Complete Guide to Remove fuq.com virus from your system

GUIDE TO REMOVE FUQ.COM VIRUS

In the world of malware, viruses are the oldest menacing program that replicates itself by altering computer programs & performing malicious actions. While most of the people can clatter terms like ransomware, adware, viruses or spyware, the truth is they are hardly acquainted with the causes & remedies of such malware.

Though computers, laptops & smartphones are not living like us, they can get sick by falling victim to devious malware like viruses. Designed with the capability of replicating itself, viruses can modify many computer programs by inserting their own code.

All that they need to spread the infection & propagate is a file or document. The Consequences- an extensive corruption of the system’s data, system may become sluggish or even crash. These consequences can make the machine user green & sick as well.

What is fuq.com virus

Pornographic websites have transformed into a hell hole for computer security in the past few years & cyber criminals seem to extract the most out of it. They are using such rogue sites to distribute pernicious malware & viruses.

Fuq.com virus is one such hostile Browser Hijacker that sneaks into your computer when you visit adult content websites. This malicious program has been designed to promote rouge websites filled with suspicious adult content.

A large number of online databases have declared this virus as a Browser Hijacker as it forces the user to watch adult content irrespective of their intent to watch or not.

Users who accidentally clicked on fuq.com pop-up & got this malign virus installed in their system are looking for ways to delete fuq.com virus.

Threat Behavior of fuq.com virus

Fuq.com virus is a Browser Hijacker that aims to promote & redirect users to rogue websites, adult content & pornographic websites. This PUP saw a colossal success in 2018. Though PUPs target Windows Operating System, fuq.com virus is capable of infecting Mac OS & iOS operating systems.

It gets injected to systems when users visit spammy adult content websites, click on fuq.com pop-ups & install fuq.com virus in their system. Upon installation, it alters web browser’s default settings & makes https://fuq.com as a default home-page. It makes web-browsing terrible by displaying intrusive adult content or redirecting your searches to fuq.com website. Precisely designed to promote this adult-themed website, fuq.com virus bombards the screen with fake adverts & infected pop-ups.

A mere click on these ads could redirect the users to irrelevant sites, adult content & misleading information. There are positives that developers of this PUP are minting money by driving traffic to such rogue sites. Cybercriminals can swindle money, gain remote access to systems, steal personal and banking information of the users.

In addition to that, fuq.com might:

– Display fake ads prompting the user to install Adobe Flash & other software updates or claim a prize.

–Display notifications about detected viruses & ask to clean the device by installing unknown software.

–Redirects to phishing, technical support scam or infected websites.

–Displays malware-laden ads.

Exposure to such invasive & unreliable content & presence of fuq.com virus in a PC could lead to serious malware infections & trigger more viruses. Therefore, users are advised to Uninstall Fuq.com virus from their systems. Follow our detailed Virus Removal instruction given below to remove fuq.com virus immediately.

Distribution Techniques- fuq.com virus

The cybercriminals use various strategies for malware distribution which include –

1. Software Bundling: Software bundling is the process in which a malicious program is distributed with other free software, to get an unnoticed entry into your computer system. When a user installs a free application, the malicious programs gain a front door entry with the free application, the user has downloaded. Thus, it is a good idea to keep an eye on the installation screens while installing these free applications.
2. Infected Storage Devices: Your system can also get infected by using removable media such as USB hard drives and jump drives without scanning them with an anti-virus.
3. Spam Emails – Spamming is the most economical and common method used for the distribution of such malware. The targeted users get genuine-looking emails which contain .doc, .txt, and other similar attachments. These attachments can be named as anything which can grab the user’s attention and triggers him/her to open the attachment. As soon as the user opens this attachment, the malware infects the user’s computer system.
4. Malicious Websites or Malevolent Advertisements: The malicious websites are the ones which are created just for promoting the malware infections. Such websites include but are not limited to porn sites, torrent sites and other free downloading platforms. By visiting such websites, the adware infects the user’s computer without permission. Fake advertisements and updates like Flash player and windows updates which ask the user to update to the latest version are a few examples. When the users click on such links, their computer system gets infected. That is why it is highly recommended to resist clicking on such links. Also avoid clicking on advertisements offering free stuff such as Win an iPhones, cars or free overseas trips etc.

Threat Summary

Name: Fuq.com

Targeted Operating System: Windows/ MAC/ Safari

Category: Virus, Browser Hijacker, Adware

Symptoms: Alters default browser settings & redirects the searches to https://fuq.com. The web searches are navigated to rogue websites, adult-content & pornographic sites. Bombards the screen with intrusive pop-up ads & diminishes the usual web-browsing experience.

