How to remove Trojan.Adclicker virus (Removal Guide)

Trojan.Adclicker is a detection name used by Norton Antivirus to identify malicious programs that share the primary functionality of artificially generating traffic to pay-per-click Web advertising campaigns in order to create or boost revenue.

Pay-per-click, or PPC, is a Web advertising technique by way of which revenue is generated each time a user clicks on an advertisement. Advertising revenue may be shared by the parties involved in a number of different ways, but advertisers typically pay advertisement publishers each time a user clicks on one of their advertisements.

If a criminal group — or one of their affiliates — poses as a publisher, they can generate revenue by artificially generating fake ‘clicks’. One way in which this may be achieved is through the use of a Trojan horse program that runs on unsuspecting users’ computers.

The Trojan.Adclicker virus is distributed through several means. Malicious websites, or legitimate websites that have been hacked, can infect your machine through exploit kits that use vulnerabilities on your computer to install this Trojan without your permission of knowledge.

Another method used to propagate this type of malware is spam email containing infected attachments or links to malicious websites. Cyber-criminals spam out an email, with forged header information, tricking you into believing that it is from a shipping company like DHL or FedEx. The email tells you that they tried to deliver a package to you, but failed for some reason. Sometimes the emails claim to be notifications of a shipment you have made. Either way, you can’t resist being curious as to what the email is referring to – and open the attached file (or click on a link embedded inside the email). And with that, your computer is infected with the Trojan.Adclicker virus.

The threat may also be downloaded manually by tricking the user into thinking they are installing a useful piece of software, for instance a bogus update for Adobe Flash Player or another piece of software.

How to remove Trojan.Adclicker virus (Removal Guide)

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove the Trojan.Adclicker infection from your computer. Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, STOP and ask for our assistance.
STEP 1:  Remove Trojan.Poweliks with ESET Poweliks Cleaner
STEP 2: Run RKill to terminate Trojan.Adclicker malicious processes
STEP 3: Remove Trojan.Adclicker virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
STEP 4:  Remove Trojan.Adclicker infection with HitmanPro
STEP 5: Remove Trojan.Adclicker virus with RogueKiller
STEP 6: Double check for any left over infections with Emsisoft Emergency Kit

STEP 1:  Remove Trojan.Poweliks with ESET Poweliks Cleaner

In this first step, we will run a system scan with ESET Poweliks Cleaner to remove Trojan.Poweliks that might be installed on your system.

1. Poweliks will change your Internet Explorer security settings so that you are unable to download files with it. To fix this, press the Windows key (Windows Key) on your keyboard, and while holding it down, also press the R key on your keyboard. This will open the Run dialog box as shown below.
   
   Next, we will need to type inetcpl.cpl in the “Run” box to open the Internet Explorer settings.
2. In Internet Explorer, click on the “Security” tab, then on “Reset all zones to default level” button. Click on “Apply” and “OK” to save these settings.
   
3. Next, we will need to download ESET Poweliks Cleaner from the below link:
   ESET POWELINKS CLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will download ESET Poweliks Cleaner on your computer)
4. Once the ESET Poweliks Cleaner tool has been downloaded, look for the file called ESETPoweliksCleaner.exe on your desktop and double-click it.
   
5. You will now be shown the main screen for the ESET Poweliks Cleaner and it will begin to search for the infection. If the tool detects Poweliks, it will state that it found it and then ask if you wish to remove it.
   
   If Poweliks is detected, then press the Y button on your keyboard. ESET Poweliks Cleaner will now remove the Poweliks trojan from your computer.

STEP 2: Run RKill to terminate Trojan.Adclicker malicious processes

RKill is a program that will attempt to terminate all malicious processes associated with Trojan.Adclicker infection, so that we will be able to perform the next step without being interrupted by this malicious software.
Because this utility will only stop Trojan.Adclicker running process, and does not delete any files, after running it you should not reboot your computer as any malware processes that are configured to start automatically will just be started again.

