How to remove Pirate Chick VPN (Virus Removal Guide)

Pirate Chick VPN is a Trojan Horse that pretends to be a legitimate VPN service, however, once it’s installed it downloads and installs a malicious payload on the victim’s computer.

Pirate Chick VPN is commonly bundled with other free programs that you download off of the Internet. Unfortunately, some free downloads do not adequately disclose that other software will also be installed and you may find that you have installed Pirate Chick VPN without your knowledge.

When Pirate Chick VPN is installed, it waits until an Internet connection becomes available to connect to a remote server in order to download additional malicious programs onto the infected computer. This Trojan may install adware, Trojans, or other types of malware on the infected computer. Because some of the malware that is bundled with this program has been classified as password-stealing Trojans, it is recommended that you change the passwords for any accounts you logged into from the infected computer.

When a computer is infected with the Pirate Chick VPN Trojan, common symptoms include:

• The PirateChickVPNUpdate.exe and vpnclientupdate.exe process are running in the Windows background.
• Download and install other malware.
• Send information about your PC, including usernames and browsing history, to a remote malicious hacker.
• Advertising banners are injected with the web pages that you are visiting.
• Random web page text is turned into hyperlinks.

How to remove Pirate Chick VPN Trojan (Virus Removal Guide)

• STEP 1: Uninstall Pirate Chick VPN from Windows
• STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove Pirate Chick VPN Trojan
• STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to scan for malware and other unwanted programs
• STEP 4: Double-check for malicious programs with Zemana AntiMalware Free

STEP 1 : Uninstall Pirate Chick VPN from Windows

In this first step, we will try to identify and remove any malicious program that might be installed on your computer.

1. Go to “Programs and Features”.

   Windows 10

   1. On the Start menu, type Control Panel in the search box and select “Control Panel” from the results.
      
   2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category.
      

   Windows 8

   Right-click on the Start button in the lower-left corner and select “Programs and Features”. This will take you directly to your list of installed programs.

   

   • If you can’t find the Programs and Features in the Start menu, type “programs and features” into the search bar at the bottom of the Start window, then click the “Programs and Features” result.
   • If you don’t have a Start button, you are likely running Windows 8 instead of Windows 8.1. Press the Windows key + X to open the menu instead and select “Programs and Features”.

   Windows 7

   1. Click on Start, then select “Control Panel”.Start by clicking on the Start button, then click on “Control Panel”.
      
      If you don’t see “Control Panel” here, type control panel into the search bar at the bottom of the Start window, then click the “Control Panel” result.
   2. When the “Control Panel” appears, click on “Uninstall a Program” from the Programs category.
      

2. Find the malicious program and uninstall it.

   The “Programs and Features” screen will be displayed with a list of all the programs installed on your PC. Scroll through the list until you find the Pirate Chick VPN program, then click to highlight it, then click the “Uninstall” button that appears on the top toolbar.

   The malicious program may have a different name on your computer. If you cannot find any malicious programs on your PC, you can continue with STEP 2.

   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to uninstall the program.

   In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Yes, then follow the prompts to uninstall the program.

   Make sure to read all of the prompts carefully, because some malicious programs try to sneak things in hoping that you won’t read closely.

STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove Pirate Chick VPN Trojan

Malwarebytes is one of the most popular and most used anti-malware software for Windows, and for good reasons. It is able to destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss, without costing you absolutely nothing. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.

The first time you install Malwarebytes, you’re given a free 14-day trial of the premium edition, which includes preventative tools like real-time scanning and specific protection from ransomware. After two weeks, it automatically reverts to the basic free version that will detect and clean up malware infections only when you run a scan. It is important to note that Malwarebytes will run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

1. Download Malwarebytes.

   You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

   MALWAREBYTES DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes)

2. Double-click on the Malwarebytes setup file.

   When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the mb3-setup-consumer-x.x.x.xxxx.exe file to install Malwarebytes on your PC. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   
   You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow Malwarebytes to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.

   When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process. To install Malwarebytes on your PC, click on the “Agree and Install” button.

   

   

4. Click on “Scan Now”.

   Once installed, Malwarebytes will automatically start and update the antivirus database. To perform a system scan, click on the “Scan Now” button.
   

5. Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

   Malwarebytes will now start scanning your computer for adware and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
   

6. Click on “Quarantine Selected”.

   When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine Selected” button.
   

7. Reboot your computer.

   Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
   
   When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to scan for malware and unwanted programs

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner that takes a unique cloud-based approach to malware scanning. HitmanPro scans the behavior of active files and also files in locations where malware normally resides for suspicious activity. If it finds a suspicious file that’s not already known, HitmanPro sends it to their clouds to be scanned by two of the best antivirus engines today, which are Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Although HitmanPro is shareware and costs $24.95 for 1 year on 1 PC, there is actually no limit in scanning. The limitation only kicks in when there is a need to remove or quarantine detected malware by HitmanPro on your system and by then, you can activate the one time 30 day trial to enable the cleanup.

1. Download HitmanPro.

   You can download HitmanPro by clicking the link below.

   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)

2. Install HitmanPro.

   When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on “hitmanpro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows) to install this program on your PC. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   
   You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

3. Follow the on-screen prompts.

   When HitmanPro starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Click on the “Next” button to perform a system scan.
   

4. Wait for the HitmanPro scan to complete.

   HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malicious programs. This process will take a few minutes.
   

5. Click on “Next”.

   When HitmanPro has finished the scan, it will display a list of all the malware that the program has found. Click on the “Next” button to remove the malicious programs.
   

6. Click on “Activate free license”.

   Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your PC.
   
   When the process is complete, you can close HitmanPro and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 4: Double-check for malicious programs with Zemana AntiMalware Free

Zemana AntiMalware is a free popular on-demand antivirus scanner which can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to find.
While the Malwarebytes and HitmanPro scans are more than enough, we’re recommending Zemana AntiMalware Free to users who still have malware related issues or just want make sure their computer is 100% clean.

1. Download Zemana AntiMalware.

   You can download Zemana AntiMalware Free by clicking the link below.

   ZEMANA ANTIMALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download Zemana AntiMalware)

2. Double-click on the setup file.

   Double-click on the file named “Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.exe” to start the installation of Zemana AntiMalware. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   
   You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
   

3. Install Zemana AntiMalware Free.

   Click on the “Next” button to install Zemana AntiMalware on your computer. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the install process.
   

4. Click on “Scan Now”.

   When Zemana AntiMalware will start, click on the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan.
   

5. Wait for the Zemana AntiMalware scan to complete.

   Zemana AntiMalware will now scan your computer for malicious files. This process can take a few minutes.
   

6. Click on “Apply Action”.

   When Zemana AntiMalware has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found. Click on the “Apply Action” button to remove the malicious files from your computer.
   

7. Restart your computer.

   When the malware removal process is complete, Zemana AntiMalware may need to restart your computer. Click on the “Reboot” button to restart your computer.
   

Your computer should now be malware free and the Pirate Chick VPN adware completely removed. If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove the Pirate Chick VPN adware from your device, please do one of the following:

• Run a system scan with Emsisoft Emergency Kit
• Ask for help in our Malware Removal Assistance for Windows forum.