Guide to Remove Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen

Is your browser homepage or default search engine changed without your consent? Are the common operations like starting your system or shutting it down becoming sluggish? Take heed! Probably your system has given in to a malware- Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen !

Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen is a malicious software/code that masquerades being legitimate application, but is, in fact harmful. This Trojan has become common these days and is renowned for its detrimental threat. It silently sneaks in the system along with free applications & games and attachments of spam e-mails. Pop-up ads are also responsible for letting this Trojan creep in. This malicious software aims at regulating virulent codes and redirecting the web searches.

Trojan is harmful & cannot replicate. It mints huge money for its developers by performing nasty functions on the infected systems. MEM: Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen has gained popularity among the hackers and cyber-thieves now-a-days.

Threat Behavior:

MEM: Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen silently infiltrates the system with weak safety protection. Firstly, it disguises as a bona fide application, however triggers highly destructive activities in the background. Following this infiltration, Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen would take up a giant part of memory space, thus compelling the system to work at a slow pace. This malignant software acts as a key to your PC for the hackers, hence allowing them to remotely control your PC. Now comes the worst part! The hackers can change your PC settings and makes it adequate for virus and malware attack by removing all the barriers for the infections!

In addition to that, this Trojan leads to the attack of other malwares, spywares, adware parasites (pop-ups ads) and browser hijackers. It largely affects the working of your machine and harms system files & folders, installed applications & software.

The smart conduct of MEM: Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen will leave you astonished as it also has the ability to browse, move, copy or delete your documents. Moreover, it has the potential to monitor your browsing habits and breach your personal information like bank account details, credit card details, login credentials!

Other Threats caused by MEM: Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen

• Redirects your web search results to infected links and phishing domains!
• Blocks your access to the authorized sites!
• Bombard your screen with unwanted pop-ups ad and adverts that are actually fake.
• Corrupts your installed software and you will face an error while accessing them!
• Degrades your system’s performance and makes it work like a snail!
• Corrupts your windows registry and causes severe malfunctions!
• Replaces your favorite Search Engine with a browser hijacker!
• It may lead to a system crash!

Spread Techniques:

The cyber-criminals use various strategies for malware distribution which include –

1. Software Bundling: Software bundling is the process in which a malicious program is distributed with other free software, to get an unnoticed entry into your computer system. When a user installs a free application, the malicious programs gains a front door entry with the free application, the user has downloaded. Thus, it is a good idea to keep an eye on the installation screens while installing these free applications.
2. Infected Storage Devices: Your system can also get infected by using removable media such as USB hard drives and jump drives without scanning them with an anti-virus.
3. Spam Emails – Spamming is the most economic and common method used for the distribution of such malware. The targeted users get genuine looking emails which contain .doc, .txt, and other similar attachments. These attachments can be named as anything which can grab the user’s attention and triggers him/her to open the attachment. As soon as the user opens this attachment, the malware infects the user’s computer system.
4. Malicious Websites or Malevolent Advertisements: The malicious websites are the ones which are created just for promoting the malware infections. Such websites include but are not limited to porn sites, torrent sites and other free downloading platforms. By visiting such websites, the adware infects the user’s computer without permission. Fake advertisements and updates like Flash player and windows updates which ask the user to update to the latest version are a few examples. When the users click on such links, their computer system gets infected. That is why, it is highly recommended to resist clicking on such links. Also avoid clicking on advertisements offering free stuff such as Win an iPhone, cars or free overseas trips etc.

Threat Summary:

Name: MEM: Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen

Browsers Affected: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge and Safari

Targeted Operating System: Windows and MAC

Category: Trojan

Symptoms: Bombarding of screen with pop-up ads, change in the homepage or default search engine, redirection of web search results to malicious domains, interrupt in browsing activity, sluggish response of PC to the common operations and deletion or modification in the files without user’s consent.

Steps to Remove MEM: Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen from the system:

STEP A: Reboot your system to safe mode with networking

To restart the system to Safe Mode with Networking,  if already switched ON then follow the below steps:

Windows 7/ Vista/ XP

1. Click on Windows icon present in the lower left corner of the computer screen.
2. Select and click  Restart.
3. When the screen goes blank, Keep tapping  F8  Key until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
4. With the help of arrow keys on keyboard, Select Safe Mode with Networking  option from the list and press the Enter Key. The system will then restart to Safe Mode with Networking.

5 Click on the username and enter the password (if any).

Windows 10 / Windows 8

1. Press and hold the Shift Key and simultaneously click on the windows icon present in the lower left corner of your computer screen.
2. While the Shift key is still pressed click on the Power button and then click on Restart.
3. Now select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings.
4. When the Startup Settings screen appears which is the first screen to appear after restart, select and click on Enable Safe Mode with Networking. The system will then restart to Safe Mode with Networking.
5. Click on the username and enter the password.

STEP B: Remove the malicious file from System Configuration Settings

1. Type “Msconfig” in search box / Run Box, select it and press Enter.
2. Click on “Services” Tab and click on “Hide all Microsoft services”.
3. Select Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen  from the list of remaining services and disable it by removing the tick mark from the checkbox and click on Apply button.

Windows 7

1. Click on the next tab – “Startup”.
2. Find any blank or suspicious entry or the entry with               Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen mentioned and remove the check mark.
3. Click on Apply button and then click on OK.

Windows 10

1. Click on the next tab – “Startup”.
2. Take the mouse cursor to ‘Open task Manager‘ link and click on it.  This opens the Task Manager window.
3. Find any blank or suspicious entry or the entry with   Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen mentioned and click on it.
4. 
5. Then click on Disable button.

STEP C: Delete the suspicious file from the Registry key 

1. Type “Regedit” in search box / Run Box, select it and press Enter.
2. An authorization dialog box will appear, then you just have to click “Yes”. (The dialog box appearance may vary depending on OS used. For Windows 10 the the dialog box looks like the first screenshot and for windows 7 it appears like the second screenshot)
3. In the registry editor, take the backup of the current registry settings before making any changes in case you want to revert to old settings later. For this, Click on File option in the menu and select Export. Save the entry at a known location.
4. From the Menu, Click Edit and Select Find.
5. Enter Trojan.Win32.Adject.gen and click Ok in the search box.
6. Select and delete suspicious  entries.

Tips to prevent your computer system from getting infected –

1. Keeping the Operating System Updated- In order to remain protected and avoid such infections, it is recommended to keep your Operating System updated by enabling the automatic update on your system. The systems with outdated or older versions of Operating System become an easy target for the attackers.
2. Resist clicking on spam emails – One of the major techniques used for malware distribution is forwarding spam emails to the user. The system gets infected as soon as the user clicks on the attachment. These mails appear to be genuine, so be aware and resist falling for these tricks.
3. Keep an eye on third party installations- It is quite important that you take due care while installing any third party applications for they are major source of such infections. Such malware programs come bundled with the free applications thereby requiring the user to remain cautious.
4. Regular periodical backup- In order to keep your data and files safe, it is recommended to take regular back up of all your data and files either on an external drive or cloud.
5. Use Anti-Virus Protection- We strongly recommend the use of antivirus protection/internet security in your PC like Bull Guard and Sophos so that it remains safe.
6. Enable the Ad Blocker/Popup Blocker in your browser- Enabling the popup blocker/ ad blocker in your chosen browser will help you to stay protected from annoying adware.