Be sure to read this message! Your personal data is threatened – Email Scam

Remove “Be sure to read this message! Your personal data is threatened” malware from Windows

• STEP 1: Use Malwarebytes to remove adware, browser hijackers and other malware
• STEP 2: Use AdwCleaner to remove malicious browser policies
• STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to scan your computer for other malicious programs

STEP 1: Use Malwarebytes to remove adware, browser hijackers and other malware

In this first step, we will install Malwarebytes to scan and remove any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present on your computer.

Malwarebytes is one of the most popular and most used anti-malware software for Windows, and for good reasons. It is able to destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss, without costing you absolutely nothing. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.

1. Download Malwarebytes for Windows.

   You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

   MALWAREBYTES FOR WINDOWS DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes)

2. Double-click on the Malwarebytes setup file.

   When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the MBSetup file to install Malwarebytes on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   

   You may be presented with a User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow Malwarebytes to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the Malwarebytes installation.

   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.

   When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes setup wizard which will guide you through the installation process. The Malwarebytes installer will first ask you what type of computer are you installing this program on, click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.
   

   On the next screen, click “Install” to install Malwarebytes on your computer.

   

   When your Malwarebytes installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen.

4. Click on “Scan”.

   Malwarebytes is now installed on your computer, to start a scan click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for browser hijackers and other malicious programs.

   

5. Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

   Malwarebytes will now scan your computer for browser hijacker and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.

   

6. Click on “Quarantine”.

   When the Malwarebytes scan is finished scanning it will show a screen that displays any malware, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that it has detected. To remove the adware and other malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.

   

7. Restart computer.

   Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
   
   When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes and continue with the rest of the instructions to perform a final scan that ensures that no other malicious programs are installed on your device.

STEP 2: Use AdwCleaner to remove malicious browser policies

In this step, we will use AdwCleaner to remove Adware and malicious browser policies that might be set on your computer.

AdwCleaner is a free popular on-demand scanner that can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to find. This on-demand scanner includes a lot of tools that can be used to fix the side effects of Adware.

1. Download AdwCleaner.

   You can download AdwCleaner by clicking the link below.

   ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download AdwCleaner)

2. Double-click on the setup file.

   Double-click on the file named “adwcleaner” to start AdwCleaner. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   

   AdwCleaner program will now open and you will be presented with the program’s license agreement. After you read it, click on the I agree button if you wish to continue. If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.

   

3. Enable “Reset Chrome policies” to remove malicious browser policies.

   When AdwCleaner starts, on the left side of the window, click on “Settings” and then enable “Reset Chrome policies“.

   

4. Click on the “Scan” button.

   On the left side of the AdwCleaner window, click on “Dashboard” and then click “Scan” to perform a computer scan.

   

5. Wait for the AdwCleaner scan to finish.

   AdwCleaner will now scan your computer for Adware and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes.

   

6. Click on “Quarantine” to remove malware.

   When the AdwCleaner scan is completed it will display all of the items it has found. Click on the “Quarantine” button to remove Adware and other malicious programs from your computer.

   

7. Click on “Continue” to start malware removal.

   AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or data as the program will need to close any open programs before it starts to clean. Click on the “Continue” button to finish the removal process.
   

   AdwCleaner will now delete all detected malware from your computer. When the malware removal process is complete, you can close AdwCleaner and continue with the rest of the next steps from this guide.

STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to scan your computer for other malicious programs

In this third step, we will scan the computer with HitmanPro to ensure that no other malicious programs are installed on your device.

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner that takes a unique cloud-based approach to malware scanning. HitmanPro scans the behavior of active files and also files in locations where malware normally resides for suspicious activity. If it finds a suspicious file that’s not already known, HitmanPro sends it to its clouds to be scanned by two of the best antivirus engines today, which are Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Although HitmanPro is shareware and costs $24.95 for 1 year on 1 PC, there is no limit on scanning. The limitation only kicks in when there is a need to remove or quarantine detected malware by HitmanPro on your system and by then, you can activate the one-time 30-days trial to enable the clean up.

1. Download HitmanPro.

   You can download HitmanPro by clicking the link below.

   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)

2. Install HitmanPro.

   When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on “hitmanpro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows) to install this program on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   

   You may be presented with a User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts.

   When HitmanPro starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Click on the “Next” button to perform a system scan.

   

   

4. Wait for the HitmanPro scan to complete.

   HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for browser hijackers and other malicious programs.
   

5. Click on “Next”.

   When HitmanPro has finished the scan, it will display a list of all the malware that it has found. Click on the “Next” button to have HitmanPro remove the detected items.

   

6. Click on “Activate free license”.

   HitmanPro may now require to activate the free 30-days trial to remove the malicious files. To do this, click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

   When the malware removal process is complete, it will display a screen that shows the status of the various programs that were removed. At this screen, you should click on the Next button and then if prompted you should click on the Reboot button. If HitmanPro does not prompt you to reboot, please just click on the Close button.