Remove United States Courts virus (MoneyPak Scam)

The United States Courts virus is a ransomware infection, which will lock down your computer, and display a bogus notification asking you to pay a $300 fine in the form of a Greendot MoneyPak voucher within 48 hours to gain access to your computer again.

The United States Courts virus is distributed through several means. Malicious websites, or legitimate websites that have been compromised, may drop this trojan onto a compromised computer. This drive-by-download often happens surreptitiously. Another method used to propagate this type of malware is spam email containing infected attachments or links to malicious websites. The threat may also be downloaded manually by tricking the user into thinking they are installing a useful piece of software.
The United States Courts virus is also prevalent on peer-to-peer file sharing websites and is often packaged with pirated or illegally acquired software.

Once installed on your computer, the United States Courts virus will display a bogus notification that pretends to be from United States Courts and ICSPA, and states that your computer has been blocked due to it being involved with the distribution of pornographic material, SPAM and copyrighted content.

The United States Courts virus will lock you out of your computer and applications, so whenever you’ll try to log on into your Windows operating system or Safe Mode with Networking, it will display instead a lock screen asking you to pay a non-existing fine of $300 in the form of a GreenDot Moneypak voucher.
Furthermore, to make this alert seem more authentic, this virus also has the ability to access your installed webcam, so that the bogus United States Courts notification shows what is happening in the room.

The United States Courts virus locks the computer and depending on the user’s current location, displays a localized webpage that covers the entire desktop of the infected computer and demands payment for the supposed possession of illicit material.

Cyber criminals often updated the design of this lock screen, however you should always keep in mind that United States Courts will never lock down your computer or monitor your online activities.

The message displayed by the threat can be localized depending on the user’s location, with text written in the appropriate language.

United States Courts

YOUR COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED
Criminal Case NO. 4:12CV072011

Illegally downloaded material (MP3’s, Movies or Software) has been located on your computer.

By downloading or uploading, those files have been reproduced, thereby involving a criminal offense under 17 U.S.C.A. SS506(a) and 18 USCA SS2319 (2)(A)(B).

(a) Whoever violates section 506(a) (relating to criminal offenses) of title 17 shall be punished as provided in subsection (b) of this section and such penalties shall be in addition to any other provisions of the title 17 or any other law. (b) Any person who commits an offense under subsection (a) of this section–

(2) shall be fined not more than $250,000 or imprisoned for not more than two years, or both, if the offense:

(A) involves the reproduction of distribution, during any one-hundred-and-eighty-day period, or more than one ten but less than one hundred phono records or copies infringing the copyright in one of more sound recordings;
or
(B) involves the reproduction or distribution, during any one-hundred-and-eighty-day period, of more than two but less than sixty-five copies infringing the copyright in one or more motion pictures or other audiovisual works.

To unlock your computer and to avoid other legal consequences, you are obligated to pay a release of $300. Payable through GreenDot Moneypak. After successful payment, your computer will automatically unlock.

Failure to adhere to this request will involve criminal charges and possible imprisonment.
To perform the payment, enter the acquired GreenDot Moneypak code in the designated payment field and press the “Submit” button.

Please note: This find may only be paid within 48 hours, if you left 48 hours pass without payment, the possibility of unlocking computer expires.
In this case the criminal case against you will continue automatically.

Your IP-Address:
Your Hostname:

You can be clearly identified by resolving your IP address and the associated hostname.

All of your files have been encrypted, any attempt to unlock your computer by yourself, will result in loss of all your data.

This program is maintained by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on behalf of the Federal Judiciary.

The United States Courts lock screen is a scam, and you should ignore any alerts that this malicious software might generate.
Under no circumstance should you send any GreenDot Moneypak code to these cyber criminals, and if you have, you can  should request a refund, stating that you are the victim of a computer virus and scam.

United States Courts lock screen – Virus Removal Guide

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove the United States Courts infection from your your computer. Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point STOP and ask for our assistance.
The United States Courts will start automatically when you login to your computer and display its screen locker so that you are unable to access your computer, therefore we will need to remove this infection by using one of the below methods:
OPTION 1: Remove United States Courts lock screen virus with System Restore
OPTION 2: Remove United States Courts virus with with HitmanPro Kickstart
OPTION 3: Remove United States Courts virus with Kaspersky Rescue Disk

OPTION 1: Remove United States Courts lock screen virus with System Restore

System Restore helps you restore your computer’s system files to an earlier point in time. It’s a way to undo system changes to your computer without affecting your personal files, such as e‑mail, documents, or photos.
Because the United States Courts virus will not allow you to start the computer in Windows regular mode, we will need to start System Restore from the Safe Mode with Command Prompt mode.

STEP 1: Restore Windows to a previous state using System Restore

1. Reboot your computer into Safe Mode with Command Prompt. To do this, turn your computer off and then back on and immediately when you see anything on the screen, start tapping the F8 key on your keyboard.
   
   If you are using Windows 8, the trick is to hold the Shift button and gently tap the F8 key repeatedly, this will sometimes boot you into the new advanced “recovery mode”, where you can choose to see advanced repair options. On the next screen, you will need to click on the Troubleshoot option, then select Advanced Options and select Windows Startup Settings. Click on the Restart button, and you should now be able to see the Advanced Boot Options screen.
2. Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, select Safe Mode with Command Prompt and press Enter on your keyboard.
   
3. At the command prompt, type rstrui.exe, and then press ENTER.
   
   Alternatively, if you are using Windows Vista, 7 and 8, you can type: C:\windows\system32\rstrui.exe , and press Enter. And if you are a Windows XP user, type C:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe, then press Enter.
4. System Restore should start, and you will display also a list of restore points. Try using a restore point created just before the date and time the United States Courts lock screen virus has infected your computer.
   
