This article is for those who have seen the notification on their computer that there is a heuristic virus in the system. What is this “heuristic virus” and is it dangerous? Before analyzing the meaning of this virus, let’s analyze the original meaning of the word “heuristic”. Heuristics is a science that studies methods, techniques, and simplification to discover something new. It is a process that makes finding solutions to complex problems easier.
What is a Heuristic Virus: Heur.Invader?
A heuristic virus is the name of malware Heur.Invader. The objective of this pest is to crack anti-malware, change security settings and distribute additional malware to the user’s computer. Some types of heuristic viruses include Trojans 1 and advertising software.
Heuristic Virus vs. Heuristic Analysis
Before dealing with a heuristic virus you need to know that there is also heuristic analysis. We will consider their differences to avoid the erroneous belief that these are the same. So we already know what the Heuristic virus is.
What is Heuristic Analysis?
Heuristic Analysis is a way to detect viruses by checking the code for suspicious properties. The common method can be called signature detection, which involves identifying malware by comparing code in the program with code known as detected viruses. But as more and more threats emerge, the signature detection method has become more limited.
That’s why the heuristic analysis was developed. It helps identify suspicious characteristics in unknown viruses, malware samples, and modified versions of existing programs. As the world of technology develops more and more new attacks and threats by cybercriminals, heuristic analysis can cope with the influx of a large volume of such threats. It is also one of the few methods to combat polymorphic viruses. Polymorphic viruses are the term malicious code, which can constantly change and adapt, manually or automatically.
How Does Heuristic Analysis Work?
Let’s look at the mechanism of the signatures. The signature detection method used previously known viruses and compared the computer code to this list. After that, he discovered whether or not the computer was infected. But this method slightly fails with the functioning of modern malware. On signature, detection will not be able to make the protection that will be able to provide the device with the most reliable protection. And to cover that amount of viruses, you need a new way of detecting them on your devices.
Heuristic analysis is quite good at this task, so it becomes more in demand. This detection method. This detection method can identify files with suspicious code infrastructure or behavior and mark them as potentially dangerous viruses. How heuristic analysis works, we will consider below:
- Dynamic scanning: this is testing or emulation of files that analyzes and checks the behavior of a file in a controlled environment. This process takes place to determine how the virus behaves and if necessary mark it as dangerous.
- File analysis: This process analyzes the intent of files, and marks files that want to hurt others.
- Multicriteria analysis (MCA) – this analysis analyzes the virus and decides whether it is worth marking it as a pest.
Heuristic Scanning Sensitivity
Adjusting the sensitivity level of your antivirus software is necessary before starting heuristic scanning on your device. This is to detect potential threats, and higher sensitivity levels notice this more quickly and can label protected files as dangerous, also called false positives. Low sensitivity levels may also cause the software to see something suspicious, but they are not configured to search for some items that are only slightly suspicious. So, in this case, you can decide what you want to use. To adjust the level of sensitivity of your software, you need to do the following steps:
- You need to open your program’s settings.
- Identify scan properties then enable Heuristic scans.
- Choose preferred sensitivity level.
How to Remove and Identify a Heuristic Virus
To find and remove the virus on your PC, you should use an antivirus program. You may have seen the first signs of a virus on your device. Then you should take a few steps to check for malware. So, the most common heuristic discoveries are:
- Trojan virus – Win32 Heur
- Adware – Pup.Adware.Heuristics
- Trojan virus – HEUR/QVM06.1.0000.Malware. Gen
To remove malware or Heur.Invader, you should take the following steps:
- Set off device in safe mode
- Using your antivirus software you need to launch an antivirus scan
- Don’t delete files which were flagged with your software. You need to check each one manually to make sure you don’t remove false positives.
How to Enable Safe Mode
You should enable safe mode before starting antivirus scanning. Because the safe mode will ensure you run only the essential programs on your PC and, at the same time, will disable all unnecessary, even malicious, software. This way, you simplify the antivirus tabulation task to make removing malware faster.
Enable safe mode on PC:
- Reload your PC
- After the sign-on screen appears, press the Shift key and hold it, then click Restart
- After rebooting your PC, your computer will suggest you Select option , select Troubleshoot, then Advanced Options and by Startup Options
- After that, on the next window tap the Restart button and wait
- Then you will see the Startup options menu, choose number 4 or F4 for reloading your PC in safe mode.
Enable safe mode on Mac:
- Reload your Mac, then hold the key “Shift”. You will see the Apple logo and loaded bar below.
- Release the Shift key until you see the login window. If you get a warning about a problem, Apple will give you discreet instructions on running a diagnostic.
Recommendation & Tips to Prevent Viruses
There are plenty of viruses and the greater certainty that they can spread to your PC. But to prevent this, several recommendations will help reduce the risk of infection with the virus on your pc. Below we will give you some tips to avoid this threat.
- Think before you click. There are many kinds of malware on the Internet that are distributed through pop-ups, spam messages, and other methods. Each of these methods often invites the user to follow a link and click on a link to see what the pest has to offer. Please take it as a habit not to press all the 100 you offer online. But if you think this is addressed to you and it is necessary, then check the URL of this link and only then go.
- Use unique passwords and change them often. Try to create strong passwords. Password combinations should not be your name, dog name, or numbers 1 through 9, and different characters, capital letters, and uppercase letters. Note also the installation of two-factor authentication. It provides better protection for your account.
- Update software regularly. Software updates appear when new cyber threats occur. If you see your device requesting permission to upgrade, do not neglect this. Yes, it will take some time, but it will be better for you.
- Periodically run antivirus scans. Antivirus tests are designed to detect malware and protect the PC from the threat of infection. Installing this process will take a few minutes, but after that, you don’t have to worry about the security of your computer and all the data on it.
- Keep an updated backup hard drive. Backups don’t protect your computer from threats but protect your data. With any data leak from your device, the backup will save what you have downloaded. so that even if you try to hack or attack, your data will not disappear without a trace.
- Trojan viruses are malicious code or software that can take many forms such as applications, documents, and scripts.
