What are Rakuten viruses? Is a Rakuten virus dangerous? How to remove a Rakuten virus from your computer?
Rakuten virus infections can happen through multiple ways. They take advantage of the name of the shopping site in order to promote themselves. The different virus attacks are being operated by different hacking groups and individuals — we have received reports of numerous campaigns that use the Rakuten name in different elements. Most of them are related to malicious scripts that are found in redirects and pop-ups, as well as intrusive ads. Reading this article will help you protect yourself from bogus Rakuten sites and virus infections.
Threat Summary
| Name | Rakuten Virus |
| Type | Malware |
| Short Description | Virus that takes advantage of the legitimate and famous shopping site Rakuten. |
| Symptoms | The symptoms may be ranging from seeing redirects to having symptom-less Trojan on your computer. |
| Distribution Method | Bundled downloads. Web pages which may advertise it. |
| Detection Tool |
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Rakuten Virus. |
Rakuten Virus — How Did I Get It?
The Rakuten virus can manifest itself in multiple ways depending on the type of virus and the hacking collective behind the ongoing attacks. As this is a collection of different types of viruses it is very possible for several infections to be launched at the same time by different hackers.
One of the most popular infections that are popular with such threats is the coordination of hacker-made fake sites that will impersonate the official Rakuten site and any of its subsections. They are usually hosted on similar sounding domain names and may include stolen or self-signed security certificates. Any interaction with these sites can lead to further virus infections or certain phishing pages that will manipulate the victims into entering in their Rakuten account credentials or private information.
In a similar way the hackers behind the threat may also send out phishing emails that impersonate the official site and may contain any of the following content: advertising, links to fake pages, password reset reminders and etc. Without regard to the included contents any interaction with the emails can lead to further virus infections.
Rakuten virus code can also be placed inside different types of files including the following examples:
- Malicious Documents — This is the creation of malicious documents that include dangerous macros code. These documents can be of all popular formats: spreadsheets, presentations, databases and text files. When they are opened by the users a prompt will asking them to enable the built-in scripts. If this is done the virus will be installed.
- Bundle Installers — This is a popular method which is the creation of numerous installers of popular application which are distributed to the target end users. This is done by taking the original and legitimate data from their official sources and modifying them to include the relevant malware code. The apps can be productivity tools, creativity suites, office programs and even computer games.
- Browser Plugins — The plugins, alternatively known as hijackers are usually found on the associated app repositories. They are uploaded with fake user reviews and developer credentials. The associated descriptions will include promises of new features addition and performance optimizations.
All of these files can be uploaded to file-sharing networks such as BitTorrent where both legitimate and pirate fies can be found. The infections can also be caused by other malicious threats that include the payload delivery code.
Rakuten Virus — What Does It Do?
As soon as one of the variants of the Rakuten virus has infected a given computer the built-in engine will start the built-in sequence of malicious actions based on the local conditions or the hackers instructions. Depending on the form and type of virus different effects can happen.
All web-based versions (sites, emails and hijackers) are commonly associated with the web browser activity. Their scripts will hijack the contained within information and transmit it to the operators. This includes the following: cookies, bookmarks, settings, history and even stored account credentials. What’s dangerous about having access to the browsers is that it provides a very easy way for the hackers to spy on the victims.
One of the most common consequences of web-based attacks is the manipulation of the browsers into opening up a hacker-controlled page. his will allow them to trick the users into interacting with malicious content that will be pushed to them in an intrusive way. The malicious sites can lead to the following behavior:
- Malware Redirects — When the pages are opened the users can be automatically redirected to another site via a script.
- Users Tracking — Using tracking cookies and other technologies the victims can be tracked across the sites in real-time. All of their activities will be transmitted to the hackers in real-time.
- Cryptocurrency Miners Installation — Many of the malicious web sites can lead to a miner infection. These are small-sized scripts that will download a sequence of complex mathematical tasks which will place a heavy toll on the performance of the machines: the CPU, memory, hard disk space and etc. For every reported successful task the hackers will be awarded with digital cryptocurrency.
- Adware Presentation — These pages can present intrusive ads in all popular forms: banners, pop-ups, text links and etc. For every display or interaction with them the hackers will receive payment by the advertisers.
All of these pages can be part of a worldwide network of connected sites which means that there is a high probability that the collected information may be part of a worldwide database of victim information. Once the collection has been amassed it can be used for various criminal activity or sold to interested parties on the dark web markets.
When the executable virus variants are concerned the victims can experience a wide variety of symptoms and consequences. One of the most common ones is the execution of a data harvesting component which can hijack both sensitive user information and create a complete profile of the available hardware. The collected data can be used for crimes such as identity theft and financial abuse. Some of the most recent attack campaigns also utilize the gained intelligence for blackmail attacks. The hardware profile that is generated after this component has run can result in the creation of an unique infection ID.
