PingPull Malware

PingPull

If you think that your computer may have been compromised by a malicious program called PingPull, it is important that you take the necessary measures to remove this malware. PingPull is a Trojan horse malware threat and, as you likely know, the representatives of this malware category tend to be particularly unpleasant and dangerous.

PingPull
The PingPull malware detected by multiple antivirus programs on VirusTotal

They are known for causing all kinds of issues with the computers they infect and their uses tend to be very dangerous to the attacked users. In addition to that, most Trojan horses like Energy.exe, Bloom.exe are quite secretive and stealthy, making it difficult to detect them, especially if your antivirus doesn’t spot them or if you don’t have an antivirus tool at your disposal. In fact, in some cases, even users with quality antivirus protection in their computers may still get a Trojan horse infection without realizing it. Such is the case with PingPull, as this particular Trojan horse representative is quite new and many otherwise good antivirus solutions may not yet have it added to their databases.

This means that the likelihood of PingPull entering your computer and you not noticing anything is quite high. However, since you are on the current page, we assume that you have already noticed something sketchy on your computer that has led you to believe that there may be a malware infection in it.

This is actually good news for you – you have at least managed to notice that there may be something wrong with your system, which is the first step towards fixing the problem. In the guide included on this page, we have listed several manual steps that could help you eliminate the infection. And, if the manual steps do not allow you to remove all malicious data, you can also use the tested professional removal program we have linked in the guide.

What may PingPull try to do whilst inside your computer?

Due to the versatile nature of those malware threats, there is a whole array of things you could expect from such an infection. From online banking thefts to attacks on your personal information and blackmailing harassment after that. From the insertion of Ransomware cryptovirus and spyware programs to the exploitation of the system resources of the machine for different sketchy tasks conducted by the hackers.

There are many examples that can be given here and we cannot tell you with certainty what PingPull may be seeking to achieve in your particular case. The infection may try to use up your computer’s RAM, GPU and CPU resources in order to mine Bitcoin for its criminal creators, it may attempt to obtain information about your credit/debit card numbers, it might also backdoor a Ransomware infection into your machine as well as many, many other things.

Sadly, since it is a new threat, there isn’t sufficient information to allow us to draw definitive conclusions regarding its exact goals. However, the one thing that is certain is you shouldn’t let it stay in your system for any longer than it already has!

SUMMARY:

NamePingPull
TypeTrojan
Danger LevelHigh (Trojans are often used as a backdoor for Ransomware)
Detection Tool

Remove PingPull Malware

If you have a Windows virus, continue with the guide below.

If you have a Mac virus, please use our How to remove Ads on Mac guide.

If you have an Android virus, please use our Android Malware Removal guide.

If you have an iPhone virus, please use our iPhone Virus Removal guide


Step1

Some of the steps will likely require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.

Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).

Step2

WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!

Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC at the same time and go to the Processes Tab. Try to determine which processes are dangerous. 

malware-start-taskbar

Right click on each of them and select Open File Location. Then scan the files with our free online virus scanner:

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    After you open their folder, end the processes that are infected, then delete their folders. 

    Note: If you are sure something is part of the infection – delete it, even if the scanner doesn’t flag it. No anti-virus program can detect all infections. 

    Step3

     

    Hold together the Start Key and R. Type appwiz.cpl –> OK.

    appwiz

     

    You are now in the Control Panel. Look for suspicious entries. Uninstall it/them. If you see a screen like this when you click Uninstall, choose NO:

    virus-removal1

     

    Step4

     

    Type msconfig in the search field and hit enter. A window will pop-up:

    msconfig_opt

     

    Startup —> Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer or otherwise look suspicious.

    • Remember this step – if you have reason to believe a bigger threat (like ransomware) is on your PC, check everything here.

    Hold the Start Key and R –  copy + paste the following and click OK:

    notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts

    A new file will open. If you are hacked, there will be a bunch of other IPs connected to you at the bottom. Look at the image below:

    hosts_opt (1)

     

    If there are suspicious IPs below “Localhost” – write to us in the comments.

    Step5

     

    Type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter.

    Once inside, press CTRL and F together and type the virus’s Name. Right click and delete any entries you find with a similar name. If they don’t show up this way, go manually to these directories and delete/uninstall them:

    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory. It could be any one of them – ask us if you can’t discern which ones are malicious.
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random

    If the guide doesn’t help, download the anti-virus program we recommended or try our free online virus scanner. Also, you can always ask us in the comments for help!


    About the author

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    Violet George

    Violet is an active writer with a passion for all things cyber security. She enjoys helping victims of computer virus infections remove them and successfully deal with the aftermath of the attacks. But most importantly, Violet makes it her priority to spend time educating people on privacy issues and maintaining the safety of their computers. It is her firm belief that by spreading this information, she can empower web users to effectively protect their personal data and their devices from hackers and cybercriminals.

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