiert worden sind, wird ihr Computer erneut gesperrt und gegen sie wird automatisch ein Strafverfahren bezüglich einem oder mehreren der oben aufgeführten Artikel eingeleitet.

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Video suggesting what steps should be taken in case of a ransomware infection:

Quick menu:

• What is Austrian Polizei Ransomware?
• STEP 1. Reporting ransomware to authorities.
• STEP 2. Isolating the infected device.
• STEP 3. Identifying the ransomware infection.
• STEP 4. Searching for ransomware decryption tools.
• STEP 5. Restoring files with data recovery tools.
• STEP 6. Creating data backups.

Reporting ransomware to authorities:

If you are a victim of a ransomware attack we recommend reporting this incident to authorities. By providing information to law enforcement agencies you will help track cybercrime and potentially assist in the prosecution of the attackers. Here's a list of authorities where you should report a ransomware attack. For the complete list of local cybersecurity centers and information on why you should report ransomware attacks, read this article.

List of local authorities where ransomware attacks should be reported (choose one depending on your residence address):

•  USA - Internet Crime Complaint Centre IC3
•  United Kingdom - Action Fraud
•  Spain - Policía Nacional
•  France - Ministère de l'Intérieur
•  Germany - Polizei
•  Italy - Polizia di Stato
•  The Netherlands - Politie
•  Poland - Policja
•  Portugal - Polícia Judiciária

Isolating the infected device:

Some ransomware-type infections are designed to encrypt files within external storage devices, infect them, and even spread throughout the entire local network. For this reason, it is very important to isolate the infected device (computer) as soon as possible.

Step 1: Disconnect from the internet.

The easiest way to disconnect a computer from the internet is to unplug the Ethernet cable from the motherboard, however, some devices are connected via a wireless network and for some users (especially those who are not particularly tech-savvy), disconnecting cables may seem troublesome. Therefore, you can also disconnect the system manually via Control Panel:

Navigate to the "Control Panel", click the search bar in the upper-right corner of the screen, enter "Network and Sharing Center" and select search result:

Click the "Change adapter settings" option in the upper-left corner of the window:

Right-click on each connection point and select "Disable". Once disabled, the system will no longer be connected to the internet. To re-enable the connection points, simply right-click again and select "Enable".

Step 2: Unplug all storage devices.

As mentioned above, ransomware might encrypt data and infiltrate all storage devices that are connected to the computer. For this reason, all external storage devices (flash drives, portable hard drives, etc.) should be disconnected immediately, however, we strongly advise you to eject each device before disconnecting to prevent data corruption:

Navigate to "My Computer", right-click on each connected device, and select "Eject":

Step 3: Log-out of cloud storage accounts.

Some ransomware-type might be able to hijack software that handles data stored within "the Cloud". Therefore, the data could be corrupted/encrypted. For this reason, you should log-out of all cloud storage accounts within browsers and other related software. You should also consider temporarily uninstalling the cloud-management software until the infection is completely removed.

Identify the ransomware infection:

To properly handle an infection, one must first identify it. Some ransomware infections use ransom-demand messages as an introduction (see the WALDO ransomware text file below).

This, however, is rare. In most cases, ransomware infections deliver more direct messages simply stating that data is encrypted and that victims must pay some sort of ransom. Note that ransomware-type infections typically generate messages with different file names (for example, "_readme.txt", "READ-ME.txt", "DECRYPTION_INSTRUCTIONS.txt", "DECRYPT_FILES.html", etc.). Therefore, using the name of a ransom message may seem like a good way to identify the infection. The problem is that most of these names are generic and some infections use the same names, even though the delivered messages are different and the infections themselves are unrelated. Therefore, using the message filename alone can be ineffective and even lead to permanent data loss (for example, by attempting to decrypt data using tools designed for different ransomware infections, users are likely to end up permanently damaging files and decryption will no longer be possible even with the correct tool).

Another way to identify a ransomware infection is to check the file extension, which is appended to each encrypted file. Ransomware infections are often named by the extensions they append (see files encrypted by Qewe ransomware below).

