PUP Optional


PUP Optional

If you think that you might have the PUP Optional on your PC, then this is most likely due to a warning from your antivirus/anti-malware tool, which has detected some unrecognized and potentially hazardous piece of software on your PC and has therefore warned you about its presence in the system.

PUP Optional

The PUP Optional Virus

Though the name of this “threat” might sound scary, the problematic software that we are going to be focusing in throughout the next pages isn’t really some major malware infection caused by some malware the likes of Ransomware, Trojans or Spyware. But what does all of this mean? Is there actually virus inside the computer and should any precautions be taken in order to have it removed? We are about to give you an answer to these questions within the next lines…

PUP.Optional

If your antivirus/anti-malware tool warns you about the presence of such software on your computer by showing you the PUP Optional detected message, then this usually means that there is some undesirable but likely not all that dangerous piece of software on your computer that you are advised to find and remove

First and foremost, we need to make clear what PUP stands for. A PUP is an abbreviation for a Potentially Unwanted Program. As you can see, the very name leaves a quite different feeling when compared to terms such as “virus” or “malware”. PUP’s are generally not too dangerous – oftentimes they are actually legitimate or semi-legitimate programs that might even have some useful functions but due to some annoying and unpleasant traits such as aggressive ads generation and unauthorized tinkering with the system and Internet/browsers settings are seen as unwanted.

Potential dangers – what to expect?

It is oftentimes difficult, especially nowadays, to tell where the line between a virus and a PUP or the line between a PUP and a legitimate piece of software is. There are many different opinions on the matter and it is not impossible that a program which one user would say is some nasty virus will be a highly-valued and praised piece of software for someone else. However, though it is oftentimes a matter of perspective, you should still know the general dangers that could come with the presence of a potentially unwanted program such as the PUP Optional on your PC. If you have this software, then you are likely to get exposed to different ads and page-redirects in your browser because most PUPs are known for causing that. This advertising activity, aside from being highly irritating, could also potentially land you on some shady sites and pages and thus expose your machine to actual serious malware threats – Rootkits, Spyware, Ransomware, Worms and many others. That’s why it is preferable if you locate and remove the PUP Optional from your machine and then make sure you don’t ever again get any such software installed on your computer by avoiding obscure download sources for new software and by not interacting with sketchy online content.

SUMMARY:

Name PUP Optional
Type PUP
Detection Tool

Remove PUP Optional Virus

You are dealing with a malware infection that can restore itself unless you remove its core files. We are sending you to another page with a removal guide that gets regularly updated. It covers in-depth instructions on how to:
1. Locate and scan malicious processes in your task manager.
2. Identify in your Control panel any programs installed with the malware, and how to remove them. Search Marquis is a high-profile hijacker that gets installed with a lot of malware.
3. How to clean up and reset your browser to its original settings without the malware returning. You can find the removal guide here.

For mobile devices refer to these guides instead: Android, iPhone


About the author

Brandon Skies

Brandon is a researcher and content creator in the fields of cyber-security and virtual privacy. Years of experience enable him to provide readers with important information and adequate solutions for the latest software and malware problems.

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