1. You can download the latest official version of RKill from the below link. Rkill will be renamed as “iExplorer.exe (the same as Internet Explorer), so that this possible infection won’t block you from opening this program.
   RKILL DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will automatically download  on your computer Rkill renamed as “iExplore.exe”)
2. Double click on iExplore.exe to start RKill and stop any processes associated with Trojan.Adclicker.
   
3. RKill will now start working in the background, please be patient while the program looks for Trojan.Adclicker malicious process and tries to end them.
   
4. When the Rkill utility has completed its task, it will generate a log. Do not reboot your computer after running RKill as the malware programs will start again.
   

STEP 3: Remove Trojan.Adclicker virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free uses industry-leading technology to detect and remove all traces of malware, including worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware, and more.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware works well and should run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

1. You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the below link.
   MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free)
2. Once downloaded, close all programs, then double-click on the icon on your desktop named “mbam-setup-consumer-2.00.xx” to start the installation of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
   
   You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
3. When the installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
   
   To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
   
4. Once installed, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program, and that a scan has never been run on your system. To start a system scan you can click on the “Fix Now” button.
   
   Alternatively, you can click on the “Scan” tab and select “Threat Scan“, then click on the “Scan Now” button.
   
5. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now check for updates, and if there are any, you will need to click on the “Update Now” button.
   
6. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for the Trojan.Adclicker virus. When Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is scanning it will look like the image below.
   
7. When the scan has completed, you will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes Anti-malware has found, click on the “Quarantine All” button, and then click on the “Apply Now” button.
   
   Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
8. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. When removing the files, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot your computer, please allow it to do so.
   
   After your computer will restart, you should open Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and perform another “Threat Scan” scan to verify that there are no remaining threats

STEP 4: Remove Trojan.Adclicker infection with HitmanPro

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti-virus software, firewalls, etc.). HitmanPro is designed to work alongside existing security programs without any conflicts. It scans the computer quickly (less than 5 minutes) and does not slow down the computer.

1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
2. Double-click on the file named “HitmanPro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “HitmanPro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.
   
   Click on the “Next” button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.
   
3. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for Trojan.Adclicker malicious files.
   
4. When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the “Next” button, to remove Trojan.Adclicker virus.
   
5. Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

STEP 5: Remove Trojan.Adclicker infection with RogueKiller

RogueKiller is a utility that will scan for the Trojan.Adclicker registry keys and any other malicious files on your computer.

1. You can download the latest official version of RogueKiller from the below links.
   • ROGUEKILLER x86 DOWNLOAD LINK (For 32-bit machines)
   • ROGUEKILLER x64 DOWNLOAD LINK (For 64-bit machines)
2. Double-click on the file named “RogueKiller.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “RogueKillerX64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows). Wait for the Prescan to complete.This should take only a few seconds,  then click on the “Scan” button to perform a system scan.
   
3. After the scan has completed, click on the “Delete” button to remove Trojan.Adclicker malicious registry keys or files.
   

STEP 6: Double check for any left over infections with Emsisoft Emergency Kit

The Emsisoft Emergency Kit Scanner includes the powerful Emsisoft Scanner complete with graphical user interface. Scan the infected PC for Viruses, Trojans, Spyware, Adware, Worms, Dialers, Keyloggers and other malicious programs.

1. You can download Emsisoft Emergency Kit from the below link.
   EMSISOFT EMERGENCY KIT DOWNLOAD LINK ((This link will open a new web page from where you can download Emsisoft Emergency Kit)
2. Double-click on the “EmsisoftEmergencyKit” icon, then click on the “Extract” button.
   
3. On your desktop you should now have a “Start Extract Emsisoft Emergency Kit” icon, double-click on it, then when the program will start allow it to update its database.
   
4. Once the Emsisoft Emergency Kit has update has completed,click on the “Scan” tab, and perform a “Smart Scan“.
   
5. When the scan will be completed,you will be presented with a screen reporting which malicious files has Emsisoft detected on your computer, and you’ll need to click on Quarantine selected objects to remove them.