How to remove malware

Malware can be literarily regarded as computer parasites and its full meaning is malicious software. It is a software script that is written to hinder the proper functioning of the computer.

One of the reasons why you must eliminate malware from your computer is to prevent you from delivering your information to the wrong source and also to allow your computer to operate at its best state. Some of the effects of Malware on a computer includes annoying popup ads, slow actions of the computer and so on.

When you notice these effects on the computer, it can be concluded that you’ve picked up some Malware.

Developers of Malware attracts users by encouraging them to click on a link or installing a particular software that looks essential to them. Malware infections are caused by surfing the internet while inadequately protecting the computer especially when using outdated operating system and virus scans.

 

Some fake anti-malware programs make their effect noticeable by displaying a banner, telling you that your computer has been infected and you need to provide your credit card information or information to fix it. This is internet fraud and you shouldn’t fall for it.

STEP BY STEP PROCESS ON HOW RO REMOVE MALWARE FROMYOUR COMPUTER

First of all, you will need to have a working and updated antivirus package, so in order to help you forward, we have listed free antivirus products that will allow you to perform a full scan immediately;

• www.avg.com
• www.malwarebytes.com
• www.avira.com

Downloading an antivirus product and conducting a full scan

One of the first thing we need to do to solve this problem is to identify the type of malware we are dealing with and the best way to this is to perform an independent scan using the right utility software. It is advisable to download an anti-spyware program from google because most spyware programs comes with an inbuilt free scan which you can easily take advantage of. Although, Its not an easy task to choose a perfect anti-Spyware program to tackle the Malware threats on your computer because there are numerous fake Spyware programs online that can contribute to or infect your computer with dangerous Malware.  Here are the steps in downloading an anti-spyware and conducting a full scan.

1. Download an antivirus program with an inbuilt free scan
2. Perform the “full scan” from the antivirus program interface
3. Identify Files names, Folders, Registry keys and Registry values associated with the Malware threat.

Terminating Malware process from the Windows task manager

The next step is to terminate the Malware process via the windows task manager. Although, This isn’t the right place to perform this operation, You should be 100% sure that the Malware is the only program you are terminating from the task manager and it is advisable to leave it if you are not sure as this can cause real damage to your computer . Terminating Malware process can be done by following the process below.

1. Use the shortcut key Ctrl+Alt+Delete to open the Task Manager or you can do this manually by Right clicking on the task bar and selecting “Task Manager” from the available options.
2. Switch the Task Manager to ‘Processes’
3. Select the Malware process you want to end and click on the ‘End Process’ button.

Deleting all the files attached to the Malware

If you have successfully ended the Malware process from the Task manager, You can now locate and permanently delete all the files attached to Malware on your computer. You must not leave any file associated with Malware on your hard drive as it can grow again, leaving you with a Malware infected computer. The process is explained below:

1. You can easily search for the file by using the Start > Search > Search Everywhere function Provided you are using a Windows operating system.
2. Take note of the file directory from Windows Explorer
3. Malware threats usually hide themselves in your computer hence you need to unhide the folders containing the Malware threats. This can be done by following the procedures below

• Go to control panel
• Select “Folder Options”
• Select the “View” tab
• Select “Show Hidden Folders” button
• Select “Show hidden files and folders and drives ” from the radio button options
• Uncheck the checkbox behind “Hide protected operating system files(Recommended)”
• Uncheck the checkbox behind “Hide extension from known file types”
• Apply the settings

The next step is to delete all the files associated with Malware from the Windows Explorer. You can do this by using your scan results obtained in the first step since you have successfully unhidden all the files.

1. Delete the already installed Malware Registry keys
   Don’t be too happy if you have deleted all the files associated with the Malware because of some situations where malware effects still persists. This is because Malware also install Registry keys into the Windows Registry, thereby changing the way the computer functions. It should be noted that only confident computer users should make Registry changes to the computer and it is advisable that you should backup your registry before making any changes to it. The steps on how to delete the Registry Keys are explained below:
2. Click Start > Search > Search Everywhere and search for “regedit”
3. Locate the Malware registry keys in the Registry Editor by holding Ctrl+F and inputting the key
4. Right click on the registry key and select the delete option

Dealing with complex Malware

The above steps can help solve the problem of simple and common malware but not in the case of Trojans and rootkits, Files can be hidden in such a way that it won’t be revealed when you search for it in the Windows Explorer. The malware can still setup a program script to activate the threat even after it has been deleted from your computer.

In this situation, you need to follow some extra procedures to ensure that your computer is totally free from malware threats. These procedures will help you double check if your computer is totally free from Malware.

