How to remove AutoRun Gen malware

What is AutoRun Gen?

AutoRun Gen is the generic name of threat detection by various anti-virus tools. Depending on the anti-virus (AV) suite and its database, AutoRun Gen can be detected under different names (e.g., "INF/Autorun.gen", "Trojan.AutorunINF.Gen", "INF.AutoRun", "INF:AutoRun-gen", etc.).

Since, the names are similar, however, no matter which AV suite you are using, determining that AutoRun Gen was detected is quite simple. Depending on the situation, this warning message might be a "false positive", indicating that the detected file is in fact legitimate (clean). If, however, the detection is not false, your computer is probably infected with a worm-type virus.

More about AutoRun Gen

Note that the AutoRun Gen warning occurs when AV software detects a filename called "autorun.inf". The problem is that some legitimate applications also create and use these files, which leads to a false positive detection. In other words, a false positive detection means that your computer is actually safe and the AV suite wrongly detected a legitimate file as a threat.

If, however, a worm has infiltrated your computer, then you are at risk. Worms are used to proliferate other malware. They infiltrate computers and download/install additional viruses onto the system. Worms can be used to proliferate any type of malware, including adware, browser hijackers, info-stealing trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, and many others.

If the worm injects only adware or a browser hijacker, you are fortunate, since these are the least harmful - these apps simply cause unwanted redirects, deliver intrusive advertisements, and gather some information (e.g., websites visited, IP addresses, etc.). If, however, your computer is infected with a trojan, ransomware, or cryptominer, the threat is much bigger.

Data-stealing viruses are capable of recording keyboard/mouse activity, screen information, saved logins/passwords, and other extremely sensitive data. By gaining access to banks, social networks, emails, and other personal accounts, criminals can cause significant financial losses and serious privacy issues. Ransomware is designed to encrypt data and make ransom demands.

It is impossible to restore files without the involvement of criminals. Most of them refuse to collaborate (even ransoms are paid), and so encrypted data is considered permanently lost. Cryptominers can be used to misuse infected systems to mine cryptocurrency without users' consent.

The mining process can take up to 100% of system's resources, making it virtually unusable (it barely responds) and unstable (it can easily crash). Moreover, fully-loaded components generate excessive heat. Thus, under certain circumstances (bad cooling systems, high room temperatures, etc.), hardware can overheat and be permanently damaged.

Worms in general

In summary, worms themselves are not a great threat, however, they spread infections that can be extremely dangerous. Therefore, if your AV suite has detected AutoRun Gen threat, you should take a closer look to check whether it is a false positive.

If you find anything suspicious, immediately scan the system with a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite and eliminate all detected threats.

More about false positives

All anti-virus suites falsely detect some files as a threat, even though they are legitimate, however, this does not mean that the software itself is malfunctioning or poorly designed. False positive detections typically occur due to incorrect entries in virus databases.

Fortunately, developers of AV programs solve these problems rapidly and the issue does not last long. If your antivirus suite continually detects a legitimate file as a threat, you should update the suite, which will probably solve the problem. Examples of other false positives areTrojan:Win32/Fuerboos, Trojan.gen.npe.2, and ERDNT.LOC.

How did AutoRun Gen infiltrate my computer?

In most cases, worms infiltrate computers through removable drives (e.g., external hard drives, USB Flash drives) and local networks. They simply crawl from one system to another without users' consent, however, criminals also proliferate them using spam email campaigns and private messages within various instant messaging apps (e.g., Skype, Discord, etc.).

In this case, users' interference is necessary - users must manually open links/files received from cyber criminals. As mentioned above, after successfully infiltrating computers, worms often succeed in injecting additional malware.

How to avoid installation of malware?

To prevent this situation, be very cautious when browsing the internet. Never open email attachments that seem irrelevant or are received from suspicious/unrecognizable email addresses. Criminals often send deceptive messages stating that the recipient has won a lottery, received a package, or benefited from something free of charge.