This method is only effective, however, when the appended extension is unique - many ransomware infections append a generic extension (for example, ".encrypted", ".enc", ".crypted", ".locked", etc.). In these cases, identifying ransomware by its appended extension becomes impossible.

One of the easiest and quickest ways to identify a ransomware infection is to use the ID Ransomware website. This service supports most existing ransomware infections. Victims simply upload a ransom message and/or one encrypted file (we advise you to upload both if possible).

The ransomware will be identified within seconds and you will be provided with various details, such as the name of the malware family to which the infection belongs, whether it is decryptable, and so on.

Example 1 (Qewe [Stop/Djvu] ransomware):

Example 2 (.iso [Phobos] ransomware):

If your data happens to be encrypted by ransomware that is not supported by ID Ransomware, you can always try searching the internet by using certain keywords (for example, a ransom message title, file extension, provided contact emails, crypto wallet addresses, etc.).

Search for ransomware decryption tools:

Encryption algorithms used by most ransomware-type infections are extremely sophisticated and, if the encryption is performed properly, only the developer is capable of restoring data. This is because decryption requires a specific key, which is generated during the encryption. Restoring data without the key is impossible. In most cases, cybercriminals store keys on a remote server, rather than using the infected machine as a host. Dharma (CrySis), Phobos, and other families of high-end ransomware infections are virtually flawless, and thus restoring data encrypted without the developers' involvement is simply impossible. Despite this, there are dozens of ransomware-type infections that are poorly developed and contain a number of flaws (for example, the use of identical encryption/decryption keys for each victim, keys stored locally, etc.). Therefore, always check for available decryption tools for any ransomware that infiltrates your computer.

Finding the correct decryption tool on the internet can be very frustrating. For this reason, we recommend that you use the No More Ransom Project and this is where identifying the ransomware infection is useful. The No More Ransom Project website contains a "Decryption Tools" section with a search bar. Enter the name of the identified ransomware, and all available decryptors (if there are any) will be listed.

Restore files with data recovery tools:

Depending on the situation (quality of ransomware infection, type of encryption algorithm used, etc.), restoring data with certain third-party tools might be possible. Therefore, we advise you to use the Recuva tool developed by CCleaner. This tool supports over a thousand data types (graphics, video, audio, documents, etc.) and it is very intuitive (little knowledge is necessary to recover data). In addition, the recovery feature is completely free.

Step 1: Perform a scan.

Run the Recuva application and follow the wizard. You will be prompted with several windows allowing you to choose what file types to look for, which locations should be scanned, etc. All you need to do is select the options you're looking for and start the scan. We advise you to enable the "Deep Scan" before starting, otherwise, the application's scanning capabilities will be restricted.

Wait for Recuva to complete the scan. The scanning duration depends on the volume of files (both in quantity and size) that you are scanning (for example, several hundred gigabytes could take over an hour to scan). Therefore, be patient during the scanning process. We also advise against modifying or deleting existing files, since this might interfere with the scan. If you add additional data (for example, downloading files/content) while scanning, this will prolong the process:

Step 2: Recover data.

Once the process is complete, select the folders/files you wish to restore and simply click "Recover". Note that some free space on your storage drive is necessary to restore data:

Create data backups:

Proper file management and creating backups is essential for data security. Therefore, always be very careful and think ahead.

Partition management: We recommend that you store your data in multiple partitions and avoid storing important files within the partition that contains the entire operating system. If you fall into a situation whereby you cannot boot the system and are forced to format the disk on which the operating system is installed (in most cases, this is where malware infections hide), you will lose all data stored within that drive. This is the advantage of having multiple partitions: if you have the entire storage device assigned to a single partition, you will be forced to delete everything, however, creating multiple partitions and allocating the data properly allows you to prevent such problems. You can easily format a single partition without affecting the others - therefore, one will be cleaned and the others will remain untouched, and your data will be saved. Managing partitions is quite simple and you can find all the necessary information on Microsoft's documentation web page.

