An infection with the dangerous Advance Identity Protector Virus leads to serious security issues. Victims can restore and protect their computers by following our complete removal guide.
Remove Advance Identity Protector Virus and Restore PC
Manual Removal Guide
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Distribution of Advance Identity Protector Virus
The Advance Identity Protector Virus is a new virus which has been sighted in a limited attack campaign. At the moment the security researchers cannot determine the primary infection strategy. We presume that the most widely used tactics are going to be employed.
Among them are the email messages created in an automated way and sent to large lists of potential victims. The Advance Identity Protector Virus can be directly attached to the messages. This is one of the easiest way for the criminals to attempt the infection. However a lot of email hosting providers usually capture the signatures of the virus and as such discard such messages or label them as dangerous or spam. Other infection methods related to this one is the option of inserting hyperlinks in the body content of the messages. The links are usually labelled as leading to a familiar website or a file of user interest. Redirects can redirect to hacker-controlled sites, infected payloads or other instances that can lead to an Advance Identity Protector Virus infection.
The computer criminals behind the malware can create malicious sites or download portals which distribute malware of different kinds, including the Advance Identity Protector Virus. A popular option is the use of infected documents which may be of different types ‒ spreadsheets, rich text documents, presentations and databases. They are modified to initiate the virus once the built-in scripts are run. Usually when the files are opened a notification will ask the users to run the macros (scripts). If this is done the infection follows.
The hacker-controlled sites are specialist portals that have been created either manually or automatically by the criminals behind the Advance Identity Protector Virus. They can either directly distribute the threat by initiating various scripts or automated operations or link to such instances. Redirects are usually caused by email interaction, ad networks or other browsing activity. However one of the main sources is the availability of browser hijackers. They are malicious addons made for the most popular web browsers ‒ Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, Microsoft Edge and Safari. Once installed they not only infect the users with the malware, but also redirect the victims to a hacker-controlled site. Depending on the configuration the browser hijackers can also steal sensitive information such as any stored passwords, account credentials, history, bookmarks, form data and settings.
Impact of Advance Identity Protector Virus
Security experts identified numerous malware strains that carry the Advance Identity Protector Virus. This is an application that is usually advertised on download sites and torrent trackers as an useful system utility. The description that is accompanied by the malware is that of a security software.
Most of the reports indicate that this is a popular example of a rogue anti-spyware utility. many computer users have fallen victim to its infections as it is marketed as a protective application. Its developers have placed a lot of effort into creating sites that promote it as a legitimate product and this has helped the threat to become popular.
The Advance Identity protector virus is part of a tech support scam which is usually conducted by the same team that are behind the software. The users may experience any of the following symptoms: performance issues, service failure, application problems and startup issues. They are induced by the Advance Identity Protector Virus itself and are part of its infection patterns. The main idea behind such malware is to cause problems that might appear as caused by other threats and use the false security software as a conduit for the tech support scam.
Depending on the exact configuration the Advance Identity Protector virus may initiate different attack patterns. Examples include the following post-infection malware:
- Information Gathering — The Advance Identity Protector virus can build a profile of the victims by extracting all kinds of personal information.
- Registry Modifications — The malware engine can be used to initiate registry changes. They may prohibit certain applications, services or Windows components from running.
- Data Recovery Prohibition — Some samples of the Advance Identity Protector virus have been foud to delete the shadow volume copies of the accessible data. In this case only the use of a quality anti-spyware solution can effectively restore the affected data.
- Additional Malware Delivery — Computer criminals can use the Advance Identity Protector virus to deliver additional threats.
The security analysis reveals that the samples also create scheduled tasks that automatically launch the malware once the computer boots. This is another popular technique used that makes it very hard to remove or manipulate the threat without resorting to the use of a professional-grade anti-spyware software.
One of the reports indicate how the tech support scam powere by the Advance Identity Protector Virus is done:
- Hacker-controlled sites, including portals and search engines showcase banners, ads or pop-ups that show warning signs that their computer is infected. They may be coerced into installing the “anti-malware tool” from an “official site” or follow up further instructions.
- The scammers then display a telephone number that is picked up by an operator that usually guides them into running simple commands. Their output is read as “virus infections”. The victims are blackmailed into paying the “support team” for “virus removal”.
- Another scheme would be to initiate a remote desktop session which allows the criminals to login to the computers and execute commands on their own.
- The Advance Identity Protector Virus may be imposed by the hackers as a result.
