STOP Piracy Virus

What is STOP Piracy Virus?

STOP Piracy Virus is a ransomware infection that blocks you from entering your computer under the pretense that you supposedly have used piracy content on your computer. When you get infected, STOP Piracy Virus locks your computer in 3 seconds, and the only thing you see is a black notification message that asks you for money. You have to remove STOP Piracy Virus from your computer immediately if you want to access your files, but there is no need to pay the ransom fee, because the malicious application itself would never unlock your computer.

How does STOP Piracy Virus get it?

STOP Piracy Virus makes use of Trojan Reveton for its distribution. That is common to almost all ransomware infections from the Ukash virus family. They have been very prominent for the entire second half of the year, and if you frequent computer security websites, you must have read of such infections as FBI Moneypak, Metropolitan Police Virus, IRMA virus ant the rest. There are many versions of this infection, all intended for different countries. STOP Piracy Virus itself targets users in the US, but it may also be found in Europe. That is why it has two interface versions - in English and in French.

How does the STOP Piracy Virus message look like?

An extract from the English version:

STOP PIRACY
SOPA (Software Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT Intellectual Property Act) has detected that you used piracy conent on your computer.
Your system HAS BEEN LOCKED
and your data has been encrypted. To unlock your PC, decrypt data and avoid arrest you MUST pay a penalty of 100 EURO

The French version of this notification is exactly the same. It also asks for 100 EURO, and urges you to pay the ransom via PaySafeCard, Ukash, CashU and MoneyPack alternative payment systems.

What do I do with STOP Piracy Virus?

First of all, the message is absolutely fake, so you MUST NOT pay a single cent. You will only lose your money, and your computer will remain locked. Not to mention that STOP Piracy Virus does not have the power to delete important system files. It simply holds your computer hostage. You can bypass STOP Piracy Virus message if you do the following:

Windows Vista & Windows 7

1. Restart your computer and tap F8 repeatedly after BIOS screen loads.
2. If Windows logo appears, restart your computer and try again.
3. When Advanced Boot Options menu shows up, use arrow keys to navigate and select Safe Mode with Networking. Hit Enter.
4. Follow the link to download SpyHunter: http://www.anti-spyware-101.com/download-sph
5. Install the program and run a full system scan to remove STOP Piracy Virus.

Windows XP

1. Follow the steps above from 1 to 3.
2. When a confirmation table appears, click Yes.
3. Access the Internet and download SpyHunter.
4. Open Start menu and launch Run.
5. Enter "msconfig" and click OK.
6. Click Startup tab on the System Configuration Utility.
7. Click Disable all and press OK. Exit the menu.
8. Restart your computer in Normal mode.
9. Install SpyHunter and terminate the infection.

Should you have any inquiries regarding the malware and its removal, do not hesitate to leave a comment below.

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