Data backups: One of the most reliable backup methods is to use an external storage device and keep it unplugged. Copy your data to an external hard drive, flash (thumb) drive, SSD, HDD, or any other storage device, unplug it and store it in a dry place away from the sun and extreme temperatures. This method is, however, quite inefficient, since data backups and updates need to be made regularly. You can also use a cloud service or remote server. Here, an internet connection is required and there is always the chance of a security breach, although it's a really rare occasion.

We recommend using Microsoft OneDrive for backing up your files. OneDrive lets you store your personal files and data in the cloud, sync files across computers and mobile devices, allowing you to access and edit your files from all of your Windows devices. OneDrive lets you save, share and preview files, access download history, move, delete, and rename files, as well as create new folders, and much more.

You can back up your most important folders and files on your PC (your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders). Some of OneDrive’s more notable features include file versioning, which keeps older versions of files for up to 30 days. OneDrive features a recycling bin in which all of your deleted files are stored for a limited time. Deleted files are not counted as part of the user’s allocation.

The service is built using HTML5 technologies and allows you to upload files up to 300 MB via drag and drop into the web browser or up to 10 GB via the OneDrive desktop application. With OneDrive, you can download entire folders as a single ZIP file with up to 10,000 files, although it can’t exceed 15 GB per single download.

OneDrive comes with 5 GB of free storage out of the box, with an additional 100 GB, 1 TB, and 6 TB storage options available for a subscription-based fee. You can get one of these storage plans by either purchasing additional storage separately or with Office 365 subscription.

Creating a data backup:

The backup process is the same for all file types and folders. Here’s how you can back up your files using Microsoft OneDrive

Step 1: Choose the files/folders you want to backup.

Click the OneDrive cloud icon to open the OneDrive menu. While in this menu, you can customize your file backup settings.

Click Help & Settings and then select Settings from the drop-down menu.

Go to the Backup tab and click Manage backup.

In this menu, you can choose to backup the Desktop and all of the files on it, and Documents and Pictures folders, again, with all of the files in them. Click Start backup.

Now, when you add a file or folder in the Desktop and Documents and Pictures folders, they will be automatically backed up on OneDrive.

To add folders and files, not in the locations shown above, you have to add them manually.

Open File Explorer and navigate to the location of the folder/file you want to backup. Select the item, right-click it, and click Copy.

Then, navigate to OneDrive, right-click anywhere in the window and click Paste. Alternatively, you can just drag and drop a file into OneDrive. OneDrive will automatically create a backup of the folder/file.

All of the files added to the OneDrive folder are backed up in the cloud automatically. The green circle with the checkmark in it indicates that the file is available both locally and on OneDrive and that the file version is the same on both. The blue cloud icon indicates that the file has not been synced and is available only on OneDrive. The sync icon indicates that the file is currently syncing.

To access files only located on OneDrive online, go to the Help & Settings drop-down menu and select View online.

Step 2: Restore corrupted files.

OneDrive makes sure that the files stay in sync, so the version of the file on the computer is the same version on the cloud. However, if ransomware has encrypted your files, you can take advantage of OneDrive’s Version history feature that will allow you to restore the file versions prior to encryption.

Microsoft 365 has a ransomware detection feature that notifies you when your OneDrive files have been attacked and guide you through the process of restoring your files. It must be noted, however, that if you don’t have a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, you only get one detection and file recovery for free.

If your OneDrive files get deleted, corrupted, or infected by malware, you can restore your entire OneDrive to a previous state. Here’s how you can restore your entire OneDrive:

1. If you're signed in with a personal account, click the Settings cog at the top of the page. Then, click Options and select Restore your OneDrive.

If you're signed in with a work or school account,  click the Settings cog at the top of the page. Then, click Restore your OneDrive.

2. On the Restore your OneDrive page, select a date from the drop-down list. Note that if you're restoring your files after automatic ransomware detection, a restore date will be selected for you.

3. After configuring all of the file restoration options, click Restore to undo all the activities you selected.

The best way to avoid damage from ransomware infections is to maintain regular up-to-date backups.

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