Some of the samples associated with this threat have also been observed to cause infections like ransomware. This is especially dangerous when used in conjunction with advanced families like Spora, WannaCry and Petya. Some versions have been found to contain specific Google Chrome components. They aim to misconfigure the popular web browser, modify settings related to it an the installed browser extensions.
Security experts note warn that such instances can also be used to cause infections with other malware including the following:
- Ransomware — They are used to extort the computer users by encrypting personal files with a strong. They are then blackmailed to pay for a “decryption key”.
- Trojan Module — They can take over control of the infected hosts at any given time.
- Cryptocurrency Miners — The latest tren is the infection with dangerous cryptocurrency miners. They use the host’s performance to generate income for the operators.
Remove Advance Identity Protector Virus and Restore PC
WARNING! Manual removal of the Advance Identity Protector Virus requires being familiar with system files and registries. Removing important data accidentally can lead to permanent system damage. If you don’t feel comfortable with manual instructions, download a powerful anti-malware tool that will scan your system for malware and clean it safely for you.
SpyHunter anti-malware tool will diagnose all current threats on the computer. By purchasing the full version, you will be able to remove all malware threats instantly. Additional information about SpyHunter / Help to uninstall SpyHunter
Advance Identity Protector Virus – Manual Removal Steps
Start the PC in Safe Mode with Network
This will isolate all files and objects created by the ransomware so they will be removed efficiently. The steps bellow are applicable to all Windows versions.
1. Hit the WIN Key + R
2. A Run window will appear. In it, write msconfig and then press Enter
3. A Configuration box shall appear. In it Choose the tab named Boot
4. Mark Safe Boot option and then go to Network under it to tick it too
5. Apply -> OK
Remove Advance Identity Protector from Windows
Here’s a way to remove the program. This method will work regardless if you’re on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP. Simply selecting the program and pressing delete won’t work, as it’ll leave a lot of small files. That’s bad because these leftovers can linger on and cause all sorts of problems. The best way to delete a program is to uninstall it. Here’s how you can do that:
1. Hold the “Windows” button (It’s between CTRL and Alt on most keyboards) and press “R”. You’ll see a pop-up window.
2. In the textbox, type “appwiz.cpl”, then press“ Enter ”.
3. The “Programs and features” menu should now appear. It’s a list of all the programs installed on the PC. Here you can find the program, select it, and press “Uninstall“.
Remove Advance Identity Protector Virus From Your Browser
Before resetting your browser’s settings, you should know that this action will wipe out all your recorded usernames, passwords, and other types of data. Make sure to save them in some way.
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1. Start Mozilla Firefox. In the upper right corner, click on the Open menu icon and select “Add-ons“.
2. Inside the Add-ons Manager select “Extensions“. Search the list of extensions for suspicious entries. If you find any, select them and click “Remove“.
3. Click again on the Open menu icon, then click “Options“.
4. In the Options window, under “General” tab, click “Restore to Default“.
5. Select “Search” in the left menu, mark the unknown search engine and press “Remove”.
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1. Start Google Chrome. On the upper-right corner, there a “Customize and Control” menu icon. Click on it, then click on “Settings“.
2. Click “Extensions” in the left menu. Then click on the trash bin icon to remove the suspicious extension.
3. Again in the left menu, under Chrome, Click on “Settings“. Go under “On Startup” and set a new page.
4. Afterward, scroll down to “Search“, click on “Manage search engines“.
5. In the default search settings list, find the unknown search engine and click on “X“. Then select your search engine of choice and click “Make default“. When you are ready click “Done” button in the right bottom corner.
2. In the “Manage add-ons” window, bellow “Add-on Types“, select “Toolbars and Extensions“. If you see a suspicious toolbar, select it and click “Remove“.
3. Then again in the “Manage Add-ons” window, in “Add-on Types“, Select “Search Providers“. Chose a search engine and click “Set as default“. Select the unknown search engine and click “Remove and Close”.
4. Open the Tools menu, select “Internet Options”.
5. In the “General” tab, in “Home page”, enter your preferred page. Click “Apply” and “OK”.
Repair Windows Registry
1. Again type simultaneously the WIN Key + R key combination
2. In the box, write regedit and hit Enter
3. Type the CTRL+ F and then write the malicious name in the search type field to locate the malicious executable
4. In case you have discovered registry keys and values related to the name, you should delete them, but be careful not to delete legitimate keys
Click for more information about Windows Registry and further repair help
