So, the topic of our conversation today is malware. We find out what it is, how they manifest themselves on computers, how you can "pick up" this infection, and also classify all of them according to their danger. Also, let's try to understand how you can remove them from the operating system once and for all. What programs will help us with this? Which ones do the best job at the task? All this will be discussed now.
What are
Let's start by looking at what malware is. After all, the treatment of the computer depends on this, for the most part. Each infection has its own approach that helps to eliminate the root of the problem.
In general, a malicious program is any application designed to destroy the operating system and obtain personal user data. Plus, the main feature is causing harm to your computer. So you have to work hard to protect yourself from this infection.
Malicious programs, as already mentioned, can be classified. Moreover, according to this very classification, you can determine the degree of danger of a particular application. Let's get to know you all types.
The first option is spam. The least dangerous, albeit unpleasant, viruses (malware) that can only be found. Usually they are aimed at showing numerous advertisements and cluttering the central processor with their tasks. Sometimes they can steal personal data.
The second type of viruses are worms. Also a very "weak" infection. As a rule, it enters the computer for the purpose of its own reproduction. Plus, as in the previous case, they load the processor. The consequence is the slowdown of the computer. Not critical, but still unpleasant.
The following malicious programs are Trojans. They are the most dangerous targets. They destroy the operating system, clutter up the computer, steal your personal data ... In general, the "hodgepodge" of all malicious applications. You must get rid of them immediately.
The last option that can be encountered is spies. Aimed at stealing personal data. Sometimes they can destroy the operating system and multiply. They are not particularly dangerous for the user and the computer, but for data it is a big threat. The system needs good and reliable protection against malware to keep all documents safe and sound.
Where dwell
Well, we have already met you with the classification, as well as the degree of danger of all computer infection, which a modern user may face. Now it's worth finding out how malware spreads and where you can meet them.
The first leader on our list is Suspicious Ads on the World Wide Web. For example, offering a free download of a book that will teach you how to make millions in 2 weeks. Sometimes it is enough just to follow a link or banner, as the computer will already be infected.
Also, viruses and malware are constantly present on prohibited sites, intimate resources, torrents, and so on. As in the previous case, it is enough just to visit the site - and the infection will already sit on the computer. More often than not, even the most will not be able to help you prevent infection.
The third place is occupied by various ones. As a rule, they download some document you need to your computer, and then install malicious content in a "wagon". Try not to use such managers very often. Better to wait a while and load the document using a browser - at least some protection is already there. Not very good, but nevertheless, in most cases, it really helps us.
Sometimes malware is spread using email campaigns. You switch to an unfamiliar letter sent to you - and you're done! It is better to refrain from reading obscure messages if you do not know exactly where it came from.
Manifestation
Well, now it's time to find out how you can tell if your computer is infected. After all, this is what helps us in time to start thinking about how to remove malware from a computer. It should be noted that users stopped paying attention to many "signals". Now we will remind you of them so as not to overlook anything.
The first clear sign is the appearance of brakes on the computer. All this is due to the load on the central processor. Although this behavior can be caused by a common system crash. It's only better to play it safe once again and check your computer for viruses.
The second signal is the appearance of new content on the computer. This only concerns software that you have not installed. And sometimes they did not even hear about its existence. It is not worth running such, and even more so trying to work in them.
Next comes the appearance of spam and advertisements on the computer, as well as changing the start page of your browser. In this case, you should immediately sound the alarm - after all, you definitely have some kind of infection. Malware protection apparently malfunctioned and missed some kind of virus.
Also, the computer may experience a variety of crashes and malfunctions. There are errors in applications, and spontaneous shutdown / reboot, and many more similar "surprises". All this should be given special attention.
How to remove: antivirus
Now it's time to find out what malware removal programs are. The first applications that we will get acquainted with - This software is aimed at finding and removing the infected infection on the computer, as well as providing reliable protection for the operating system.