Checking For hidden Malware

As mentioned earlier, some Malware can be very difficult to detect since they have been hidden by some complex rootkits that activates and reruns them automatically as part of a script just like other software’s are being run automatically on the computer even after you must have scanned your computer. You need to launch your computer in safe mode if you want to terminate these startup processes by following the procedures below:

1. Reboot your computer and press F8 key while the computer is starting. A popup that will enable you to enter the BIOS and select the boot preferences will come up on the screen.
2. Select the ‘Safe Mode’ using the arrow key as this will allow Windows in a limited state.
3. Use the anti malware tool you downloaded to scan your computer for any available threats in this mode, you will observe that all the existing malware threats have been removed from your computer. After these, you can reboot your computer on the regular mode.

Use deleting tools to remove Malware files

For every anti malware or internet security move made, the malware developers often discover multiple ways of overcoming those moves. You can employ one of the numerous free tools for deleting files to remove any Malware file using the procedures below:

1. Open the software for deleting files
2. Using the scan result you obtained earlier, enter the location of the Malware threat
3. Make sure the radio button option denoting Standard file kill is selected
4. Select the delete file option

If the threat still persist

After passing through all these procedures, It is expected that you have successfully deleted all the files associated with the Malware threat and your computer must have recovered from the effects of the Malware threat. However, it is still possible that threat is so stubborn that it can’t still be deleted from your computer because other Trojans and rootkits can immediately take the place of previous threats that has been deleted from your computer in form of spyware, key loggers and adware once you reboot the computer.

DANGEROUS EFFECTS OF MALWARE

It is important to note that anti-malware software’s does not only remove available threats on your computer, but they also protect it from subsequent threat infection. It is also a good practice to frequently scan your computer to detect available threats whether you are certain that your computer has being infected or not. Some of the dangerous effects of malware are explained below:

Divulging your information to Internet criminals

The reason why it is regarded as malicious is that it squeezes itself into the computer, with the sole aim of stealing your information and divulging them to criminals who will end up using them for their evil deeds , leaving you financially broke and ruining your reputation.

Slowing down the speed of the computer

If we don’t want to allow any leak of our private information, it is a must that we find every possible means to remove malware on our computer to protect our computers from cyber intruders.  There are various spy cleaners that protects us against any form of malware, spyware as well as adware. Although, some malware can be capable of causing more harm to our computer for example some malware cleaners can crash the computer. Malicious software not only spies on our computer, but it can also run the entire operating system completely thereby, causing it to run at a very frustrating speed. This is why we must eliminate malware completely from our computer.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS TO EMBRACE WHEN PROTECTING YOUR COMPUTER

Spyware, adware and viruses are classified under malware as they are unwanted software’s that causes unwanted changes to our computer.  Some of the tutorial that will guide you when cleaning up malware from your computer have been explained above but “attack is the best form of defense”, in other words the main idea behind running a malware free computer is to avoid exposing your computer to them. Some of the safety precautions to embrace when protecting your computer includes

1. Run away from email attachments even if you are familiar with the sender except you are very sure of the content of the mail. Many infected computers tend to access important information like the address book of the computer with the aim of sending out mails automatically without the consent of the owner.
2. Pay less attention to warning message that tells you that your computer is infected with certain virus and you need to download specific software’s to clean it up. Even though you are already infected at this level, downloading the specified software will only worsen the situation as no legitimate malware cleaner will use this tactic.
3. Only patronize free downloads when you are 100% certain of the source because most of these freebies are always packaged with malware.
4. Avoid using file transfer application because most of them are susceptible to malware. Most computer with common files sharing apps are likely to be exposed to malware because the source of download of these software’s cannot be trusted.
5. Always secure your Wi-Fi connection with a strong password. Avoid broadcasting on an open network to prevent your computer from being hacked by wicked hackers. You can use WPA or WPA2 encryption to keep your computer safe from hackers.
6. Ensure you click on the “x” symbol located in the upper right corner to cancel any pop-up that appears on your computer screen when accessing a web page instead of clicking directly on the popup message because some pop-ups might have detrimental effects.
7. Make sure your operating system is updated because operating system developers often provide maximum security that will protect your computer against malware. It is obvious that viruses and malwares are also updated at all time and your current operating system or anti-malware scanning software is only as good as its current database therefore, it needs to be updated at all time.

Trust your instincts and be extra-ordinarily careful when surfing the internet as this is a very good preventive measure to protect your computer from malware.  Safe web viewing also helps to avoid the effects of malware.