THis is what you do
The Shortcut Virus
One of the most common types of USB viruses is the shortcut virus, and it comes in two forms:
- Computer virus: Replaces the folders on your desktop and the file icons in your computer with shortcut icons that won’t lead you to the actual file.
- USB flash drive virus: Takes all of your files and attributes them as “hidden” or places them in a hidden folder.
This USB flash drive virus will also produce an application file named “shortcut.exe”. If you open this application, it will release and activate the virus into the computer the flash drive is plugged into.
The first set of instructions may not work for all shortcut viruses, but you can manually remove it.
How to Manually Remove a Shortcut Virus:
- Plug in the USB and right-click the Command Prompt and select “Run as Administrator.”
- Type in the USB’s drive letter and press “Enter.”
- Afterward, type “del *.lnk” and press “Enter.”
- Type “attrib -s -r -h *.* /s.d/l/” and press “Enter.”
- Open your flash drive normally and check if all of your files are normal again.
In case there are still infected files, copy your normal files onto the computer, then reformat the drive by typing “format /q/x driveletter:” in the Command Prompt. Replace the word “driveletter” with the designated drive letter.
Then, hit “enter” and return your files again afterward.
