PewDiePie Ransomware

PewDiePie Ransomware is a malicious application that was created to help a well-known YouTube channel titled PewDiePie gain more subscribers. If you have not heard about it yet, there is a battle between the mentioned channel and a channel belonging to an Indian company called T-Series. It looks like some of the PewDiePie’s fans took it rather seriously as they even started creating malicious applications that could help increase the number of subscribers by force. On the other hand, our researchers say the malware is not as harmful as most ransomware applications. It only locks the user’s screen, which makes it more annoying than dangerous. Nevertheless, it does not mean you should put up with it. On the contrary, if you encounter this threat, we recommend taking back control over your computer at once. To eliminate PewDiePie Ransomware, you should check the instructions available at the end of the article. Nevertheless, if you would like to find out more details about it, we invite you to have a look at our full report.

For some users, the appearance of PewDiePie Ransomware might be a complete surprise, although if you know opening data that is questionable could lead to infecting your computer, you should not be so shocked. What we mean to say is cybersecurity specialists always warn users not to open files that come from unknown or unreliable sources, such as email attachments or software installers. Unfortunately, some users forget all warnings or cannot image catching a malicious application themselves. The truth is that it can happen to anyone.

The malicious file might not even look harmful, which is why users should always be careful. It is vital to understand hackers keep looking for new ways to trick us into opening malware installers, so reading cybersecurity articles and knowing what to expect is crucial to anyone who does not want to receive malware. No doubt it is best not to download data from sites where it could be malicious or interact with email attachments received under suspicious circumstances. Even if you do not see anything suspicious about the file (coming from an unreliable source), you should scan it first. It will not take long to check it with a reliable antimalware tool and doing so could help you dodge a bullet. There are far more vicious screen lockers and ransomware applications than PewDiePie Ransomware out there. Therefore, if this is the first such threat you have received so far, you may consider yourself lucky.

If PewDiePie Ransomware was a vicious threat, it could encrypt the user’s data and ask for a ransom in exchange for decryption tools or even make the computer unbootable. Luckily, it only locks the user’s screen to show a particular message. According to it, the victim has to help PewDiePie in a battle against T-Series, and to do so he has to subscribe to this specific channel. To complete this task the malicious application’s developers give the user 48 hours. It is unsaid what might happen if the victim does not subscribe. It is likely nothing will happen, although the malware could keep blocking the screen. Another thing you ought to know is if you restart the device, the screen should be locked again.

Apparently, PewDiePie Ransomware may place its copies in a few Startup folders, and consequently, the system should load it after a restart. What’s more, the malware can block Task Manager to prevent the user from killing its process. Thus, removing the screen locker requires restarting the infected device in Safe Mode. Our researchers recommend picking Safe Mode with Networking to have access to the Internet so that in case erasing PewDiePie Ransomware becomes too challenging you could download a reliable antimalware tool and leave this task to it. The instructions located below will show how to reboot in Safe Mode with Networking and how to eliminate the threat manually if you feel you are up to such a task.

Restart the computer in Safe Mode

Windows 8/Windows 10

1. Tap Win+I for Windows 8 or open Start menu for Windows 10.
2. Press the Power button.
3. Click and hold Shift then click Restart.
4. Pick Troubleshoot and choose Advanced Options.
5. Go to Startup Settings and click Restart.
6. Press F5 and restart the PC.

Windows XP/Windows Vista/Windows 7

1. Navigate to Start, select Shutdown options and pick Restart.
2. Press and hold F8 when the PC starts restarting.
3. Mark Safe Mode with Networking.
4. Select Enter and log on.

Get rid of PewDiePie Ransomware

1. Click Win+E.
2. Find these locations:
   %TEMP%
   %USERPROFILE%\desktop
   %USERPROFILE%\downloads
3. Look for the threat’s installer, then right-click it and press Delete.
4. Go to the listed directories:
   %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
   %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
   %USERPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
   %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
   %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
5. Search for recently created files called svchost.exe, right-click them and select Delete.
6. Exit File Explorer.
7. Empty Recycle bin.
8. Restart the system.