Threat Database Fake Error Messages Fake 'Windows license locked!' Error Message

Fake 'Windows license locked!' Error Message

By ZulaZuza in Fake Error Messages

Fake 'Windows license locked!' Error Message Image

'Windows license locked!' is the name and principal error message of a Trojan. The Trojan 'Windows license locked!' is ransomware – it holds the infected computer hostage, and demands payment in order to set it free. 'Windows licens locked!' is extremely dangerous, and completely fraudulent. Do not pay the money that "Windows license locked!" demands.

'Windows license locked' Infection Process

The Trojan that results in the 'Windows license locked!' infection is disguised online as some other file, always an executable (i.e., an application). At present, 'Windows license locked!' may be disguised as a Firefox update, a Flash update, a Google Docs file, or a fake anti-virus application. Therefore, in order to avoid 'Windows license locked!', it is important to download software updates only from the original publishers' websites. Do not download any major program update on any third-party site.

The symptoms of an infection with the Trojan known as 'Windows license locked!' are pretty straightforward. After the Trojan secretly downloads and installs itself, all it takes to activate the malware is to restart your computer. Then, as Windows starts, you will see the "Windows license locked!" screen instead of the desktop. The screen will say that you need to activate or validate your copy of Windows, warning that a reinstallation of Windows could cause you to lose all of your data. If you click to the next screen, you will find a list of phone numbers (all beginning with 0), which you supposedly can call in order to unlock your copy of Windows. This screen also says that there is no charge for calling one of these numbers "from your country!" Not only is that a lie, but it also wouldn't ever be necessary to make an international phone call to activate a copy of Windows.

After you make this mysterious international phone call, the 'Windows license locked!' screen says that you should send a text message to one of the numbers, with a specific code received from the phone call. If you send the text message, you will be charged an "activation fee." The history of this scam would suggest that the "fee" will be small, maybe $10 or so, but that the system might lock again after a few hours, requiring a repeat of the whole call-text-pay process. So the crooks behind the 'Windows license locked!' scam can milk you for money indefinitely, for as long as you keep falling for it. Mercifully, it does not seem to be the case that 'Windows license locked!' can damage your computer or your data, aside from locking you out.

'Windows license locked!' can be removed. Reportedly, there is a code that can be entered into the second 'Windows license locked!' screen, in order to disable the malware temporarily so that it can be safely removed. That code is 1351236, which is significantly shorter than the multiple entry blanks that the form on the screen provides; nonetheless, the code is reputed to work. Be warned, however, that entering this code can only temporarily disable "Windows license locked!" so that you can remove 'Windows license locked!'. This is not a lasting solution to the problem.

Where Does 'Windows License Locked!' Originate?

'Windows license locked!' is, like most of the ransomware making the rounds of the Internet, from Russia. The interesting thing about 'Windows license locked!' is that 'Windows license locked!' is not just a scam that is perpetrated by people located in Russia – 'Windows license locked!' is malware that was infecting computers in Russia, and which has now bridged the gap to the English-speaking world. When this same malware was running rampant on Russian computers in January and February 2011, it was referred to as Winlock. Essentially, 'Windows license locked!' is identical to Winlock. Both malware infections cause the same symptoms, show the same information on their screens, and use the same method of payment by SMS. Winlock was a very successful scam in Russia, netting its creators tens of thousands of dollars. In retrospect, it seems like it could only have been a matter of time before such a profitable scam made the jump to computers in other parts of the world.ScreenshotScreenshotScreenshotScreenshotScreenshot

File System Details

Fake 'Windows license locked!' Error Message may create the following file(s):
# File Name Detections
1. Chrome_update.exe
2. WindowsWebSecurity.exe
3. Internet-Explorer_update.exe
4. Dc17.exe
5. [RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe
6. Keygen-AUTODESK_AUTOCAD_MAP_3D_2011_x32_x64.exeInstall_Flash-Player.exe
7. 4F.tmp

Registry Details

Fake 'Windows license locked!' Error Message may create the following registry entry or registry entries:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "[RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "WindowsWebSecurity.exe"

Messages

The following messages associated with Fake 'Windows license locked!' Error Message were found:

Windows License Locked!
This copy of Windows is locked. You maybe a victim of a fraud or there may be an internal system error.
To continue using Windows you should complete activation.
Activation is absolutely free and is simply a formality. You do not need to pay for the license and you will not be required to provide any personal data.

Until activation is complete, all data on the computer will be locked for security purposes.

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