In this way, they often trick users into opening attachments. Criminals also use hacked accounts to send malicious links/files to all contacts. Therefore, if any of your friends send you a dubious link/file, do not open it before checking that it is safe.

Having a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and running is also extremely important, since these tools can detect and eliminate malware before it harms the system. The key to computer safety is caution. If you believe that your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

How to remove malware manually?

Most trojan infections can be removed by running a full system scan with Combo Cleaner. The full manual procedure below is for cases where automatic removal failed, where you want to verify a scan caught everything, or where the threat has multiple persistence points.

Tools you'll need

Combo Cleaner Antivirus 7-days free trial

Recommended primary scanner. VB100 certified. The 7-day free trial is available.

Microsoft Defender Offline Free · built-in

Built into Windows. Boots to a clean environment to catch rootkits.

Process Explorer Free

From Microsoft Sysinternals. Better than Task Manager - shows full paths and signatures.

Autoruns Free

From Microsoft Sysinternals. Lists every place malware can persist on your system.

Microsoft Safety Scanner (MSERT) Free

Official Microsoft on-demand scanner. Always-current signatures - expires every 10 days.

Phase 1~ 5 min

Contain - limit the damage

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1

Disconnect from the network

30 secNo tool needed

Unplug your Ethernet cable and turn off Wi-Fi. If you're on a laptop, the airplane-mode key works fastest.

Why this matters

Many trojans exfiltrate data - saved browser passwords, banking sessions, screenshots - and accept remote commands. Cutting the network stops both immediately. Keep it disconnected until Phase 4.

2

Boot into Safe Mode with Networking

3 min

Safe Mode loads a minimal set of drivers and stops most malware from auto-running. "With Networking" lets you download tools - re-enable Wi-Fi only after you've booted in.

Windows 11

Open Settings → System → Recovery. Click Restart now next to Advanced startup.

Your computer will restart into the "Choose an option" menu. Click Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart. After the second reboot, press 5 or F5.

Windows 10

Click the Windows logo, hold Shift, click the Power icon and choose Restart. In the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart. Press F5.

Windows 8

Go to the Start Screen, type Advanced, select Settings → Advanced startup options → Restart now → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup settings → Restart → F5.

Note: Windows 8 reached end-of-life in January 2023 - running on it puts you at much higher risk of reinfection.

Windows 7

Click Start → Shut Down → Restart → OK. As the system boots, press F8 repeatedly until the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, then choose Safe Mode with Networking.

Note: Windows 7 reached end-of-life in January 2020 - running on it puts you at much higher risk of reinfection.

Phase 2~ 15 min

Identify - find what's hiding

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3

Inspect running processes with Process Explorer

Tool: Process Explorer5 min

Download Process Explorer from Microsoft Sysinternals. Run it as Administrator. Click Options → Verify Image Signatures and View → Lower Pane View → DLLs.

Sort by "Verified Signer." Anything unsigned running from %AppData%, %LocalAppData%, %Temp%, or %ProgramData% is suspicious. Right-click → Properties to see the full image path. Right-click → "Search Online" to look up unfamiliar process names.

Why not just Task Manager

Task Manager hides full file paths, doesn't show digital signatures, and groups processes in ways that make malware easy to miss. Process Explorer is the same tool Microsoft engineers use.

4

Map every persistence point with Autoruns

Tool: Autoruns 14.x10 min

Download Autoruns. Right-click Autoruns.exe and choose Run as administrator - without elevation, Autoruns can't inspect protected registry hives.

In the menu, open Options → Hide Microsoft Entries and Options → Hide Empty Locations, then click Refresh.