To be honest, there are a lot of antiviruses now. Any user can install for himself the one that he specifically likes. There is no fundamental difference in them. Nevertheless, Dr.Web, Nod32, Avast cope with their work in the best way. As many users note, it is these antiviruses that quickly detect the infection, and then remove it, causing minimal harm to the operating system.
Antispyware
The second ally in the fight against viruses is anti-spyware. Unlike antivirus, the action of such content is aimed at detecting and removing computer spyware viruses. They will not find any Trojans. Typically used after the antivirus on the computer.
Malware removal programs are very extensive. Nevertheless, among them one can single out a leader who perfectly searches for and removes spyware in the operating system. This is SpyHunter.
You just need to download, install and activate the latest version of this software. After that, launch the application, configure scanning and launch it. Next, delete everything that was detected (a special button will appear for this). That's all. The application is freely available and has a simple and intuitive interface.
For the registry
Sometimes viruses and spyware are registered in your computer's registry. This makes the healing process much more difficult. What can be done in this situation?
Of course, you can clean the registry from the virus yourself. But it is best to use special utilities for this purpose. For example, CCleaner. With its help, you can easily scan your computer, and then clean up all "unnecessary" and dangerous data in the system registry.
To do this, download, install, run and configure the program. After starting, on the left side of the screen, you must tick all the hard disk partitions, as well as browsers. After that, click on "analysis" and then on "clear". That's all. Quite easy and simple. Even a novice user can handle this application.
Removing programs
Of course, everything described above is an excellent step to eliminate all viruses hanging over the system. True, they should not be limited to. Let's find out what other steps should be taken if suddenly you have found some kind of computer infection in the system.
Of course, this is the removal of all unnecessary programs on the computer. With all this, special attention should be paid to the content that appeared after the system was infected. To get rid of it, you will have to use There, find "Add or Remove Programs", and then wait until the list of all installed content is loaded. Next - find what was installed "by itself", select the line and click on "delete". That's all.
Finishing the fight
Today we talked with you about malware, classified and understood what signs distinguish a healthy computer from an infected one. In addition, we got acquainted with the most popular programs for removing a computer infection.
In general, all the healing of operating systems comes down to the following algorithm: all installed applications (third-party) are removed, the system is checked using an antivirus, then it is scanned by antispyware, and then the registry is cleaned. Everything ends with a simple restart of the computer. Thus, all problems are solved.
Surely, many have encountered such a problem: you want to remove the intrusive program, but it either does not get deleted, or reappears after a reboot, or simply does not appear in the list of installed software and how to eradicate all its components is not clear. In this article, we will show you how to completely clean your system from traces of any annoying, unwanted or malicious program.
- check the correctness of the DNS settings and, if necessary, correct them:
- flush DNS cache with command ipconfig / flushdns ;
- check the contents of the hosts file and, if necessary;
- check the route table and if necessary;
- perform a system check with.
Fix shortcuts
Look carefully at the paths in your browser shortcuts. If they contain a postscript in the form of an unwanted site, erase it. If you are in doubt about the correctness of the paths, it is better to destroy the shortcut, and then recreate it or reinstall the browser.
Below you can see an example of a shortcut modified by malware. First, it refers to a batch file, not an exe file, as it should be. Secondly, the line contains the address of a dubious site. Thirdly, the working folder is not the one that this browser should have:
Search for malicious tasks in the scheduler
Open the scheduler and review the assignments. If you find an incomprehensible task that launches an unknown file, say from AppData \\ local \\, feel free to delete it:
It is very convenient to work with tasks in CCleaner. Open up. If you find a suspicious task, kill it:
After destroying malware or unwanted software, it is also recommended to:
Cleaner - is a simple and convenient tool for cleaning the system from various "malware". With its help, you can get rid of annoying ads on your computer and remove malicious programs, including those that your antivirus missed. The program is easy to use and has a Russian-language interface, so it's easy to understand.
