Virus and Spyware Removal Guides, uninstall instructions

What is Code 0x03A10 (0E10) scam?

Most technical support scam websites are designed to look like official, legitimate pages and display error, virus, or other notifications. The main purpose of these scams is to trick unsuspecting visitors into believing that there is a problem with their computers and calling the provided number to solve it (e.g., to fix errors, remove viruses).

These scams must be ignored. As a rule, users who fall for them lose money, install unwanted or even malicious software on their computers, or encounter other problems.

It is worthwhile to mention that technical support and other scams are promoted through deceptive advertisements, other untrustworthy pages, potentially unwanted applications (PUAs). In other words, users do not visit such pages intentionally.

What is LeadingUpdater?

LeadingUpdater is an adware-type application with browser hijacker qualities. Following successful infiltration, this piece of software delivers intrusive advertisement campaigns and modifies browser settings to promote fake search engines.

Additionally, most adware products and browser hijackers have data tacking abilities, which are used to spy on users' browsing habits. Hence, it is highly likely that LeadingUpdater has such functionality as well.

Since users typically download/install LeadingUpdater and apps similar to it inadvertently, they are also classified as PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications). One of the questionable methods used to distribute LeadingUpdater is via fake Adobe Flash Player updates.

It is noteworthy that illegitimate software updaters/installers may proliferate trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, other malware.

What is puiont[.]com?

Puiont[.]com is an untrustworthy website sharing common qualities with elopmyskillsi.biz, ywfiof.com, wholeactualjournal.com, and thousands of others. Visitors to these pages are presented with dubious content and/or redirected to rogue/malicious sites.

Such webpages are seldom entered intentionally; most get redirected to them by intrusive adverts or installed PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications). This software can infiltrate systems without user permission and cause redirects, deliver intrusive advertisement campaigns, and gather browsing-related data.

What is the lockedFile ransomware?

Belonging to the VoidCrypt ransomware family, lockedFile is the name of a malicious program designed to encrypt data and demand payment for the decryption. In other words, victims of this ransomware can neither access nor use their files.

The malware creates ransom notes that demand victims pay a ransom to restore access/use of their data. As the lockedFile (VoidCrypt) program encrypts, affected files are renamed according to this pattern: original filename, cyber criminals' email address, unique ID assigned to the victims, and ".lockedFile" extension.

For example, a file initially titled "1.jpg" would appear as something similar to "1.jpg.[recoverfiles1@tuta.io][MJ-YE4698251730].lockedFile" - after encryption. After this process is complete, ransom-demanding messages - "Decrypt-me.txt" - are dropped into compromised folders.

What is elopmyskillsi[.]biz?

Elopmyskillsi[.]biz is a page designed to promote untrustworthy, potentially malicious websites and load shady content. What this website does depends on its visitor's IP address.

In one way or another, elopmyskillsi[.]biz is not a trustworthy page. It is important to mention that users do not visit websites like this one intentionally.

In most cases, users open them by clicking deceptive ads, visiting other dubious pages, or when a browser has a potentially unwanted application (PUAs) installed on it. More examples of pages that function like elopmyskillsi[.]biz are wholeactualjournal[.]com, bigclik[.]club, and akemewelsu[.]biz.

What is Retina Defense?

Retina Defense is a browser extension supposedly designed to enable dark-mode for browsers. It is classified as adware since it runs intrusive advertisement campaigns.

In other words, this piece of software has data tracking abilities, which are used to spy on users' browsing habits. Due to the questionable methods used to distribute adware-type products, they are also categorized as PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications).

What is EnyBeny CRISTMAS?

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that restricts access to files by encrypting them until a ransom is paid to unlock them. Usually, malware of this type is designed to do three things: to encrypt files, modify their filenames and generate a ransom note.

EnyBeny CRISTMAS renames encrypted files by appending ".personal.[victim's_ID].Cristmas@india_com" to their filenames. For example, it renames a file named "1.jpg" to "1.jpg.personal.9LQHNQW4RM55WR9.Cristmas@india_com", "2.jpg" to "2.jpg.personal.9LQHNQW4RM55WR9.Cristmas@india_com", and so on.

As its ransom note, EnyBeny CRISTMAS creates the "Hack.TXT" text file. It drops this file in all folders that contain encrypted files.

What is ywfiof[.]com?

Ywfiof[.]com is but one of many rogue sites on the Web; wholeactualjournal.com, bigclik.club, and aloha-news.net are some examples of webpages similar to it. Visitors to such pages are presented with questionable content and/or redirected to other unreliable and possibly malicious websites. Most users access sites of this kind via redirects caused by intrusive adverts or installed PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications).

These apps can be installed onto devices without user permission. PUAs are designed to cause redirects, run intrusive advertisement campaigns, and collect data relating to browsing activity.

What is wholeactualjournal[.]com?

Wholeactualjournal[.]com is one of the many websites designed to display questionable, often deceptive content and promote a variety of shady pages (its functionality depends on visitor's IP address). It is similar to bigclik[.]club, akemewelsu[.]biz, gate15[.]xyz, and a great deal of other pages.

Most of these websites get opened through unreliable sites, dubious advertisements or potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) that most users download or install unknowingly. In other words, it is uncommon for pages like wholeactualjournal[.]com to be visited on purpose.

What kind of malware is the Prometheus ransomware?

Prometheus is a ransomware-type malicious program. It is designed to encrypt data (render files inaccessible/unusable) and demand ransoms to be paid for the decryption (data access/use recovery). During the encryption process, filenames of the affected files are appended with an extension, which consists of the ID assigned to the victim.

For example, a file initially tilted "1.jpg" would appear as something similar to "1.jpg.[LZG-ZNM-YDNM]" - after encryption. Once this process is complete, ransom notes are created/displayed in a pop-up window ("RESTORE_FILES_INFO.hta") and "RESTORE_FILES_INFO.txt" text files, which are dropped into the compromised folders.