What’s more dangerous is that the Rakuten virus can also be used to manipulate various system settings and edit configuration files. This can allow for a persistent installation which is the automatic start-up of the virus as soon as the computer is powered on. Advanced viruses can also block access to the recovery boot options which means that the victims will be unable to enter them. This can present a serious problem to the users as they will be unable to follow most manual user removal instructions. In these situations we recommend that a professional anti-spyware solution is used.
If the virus infection includes any Windows Registry modifications then a wide variety of symptoms can be identified. One of the most common ones is severe performance degradation to the pont of causing system instability. The virus can also cause the display of multiple errors and data loss.
The malware can also be used to deploy other threats to the infected hosts. A popular and complex malware delivery can be Trojan horses that are made to establish a secure connection to a set hacker-controlled server and allows for the hackers to spy on the victims in real-time, steal their data and take over control of their computers at any time.
Another virus infection can be the cryptocurrency miner — a dangerous script-based threat which will activate a download sequence. It will retrieve small-sized mathematical tasks that will have a heavy impact on the system’s performance: the CPU, memory, hard disk space and etc. When one of them are reported as completed to the server the hackers will be rewarded with digital cryptocurrency directly to their wallets.
As the behavior can shift at any time we recommend that victims of the Rakuten virus remove it at as soon as possible following the initial infection.
Remove Rakuten Virus from Your Machine
In order to be able to remove Rakuten virus, you should know where it’s files and objects are hidden. The main idea is to follow the removal steps below. They are made to help you isolate the virus and detect and delete the malicious files. For the complete detection and removal of Rakuten Virus, however, we strongly suggest that you download and run a free scan with an advanced anti-malware software. Such tool will automatically identify and eliminate all of the virus files and objects, related to any Rakuten Virus from your computer plus protect it in the future too.
Martin Beltov
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
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Preparation before removing Rakuten Virus.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Do a backup of all of your files, even if they could be damaged. You should back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
- Scan for Malware
- Fix Registries
- Remove Virus Files
Step 1: Scan for Rakuten Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 2: Clean any registries, created by Rakuten Virus on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Rakuten Virus there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.Step 3: Find virus files created by Rakuten Virus on your PC.
1.For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
For Newer Windows Operating Systems
1: On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
2: Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
3: Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC's screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be "fileextension:exe". After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navigation box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn't found it yet.
2.For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS's the conventional approach should be the effective one:
1: Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
2: After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
3: After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
Rakuten Virus FAQ
What Does Rakuten Virus Trojan Do?
The Rakuten Virus Trojan is a malicious computer program designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system. It can be used to steal sensitive data, gain control over a system, or launch other malicious activities.
Can Trojans Steal Passwords?
Yes, Trojans, like Rakuten Virus, can steal passwords. These malicious programs are designed to gain access to a user's computer, spy on victims and steal sensitive information such as banking details and passwords.
Can Rakuten Virus Trojan Hide Itself?
Yes, it can. A Trojan can use various techniques to mask itself, including rootkits, encryption, and obfuscation, to hide from security scanners and evade detection.
Can a Trojan be Removed by Factory Reset?
Yes, a Trojan can be removed by factory resetting your device. This is because it will restore the device to its original state, eliminating any malicious software that may have been installed. Bear in mind that there are more sophisticated Trojans that leave backdoors and reinfect even after a factory reset.
Can Rakuten Virus Trojan Infect WiFi?
Yes, it is possible for a Trojan to infect WiFi networks. When a user connects to the infected network, the Trojan can spread to other connected devices and can access sensitive information on the network.
Can Trojans Be Deleted?
Yes, Trojans can be deleted. This is typically done by running a powerful anti-virus or anti-malware program that is designed to detect and remove malicious files. In some cases, manual deletion of the Trojan may also be necessary.
Can Trojans Steal Files?
Yes, Trojans can steal files if they are installed on a computer. This is done by allowing the malware author or user to gain access to the computer and then steal the files stored on it.
Which Anti-Malware Can Remove Trojans?
Anti-malware programs such as SpyHunter are capable of scanning for and removing Trojans from your computer. It is important to keep your anti-malware up to date and regularly scan your system for any malicious software.
Can Trojans Infect USB?
Yes, Trojans can infect USB devices. USB Trojans typically spread through malicious files downloaded from the internet or shared via email, allowing the hacker to gain access to a user's confidential data.
About the Rakuten Virus Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Rakuten Virus how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific trojan problem.
How did we conduct the research on Rakuten Virus?
Please note that our research is based on an independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware definitions, including the various types of trojans (backdoor, downloader, infostealer, ransom, etc.)
Furthermore, the research behind the Rakuten Virus threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand the threat posed by trojans, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.