Fuq.com Malware Removal Guide

STEP A: Remove the malicious program from Control Panel

Windows XP

1. Click on the “Start” button on the bottom left corner of your screen. A Start menu will be displayed as shown below. From this menu select the option that reads “Control Panel”.
2. In the window that will be displayed, click the option “Switch to classic view”.
3. This will display all the options/icons available to you. From the displayed icons, click on the icon that reads “Add or Remove Programs”.
4. Select the “Uninstall a program” option from the “Programs” category. A list will populate on the screen displaying all the programs.
5. Select the programs related to fuq.com virus and click on the Uninstall button.

Windows 7/Vista

1. Right click on the “Start” button located at the lower left corner of the screen. From the Start menu, click on “Control Panel”.
2. The “Control Panel” Window will be displayed on the screen. Click on “Uninstall a Program” option from the “Programs” category.
3. The “Programs and Features” window will be displayed on the screen. A list will populate on the screen displaying all the programs.
4. Scroll through the list of programs and select the programs related tofuq.com virus and then click on the “Uninstall” button.

Windows 8/10

1. Right click on the “Windows logo” on the lower left side of the computer screen. From the drop down menu, select and click on “Control Panel”.
2. The “Control Panel” window will be displayed. From this window select “Uninstall a program” option form the “Programs” category.
3. A list will populate on the screen displaying all the programs.
4. Select the programs related to fuq.com virus and click on the “Uninstall” button.
5. In the confirmation box, click on the box that reads “OK” to save changes.

STEP B: Show Hidden Files and Folders

Windows 7

1. Left click on the Organize button on the Windows Explorer. A drop-down menu will appear.
   
2. On this menu left click on the option that reads “Folder and search options” as shown above. A folder options dialogue box will appear.
3. On the View tab under the Advanced settings, Check the option that reads “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” and uncheck the option that reads “Hide protected operating system files“.
   
4. Click on the “OK” button to save your changes. This will make all the hidden files and folders visible to you.

Windows 8 and 10

1. On the file explorer toolbar, click on the View
   
2. In the Show/hide section, Click on the “Hidden items” checkbox.
3. Click on the options button.
4. Under folder options, click on the “View” tab.
   
5. Uncheck the “Hide protected operating system files” option.
6. Click the “OK” button to save your changes.

Step C: Remove Fuq.com Virus from System Configurations settings

1. Type “Msconfig” in search box / Run Box, select it and press Enter.
2. Click on “Services” Tab and click on “Hide all Microsoft services”.
3. Select fuq.com virus from the list of remaining services and disable it by removing the tick mark from the checkbox and click on the Apply button.

Windows 7

1. Click on the next tab – “Startup”.
2. Find any blank or suspicious entry or the entry with fuq.com virus mentioned and remove the check mark.
3. Click on Apply button and then click on OK.

Windows 10

1. Click on the next tab – “Startup”.
2. Take the mouse cursor to ‘Open task Manager‘ link and click on it.  This opens the Task Manager window.
3. Find any blank or suspicious entry or the entry with fuq.com virus mentioned and click on it.
4. 
5. Then click on the Disable button.

STEP D:  Delete the suspicious file from the Registry Key

1. Type “Regedit” in search box / Run Box, select it and press Enter.
2. An authorization dialogue box will appear, then you just have to click “Yes”. (The dialogue box appearance may vary depending on OS used. For Windows 10 the dialogue box looks like the first screenshot and for Windows 7 it appears like the second screenshot)
3. In the registry editor, take the backup of the current registry settings before making any changes in case you want to revert to old settings later. For this, Click on File option in the menu and select Export. Save the entry at a known location.
4. From the Menu, Click Edit and Select Find.
5. Enter fuq.com virus and click Ok in the search box.
6. Select and delete suspicious entries.

Tips to prevent your computer system from getting infected –

1. Keeping the Operating System Updated- In order to remain protected and avoid such infections, it is recommended to keep your Operating System updated by enabling the automatic update on your system. The systems with outdated or older versions of Operating System become an easy target for the attackers.
2. Resist clicking on spam emails – One of the major techniques used for malware distribution is forwarding spam emails to the user. The system gets infected as soon as the user clicks on the attachment. These emails appear to be genuine, so be aware and resist falling for these tricks.
3. Keep an eye on third-party installations- It is quite important that you take due care while installing any third party applications for they are a major source of such infections. Such malware programs come bundled with the free applications thereby requiring the user to remain cautious.
4. Regular periodical backup- In order to keep your data and files safe, it is recommended to take regular back up of all your data and files either on an external drive or cloud.
5. Use Anti-Virus Protection- We strongly recommend the use of antivirus protection/internet security in your PC like Hitman Pro and Avira so that it remains safe.
6. Enable the Ad Blocker/Popup Blocker in your browser- Enabling the popup blocker/ ad blocker in your chosen browser will help you to stay protected from annoying adware.