BlackSquid Malware Removal

This article can help you to remove BlackSquid Virus. The step by step removal works for every version of Microsoft Windows.

BlackSquid is a dangerous coin miner. This virus infects your device and steals your computer resources. It is malware that follows programming to not only infect your entire system but also to spread its corruption throughout your network. It targets network devices, removable drives, and even web servers. This malware is a nightmare. It infects every component of your OS. This, of course, happens without any noticeable symptoms. The virus spread its roots around your system without triggering any alarms. Once it starts its malicious operations, though, everything changes. This aggressive virus takes everything your computer has to offer. It uses both your CPU and GPU at their full capacity. This immediately reflects on your user experience. Your computer becomes sluggish and unresponsive. Your apps take forever to load if they load at all. Errors and warnings pop-up out of the blue. You may find yourself forced to reboot your PC repeatedly. A simple restart, however, cannot fix your problems. BlackSquid loads together with your OS and always runs in the background. If you are unsure, that’s dangerous. Unlike other coin miners. BlackSquid is a multicomponent virus. It not only steals your computer resources but also enables its operators with unauthorized access to your system. Do you think that ends well? The hackers can use this malware to steal, corrupt, or delete your saved data. The virus is created by criminals to serve their needs. Do not underestimate the urgency of the situation. Your best and only course of action is the immediate removal of the malware. Don’t waste time in debates. Remove BlackSquid ASAP!

How did I get infected with?

BlackSquid can infect your system through infected websites and web servers, as well as through corrupted removable/network devices. The virus employs eight known exploits and vulnerabilities. It uses the EternalBlue and DoublePulsar exploits, as well as utilizes the CVE-2017-12615, CVE-2014-6287, CVE-2017-8464 vulnerabilities. The malware slithers into your OS undetected and installs its crypto mining script. It would then run a scan and detect your video card. If you have an Nvidia or AMD card, the malware downloads additional components that are designed to exploit your CPU unit. These operations don’t trigger any alarms. The virus is an advanced threat that uses anti-virtualization, anti-debugging, and anti-sandboxing to remain hidden. You cannot catch it in time to limit the corruption. If the malware determines that it might be detected, it aborts its installation processes.

Why is this dangerous?

BlackSquid is a high-risk virus that threatens to wreck your hardware, as well as to help its operators enable remote access of your OS, and steal/corrupt your saved data. Unlike most coin miners, BlackSquid is a multicomponent virus. Its primary function is to turn your device into coin miner. Its secondary abilities, however, hide many potential risks. This virus can enable its publishers with remote control of your PC. Security researchers warn that this malware is under development. Its operators are likely to be experimenting with the most productive ways to use the virus. BlackSquid gives them many options. They can use this virus to spy on you, to steal/delete your data, and to further corrupt your device. You are in serious trouble! Even if the criminals choose not to personally attack you, the coin mining operations can still damage your hardware. These operations are very heavy. Their aggressive mining wears out your hardware and threatens to shorten your CPU’s life significantly. The virus may cause irreparable hardware damage. You risk ending up with an unusable device. Spare yourself many future headaches. As soon as you become aware of the infection, take action. Find where BlackSquidt lurks and delete it upon detection. The sooner you clean your OS, the better!

Manual BlackSquid Removal Instructions

The BlackSquid infection is specifically designed to make money to its creators one way or another. The specialists from various antivirus companies like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton, Avast, ESET, etc. advise that there is no harmless virus.

If you perform exactly the steps below you should be able to remove the BlackSquid infection. Please, follow the procedures in the exact order. Please, consider to print this guide or have another computer at your disposal. You will NOT need any USB sticks or CDs.

STEP 1: Track down BlackSquid related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate BlackSquid startup location

STEP 3: Delete BlackSquid traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down BlackSquid related processes in the computer memory

• Open your Task Manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC keys simultaneously
• Carefully review all processes and stop the suspicious ones.

• Write down the file location for later reference.

Step 2: Locate BlackSquid startup location

Reveal Hidden Files

• Open any folder
• Click on “Organize” button
  
• Choose “Folder and Search Options”
• Select the “View” tab
• Select “Show hidden files and folders” option
• Uncheck “Hide protected operating system files”
• Click “Apply” and “OK” button

Clean BlackSquid virus from the windows registry

• Once the operating system loads press simultaneously the Windows Logo Button and the R key.

• A dialog box should open. Type “Regedit”

• WARNING! be very careful when editing the Microsoft Windows Registry as this may render the system broken.

Depending on your OS (x86 or x64) navigate to:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

• and delete the display Name: [RANDOM]

• Then open your explorer and navigate to: %appdata% folder and delete the malicious executable.

Clean your HOSTS file to avoid unwanted browser redirection

Navigate to %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/host

If you are hacked, there will be foreign IPs addresses connected to you at the bottom. Take a look below:

Step 4: Undo the possible damage done by BlackSquid

This particular Virus may alter your DNS settings.

Attention! this can break your internet connection. Before you change your DNS settings to use Google Public DNS for BlackSquid, be sure to write down the current server addresses on a piece of paper.

To fix the damage done by the virus you need to do the following.

• Click the Windows Start button to open the Start Menu, type control panel in the search box and select Control Panel in the results displayed above.
• go to Network and Internet
• then Network and Sharing Center
• then Change Adapter Settings
• Right-click on your active internet connection and click properties. Under the Networking tab, find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Left click on it and then click on properties. Both options should be automatic! By default it should be set to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and the second one to “Obtain DNS server address automatically!” If they are not just change them, however if you are part of a domain network you should contact your Domain Administrator to set these settings, otherwise the internet connection will break!!!

 

• Check your scheduled tasks to make sure the virus will not download itself again.

How to Permanently Remove BlackSquid Virus (automatic) Removal Guide

Please, have in mind that once you are infected with a single virus, it compromises your whole system or network and let all doors wide open for many other infections. To make sure manual removal is successful, we recommend to use a free scanner of any professional antimalware program to identify possible virus leftovers or temporary files.