Potential harmful Chrome extension detected.
Potential harmful Chrome extension detected.
I sent a message from Windows Mail and needed some guidance. I wasn’t sure if it was a real alert or just a false alarm, but I wanted to be sure. My laptop had been left on for about an hour while I was away. When I returned, my antivirus (Kaspersky) showed a Trojan (Script). It offered to remove the threat, which I clicked, but it didn’t work. I tried shutting down the PC, but it wouldn’t let me close it. I checked the system tray and saw the Windows security icon was red, and clicking it caused an error saying I lacked permission. When I tried opening photos, nothing loaded. I forced a shutdown, then restarted and the issue disappeared—this time the removal worked. Kaspersky ran a system repair to fix any damage. After that, I scanned again and found no threats. I also used Malwarebytes for a free trial and it cleared everything. I looked into how I might have gotten infected, since I’m careful about websites and downloads. I hadn’t installed a program in a long time, so something felt wrong. In Kaspersky’s quarantine area, I found a file from a Google Chrome extension I didn’t remember installing: “UltraSurf Security, Privacy & Unblock VPN.” It was removed, but the folder remained accessible. The only extensions I had were an Adblocker and Kaspersky Protection for Chrome. When I opened extensions in Chrome, a new one appeared—unfamiliar and disabled. I deleted it, and the folder was gone. Now I’m unsure if this was a false alarm or a real threat. It seems the malware was cleared. Should I still be concerned? Are there further steps I should follow to keep my system safe? Thank you for your help!
I’d prefer using Bitdefender instead of Kaspersky. Even back when boycotts started, I didn’t consider Kaspersky to be a top antivirus choice.
They often rely on antivirus software. When I would remove malware myself, I’d search program files and appdata, sometimes hiding in a hidden root directory, particularly within appdata.
It came from appdata there. I rely on antivirus since I don’t have the skills to delete it myself.
I see gaming PCs the way Rick Sanchez sees clones. Once something gets compromised, you just wipe it out and start over. Figuratively, this is like simply reinstalling Windows.
You can generate Win10/11 USB sticks without cost by visiting Microsoft’s site. The motherboard’s UEFI holds the product key, eliminating the need to extract it manually as before. A 16GB flash drive suffices for this purpose. The built-in 'reset this PC' feature works, but when I’m reinstalling Windows and clearing installed software, I prefer a more direct approach. It seems there might be some VPN-based spyware or adware present, possibly disguised as 'UltraSurf'. Free VPN services typically use proxies to monetize user data.
Thanks for your assistance. I'm using Windows 11 and need to set up a drive. It feels strange since I didn’t install it myself—maybe it came with a program I downloaded long ago. Since I haven’t downloaded anything recently, it probably just sat there quietly. Appreciate the help!