Infection by malware will affect the performance of personal computer systems, corporate end-user systems, and any system that is connected to the internet. However, such infection does not necessarily show itself clearly. The affected system might slow down in performance, show strange error messages, redirect the user to suspicious webpages, and behave strangely in terms of network connections. The infection could lead to even worse consequences such as stealing of data, data corruption, infection of the system, and replication.
Thus, cleaning up the infection is only part of the recovery effort, as the infected system needs to be identified, isolated, and secured to prevent future infections.
How to Safely Remove Malware from an Infected Device
When your computer is suspected of being infected by malware, it is necessary for you to do things in the right sequence to ensure that no more damage is done. Understanding how to remove malware safely involves more than simply deleting suspicious files. It is done through containment of the malware then scanning for it before removal and restoring of your system while enhancing security.
These actions will prevent the spread of the malware as well as protecting critical information.
Step 1: Isolating the Infected System from the Network
Firstly, it is important to make sure that the malware is not able to reach other systems via the network. Therefore, it is necessary to disconnect the computer with the malware from the Internet and from the company network if required, either turning off Wi-Fi or unplugging it.
Such actions may impede the capability of the malware to contact remote command-and-control centers as well as to spread among other systems in the network. However, at the same time, it should be kept in mind that the incident response process presupposes evidence preservation.
Step 2: Recognize the Indicators of an Infection
Before erasing anything, recognize what has caused your computer to behave oddly,
- Unexpectedly slow system performance
- Constant crashes or program crashes
- Pop-up ads or unexpected browser redirection
- Strange applications or running processes
- Suspicious activity in your accounts
- Unexpected network activity
- Unexpected modifications to the browser settings
Though it does not always imply the presence of malware in the system, it will certainly aid in knowing what should be looked out for by the security personnel. In the corporate world, the review of alerts, security logs, and network information can help.
Step 3: Perform a Reliable Security Scan
With the machine disconnected from the network, perform a reliable security scan on the computer. Using endpoint protection software or trusted anti-malware software can help detect malicious files, applications, and processes. A full system scan can identify threats across the device, including locations that a quick scan might not thoroughly examine. For more information, refer to this guide on how to run a full malware scan.
If the installed security software appears to have been compromised, organizations should use a trusted recovery or security environment when appropriate. Avoid downloading unfamiliar cleanup tools from suspicious websites.
The tool intended to remove malware could otherwise introduce additional security risks.
See also: How Businesses Can Grow With a Complete Digital Strategy
Step 4: Removing Malware That Has Been Detected
When you discover the presence of malware during the scanning phase, you should act on the directions provided in the security program on how to get rid of malware. It could vary from malware to malware, but basically, all you need to do is simply delete, quarantine, or reset system settings of the malware files.
There might be some infections of malware which would affect the process of launching software, browsing, task scheduling, or even affect the system parts. So, deleting one file won’t be enough.
Step 5: Upgrade the Operating System and Programs
After having deleted the malware, it is high time that you upgraded your operating system, software programs, web browser, and security software. Old software contains vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. With upgrading, the software vulnerabilities get wiped out, and the chances of getting infected through the same process become minimum.
The software that is not supported should also be kept in mind by organizations. It becomes vital for the organizations to make a decision as to whether the software is required to be replaced or isolated.
Step 6: Security of Credentials and Logins
Sometimes, malware might steal password information or other credentials from the user’s computer. Cleaning the device, therefore, needs to be followed up by an assessment of security on user accounts. Passwords should be changed by users for any important accounts if they used an infected computer while logging into those accounts. It is crucial to have unique passwords all the time.
Multi-factor authentication needs to be enabled on all platforms where this is possible. Organizations need to assess recent account activities and terminate any questionable activity where necessary. Privileged credentials are of special concern if there is any indication that they might have been stolen.
Step 7: Recover Data Safely
In case the files have been affected by the malware, they should be restored only from backups that are proven to be safe and have not been affected. The backups need to be current and safe. Do not plug in your backup media until you know that the infected computer is clean.
When Should an Infected Device Be Rebuilt?
In certain cases, wiping and then rebuilding an infected machine would be preferable to continuing with malware removal attempts.
- Malware keeps coming back despite the cleanup
- System files are greatly corrupted
- The security controls have been compromised
- Credentials for administrative access have possibly been exposed
- The OS integrity cannot be assured
Rebuilding will give an opportunity to install applications using a clean and trusted OS. Prior to the rebuilding process, an organization needs to make sure that business data is saved and proceed according to the incident response plan.
How Businesses Can Prevent Malware From Returning
After cleaning malware from computers, there is a need to put preventive measures in place to avoid another attack through the same vulnerabilities. Businesses can do so through:
- Keeping operating systems and software up to date
- Employing endpoint security solutions
- Filtering suspicious email attachments and links
- Limiting administrative privileges
- Employing multi-factor authentication
- Network segmentation
- Monitoring network and endpoint activity
What Businesses Should Consider During Malware Recovery
A structured recovery process can make malware incidents easier to manage. Businesses should consider the following:
| Area | What to Consider |
| Containment | Isolate affected devices to limit further spread. |
| Investigation | Determine the entry point and which systems were impacted by the malware. |
| Removal | Utilize trusted security software to identify and eliminate any malicious elements. |
| Credentials | Change any compromised passwords and access codes. |
| Data Recovery | Recover vital information from backups. |
| System Integrity | Decide whether you can trust your system or if it needs to be rebuilt. |
| Monitoring | Look out for anything else suspicious happening on a regular basis. |
| Prevention | Address the vulnerability that allowed the infection to occur. |
Conclusion
Elimination of malware is a complicated task that goes beyond the deletion of the infected file. It also involves isolation of the affected computer, diagnosing the infection, carrying out security tests, eliminating the malware, limiting access credentials, and restoring the clean data. Organizations can even study the reasons behind the infection and how they can avoid being infected with something similar in the future.
Using some of the preventive measures like endpoint protection, access control, employee training, monitoring, patch management, and backups can help an organization reduce the damage caused by malware infection.
FAQs
1. Can the malware be gotten rid of without needing to reinstall the operating system?
In some instances, malware can be solved by use of reliable security software. But, in some instances, it becomes inevitable to rebuild the whole system.
2. Should I unplug the infected device from the Internet?
It may be generally useful to cut off any contact of the potentially infected device. However, for business users, the company’s guidelines should be considered for answering this question.
3. Should passwords be changed after a malware infection?
Yes. In case of infection and a potential capture of passwords by malware, all critical passwords must be changed from another secure device.
4. How can companies safeguard against malware attacks in the future?
Companies will protect themselves from malware attacks in the future through software patching, endpoint security, email security, access controls, network segmentation, security awareness, security monitoring, and backing up.
