IDP.Generic is an antivirus detection name you may encounter while casually using your PC. It can stand for serious threats active in the system, but may be a false detection in a number of situations. Let me explain the meaning behind this notification and show how to check whether it notifies about a real threat.
What is IDP.Generic?
IDP.Generic detection name that flags shady activity related to illegal access to identity-related data. A lot of antivirus vendors use this or similar designation, though most often it is seen with Avast/AVG antiviruses. Its name means exactly this: IDP abrreviation breaks down to IDentity Protection, while Generic says it is a non-specific detection that can be attributed to a lot of different malware samples.
Most of the time, this detection appears during the activity of spyware or infostealer malware. These two malware types are known for accessing user data stored in various folders across the system. The heuristic system of the antivirus can detect such access, block it, and notify the user about a shady activity happening in the background.
My in-deep research shows that the detection triggers when a certain application accesses folders of web browsers, Steam, Discord or Telegram. In fact, it touches any program that keeps passwords and session tokens locally, in its folder. However, there are a lot of programs that do these actions for benign reasons, causing the antivirus to send the alarm.
Can IDP.Generic be a False Alarm?
Yes, it can, and there are quite a lot of user reports saying that IDP.Generic has falsely flagged a legitimate program. False detection happens particularly often with games, even ones downloaded from safe sources like Steam and Xbox Game Pass. Among them are Cities Skylines 2, Valheim, Empyrion, Demon’s Tilt, and several other games. Obviously, these apps pose no threats to your system.
Why does it happen, you ask? There are several possible reasons that I can suggest, based on my research. First one is that the antivirus fails to recognize the legitimate program by certificates and signatures, and thus considers its attempt to access something as dangerous activity. This can often happen after large updates, or following the renewal of digital certificates, which happen every once in a while. Antivirus simply cannot recognize the safe program because of how different it is from what it holds record of.
Another possibility here is the antivirus carrying outdated databases and rules. That is a particularly common case for free versions of popular security software: they receive updates less often, and you can see the outcome of it. Aside from false detections, such a situation is dangerous because of the risk of malware bypassing the protection.
How did IDP.Generic malware appear?
Cybercriminals that are involved in spreading malware constantly seek new and new ways of injecting the viruses. For spyware, which this detection often stands for, they typically use fake human verification pages and dubious software sharing services that offer free versions of various applications. Users in fact run the malware by themselves – no tricky and sophisticated injection methods here.
To avoid IDP.Generic and similar infections in future, avoid sketchy software sources, and do not interact with websites that ask you to run PowerShell commands to verify your identity. For better security, consider running a reputable anti-malware software, to weed out false detections and any malicious programs that slip through the basic protection you have.
How to see if IDP.Generic is a real malware?
To see whether the threat to your computer is real, a second-opinion scan is required. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a program that will be a perfect choice for that purpose: its multi-component detection system will easily detect and remove any threats that are present. If there are none, you will receive the corresponding “all-clear” result. Download it by clicking the banner below and run a Full Scan to check the system down to the most remote folders and configs.
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