5. When System Restore has completed its task, start your computer in Windows regular mode, and perform a scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro, as seen in the next step.

STEP 2: Remove United States Courts malicious files with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free

Even after using System Restore,

1. You can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free from the below link, then double-click on the icon named mbam-setup.exe to install this program.
   MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK(This link will open a download page in a new window from where you can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free)
2. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the setup process, then at the last screen click on the Finish button.
   
3. On the Scanner tab, select Perform quick scan, and then click on the Scan button to start searching for the United States Courts malicious files.
   
4. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for United States Courts virus as shown below.
   
5. When the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware scan has finished, click on the Show Results button.
   
6. You will now be presented with a screen showing you the computer infections that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has detected. Make sure that everything is Checked (ticked), then click on the Remove Selected button.
   

STEP 3: Double-check for the United States Courts virus with HitmanPro

1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
2. Double-click on the file named HitmanPro.exe (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or HitmanPro_x64.exe (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.
   
   Click on the Next button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.
   
3. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for United States Courts malicious files.
   
4. When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the Next button, to remove United States Courts virus.
   
5. Click on the Activate free license button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

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OPTION 2: Remove United States Courts virus with with HitmanPro Kickstart

If you cannot start your computer into Safe Mode with Command Prompt mode, we can use the HitmanPro Kickstart program to bypass United States Courts lock screen.
As the United States Courts ransomware infection locks you out of your computer, you will need to create a bootable USB drive that contains the HitmanPro Kickstart program.
We will then boot your computer using this bootable USB drive and use it to clean the infection so that you are able to access Windows normally again.
You will also need a USB drive, which will have all of its data erased and will then be formatted. Therefore, only use a USB drive that does not contain any important data.

1. Using a “clean” (non-infected) computer, please download HitmanPro Kickstart from the below link.
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a download page in a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro Kickstart)
2. Once HitmanPro has been downloaded, please insert the USB flash drive that you would like to erase and use for the installation of HitmanPro Kickstart. Then double-click on the file named HitmanPro.exe (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or HitmanPro_x64.exe (for 64-bit versions of Windows).
   To create a bootable HitmanPro USB drive, please follow the instructions from this video:
   
3. Now, remove the HitmanPro Kickstart USB drive and insert it into the United States Courts infected computer.
4. Once you have inserted the HitmanPro Kickstart USB drive, turn off the infected computer and then turn it on. As soon as you power it on, look for text on the screen that tells you how to access the boot menu.
   
   The keys that are commonly associated with enabling the boot menu are F10, F11 or F12.
5. Once you determine the proper key (usually the F11 key) that you need to press to access the Boot Menu, restart your computer again and start immediately tapping that key. Next, please perform a scan with HitmanPro Kickstart as shown in the video below.
   
6. HitmanPro will now reboot your computer and Windows should start normally. Then please Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro, and scan your computer for any left over infections.

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OPTION 3: Remove United States Courts virus with Kaspersky Rescue Disk

If any of the above methods did not clean your infected computer, we can use a Kaspersky Rescue Disk Bootable to clean the Windows registry and to perform a system scan to remove the United States Courts virus.
To create a bootable Kaspersky Rescue Disk, we will need the following items:

• A clean (non-infected) computer with Internet access
• A blank DVD or CD
• A computer with a DVD or CD burner

STEP 1: Download and create a bootable Kaspersky Rescue Disk CD

1. You can download Kaspersky Rescue Disk utility from link below:
   KASPERSKY RESCUE DISK DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will automatically download Kaspersky Rescue Disk (kav_rescue_10.iso) on your computer.)
2. To create the bootable rescue disk, we will need to use the ImgBurn program. You can download ImgBurn from the below link, then install this program.
   IMGBURN DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new page from where you can download the ImgBurn program)
3. Insert your blank DVD or CD in your burner, then start ImgBurn and click on the Write image file to disc button.
4. Under Source click on the Browse for file button, then navigate to the location where you previously saved the Kaspersky Rescue Disk utility (kav_rescue_10.iso), then click on the Write button.
   
   That’s it, ImgBurn will now begin writing your bootable Kaspersky Rescue Disk.

STEP 2: Start your computer using the Kaspersky Rescue Disk

1. Once you’ve got the Kasperky Rescue Disk in hand, insert it into the infected computer, and turn off and then turn it on again.
2. As soon as you power it on, you will see a screen that tells you to press any key to enter the menu, so please tap any key to boot your machine from the Kaspersky Rescue Disk.
   
3. In the next screen, you will need to chose a language, then you click on Kaspersky Rescue Disk. Graphic Mode and press ENTER, to start the Kaspersky Rescue Disk.

STEP 3: Scan your system with Kaspersky Rescue Disk

1. Within a few short seconds you should see the full working environment, with the Kaspersky Rescue Disk screen front and center as shown below.
   
2. Switch tabs over to the My Update Center, and then click the Start update button to load the latest anti-virus definitions. Please be patience while this process its completed.
   
3. Switch back over to the Objects Scan tab, select the drives you want to scan, and then click the Start Objects Scan button.
   
4. When Kaspersky Antivirus will detect the United States Courts virus, you’ll be prompted to select an action. When this happens, please select Quarantine or Delete to remove this infection from your computer.
   
5. When the antivirus scan has completed, you can restart back into Windows regular mode, by clicking on the Kaspersky Start button (lower left corner), and selecting Restart.
   Once your computer will start in Windows regular more, download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro, and scan your computer for any left over infections.

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Your computer should now be free of the United States Courts infection. If your current anti-virus solution let this infection through, you may want to consider purchasing the PRO version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future, and perform regular computer scans with HitmanPro.
If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove United States Courts Moneypak virus from your machine, please start a new thread in our Malware Removal Assistance forum.