Do you know what Retadup is?
Retadup is a worm that has a single purpose, which is to infect a victim’s system with other malicious programs. It is not a new threat since its first versions were discovered in 2017. The hackers behind the malware continued to upgrade it and used it to spread various infections up till 2019 when cybersecurity experts teamed up and managed to deactivate the worm. If you want to know what kind of malicious applications it used to spread before its deactivation and other details about this threat, we encourage you to read our full report. At the end of this article, you can find a step by step removal guide showing how to delete Retadup manually. Of course, it might be safer and easier to erase such a threat with a reputable antimalware tool that would also help eliminate other possible infections that could have been dropped by this worm.
Retadup was most likely spread with files disguised to look harmless. As a result, the threat ended up on computers used by those who carelessly open files obtained from the Internet. If you do not want to make a mistake of getting tricked into opening malicious files, you should never launch data received from untrustworthy file-sharing websites, Spam emails, obtained via unreliable advertising content, and so on. Never forget that files, which look like text documents, pictures, or other data that you would not consider to be malicious, can be infected. What’s more, the research revealed that systems affected by this worm were not protected by antimalware tools. It would be a good idea not only to install a reputable antimalware tool, but also to use it to scan files that you do not know to be harmless for sure. That is if it is important for you to keep your device clean and secure.
The malicious application used to drop a text document and an executable file right after a victim would launch its installer. Both the document and executable had names from 21 random characters, so the titles of such data could vary from victim to victim. After getting installed, Retadup operated on a system without revealing its presence. The hackers behind this malicious application used it to drop malware they wanted to infect a victim’s computer with. It is said that Retadup carried Stop Ransomware, Monero miners, and password stealer called Arkei. The ransomware encrypted victims' files and displayed a message demanding to pay a ransom if a victim wanted his data back. The Monero miners used a victim’s computer resources to mine this particular cryptocurrency, which could have caused lag and faster device’s wear. As for the password-stealing application, it could have stolen various passcodes that might have been misused for purposes like scamming victims, taking control over their accounts, selling such data on the dark web, and so on.
Needless to say, that both the worm and the malicious applications installed by it should be erased as fast as possible to prevent more damage. The removal guide available below only show how to delete Retadup. Knowing there could be more threats on a system infected by this worm, we strongly recommend using a reputable antimalware tool instead that could help a user eliminate all possible threats at the same time. Lastly, if you have any questions about Retadup or its removal, we wish to invite you to use our comments section and leave us a message at the end of this page.
Erase Retadup
- Tap Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
- Open Task Manager and go to the Processes tab.
- Check for malicious processes that could belong to the work or threats spread by it.
- Select malicious processes by clicking them and press the End Task button.
- Close Task Manager.
- Press Windows Key+E.
- Go to your C: disk.
- Locate a .txt and an .exe file with random names from 21 characters (e.g., aqlqmdttnwwoabdvqkpea.exe), right-click these files and press Delete.
- Exit File Explorer.
- Empty the Recycle bin.
- Reboot the computer.
In non-techie terms:
Retadup is a threat that is no longer active. Its distribution was successfully stopped by cybersecurity experts. Before it happened the malicious application was active for around 2 years during which it distributed cryptocurrency miners, ransomware, and even threats for stealing passwords. Meaning the malware itself does not spy on the user or damage his system/files. Thus, users who find it on their systems should be more concerned about the malicious applications that could have been dropped while the worm was on their system. If you take a look at the removal guide available above, you can learn how to erase this infection manually. However, to eliminate not just Retadup, but also the threats it might have dropped on your system, we advise using a reputable antimalware tool instead.