Article, created in order to assist with displaying how to remove International Police Association ransomware and how to restore files archived by it.
A ransomware virus, known as the International Police Association virus has been reported to infect the computers of it’s victims and place all of their files in an archive which is then password protected. The virus also aims to get victims to pay a hefty ransom fee in order to unlock the password-protected files. In case you have become a victim of the IPA ransomware virus, we strongly advise you to read this article in order to remove the International Police Association IPA virus and unlock your files for free.
Threat Summary
Name |
IPA Virus |
|
Type | Ransomware | |
Short Description | Archives important files on the compromised computers in a password protected .zip file and then demands a hefty ransom fee to be paid to get the unlock password. | |
Symptoms | The victim may not be able to open the files. A file locked.zip may appear in their place. | |
Distribution Method | Via an Exploit kit, Dll file attack, malicious JavaScript or a drive-by download of the malware itself in an obfuscated manner. | |
Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
Download
Malware Removal Tool
|
|
User Experience | Join our forum to Discuss IPA Virus. | |
Data Recovery Tool | Windows Data Recovery by Stellar Phoenix Notice! This product scans your drive sectors to recover lost files and it may not recover 100% of the encrypted files, but only few of them, depending on the situation and whether or not you have reformatted your drive. |
How Does IPA Ransomware Distribute Itself
For the infection process, IPA ransomware uses a technique that is very similar to what most ransomware viruses do. The malware may spread via malicious e-mail attachments sent via e-mail to the victims. The e-mails contain false information, presenting the attachments as important documents, like invoices or receipts, for example:
Other methods by which IPA ransomware can cause an infection on your computer may include uploading the malicious files of this virus on torrent and other suspicious sites. The files may pretend to be setups of software, key generators, game patches, cracks and other license activators.
IPA Ransomware – What Does It Do
As soon as the user is infected, the intermediary malware uses an exploit in Windows to bypass protection. The virus then may drop it’s important files on the following Windows directories:
The primary files dropped in association with IPA ransomware are reported to be the following:
- Build.exe
- IAC.txt
- Locked.zip
But in addition to this, the IPA ransomware may also attack multiple other aspects, of Windows like the Run and RunOnce windows Registry keys which are responsible for running a process on system start up.
The ransomware virus may also perform another activity. IPA ransomware may delete the shadow copies on the infected computer by executing variation of the vssadmin command in Windows Command Prompt:
IPA Ransomware – Archiving Process
The primary function of IPA ransomware is to copy all of the important files of the victim in a compressed .ZIP archive. The virus may initiate the procedure through the build.exe file and IPA ransomware scans and archives the following files:
fla, .gif, .js, .mov, .mp3, .mpg, .ppt, .rar, .vob, .zip
After the files are located, the IPA virus begins to create an archive, named locked.zip and in this archive are all the files in a password protected format:
Fortunately, the files can now be unlocked as malware researchers have created a master unlock password for this infection. But before doing so, we strongly advise you to take the necessary steps and remove the IPA ransomware virus completely from your computer.
Remove IPA Virus and Unlock Archived Files
For the removal of this virus, it is best to backup the locked.zip file, beforehand. After this, we recommend following the removal instructions below in order to get rid of this threat. For maximum effectiveness, we also recommend that you use an advanced anti-malware software for a swift removal and full protection.
After having removed the IPA Ransomware virus, you can unlock the IPA locked.zip file by using the master password, detected by researchers:
ddd123456
Automatically remove IPA Virus by downloading an advanced anti-malware program
- Guide 1: How to Remove IPA Virus from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of IPA Virus on Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove IPA Virus in Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase IPA Virus from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall IPA Virus from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove IPA Virus from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate IPA Virus from Internet Explorer.
- Guide 8: Disable IPA Virus Push Notifications in Your Browsers.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
How to Remove IPA Virus from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove IPA Virus





Step 2: Uninstall IPA Virus and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:



Step 3: Clean any registries, created by IPA 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 IPA Virus there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:



Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Get rid of IPA Virus from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall IPA Virus and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove IPA Virus via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove IPA Virus files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as IPA Virus, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Remove IPA Virus from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Erase IPA Virus from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Uninstall IPA Virus from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Remove IPA Virus from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the IPA Virus will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Eliminate IPA Virus from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
Remove Push Notifications caused by IPA Virus from Your Browsers.
Turn Off Push Notifications from Google Chrome
To disable any Push Notices from Google Chrome browser, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings in Chrome.
Step 2: In Settings, select “Advanced Settings”:
Step 3: Click “Content Settings”:
Step 4: Open “Notifications”:
Step 5: Click the three dots and choose Block, Edit or Remove options:
Remove Push Notifications on Firefox
Step 1: Go to Firefox Options.
Step 2: Go to “Settings”, type “notifications” in the search bar and click "Settings":
Step 3: Click “Remove” on any site you wish notifications gone and click “Save Changes”
Stop Push Notifications on Opera
Step 1: In Opera, press ALT+P to go to Settings
Step 2: In Setting search, type “Content” to go to Content Settings.
Step 3: Open Notifications:
Step 4: Do the same as you did with Google Chrome (explained below):
Eliminate Push Notifications on Safari
Step 1: Open Safari Preferences.
Step 2: Choose the domain from where you like push pop-ups gone and change to "Deny" from "Allow".