PdfPowerB2C Malware

Trojan
by Lidia Howler
May 14, 2023

PdfPowerB2C

PdfPowerB2C is a malicious piece of software created by people with criminal intentions that operates as a Trojan horse. Users who have PdfPowerB2C in their system can expect to face issues like data theft or destruction, system corruption, espionage, blackmail and banking fraud.

PdfPowerB2C.exe 1024x522
40 security vendors flagged PdfPowerB2C.exe as malicious

The purpose of this post is to acquaint the victims of the PdfPowerB2C Malware with the specifics of this malware and the methods that can be used to safely remove it from the system. Lately there has been a growing number of users infected with this Trojan and this is what made us publish this article and the removal guide that you will find below. In the paragraphs that follow, you will find information about the places where the PdfPowerB2C Malware Trojan hides, the methods it uses to infect web users, the criminal activities that it may be related to and, of course, the most effective steps that can help you remove it from your computer.

Spam messages and malvertisements are some of the most universally used ways to distribute Trojans and other types of malware across the web. That’s why what we usually advise our readers when it comes to virus and malware protection and prevention is to keep away from sketchy web ads, spam emails and shady attachments and never open them. Sadly, these aren’t the only places where threats like the PdfPowerB2C Malware can be found. Sometimes, the Trojan-based code can be disguised as a useful program, an add-on or a free application and can be uploaded on different file-sharing or torrent sites so that users can download and install it along with some other cracked or pirated software.

SUMMARY:

NamePdfPowerB2C
TypeTrojan
Detection Tool

Please follow all the steps below in order to remove PdfPowerB2C!

How to remove PdfPowerB2C

  1. First, click the Start Menu on your Windows PC.
  2. Type Programs and Settings in the Start Menu, click the first item, and find PdfPowerB2C in the programs list that would show up.
  3. Select PdfPowerB2C from the list and click on Uninstall.
  4. Follow the steps in the removal wizard.

If you have a Mac virus, please use our How to remove Ads on Mac guide.

If you have an Android virus, please use our Android Malware Removal guide.

If you have an iPhone virus, please use our iPhone Virus Removal guide.

What we suggest you do first is, check the list of programs that are presently installed on the infected device and uninstall any rogue software that you find there:

  • From the Start Menu, navigate to Control Panel ->>> Programs and Features ->>> Uninstall a Program.
  • Next, carefully search for unfamiliar programs or programs that have been installed recently and could be related to PdfPowerB2C.
  • If you find any of the programs suspicious then uninstall them if they turn out to be linked to PdfPowerB2C.
  • If a notification appears on your screen when you try to uninstall a specific questionable program prompting you to just alter it or repair it, make sure you choose NO and complete the steps from the removal wizard.

Remove PdfPowerB2C from Chrome

  1. Click on the three dots in the right upper corner
  2. Go to more tools
  3. Now select extensions
  4. Remove the PdfPowerB2C extension
  • Once you open Chrome, click on the three-dots icon to open the browser’s menu, go to More Tools/ More Options, and then to Extensions.
  • Again, find the items on that page that could be linked to PdfPowerB2C and/or that might be causing problems in the browser and delete them.
  • Afterwards, go to this folder: Computer > C: > Users > *Your User Account* > App Data > Local > Google > Chrome > User Data. In there, you will find a folder named Default – you should change its name to Backup Default and restart the PC.
  • Note that the App Data folder is normally hidden so you’d have to first make the hidden files and folders on your PC visible before you can access it.

How to get rid of PdfPowerB2C on FF/Edge/etc.

  1. Open the browser and select the menu icon.
  2. From the menu, click on the Add-ons button.
  3. Look for the PdfPowerB2C extension
  4. Get rid of PdfPowerB2C by removing it from extensions

If using Firefox:

  • Open Firefox
  • Select the three parallel lines menu and go to Add-ons.
  • Find the unwanted add-on and delete it from the browser – if there is more than one unwanted extension, remove all of them.
  • Go to the browser menu again, select Options, and then click on Home from the sidebar to the left.
  • Check the current addresses for the browser’s homepage and new-tab page and change them if they are currently set to address(es) you don’t know or trust.

