Understanding Setup.msi: The Deceptive Trojan Threat and How to Combat It

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What is Setup.msi?

Setup.msi is described as a ruse software from the Trojan Horse category. It pretends to be harmless but, in reality, it was designed to convince the user to load and execute it pretending to be something else. The Setup.msi Trojan can do many harmful activities, but is different from the majority of malware that is a self-replicating. It must be installed by the user specifically.

How does Setup.msi distribute itself?

Setup.msi, just like a typical Trojan, commonly uses various social engineering tactics to deceive victims into running it on their computers. The malware might hide in real-looking software, pretend to be a message from someone the user knows. It can infect the system via direct downloads, or even clicks on some questionable website. This happens, for example, when they click on an email attachment that seems to come from the friend, download a free copy of a popular game and execute it, or browse the hyperlink that appears to come from Google but leads to an infected website.

Is Setup.msi different from a virus?

Setup.msi is not like a virus. The main difference is the method of propagation. A virus is able to self-replicate and spread autonomously by attaching itself to other programs or files, and can enter a computer without requiring the user’s action after the first execution. Conversely, Trojans need some type of action such as the user’s opening or installation because they cannot replicate independently. 

What damage can the Setup.msi virus cause?

The full extent of the havoc that the Setup.msi Trojan is capable of doing is extensive due to its varied capabilities and goals. For example, some Trojans are developed to focus on the theft of user identity, credit card numbers, and passwords. Others can hijack the targeted computer remotely and use it as a botnet to send spam or start a Distributed Denial of Service. Most Trojans can monitor the victim’s online behavior, infect the computer with additional malware, and hold the devices ranging from tablets to smartphones ransomed until the victim pays a ransom.

How to deal with the Setup.msi malware effectively?

Before you can effectively fight the Setup.msi, AppQue, Alrucs Service or Alructisit malware, you have to make sure your antivirus program is up-to-date and able to detect and remove Trojans. After carrying out a thorough system scan, you may opt to delete the Trojan from quarantine if your antivirus locates it, or you might remove the infected files yourself. If the infection is severe, or the malware has affected the system, restoring the recently built backups or reinstalling the operating system may be necessary. In the worst-case scenario, victims may need professional advice.

SUMMARY:

Remove Setup.msi

To try and remove Setup.msi quickly you can try this:

1. Go to your browser’s settings and select More Tools (or Add-ons, depending on your browser).
2. Then click on the Extensions tab.
3. Look for the Setup.msi extension (as well as any other unfamiliar ones).
4. Remove Setup.msi by clicking on the Trash Bin icon next to its name.
5. Confirm and get rid of Setup.msi and any other suspicious items.

If this does not work as described please follow our more detailed Setup.msi removal guide below.

If you have a Windows virus, continue with the guide below.

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.

Some of the steps may require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.
Next, Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).

Uninstall the Setup.msi app and kill its processes

The first thing you must try to do is look for any sketchy installs on your computer and uninstall anything you think may come from Setup.msi. After that, you’ll also need to get rid of any processes that may be related to the unwanted app by searching for them in the Task Manager.

Note that sometimes an app, especially a rogue one, may ask you to install something else or keep some of its data (such as settings files) on your PC – never agree to that when trying to delete a potentially rogue software. You need to make sure that everything is removed from your PC to get rid of the malware. Also, if you aren’t allowed to go through with the uninstallation, proceed with the guide, and try again after you’ve completed everything else.

• Uninstalling the rogue app
• Killing any rogue processes

Type Apps & Features in the Start Menu, open the first result, sort the list of apps by date, and look for suspicious recently installed entries.

Click on anything you think could be linked to Setup.msi, then select uninstall, and follow the prompts to delete the app.

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, click More Details (if it’s not already clicked), and look for suspicious entries that may be linked to Setup.msi.

If you come across a questionable process, right-click it, click Open File Location, scan the files with the free online malware scanner shown below, and then delete anything that gets flagged as a threat.

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After that, if the rogue process is still visible in the Task Manager, right-click it again and select End Process.

Undo Setup.msi changes made to different system settings

It’s possible that Setup.msi has affected various parts of your system, making changes to their settings. This can enable the malware to stay on the computer or automatically reinstall itself after you’ve seemingly deleted it. Therefore, you need to check the following elements by going to the Start Menu, searching for them, and pressing Enter to open them and to see if anything has been changed there without your approval. Then you must undo any unwanted changes made to these settings in the way shown below:

• DNS
• Hosts
• Startup
• Task
  Scheduler
• Services
• Registry

Type in Start Menu: View network connections

Right-click on your primary network, go to Properties, and do this:

Type in Start Menu: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

Type in the Start Menu: Startup apps

Type in the Start Menu: Task Scheduler

Type in the Start Menu: Services

Type in the Start Menu: Registry Editor

Press Ctrl + F to open the search window