How to remove PrivacyKeeper malware from your PC
What is PrivacyKeeper?
PrivacyKeeper by Uniblue (also known as PrivacyKeeper 2017 or Privacy Keeper) is advertised by the publisher as a computer security program that erases all your online and offline tracking information and activities to ensure that your PC is clean of storage files that could be a target by third-parties. The program is offered as a free trial and full version. The PrivacyKeeper free trial is only a free scanner and cannot be used to delete all privacy issues and records allegedly found by the program.
According to Google’s Virustotal.com website, the executable file used to launch installation of the program named privacykeeper.exe has a very high detection ratio with reputable Antivirus programs. The detection ration is 9/60 which is considered on the high side.
PrivacyKeeper is detected as a Trojan, Potentially Unwanted Program, Adware, Risk Tool, and Malware by popular Antivirus programs.
| Antivirus | Result | Update |
|---|---|---|
| ClamAV | Win.Trojan.Agent-5322163-0 | 20170428 |
| DrWeb | Program.Unwanted.1514 | 20170428 |
| K7AntiVirus | Adware ( 700000121 ) | 20170428 |
| K7GW | Adware ( 700000121 ) | 20170426 |
| Kaspersky | not-a-virus:HEUR:RiskTool.Win32.SpeedUpMyPC.gen | 20170428 |
| Palo Alto Networks (Known Signatures) | generic.pup | 20170429 |
| Rising | Malware.Heuristic!ET (cloud:viwDJLjRS1H) | 20170428 |
| SUPERAntiSpyware | Trojan.Agent/Gen-FraudScan[Com] | 20170429 |
| ZoneAlarm by Check Point | not-a-virus:HEUR:RiskTool.Win32.SpeedUpMyPC.gen | 20170428 |
Issues with the PrivacyKeeper program are due to how it is distributed and the results shown by the program. For example, PrivacyKeeper is known to bundle with other malware, adware, spyware, potentially unwanted programs, and other threats that can harm your computer and put your privacy at risk.
If PrivacyKeeper is installed on your computer without your knowledge or consent, or you downloaded the program from a suspicious source it could mean that your computer is infected with additional threats that should be removed immediately.
PrivacyKeeper is often distributed by malicious third-party software bundlers and advertising networks. We found PrivacyKeeper being promoted by a malicious software downloader called DownloadAssistant. The downloader was launched by a dubious executable file that claimed to be a media player update. The downloader gave us the option to decline or accept the installation of the program. Although we clicked Decline the program still downloaded and installed in the background without our consent and knowledge.
The program installing without our knowledge is likely due to the third-party distributor that the developers of PrivacyKeeper chose to use and not the actual developers. The developers have taken advantage of an unethical advertising campaign that allows the program to bundle with other threats and automatically install against the computer owners demand.
Uninstall PrivacyKeeper from Windows
1. Right-click Windows start menu and select Programs and Features or open the start menu and go to the Control Panel and click Uninstall a program.
2. Find the program you want to uninstall in the list of installed programs and double-click it to begin the uninstall process.
Remove PrivacyKeeper and other malware with Malwarebytes
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1. Open your browser window and download Malwarebytes 3.0 Premium or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free.
2. Open the executable file (mb3-setup.exe) to begin installing Malwarebytes.
3. Select your language, click Next, then select “I accept the agreement,” click the Next button several times, and then click the Install button to install Malwarebytes. Click Finish once the install process is complete.
4. Open Malwarebytes and click the Scan Now button on the Dashboard to begin scanning your computer.
5. Click the Quarantine Selected button once the scan is finished.
6. If Malwarebytes says “All selected items have been removed successfully. A log file has been saved to the logs folder. Your computer needs to be restarted to complete the removal process. Would you like to restart now?” click the Yes button to restart your computer.
Remove PrivacyKeeper and left-over trace files with HitmanPro
1. Open your browser window and download HitmanPro.
2. Open the executable file (hitmanpro_x64.exe or hitmanpro_x32.exe) to begin installing HitmanPro.
3. Click the Next button, check “I accept the terms of the license agreement,” and click the Next button again.
4. On the Setup page select “Yes, create a copy of HitmanPro so I can regularly scan this computer (recommended)” and add your email address to the registration fields to begin the free trial.
5. Click Next to begin scanning your computer.
6. Once the Scan results are displayed click the Next button and click the Next button again on the Removal results page.
Clean up and fix issues with CCleaner
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- Open your browser window and download CCleaner Professional or CCleaner Free.
2. Open the executable file (ccsetup.exe or other) to begin installing CCleaner.
3. Click the Install button to begin stalling the program.
4. Click Run CCleaner to open the program when installation is complete.
5. Select the Cleaner tab and click the Analyze button.
6. When the Analyze process is complete click the Run Cleaner button to clean all files.
7. Next, select the Registry tab and click the Scan for Issues button to scan for issues in your registry.
8. When the scan is complete click the Fix selected Issues button and Fix All Selected Issues button to fix the issues.
9. Next, select the Tools tab and click Startup. Examine each area, search for suspicious entries, and delete any suspicious startup entries by selecting the entry and clicking the Delete button.
10. Next, click Browser Plugins and search each internet browser for unwanted browser add-ons and extensions. Click the extension you want to delete and click the Delete button to remove it.
