OFFERHow can you get infected with UniversalUpdater?
Getting infected with UniversalUpdater usually happens when you download and install software that seems legitimate, yet it is not. This might happen when you download some programs from somewhere you don’t trust or click some links from emails that are not from people you know. The Trojan can pretend to be something useful that you might install using the link given. This is just like the wooden horse from the ancient Greek story. Trojans can be attached to email attachments or get inside the system through the vulnerabilities of software that is not updated.
What is UniversalUpdater?
UniversalUpdater is frequently referred to as a Trojan horse. Trojans like this one don’t self-replicate like viruses do. The user must install them, though most victims do so unintentionally since the threat can appear as an email attachment, a free game, or a notification for software updates. UniversalUpdater has the ability to carry out various malicious tasks once installed. These are frequently connected to the removal or theft of private information, the exploitation of system weaknesses, and the installation of additional malware, such as ransomware.
Is UniversalUpdater a Virus?
Technically speaking, UniversalUpdater is not a computer virus. Despite the fact that users call any malware a “virus”, UniversalUpdater is not a self-replicating or self-distributing type of threat. If viruses can be transmitted to other devices without the participation of a person, then Trojans can only operate in the event of a person agreeing to install them in order to gain access to the system. The main difference between Trojans and viruses lies in the fact that in contrast to the former, the latter need a deception to enter your computer and create chaos.
What can the UniversalUpdater virus do?
When the UniversalUpdater Trojan is already in your system, it can do a lot of things to your computer, depending on what the malware was designed to do. It can steal personal information (passwords, credit card numbers), record keystrokes, or download other types of malware. The information received in this manner can be sent to cybercriminals, who can use it to clone your identity or empty your bank account. The Trojan can allow an attacker to access your computer. This might enable him or her to send spam messages from your account, or exploit your computer to attack other systems, delete or encrypt your files and hold them for ransom.
How to remove the UniversalUpdater.exe malware?
If you suspect having UniversalUpdater.exe on your machine, act quickly. First of all, perform a full machine scan with security software you trust. In most cases, it should be enough, as this type of software can detect and delete most of the Trojan infections, like Pinaview and BBWC. Besides, remember to keep your antivirus up to date because new threats are discovered daily. If the Trojan horse deals harsh damage to your system, additional tools or even professional help may be required. And if the harm turns out to be bad enough, restoring your computer to a previous date or even reinstalling the OS before the infection took place could be the only way to save it. After cleaning your computer, change all your passwords again and monitor your accounts for any suspicious activity to ensure your stolen data is not being used.
SUMMARY:
Remove UniversalUpdater
To try and remove UniversalUpdater quickly you can try this:
- Go to your browser’s settings and select More Tools (or Add-ons, depending on your browser).
- Then click on the Extensions tab.
- Look for the UniversalUpdater extension (as well as any other unfamiliar ones).
- Remove UniversalUpdater by clicking on the Trash Bin icon next to its name.
- Confirm and get rid of UniversalUpdater and any other suspicious items.
If this does not work as described please follow our more detailed UniversalUpdater 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 UniversalUpdater 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 UniversalUpdater. 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 UniversalUpdater, 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 UniversalUpdater.
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.
After that, if the rogue process is still visible in the Task Manager, right-click it again and select End Process.
Undo UniversalUpdater changes made to different system settings
It’s possible that UniversalUpdater 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
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