Modern trojans don't just live in startup. Walk through these tabs and look for unsigned or unfamiliar entries:

• Logon - classic Run/RunOnce keys
• Scheduled Tasks - frequent hiding spot, especially tasks with PowerShell, MSHTA, or rundll32 actions
• Services - unsigned services in non-Microsoft folders
• WMI - Event Subscriptions are a stealthy persistence mechanism (MITRE T1546.003)
• Image Hijacks - Image File Execution Options "Debugger" abuse
• AppInit - DLLs loaded into every GUI process
• Browser plug-ins - unsigned add-ons across all installed browsers

Pro tip

Right-click any suspicious entry → "Jump to Image" to see the actual file. Right-click → "Search Online" opens VirusTotal for the file hash. Don't delete yet - just write down the file paths and entry names. We'll remove them after the scans.

5

Check the hosts file and DNS settings

3 minBuilt into Windows

Trojans often redirect bank, antivirus, and update domains to attacker-controlled servers by editing the hosts file or DNS settings.

Hosts file: Open Notepad as Administrator and open C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts. Legitimate entries are commented with #. Any uncommented IP-to-domain mapping is suspicious - especially redirects for microsoft.com, windowsupdate, or your bank.

DNS settings: Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run ipconfig /all. Confirm your DNS servers point to your ISP, your router, or a known public resolver (Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, Google 8.8.8.8). Then open Settings → Network & internet → [your adapter] → DNS server assignment and verify both DNS and DNS over HTTPS (DoH) settings haven't been hijacked.

Why this matters

A clean PC with hijacked DNS is still a compromised PC. You'll think you're at chase.com and you'll be at the attacker's clone.

Phase 3~ 60-90 min

Remove - three scans, one cleanup

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No single antivirus catches everything. The order below is intentional: offline scan first (catches rootkits before Windows fully loads), then on-demand scanners on the running system, then manual cleanup of anything they missed.

6

Run Microsoft Defender Offline

Tool: Built into Windows15 min

Reboot to normal Windows. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Scan options. Select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now. Your computer will restart into a stripped-down environment and scan before the full operating system loads.

Why this comes first

Rootkits and bootkits hide from any scanner running on the same Windows session that's already infected. A pre-boot offline scan sees the disk before the malware can hide itself.

Recommended antivirus

Combo Cleaner

VB100 certified. Includes anti-trojan, registry/persistence scanning, anti-spyware in one pass. The 7-day free trial is available.

Download Combo Cleaner

7

Run Combo Cleaner full system scan

Tool: Combo Cleaner20-40 min

Install Combo Cleaner and run a full system scan (not the quick scan). Let it complete fully, review the detected threats, and apply the recommended actions. Combo Cleaner will quarantine known trojans and registry persistence.

8

Run Microsoft Safety Scanner as a second-opinion scan

Tool: Microsoft Safety Scanner15 min

Download Microsoft Safety Scanner (MSERT.exe), Microsoft's free on-demand tool. The binary expires every 10 days, which means every download has the latest signatures. Run a full scan after Combo Cleaner to catch anything one engine alone might miss.

Why a second scan

Different scanning engines catch different threats. Running an additional Microsoft scan after Combo Cleaner is the single most underused verification step in malware removal.

9

Manually remove anything still listed in Autoruns

Tool: Autoruns10 min

Reopen Autoruns. Anything you flagged in Step 4 that's still present hasn't been caught by the automated scans. For each remaining suspicious entry: right-click → Delete in Autoruns (this removes the persistence registration), then navigate to the file path and delete the actual file. Empty the Recycle Bin.

Important

Some malware files reappear after deletion because something else on the system recreates them. If you delete a file and it returns within minutes, you have a remaining persistence point that Autoruns didn't show - usually a service or scheduled task running under SYSTEM. Re-run the scans from Steps 6-8 or proceed to a clean install (see end of guide).

Phase 4~ 15 min

Recover - restore browsers and security

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10

Reset browsers and clear notification permissions

5 min

Trojans and adware frequently hijack browsers - change the default search engine, install rogue extensions, or grant themselves notification permissions to keep displaying scam pop-ups even after the malware is gone.

