Windows Defender detecting suspicious activity from a Trojan on Windows 11
Windows Defender detecting suspicious activity from a Trojan on Windows 11
Hello everyone. I’m dealing with a strange problem. I’ve been trying to track down a Trojan that keeps reappearing, but it doesn’t show up in standard scans or Windows Defender checks. It shows up intermittently, sometimes appearing and disappearing at random times. Every time I remove it, it seems to vanish for a while before reappearing later. This issue is happening on both my Windows 11 laptop and desktop. Both systems are set up similarly, as I run a small audio and video project studio, and the problem affects both of them. The threat appears as a Trojan, and Defender labels it as Trojan:JS/KryptoStealer.GA!MSR. It always ends up in the same hidden folder, though the file name changes each time. The latest version was found just recently, with a name like C:\Users\myusername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\IE\6XDAO3K1\U5O2133D.htm. Other versions also show up, but the preceding file name varies. The only advice I’ve gotten was to reset and reinstall Windows, which is risky since I have important software with licenses. I’m unsure what steps to take and need guidance on how to permanently remove it. I tried a Malware bytes scan before and after removal, but nothing came up. If I run a full Windows Defender scan afterward, nothing appears. It seems to reappear at random intervals. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks ahead for your help.
Consider using a web-based scan such as Trend Micro's House Call to compare outcomes. The directory might be cached in Internet Explorer, so clearing its temporary files could help.
The Bitdefender free version should work well enough. Edge is now almost identical to Chrome, so unless it lacks support for Firefox or Chrome, I wouldn’t recommend it. Microsoft once dominated browser development, but that’s a long time ago.
It seems to be connected to an internet browser. More research shows people often reset their default browsers and try again. The issue first appeared after using Edge briefly. Although I don’t use Edge much, I do a few times daily. I reset all three browsers to see if it helps. It’s unclear if this resolves the problem. This has been happening less frequently lately, but I’m trying to understand its cause. I haven’t encountered malware or viruses before since I avoid risky activities. I’m looking into where this problem might be coming from. No relevant search results came up for this exact issue.
I once used Bitdefender free, but later they removed the free version I believed it was.
Nope, although honestly, retailers have been running like 24hr fire sales for bitdefender subscriptions, I recently got mine from staples 6-devices 1yr for $21 tax included If you are US based: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/bitdefender...lsrc=aw.ds
Have you used ADWCleaner? It usually removes browser-specific threats more effectively than antivirus software, such as redirecters, persistent URLs, and pop-ups. Worth a look if you're still facing problems—it's free.
Great. I’ve restored the free version and signed in with my old account. I’m based in the US and I’ll definitely take a look at the offers. The free option seems sufficient for now, but after this mess I might switch to a paid plan for a while. That’s what happened to me too—I mentioned it last time. They suggested clearing everything and reinstalling Windows, which I’ve done before when a persistent problem kept coming up. But since I often use license keys for my production tasks and it’s super frustrating to manage all those accounts, I’m considering giving this a try. Thanks a lot for the advice!