Remove The .IQY Virus & Restore Your PC From Infections

by Martin Beltov | June 11, 2018 | 0 Comments removal guide, trojan, virus

Threat Summary .IQY Virus – Overview .IQY Virus — Possible Development Remove .IQY Virus from Your Computer

This article has been created in order to help you by explaining to you how to remove the .IQY Virus which can be encountered via email messages.

The .IQY virus is a very dangerous malicious threat that incorporates an advanced Trojan. Infections with it can lead to network-wide propagation of virus code and the deployment of other viruses. Our article examines it in details and shows how victims can remove it from their computers.

Threat Summary

Name	.IQY
Type	Scam / Malware
Short Description	Silently infects the computer victims and modifies the operating system.
Symptoms	The victims may not experience any symptoms .
Distribution Method	Via e-mail messages that imitate well-known companies .
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss .IQY.

.IQY Virus – Overview

The .IQY virus attack is a recent example of how computer hackers leverage different tactics in order to infiltrate as many hosts as possible. The main driving force behind the reported instances is the Necurs botnet which is one of the most commonly used methods for orchestrating worldwide campaigns.

The first reported incidents were identified back in May using the SPAM email messages tactic. The computer hackers behind the .IQY virus campaigns utilize advanced social engineering scams that attempt to blackmail the victims into believing that they originate from a well-known company. The criminals spoof original notification messages and are spreading false “unpaid invoice” emails.

The security analysis reveals that the email SPAM messages follow a template with two components — a fake message ID and a fake email domain name. The subject names usually have a name such as UNPAID INVOICE [ID:0203959101].

The actual email messages look like the real messages that are being sent out. The computer hackers have take the legitimate templates including all associated photos and text. Normally the criminals will also mimic the behavior of the companies by including a non-personalized greeting.

One of the most dangerous aspects of the .IQY virus is the fact that its signature was not initially recognized by most anti-virus programs. The reason for this is the fact that the first campaigns were very limited in size and scope. As such the signatures were not made until the large-scale infections started.

It is very possible that the criminals behind the .IQY virus can use other methods of distribution as well. A popular alternative is the use of payload carriers, two of the most popular forms are the following:

Infected Documents — The criminals can embed the dangerous virus scripts into documents (text files, spreadsheets, presentations and others) by using scripts (macros). Typically once they are opened by the victims a notification prompt appears which asks the users to enable the built-in scripts. If this is done the infection follows.
Software Installers — Using a similar tactic the hackers can embed the dangerous code into application installers of popular software. They are usually chosen to be productivity and office tools, creativity suites, system utilities and etc. The files are downloaded from the legitimate vendor sites and modified by the hackers in such a way that it doesn’t show to the end users.

The hackers can create their own download sites that can mimic the real ones. The hackers can take images, text and use similar sounding domains to fool the users. In addition they can use file sharing networks such as BitTorrent as well.

.IQY Virus — Possible Development

Once the respective .IQY virus is activated on the infected host it launches a payload downloader. It contains a built-in list of URLs that host the actual virus instances.

The security analysis reveals that this downloads a hacker-modified copy of the leaked remote desktop program called Ammyy Admin known as FlawedAmmy. It has been in use by hackers since 2016 in various similar Trojan instances. At the moment it seems that most FlawedAmmy attack campaigns are being used in two attack types:

Targeted Attacks — The hackers use highly-targeted email attacks against major companies in set industries, for example the automobile industry.
Bulk SPAM Campaigns — A large-scale campaign that can encompass millions of messages over the span of several years have been detected. They typically spoof the messages of well-known Internet services in order to manipulate the victims into interacting with the dangerous elements.

The FlawedAmmy tool offers advanced functionality that can enable the .IQY virus to function as an advanced Trojan. It is able to connect to a hacker-controlled server and report back all harvested information. This includes information that can directly expose the victim’s identity: their name, address, location, interests, location, passwords and account credentials. The very same data gathering engine is used to extract other information that can be used to help the hacker operators to optimize the campaign metrics. This includes a full profile of the hardware components and certain strings from the host operating system. The Trojan component can also be used to spy on the victims in real-time, as well as overtake their computers. The .IQY virus instances can be used to deploy additional threats to the affected systems. This is a very dangerous scenario that is often performed in advanced infiltration attempts.

The .IQY virus by itself can be configured to manipulate the Windows Registry entries. When this is against any of the user-installed applications as a result some functions may stop working. If the changes affect the operating system itself the overall computer performance may be affected.

One of the reasons why the .IQY virus and its associated Trojan is difficult to handle by cybersecurity experts is the fact that its being sent out in very large numbers. One of the major targets are large international companies that heavily utilize documents of various types in their external and internal communications. By default system administrators are known to disable the macros execution by default. However as the messages do look like the real notifications that are being sent out by the companies many users may fall victim to it. As a result this can lead to a devastating network-wide infection.

Remove .IQY Virus from Your Computer

In order to make sure that the “.IQY Virus” scam is fully gone from your computer, we recommend that you follow the removal instructions underneath this article. They have been divided in manual and automatic removal manuals so that they can help you delete this threat based on your malware removal experience. If manual removal is not exactly something that you feel confident in doing, recommendations are to remove this malware or check if it has your infected your computer automatically by downloading and scanning your computer via an advanced anti-malware program. Such software will effectively make sure that your PC is fully secured and you passwords and data remain safe in the future.

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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Guide 1: How to Remove .IQY from Windows.
Guide 2: Get rid of .IQY on Mac OS X.
Guide 3: Remove .IQY in Google Chrome.

Guide 4: Erase .IQY from Mozilla Firefox.
Guide 5: Uninstall .IQY from Microsoft Edge.
Guide 6: Remove .IQY from Safari.
Guide 7: Eliminate .IQY from Internet Explorer.
Guide 8: Disable .IQY 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 .IQY from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove .IQY

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter's malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

1. Hold Windows key() + R

2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

Step 2: Uninstall .IQY 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:

1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

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

1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.

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.

IMPORTANT!
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.

Step 4: Scan for .IQY with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Get rid of .IQY from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall .IQY and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to .IQY:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to .IQY. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

6: Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to .IQY. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:

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 .IQY 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:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:

2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:

3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as .IQY. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.

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 .IQY files from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as .IQY, 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.

Click the button below below to download SpyHunter for Mac and scan for .IQY:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove .IQY 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 .IQY 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 .IQY 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 .IQY 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 .IQY will be removed.

How to Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.

Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.

Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Eliminate .IQY 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.