Welcome, reader, to our Trotux “Virus” removal guide. The following instructions will aid you in removing the unwanted software from your PC.
There’s pretty much no way of mistaking a browser hijacker infection for something else. The symptoms are clearly noticeable, to the point where you begin to not be able to stand them anymore and that is also probably the reason you are reading this right now. Trotux “Virus”, as a typical browser hijacker, is no different from the other members of this particularly annoying software family. It too has likely changed your browser homepage, your default search engine and has also flooded your browser with numerous, irrelevant and intrusive ads. However, their insane quantity and obstructive placement are by no means a coincidence, as you will find out in the next lines of our article. Be sure to read through it, as it will give you the necessary knowledge to battle (or better yet: avoid) future infections, before skipping on to the removal guide below.
Trotux “Virus” and what purpose it serves
The outrageous advertising that goes on within your browser ever since Trotux “Virus” became integrated with it is directly related to the software developers’ income. You see, every time you either accidentally or intentionally click on any of the flashy banners, popups or box messages, the developers profit. This is the so-called Pay-Per-Click scheme at work, and it so happens to be a very popular business model. Trust us, unless you were already familiar with the term, you would be surprised to know just how many enterprises make money based on this strategy. However, to ensure that you really do click on the ads, even if you’re incredibly skilled with the mouse and can dodge every advertising attack that comes at you, even the most unexpected, the developers have come up with a rather controversial, but clever tactic. They monitor you. Or, to be exact, they monitor your browsing patterns and gather all browsing-related information to analyze it and adjust the ads accordingly. That way, they strive to display more ads that would be likely to genuinely interest you and therefore attract a click.
Most people, though, tend to think of such activity as disturbing and this is also one of the reasons why programs like Trotux “Virus” are often classified as potentially unwanted. That’s not to say that they are in any way dangerous, mind you. Despite what you might read on the Internet, browser hijackers are not viruses and do not share any of the destructive qualities with actual viruses, such as destroying data on your PC, stealing sensitive information, blackmailing you for money like the infamous ransomware, and so on. Nevertheless, there is the acute possibility of being exposed to malware through certain fake ads, known as malvertisements. These are especially common vessels for the web’s most feared malicious software – ransomware. They don’t seem any different from your regular online ads, like the numerous popups and box messages that you’re constantly bombarded with, but they are injected with a malicious script, which would be activated once you click on it.
How to stay safe
To avoid getting involved with much more serious threats, like the one described above, we highly recommend avoiding any interaction with the showcased ads on your screen. Though the risk of landing on a malvertisement is somewhat exaggerated, it’s still there and the consequences of such an infection can prove devastating in the end. As for protecting your system from browser hijackers such as Trotux “Virus”, it’s easier than you might think. You might not recall the exact instance of getting infected, but if you had recently downloaded any new software, chances are the hijacker was bundled neatly within. Program bundles are the technique developers rely on most to spread their intrusive software. This is especially true for various freeware applications that can be downloaded from torrent sites, open source download platforms and other such not particularly trustworthy locations. You could of course stay off those sites altogether, but that would be a rather unrealistic expectation, so there’s another solution to this problem. Simply pay attention to the options in the setup wizard, when you proceed to install new software. Always opt for the advanced or custom settings, as opposed to the lazy default ones. This way you will be able to see the contents of the bundle and will be able to decide, which of them you want installed and which not.
SUMMARY:
| Name | Trotux |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| Danger Level | Medium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk) |
| Symptoms | Changed browser settings that won’t change back; numerous ads while browsing. |
| Distribution Method | Program bundles, files sharing websites, spam emails, torrents, etc. |
How to remove Trotux “Virus”
I – Uninstallation
- Use the Winkey+R keyboard combination, write Control Panel in the search field and hit enter.
- Go to Uninstall a program under Programs.
- Seek the unwanted software, select it and then click on Uninstall
- If you are unable to spot Trotux “Virus”, search for any unrecognized programs that you do not remember installing on your PC – the unwanted software might disguise itself by going under a different name.
II – Safe mode and revealing hidden files
III – Cleaning all your browsers
- Go to your browser’s icon, right-click on it and select Properties.
- Go to the Shortcut tab and in the Target make sure to delete anything written after “.exe”.
- Now, open your browser and follow the instructions below depending on whether you are using Chrome, Mozilla or IE.
- Chrome users:
- Go to your browser’s main menu located in the top-right corner of the screen and select Settings.
- Scroll down, click on Show Advanced Settings and then select Clear browsing data. Just to be sure, tick everything and clear the data.
- Now, in the left pane, go to Extensions and look through all extensions that are integrated within your browser. If you notice any suspicious add-on, disable it and then remove it.
- Firefox users:
- Similarly to Chrome, go to the main menu and select Add-ons and then Extensions.
- Remove any suspicious browser extensions that you may have even if they do not have the name Trotux “Virus” on them.
- IE users:
- Go to Tools and select Manage add-ons.
- Click on all add-on types from the left pane and check if there is anything suspicious in the right panel. In case you find anything shade, make sure to remove it.
IV – Removing Shady processes
- Go to your start menu, type Task Manager in the search field and from the results open View running processes with Task Manager.
- Thoroughly look through all processes. The name Trotux “Virus” might not be there, but if you notice any shady looking process that consumes high amounts of memory it might be ran by the unwanted program.
- If you spot the process ran by Trotux “Virus”, right-click on it, open its file location and delete everything in there. Then go back to the Task Manager and end the process.
V – DNS check
- In the start menu search box write View Network Connections and open the first result.
- Right-click on the network connection you are using and go to Properties.
- Select Internet Protocol Version (TCP/IPv4) and click on Properties.
- If Obtain DNS server addresses automatically is not checked, check it.
- Go to Advanced and select the DNS If there is anything in the DNS server addresses field, remove it and click OK.
- Click OK on the rest of the opened windows.
