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Council of Europe Virus

Also Known As: Council of Europe Ransomware
Damage level: High

What is Council of Europe?

The Council of Europe "Internet is temporarily blocked" message is a ransomware virus that should not be trusted. It is a scam created by cyber criminals to trick unsuspecting PC users into divulging their credit card information. This ransomware infection infiltrates users' operating systems through malicious websites and infected email messages.

After successful infiltration, the Council of Europe virus modifies the operating system registry entries and changes the DNS settings. Users are then redirected to the ransomware page whenever they browse the Internet. The fake message states that users must submit their personal information in order to allow access to the Internet.

Council of Europe ransomware virus

Do not provide your personal information as demanded by this message - it is a scam. Note that the Council of Europe does not block Internet access or use such messages to collect personal information. Moreover, this scam prompts users to send a payment of 0.01 EUR in order to verify the submitted personal information.

Be aware that entering your credit card information as requested by this fake message is equivalent to sending your banking information to cyber criminals.

Furthermore, this ransomware virus is unique since it also connects users' computers to a Bitcoin mining botnet and employs the resources of an infected computer in order to earn Bitcoins. Although ransomware infections have been around for some time, Bitcoin mining is a new malicious task not employed by criminals until recently.

To protect your computer from the Council of Europe virus, or any other ransomware, users should express caution when opening email attachments or using P2P networks. Cyber criminals responsible for creating ransomware viruses are known to use various 'exploit kits' to distribute their rogue programs.

Exploit kits are malicious programs, which infiltrate operating systems via any security vulnerabilities detected in outdated software. Therefore, you must keep your operating system and installed programs up-to-date to avoid these threats.

Fake message used by Council of Europe virus:

Council of Europe Virus
Internet access is temporarily blocked.
The Provisions of the fight against sexual exploitation of children and child pornography on the Internet complies with the provisions of a EU Council decision from December 2003. It gives the police powers to arrest those who are responsible for child online pornography, calls for the creation of the National Centre to combat child pornography on the Internet and establishes the Internet Service Providers have a legal obligation to adopt a filtering system to avoid access to sites censored by the Centre. To unlock access to the Internet, we need to establish you identity and submit your personal information to the registry.

Council of Europe virus asking to submit credit card information:

Council of Europe virus stealing credit card information

Internet access is temporarily blocked.
To verify your identity we need more information. Please enter your credit card information, we will deduct from your credit card 0.01 EUR and return them back within an hour. With this verification procedure, we can identify you and add your personal information to the registry, access to the Internet will be unlocked.

Do not trust this message - it is a scam created by cyber criminals. Computer users who observe the fake Council of Europe message when attempting to browse the Internet should use this removal guide to eliminate the ransomware from their computers.

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Quick menu:

Council of Europe Virus removal:

1. Click on the "Windows logo" (Start button).

Restoring DNS settings step 1

2. In the opened menu select "Control Panel".

Restoring DNS settings step 2

3. In the opened window click on the "Network and Internet".

Restoring DNS settings step 3

4. In the opened window click on the "View network status and stats".

Restoring DNS settings step 4

5. Click on the "Local Area Connection".

Restoring DNS settings step 5

6. In the opened window click on the "Properties" button.

Restoring DNS settings step 6

7. In "Properties" window select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and click the "Properties" button.

Restoring DNS settings step 7

The Council of Europe ransomware virus adds a preferred DNS server (127.0.0.1). Select "Obtain DNS server address automatically" to prevent the fake message from appearing on your Internet browsers. After restoring the DNS settings, download and install legitimate anti-spyware software to completely remove this ransomware from your computer.

Video showing how to remove ransomware infections using "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" and "System Restore":

Other tools known to remove the Council of Europe ransomware virus:

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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

Tomas Meskauskas - expert security researcher, professional malware analyst.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

PCrisk security portal is brought by a company RCS LT. Joined forces of security researchers help educate computer users about the latest online security threats. More information about the company RCS LT.

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Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

Increased attack rate of infections detected within the last 24 hours.

QR Code
Council of Europe Ransomware QR code
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