How to Remove W32.Qakbot Virus

W32.Qakbot just keeps popping up and you cannot remove it?

W32.Qakbot is a classic member of the Trojan horse family. As you know already, Trojans are among the most destructive and problematic types of infections online. That means W32.Qakbot is more than capable of causing you serious harm. If you hesitate for too long, the virus will eventually get out of hand. Trojans are dreaded for a reason so do not allow this program to harass you. W32.Qakbot gets activated as soon as it lands on board. The problem is, you may not even realize that you’re stuck with a parasite. Trojans are famous for being stealthy and W32.Qakbot is no exception. Unlike other infections, these programs work in silence. Hence, the virus spends a lot of time wreaking havoc behind your back. Do you see how immensely dangerous that trick is? You might notice that your PC speed is slowed down or that your browsers often crash. In addition, you could come across The Blue Screen of Death. These are all tell-tale signs that some sneaky infection is on board. If you have doubts that a PC virus has been installed, check out your machine. The sooner you tackle the cyber intruder, the better. Make sure your computer is infection-free because the Web is filled with harmful programs. Trojans, for example, mess with your system settings. W32.Qakbot does the same thing. To make matters worse, the virus bypasses your permission. It doesn’t bother to seek any authorization because your opinions simply don’t matter. Hackers keep on developing malware in order to gain profit online. Thus, your own preferences about your own PC remain irrelevant. W32.Qakbot modifies your system registry behind your back. It could also prevent some programs from running. And no, that’s not all. The parasite might alter your default browser settings as well. In this rather unpleasant scenario, consider your browsing activity destroyed. There’s no more surfing the Web at peace. In fact, there’s no more surfing the Web at all because W32.Qakbot causes your browsers to freeze and crash. As mentioned, the overall computer speed is slowed to a crawl. The virus effectively takes over your device and that’s what it was supposed to do. You’ve crossed path with an extremely harmful, stealthy and malicious program. Get rid of it on the spot.

Remove W32.Qakbot

How did I get infected with?

Nobody agrees to download Trojan horses. TheW32.Qakbot virus didn’t need your consent either. Instead, the infection probably relied on your haste online. You only need one moment of distraction to compromise your security. We’d recommend that watch out for potential intruders on a daily basis. Don’t underestimate the malicious potential malware has because that would be a mistake. Now, how did W32.Qakbot manage to slither itself onto your machine? The most commonly applied tactic involves fake emails. Many PC users rush to click open all emails they receive. However, that’s how they install various cyber infections. To save yourself the trouble, be careful what you open. Keep an eye out for bogus email-attachments and messages in your social media. You might let loose a rich bouquet of parasites without even knowing it. Another popular virus infiltration method is called freeware bundling. Next time you download program bundles, take your time in the process. Go through every single piece of software you’re about to give green light to. If you skip installation steps, you might download infections. Last but not least, stay away from unverified websites and random third-party pop-ups.

Why is this dangerous?

The W32.Qakbot parasite must be immediately tackled. This nuisance makes unauthorized changes in your default PC settings. Furthermore, it serves as a back door to more infections. More often than not, Trojans help ransomware get spread online. Keeping W32.Qakbot on board could put you in a much more dangerous situation so don’t be careless. In addition, the parasite could inject your browsers with sponsored, corrupted pop-ups. It might cause your once reliable browsers to redirect you and bombard you with commercials. Remember, these commercials must be avoided because hackers aren’t trying to help you surf the Web. Crooks aren’t remotely interested in helping you save time/money while shopping. That means you shouldn’t allow them to trick you into clicking. W32.Qakbot even jeopardizes your privacy. The Trojan collects all your browsing-related data but it could get much further than that. If this program monitors some personally identifiable information, things will get ugly. Hackers might get access to your bank account details, for example. They could get remote control over your PC too. Long story short, it is time to take measures. You will find our detailed manual removal guide down below.

Manual W32.Qakbot Removal Instructions

STEP 1: Windows 8 Removal

STEP 2: Windows 7/XP/Vista Removal

STEP 1: Start Your Computer into Safe Mode with Networking in Windows 8

  • Make sure you do not have any floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs inserted in your computer
  • Move the mouse to the upper right corner until the windows 8 charm menu appears
  • Click on the magnifying glass

win-8-advanced-settings

  • select Settings
  • in the search box type Advanced
  • On the left the following should appear

advanced-startup-options-win-8

  • Click on Advanced Startup Options
  • Scroll down a little bit and click on Restart Now

advanced-startup-restart

  • Click on Troubleshoot

troubleshoot

  • Then Advanced options

advanced-options

  • Then Startup settings

startup-settings

  • Then Restart

restart-win-8

  • When you see this screen press F5 – Enable Safe Mode with Networking

f4-win-8

 

STEP 2: Start Your Computer into Safe Mode with Networking in Windows 7/XP/Vista

  • Make sure you do not have any floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs inserted in your computer
  • Restart the computer
  • When you see a table, start tapping the F8 key every second until you enter the Advanced Boot Options

kbd F8

  • in the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode with Networking , and then press ENTER.

safe-mode-with-networking

STEP 3: Locate the startup location

  • Once the operating system loads press simultaneously the Windows Logo Button and the R key.

win-plus-r

  • A dialog box should open. Type “Regedit”

 

Depending on your OS (x86 or x64) navigate to:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

  • and delete the display Name: backgroundcontainer

delete backgroundcontainer

 

  • Then open your explorer and navigate to:

%LocalAppData%\uqgtmedia

where %LocalAppData% refers to:

C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local
delete W32.Qakbot
  • delete the whole folder

Double check with any antimalware program for any leftovers. Keep your software up-to date.

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