• Chrome: visit chrome://settings/reset and click "Restore settings to their original defaults." Then visit chrome://settings/content/notifications and remove any unfamiliar sites.
• Edge: visit edge://settings/reset. Then check edge://settings/content/notifications.
• Firefox: open about:support and click Refresh Firefox (Firefox uses "Refresh," not "Reset"). Then check Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → Notifications.

Review installed extensions in each browser and remove anything you don't recognize, especially extensions you didn't install yourself.

11

Re-enable Defender, Tamper Protection, and update everything

10 min

Many trojans disable security software. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Manage settings and confirm Real-time protection, Cloud-delivered protection, and Tamper Protection are all turned on. Tamper Protection prevents malware from disabling Defender silently.

Then run Windows Update (Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates) and update your browsers and applications. The infection vector that let the trojan in originally usually involves outdated software.

Phase 5~ 15 min + 7 days

Verify & secure

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12

Change passwords from a clean device

20 min⚠ Critical

If the trojan was an info-stealer (Lumma, RedLine, Vidar, and similar are extremely common), assume every password saved in your browser is compromised. Change them from a different, known-clean device - your phone is fine if it's not infected.

Recommended order:

1. Primary email first - it's the recovery hub for everything else
2. Banking and financial accounts
3. Password manager master password (if you use one)
4. Social media, shopping, and remaining accounts

Where available, enable phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (passkeys / FIDO2 hardware keys / authenticator apps) - SMS-based MFA is bypassable by sophisticated attackers.

13

Verify the clean and monitor for 7 days

5 min + 1 week monitoring

Reconnect to the network and run one final full scan with Combo Cleaner. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and switch to the Startup apps tab - confirm nothing suspicious has reappeared.

Over the next 7 days, watch for symptom recurrence: unexpected high CPU usage, unknown processes returning, browser redirects, or pop-ups. If anything returns, you missed a persistence point and the procedure needs to be repeated - or you may have a deeper compromise that requires a clean install.

When to clean install Windows instead

Manual removal isn't always the right answer. Reinstalling Windows from scratch is the only way to be 100% certain when:

• The malware reappears after every removal attempt
• A bootkit or UEFI rootkit was detected (this class of threat sits below the operating system and survives a normal Windows reinstall)
• A confirmed credential-theft trojan ran with administrator privileges (Lumma, RedLine, Vidar) - the system likely has multiple unknown payloads
• The PC is used for online banking, business email, or anything where partial doubt isn't acceptable

A clean install is a 30-60 minute process: Windows 11 reinstall via Settings → System → Recovery → Reset this PC → Remove everything → Cloud download. Back up documents to external storage first, scan the backup with Combo Cleaner before restoring it, and reinstall applications fresh - never restore them from a backup of the infected system.

Important: Manual removal requires advanced computer skills. If you're not confident identifying system files from malicious files, run an automated scan with Combo Cleaner and Windows Defender and stop there - that path catches the vast majority of consumer trojans without the risk of breaking Windows by deleting the wrong file.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

My computer is infected with malware, should I format my storage device to get rid of it?

Formatting your storage device should be considered a last resort when dealing with malware. This action erases all data on the device. It is advisable to try running a system scan using a reputable security tool to eliminate malware.

What are the biggest issues that malware can cause?

The biggest issues that malware can cause include data loss, system instability, identity theft, financial loss, compromised privacy, and additional computer infections.

What is the purpose of a malware?

The purpose of malware is often to steal sensitive information (e.g., login credentials or credit card details), disrupt computer operations (e.g., encrypt data), or gain unauthorized access to systems for malicious intent.

How did a malware infiltrate my computer?

Malware can infiltrate your computer through various means such as malicious email attachments, infected downloads (e.g.m pirated software or cracking tools), compromised websites, software vulnerabilities, malicious advertisements, compromised USB drives, etc.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Combo Cleaner can detect and eradicate nearly all known malware infections. However, it is important to note that sophisticated malware often conceals itself deep within the system. Hence, conducting a comprehensive system scan is required to detect and remove hidden threats.