If using MS Edge/IE:

  • Start Edge
  • Select the browser menu and go to Extensions.
  • Find and uninstall any Edge extensions that look undesirable and unwanted.
  • Select Settings from the browser menu and click on Appearance.
  • Check the new-tab page address of the browser and if it has been modified by “PdfPowerB2C” or another unwanted app, change it to an address that you’d want to be the browser’s new-tab page.

How to Delete PdfPowerB2C

  1. Open task manager
  2. Look for the PdfPowerB2C process
  3. Select it and click on End task
  4. Open the file location to delete PdfPowerB2C
  • Access the Task Manager by pressing together the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys and then selecting Task Manager.
  • Open Processes and there try to find a process with the name of the unwanted software. If you find it, select it with the right button of the mouse and click on the Open File Location option.
  • If you don’t see a “PdfPowerB2C” process in the Task Manager, look for another suspicious process with an unusual name. It is likely that the unwanted process would be using lots of RAM and CPU so pay attention to the number of resources each process is using.
  • Tip: If you think you have singled out the unwanted process but are not sure, it’s always a good idea to search for information about it on the Internet – this should give you a general idea if the process is a legitimate one from a regular program or from your OS or if it is indeed likely linked to the adware.
  • If you find another suspicious process, open its File Location too.
  • Once in the File Location folder for the suspicious process, start testing all of the files that are stored there by dragging them to our free online scanner available below.
  • Each file will be scanned with up to 64 antivirus programs to ensure maximum accuracy
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    • If the scanner finds malware in any of the files, return to the Processes tab in the Task Manager, select the suspected process, and then select the End Process option to quit it.
    • Go back to the folder where the files of that process are located and delete all of the files that you are allowed to delete. If all files get deleted normally, exit the folder and delete that folder too. If one or more of the files showed an error message when you tried to delete them, leave them for now and return to try to delete them again once you’ve completed the rest of the guide.

    How to Uninstall PdfPowerB2C

    1. Click on the home button
    2. Search for Startup Apps
    3. Look for PdfPowerB2C in there
    4. Uninstall PdfPowerB2C from Startup Apps by turning it off
    • Now you need to carefully search for and uninstall any PdfPowerB2C-related entries from the Registry. The easiest way to do this is to open the Registry Editor app (type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter) and then open a Find dialog (CTRL+F key combination) where you have to type the name of the threat. 
    • Perform a search by clicking on the Find Next button and delete any detected results. Do this as many times as needed until no more results are found. 
    • After that, to ensure that there are no remaining entries lined to PdfPowerB2C in the Registry, go manually to the following directories and delete them:
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Random Directory. 
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run/Random
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/Main/Random

    What is PdfPowerB2C?

    Once they compromise the computer, the Trojans like PdfPowerB2C.exe, PDFpower.exe and MediaArena do their best not to get detected so that they can remain in the system for as long as possible. In many cases, they disguise their malicious elements as regular system files in order to make it harder for the victim to detect and remove them. They also rename their malicious processes as common system processes in order to confuse the person who is trying to locate and kill them. These stealthy tactics not only make the deletion of threats like PdfPowerB2C Malware harder but also increase the risk of damaging your computer by accidentally deleting some vital system data or killing important system processes while trying to deal with the infection.


    Is PdfPowerB2C dangerous?

    Sadly, the risks of keeping a Trojan in the system and letting it operate are almost as high as the risks related to its removal. What you should keep in mind about these infections is that they have a lot of malicious abilities and can perform a variety of harmful processes and tasks without any interaction from your side. They can be used for backdoor activities and can sneak additional virus infections and malware like Ransomware, Spyware and Rootkits in the system.
    Depending on what the hackers want to achieve, threats like PdfPowerB2C Malware can be set to take over the system and provide full remote access to all its resources and the information stored there. This can allow the criminals to not only steal whatever data they want but also to remotely control the entire computer. With the help of the commands performed by the Trojan, the crooks can switch your web camera and microphone on and off, secretly make records of you and your conversations, collect sensitive information about your environment (be it your home or your office) and later use it for blackmail purposes, theft, or other forms of abuse.


    About the author

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    Lidia Howler

    Lidia is a web content creator with years of experience in the cyber-security sector. She helps readers with articles on malware removal and online security. Her strive for simplicity and well-researched information provides users with easy-to-follow It-related tips and step-by-step tutorials.

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