How To Remove smartscreen.exe Virus

More details about smartscreen.exe and its consequences

smartscreen.exe is technically an exe file or a process that refers to a feature on windows called SmartScreen. In the Windows operating system, this is a well known feature that prevents users from various downloaded malware and malicious websites. So, if this feature is enabled on your computer, then it just means the OS is protecting your online or offline sessions. This feature was first added to Windows 8 and also has been improved in later versions. So, the smartscreen.exe is an essential part of Windows OS, however if it gets disabled, there would be no problem with your system.

So, reading through the details of smartscreen.exe, it all indicates that smartscreen.exe is just a part of Windows operating system that assures your computer’s security. However, as noticed in many circumstances, the malware authors use to disguise their malicious files or process with the name of this legitimate Windows executable file. Such malicious codes can be a trojan, spyware, etc which if runs on computer, may appear like a legit smartscreen.exe file. Also, the original feature can be seen disabled when such intrusion takes places. In such cases, the victims are expected to suffer high potential issues that can be resolved by taking appropriate action in real time.

So, while looking through Task Manager, if you have noticed smartscreen.exe as an active process that it’s actually not wrong with your machine unless the SmartScreen feature is disabled on your system, and the file seems eating more than enough of system resources. In such cases, it indicates your computer is infected by a smartscreen.exe trojan that has replaced the original file and working for its creators. Your system performance, speed, accuracy, data consistency will be highly affected. To prevent such things to happen, it’s better to identify and remove smartscreen.exe from compromised computer sooner.

How do smartscreen.exe trojans impacts a system?

In most of the instances, the terms like smartscreen.exe are carried on targeted computers without any prior notice as they come embedded or bundled with freeware or shareware downloads, malicious site links, intrusive advertisements or pop ups, and many more. Getting installed, it changes a number of essential settings without seeking any permission in prior, and also disables the original SmartSCreen feature, that can increase vulnerabilities. Therefore, it’s highly recommended to remove smartscreen.exe from compromised computers sooner and some effective measures are discussed to perceive the same under this article.

As mentioned earlier, cyber-criminals have expertise to use some of the services offered by Windows System process as vulnerabilities. They usually mimic a legitimate system process with name of the Trojan or malware. They create the process of a Trojan same as some legitimate system process. In some cases, they easily get differentiated from legit processes however; some cases can be extremely difficult to distinguish.

If you examine the Windows process category in the Task Manager, you would easily notice the legitimate system process. However, if you notice duplicate files process, one must be a malware. This type of Trojan or malware continuously mines bitcoin or other crypto-currencies and this is a very high resource extensive process. The overall speed and performance of the PC gets extremely slow and sluggish. For depth enquiry, you can right click on the doubtful process and choose file location option in order to see the associated program. As a simple rule, if the file is stored in Windows/System32 folder, it is legitimate.

On the other hand, if the process is stored in the user’s processes or “Open the file” for the process leads to any random directories then it is doubtful. You should immediately scan your work-station with a powerful anti-malware tool. Remember that manual removal of harmful process related to Trojan or suspicious files are very difficult due to its deep intrusion and integration with the OS.

How to Remove smartscreen.exe

The first thing that you should do is to scan your work-station with a powerful anti-malware tool and that will be very helpful. On the other hand, if you have backup of your important data in any external clean location such as hard-drive or pen-drive etc. then formatting the infected hard-drive of the PC may also work for you. Remember that formatting the hard-drive may work for one PC but if the infected PC is connected with a network of PCs then this step will go in vain.

Click on the “Download” button to use “SpyHunter” anti-malware tool to clean your workstation.

 

• On click on the download button, the file named as “Spyhunter-Intaller.exe” gets downloaded.

• In the downloads dialog box, choose “SpyHunter Installer.exe” and open the file.

• Select “Yes” in the “User Account Control” dialog box.

• Select the language you prefer and press on “OK” to get next step

• In order to process the installation, press on “Continue”

• Accept the privacy policy and end user agreement.

• Open “SpyHunter” by locating its icon on the desktop or search it on Windows “Start” menu.

The next step is to use “SpyHunter” for PC scanning and malware removal.

• Go to the “Home tab” and press on “Start Scan” button

Wait for the few minutes to scan gets completed. On completion, it scan result report is presented on the screen.

⇒ Register for the Spyhunter and remove smartscreen.exe and all detected threats

To delete smartscreen.exe and all associated threats found through the system scan, you need to register for the SpyHunter:

• Click on the register button available on the top-right corner of the program window,and then click on buy button.
• You will automatically be redirected to the purchasing page, enter your customer detail and valid email address,
• After the successful payment, you will receive email confirmation message. The email contains the account information such as usernames and passwords and so on,
• Thereafter, enter the same detail in the Account tab of the settings section of the program. Now, you can avail full features and protection to your system.

⇒ Steps to remove smartscreen.exe and other detected threats:

Spyhunter antivirus tool categorizes the type of objects detected during system scans in total five sections – “Malware“, “PUPs” (Potentially Unwanted Programs), “Privacy“, “Vulnerabilities“, and “Whitelisted objects“

Select the object you want to remove and then click on Next button (you can quarantine an object so that you can anytime restore it to the system using restore feature)