System requirements:
Windows XP / Vista / 7/8 / 8.1 / 10 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Torrent Windows Virus Cleaner - Cleaner 2.18.56 Portable in detail:
"Cleaner" finds potentially dangerous and unwanted software that can slow down your computer, display annoying ads and clutter up web browsers with banners and toolbars. The program scans the system and installed web browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera, etc.) in search of these malicious programs, after which it allows you to get rid of them with just one click.
In addition, it can be configured to automatically start, scan and clean the system after reboot. This can be done in the "Startup" section of the program settings.
Easily rid your computer of annoying ads and speed up Windows.
It will remove malicious programs, even those that the antivirus cannot see.
Takes up little space.
The cleaner is completely free.
All actions are performed literally in a few mouse clicks and are divided into three stages:
- Scanning.
- Choice of malware for cleaning.
- Delete selected.
"Cleaner" always gives a choice and the user can decide for himself which objects to leave and which to delete.
About Portable:
- Portable version of the program from the developer, works without installation on a computer.
- Creates a folder: C: \\ ProgramData \\ Cleaner.
Answers on questions:
- Where are the update logs, what have you added / changed in the program? What does it mean "New malware has been added to the search database." Can't you find out any details?
Unfortunately, public information can be used by malware
and I often add not the malware itself, but a sign by which it can be calculated
Why does the total virus detect your program?
I have an agreement with major antiviruses to whitelist the program.
View the list on the virusstotal - Kaspersky, other web, node32, AVG and others. No detection.
I sent requests to the antivirus that detects requests for the message, but very often the detection is added at the behest of the left heel and this leads to such positives.
Is this program a dummy / virus !?
To increase your trust, I can link to a page on Yandex
where it offers a Computer Cleaner
There are three ways to find and remove malware. Sometimes one helps, sometimes the other, but sometimes you have to use all three methods.
First of all, download and run an antivirus scanner, which must be different from the one installed on your computer. For example, if you have Kaspersky Anti-Virus installed, use. If Dr. Web use and so on.
The next way is to download and run an anti-spyware scan of your PC. In most cases, if the anti-virus scanner does not find malware, a dedicated anti-spyware program will do the job.
The third way is to try to find the malware yourself, using the AnVir Task Manager program.
I will try to describe this option in this article. from the manufacturer's website. The application is portable so there is no need to install it. Unzip to the desired directory and run the AnVir.exe file.
As it has been written more than once, malicious programs love to be registered in startup. There, first of all, we will look for her.
Important. Note the color-coded indication of the security level of the process or application. Classification as usual from green (good) to red (bad).
The malicious application will most likely be in the red zone. But, in any case, do not rush to delete all "red" applications. At least, as you can see in the picture, I have quite safe software there. So, most likely, it will be with you. There is no spyware in my system, but the main thing is to understand the very principle of its detection.
The window displays all applications launched at startup, their location and manufacturer. More detailed information can be obtained by moving the mouse cursor to the required application. Although it may be more convenient to just turn on the full information panel "View" - "Detailed information".
Now the program window will look like this.
Now, let's say you have found a suspicious application, but you don't know what it is. Select this process, right-click the context menu and click on the line "Check on the site". After this action, the application will be sent for verification to the Virustotal service. This service works with fifty well-known antivirus and anti-spyware programs, so you can trust it. If the app passes validation, it is most likely safe.
But let's assume that the service is not very reliable. Let's continue testing the application. Again, select the application and select the "Search the Internet" line in the context menu. In the browser that opens, you will see all the search results for this application.
Having checked the application on the Virustotal service, and having read information about it on the Internet, you will know exactly what to do with it.
Let's say no malicious application was found in startup. The next step is to continue searching the running processes.
As you can see, there are much more running processes in this window than applications in the previous tab. Do not be afraid, the search algorithm is the same. Again, check the red zone processes first. Select the process and everything is the same as described above.
Important. It is mandatory to complete the process. The running process will not allow you to uninstall the application.
After the process completes, go to the folder where this program is located and uninstall it.
Of course, searching for and removing malware is not all that AnVir Task Manager can do. Other useful features of this manager will be described in the following articles.
