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This page aims to help you remove Ctfmon.exe Virus. Our removal instructions work for every version of Windows.
First of all let be clear – the genuine Ctfmon.exe is a legitimate Windows OS process. However there is a Trojan Horse virus posing as the genuine Ctfmon.exe. If you have found that same program by the name of Ctfmon.exe has made its way into your system and you’re not quite sure how or why this has happened, then we’re afraid we’ll be have to be the bearers of some troubling news. Unfortunately, your computer has been infected with a Trojan horse virus. However, this shouldn’t be reason to panic just yet. This article is dedicated to educating our readers about threats of this type, which includes informing them about how they get distributed and what potential danger the victim users may be facing. In addition to that, we have also prepared a very thorough removal guide that will help you locate and delete Ctfmon.exe from your system. In the event that you don’t feel confident enough to be dealing with system files, you can also always use our special removal tool, also available on this page. Whichever you choose to rely on, we recommend spending another couple of minutes to read through the following information about the virus on your PC.
Trojans: purpose, distribution and protection
You might be wondering what Ctfmon.exe might be up to on your computer and what kind of damage it may have already caused. Both of these are very good questions, to which we can, unfortunately, not provide exact answers to. The truth is, the number of usages that Trojan horses can be exploited for is so huge that there’s simply no way to pinpoint what this particular one was programmed to do. We would, however, like to provide you with an idea of what it may be doing on your PC:
- Trojans are very commonly employed for the purpose of destroying data. Be it professional secrets, compromising materials or something else, this virus could delete separate files as well as completely wipe your drives clean. Not to mention that software of this type is also fully capable of destroying your machine.
- Another, perhaps even more common use, is theft. Trojan horse viruses are often used to steal various kinds of private information from users and use it to the hackers’ benefit. For example, using methods like keystroke logging, monitoring your screen or even completely hijacking your traffic, cybercriminals can gain access to all sorts of sensitive data: bank accounts, passwords, personal details, etc.
- Spying is another use of Trojans, as well as a very broad one. Your mic can be hacked, or your webcam switched on without your knowledge. The same method described earlier of recording your keystrokes, as well as of monitoring your screen, can also be used as a means of spying on you.
- Botnets, spam, resource exploitation – all of these are also very possible and not to mention probable purposes of Ctfmon.exe on your computer. A staggering estimate of 15% of all existing computers is used as bots, so don’t be surprised if yours is, too. It can be put to work mining cryptocurrencies, or sending out spam and even infecting other computers in its network.
Ctfmon.exe Virus Removal
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).
WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!
We get asked this a lot, so we are putting it here: Removing parasite manually may take hours and damage your system in the process. If you want a fast safe solution, we recommend SpyHunter. Keep in mind, SpyHunter’s malware & virus scanner is free. To remove the infection, you'll need to purchase its full version. More information about SpyHunter and steps to uninstall.
>> Click to Download Spyhunter. If you don't want this software, continue with the guide below.
Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC at the same time and go to the Processes Tab. Try to determine which processes are dangerous.
Right click on each of them and select Open File Location. Then scan the files with our free online virus scanner:
This scanner is free and will always remain free for our website's users. You can find its full-page version at: https://howtoremove.guide/online-virus-scanner/
Scan Results
| Virus Scanner | Result |
|---|---|
 ClamAV |
|
 AVG AV |
|
 Maldet |
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.
Hold together the Start Key and R. Type appwiz.cpl –> OK.
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:
Type msconfig in the search field and hit enter. A window will pop-up:
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:
If there are suspicious IPs below “Localhost” – write to us in the comments.
Keep in mind, SpyHunter’s malware & virus scanner is free. To remove the infection, you'll need to purchase its full version. More information about SpyHunter and steps to uninstall.
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 didn’t help you, download the anti-virus program we recommended or ask us in the comments for guidance!
So now that you know how serious this infection may be, it’s time to focus on the ways it could have occurred, so that you can prevent anything like this from happening in the future. One of the most likely sources of Trojans is spam emails and infected messages on other messaging platforms (e.g. social media). They can contain an attached file or a link and the message may be trying to get you to open it – don’t! This is actually one of the leading ways of distributing not only Trojans, but ransomware and other virus types, as well. Another source that rivals this one in popularity is malvertising. This is the practice of injecting online ads with malware. As a result, clicking on an ad like this may get you infected immediately and you won’t even know it. Also, fake system requests, as well as infected downloadable content are fairly common sources. With that in mind, your best shot would be to learn to start avoiding potential malware sources. Another no less important measure would be to equip your system with a powerful and reliable antimalware too. Be sure to also use it on a regular basis to perform full system scans to detect anything that may have slipped past your computer’s defense mechanisms.
SUMMARY:
| Name | Ctfmon.exe |
| Type | Trojan |
| Danger Level | High (Trojans are often used as a backdoor for Ransomware) |
| Symptoms | Trojans are known for their stealth and are typically very difficult to detect. |
| Distribution Method | Infected torrents and other downloadable content, malicious online ads and fake system requests, spam messages, etc. |
| Detection Tool | We generally recommend SpyHunter or a similar anti-malware program that is updated daily. |
