HackTool:Win32/GMER — GMER Tool Removal Guide

Any type of malware exists with the only target – generate profits on you¹. And the developers of these things are not thinking of ethicality – they use all available tactics. Stealing your personal data, receiving the payments for the banners you watch for them, utilizing your system components to mine cryptocurrencies – that is not the complete list of what they do. Do you want to be a riding horse? That is a rhetorical question.

What does the pop-up with HackTool:Win32/GMER detection mean?

The HackTool:Win32/GMER detection you can see in the lower right corner is displayed to you by Microsoft Defender. That anti-malware application is pretty good at scanning, however, prone to be generally unstable. It is prone to malware invasions, it has a glitchy interface and bugged malware clearing capabilities. Thus, the pop-up which says about the GMER is rather just an alert that Defender has recognized it. To remove it, you will likely need to make use of another anti-malware program.

Microsoft Defender: “HackTool:Win32/GMER”

The exact HackTool:Win32/GMER infection is a really unpleasant thing. It digs into your PC under the guise of something legitimate, or as a part of the app you have got on a forum. Therefore, it makes everything to weaken your system. At the end of this “party”, it injects other malicious things – ones which are choosen by crooks who manage this virus. Hence, it is almost impossible to predict the effects from GMER actions. And the unpredictability is one of the baddest things when we are talking about malware. That’s why it is better not to choose at all, and don’t give it even a single chance to complete its task.

Threat Summary:

Is HackTool:Win32/GMER dangerous?

As I have actually specified , non-harmful malware does not exist. And HackTool:Win32/GMER is not an exclusion. This virus alters the system settings, alters the Group Policies and registry. All of these components are critical for correct system functioning, even in case when we are not talking about system safety. Therefore, the malware which GMER contains, or which it will download after some time, will try to get maximum revenue from you. Crooks can grab your data, and then sell it at the black market. Using adware and browser hijacker functionality, built in HackTool:Win32/GMER virus, they can make revenue by showing you the ads. Each view gives them a penny, but 100 views per day = $1. 1000 victims who watch 100 banners per day – $1000. Easy math, but sad conclusions. It is a bad choice to be a donkey for crooks.

How did I get this virus?

It is difficult to line the origins of malware on your PC. Nowadays, things are mixed, and distribution methods chosen by adware 5 years ago can be utilized by spyware these days. However, if we abstract from the exact distribution tactic and will think of why it has success, the reply will be pretty simple – low level of cybersecurity knowledge. People click on promotions on weird sites, open the pop-ups they receive in their web browsers, call the “Microsoft tech support” assuming that the strange banner that says about malware is true. It is important to recognize what is legit – to stay away from misunderstandings when trying to figure out a virus.

Microsoft tech support scam page

Nowadays, there are two of the most common tactics of malware spreading – bait emails and injection into a hacked program. While the first one is not so easy to avoid – you must know a lot to understand a fake – the 2nd one is simple to address: just do not utilize cracked programs. Torrent-trackers and various other sources of “totally free” applications (which are, actually, paid, but with a disabled license checking) are really a giveaway place of malware. And HackTool:Win32/GMER is just one of them.

How to remove the HackTool:Win32/GMER from my PC?

HackTool:Win32/GMER malware is extremely hard to erase manually. It places its data in a variety of places throughout the disk, and can recover itself from one of the parts. In addition, a number of alterations in the windows registry, networking configurations and Group Policies are fairly hard to discover and revert to the original. It is much better to utilize a specific program – exactly, an anti-malware tool. GridinSoft Anti-Malware will fit the most ideal for malware removal purposes.

Why GridinSoft Anti-Malware? It is really light-weight and has its detection databases updated almost every hour. Additionally, it does not have such bugs and vulnerabilities as Microsoft Defender does. The combination of these aspects makes GridinSoft Anti-Malware perfect for taking out malware of any form.

Remove the viruses with GridinSoft Anti-Malware

• Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware. After the installation, you will be offered to perform the Standard Scan. Approve this action.
• Standard scan checks the logical disk where the system files are stored, together with the files of programs you have already installed. The scan lasts up to 6 minutes.
• When the scan is over, you may choose the action for each detected virus. For all files of GMER the default option is “Delete”. Press “Apply” to finish the malware removal.

References

1. Read about malware types on GridinSoft Threat encyclopedia.