The point is that malware is not a virus in the usual sense of the word. These are small utilities that, without asking, climb into the computer and install any infection or display unwanted advertisements. And there are 2 problems here:
- Antiviruses do not see malware because they do not consider them to be viruses.
- These threats are very difficult to remove.
But it's still possible. After all, there is special software with which you can find and remove malicious programs. And below we will consider 8 excellent utilities designed to remove such ad viruses.
It should be noted right away that Windows 10 already has a malware removal tool by default. Yes, it may not be as effective at cleaning Malware and Adware viruses as other utilities, but it's worth a try. Fortunately, you don't need to download and install anything - everything is already installed and configured.
As a rule, this software starts automatically, but if necessary, you can start it manually. It is located here: C: \\ Windows \\ System32 \\ MRT.exe.
Finding and removing malware is easy - you just need to click the Next button. But the verification itself takes a very long time, so it will take some time.
The main advantage of this software is that it will not harm your PC or laptop 100% (but only if Windows 10 is licensed). Another plus: you can download it for Windows 7 and 8 at the office. site ().
AdwCleaner utility
AdwCleaner is very effective against:
- pop-up windows in the browser;
- opening advertising pages in a new tab;
- changing the home page in the browser and the inability to change it.
Its main advantages:
- free;
- constantly updated;
- gives really good advice on how to prevent further infection of a PC or laptop (after analyzing and cleaning the PC).
Using the utility is extremely simple:
- Run it and click "Scan".
- Look at what threats she was able to detect on the computer (you can remove the birds from unnecessary items).
- Click Cleanup.
In the process of running the program, you will need to restart your PC to completely remove ad viruses and other infections. And when the cleaning of the computer is completed, a detailed report will appear on what was deleted.
By the way, recently AdwCleaner has received support for Windows 10, so you can safely install it on any operating system.
Today some malicious utilities are able to impersonate AdwCleaner. Therefore, if you download it from a third-party site, be sure to check for viruses on virustotal.
Anti-Malware Free
Another great utility that you can use to clean your computer from malware is Anti-Malware. Very popular among users today.
Its main advantages:
- reliable protection of your computer from malware (easily finds webalta and other common threats on your PC);
- effective removal;
- availability of Russian language.
It is also completely free (there is also a paid version, but the first is more than enough).
As for me, checking for malware is somehow taking too long. But that's just my opinion. Nevertheless, this utility is not for nothing considered one of the most popular.
Zemana AntiMalware
Also worth paying attention to is Zemana AntiMalware. This is another good malware cleaning utility.
The main advantages:
- efficient search (often finds adware viruses that the previous 2 utilities do not see);
- scanning of individual files to choose from;
- pC protection in real-time mode.
In addition, it has one very useful option - scan malware in the browser and remove them. Since pop-up windows appear most often for this very reason, this makes this utility one of the best.
Among the cons - 15 days of free use and the need to connect to the Internet. But since such malware removal tools are used only occasionally, the first drawback is considered insignificant.
Junkware Removal Tool
Another great free threat search utility.
Main advantages:
- works with adware viruses, browser extensions, etc .;
- itself removes found threats in folders, shortcuts, processes and any browsers (before that it creates a checkpoint for recovery);
- generates a report upon completion of the operation.
HitmanPRO program
HitmanPro is software that can also be used to find and uninstall malicious programs.
Main advantages:
- fast work;
- effective search: sees many threats, and even those that have already been removed (traces of them usually remain);
- does not need installation.
It is paid, but there is a 30-day free trial. This is more than enough to check your PC for malware.
Malicious Software Removal Tool
Also in this list there is another software from Microsoft that does not need to be installed and is suitable for Windows 7 and 8. You can download it.
It is not difficult to use the program. Turn it on, click Next and wait for the report.
Spybot utility
And the last free program for removing viruses from your computer is Spybot.
Its main advantages:
- wide functionality;
- knows how to track the newly installed software and changes that are made to the registry and Windows files;
- is able to roll back changes in case of PC malfunctions after removing viruses.
