How to remove Trustnav Antivirus (Free Removal Guide)
What is Trustnav Antivirus?
Trustnav Antivirus (also called Trustnav or Trustnav Security Suite) is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and potentially rogue Windows security program (scareware) that claims to block advertisements in your browser, protect you from dangerous sites, and keep your computer safe from malware and viruses. Aside from Trustnav Antivirus, Trustnav.com offers two browser extensions as part of their security suite named AdBlocker by Trustnav and Trustnav Safesearch.
The internet browser extensions offered as part of their security suite don’t exactly work as advertised. For example, the AdBlocker by Trustnav extension will not really block advertisements in your web browser and the Trustnav Safesearch simply tracks what you search for online and then redirects your search query to google.com. The Trustnav Safesearch is useless, it’s not keeping you safe. You can simply visit Google on your own without interaction from a third-party extension that has permissions allowing it to read and change all your data on the websites you visit and display notifications.
To make matters worse, Trustnav Antivirus and the native browser extensions are bundle with other unwanted programs, adware, spyware, and malware that can cause additional issues with your computer. Other threats that the program bundles with can establish a connection to remote sites in order to track your data, display advertisements while you browse the web or on Windows desktop, and modify your browser and computer settings to show you sponsored search results.
Another security issue with Trustnav Antivirus is that the program itself is advertised on websites that usually have malicious advertisements and host malware. If you found Trustnav Antivirus installed on your computer or notice advertisements for the program and native extensions while you browse the web it is likely that your computer was introduced to other threats such as Free FLV Player. Other threats should be eliminated immediately before they put your personal information and computer functionality at risk.
How did Trustnav Antivirus get on my computer?
Trustnav Antivirus utilizes aggressive and deceptive marketing tactics in order to persuade you to install it. Advertisements that promote Trustnav Antivirus might claim that the program is necessary to trick you to download and install it. As shown in the image below, a full page advertisement says “Latest version of NIX Video Player is required to encode and/or decode (play) audio and video files in high quality.” This deceptive message is designed to make it sound like the program is needed to view videos in high quality on your computer even though it is not.
If you come across an advertisements promoting Trustnav Antivirus you can chose to manually and voluntarily download and install Trustnav Antivirus. If you download and install Trustnav Antivirus via an advertisement it can cause the program to bundle with other unknown programs.
Furthermore, if you download and install other freeware that is not Trustnav Antivirus you might be given the option to install Trustnav Antivirus during the setup process. Freeware download managers often offer Trustnav Antivirus as a custom or advanced installation option and give you a chance to accept or decline to install Trustnav Antivirus and other programs. If you do not opt out from installing the program it will begin to install in the background while you install said freeware. The way that the custom installation is presented can also be complex and arranged to trap you into installing programs you chose not to install. It’s advised to be alert when installing free programs from the internet and to keep an eye out for custom installation presentations to avoid any confusion and security risks from reaching your computer.
How to remove Trustnav Antivirus
How to scan your computer for malware
1. Download and Install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware software to run a scan and remove malicious files from your computer.
2. Once Malwarebytes is installed, launch the program and click the Scan Now button (or go to the Scan tab and click the Start Scan button).
3. When the Malwarebytes scan is complete click the Quarantine Selected button.
4. 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.
5. Next, download and Install HitmanPro by Surfright to perform a second-opinion scan and remove any remaining malicious trace files.
6. Once HitmanPro is installed, launch the program and click Next to start scanning your computer. *If you are using the free version you may chose to create a copy or perform a one-time scan.
7. When the HitmanPro scan is complete click the Next button.
8. To activate the free version of HitmanPro: enter your email address twice and click the Activate button.
9. Click the Reboot button.
How to uninstall Trustnav Antivirus from your computer
1. On most versions of the Windows Operating System, right click the start menu (bottom left corner of the task bar) and go to Apps and Features.
2. Find Trustnav Antivirus in the list of installed programs, click it with your mouse, and click the Uninstall button that appears to uninstall Trustnav Antivirus.
How to stay protected against future infections
The key to staying protected against future infections is to follow specific guidelines while you use your computer and to take advantage of reputable Antivirus and Anti-Malware security software that have real-time protection.
Real-time protection
Security software like Malwarebytes and Norton Security have real-time potection features that can block malicious files before they get onto your computer. The two programs bundled together can establish a wall between your computer and cyber criminals in real-time; disallowing threats and hackers from getting onto your machine.
Guidelines
The guidelines listed below are a great way to help you maintain a safe environment and ensure that the files on your computer are intact.
- Backup your computer and personal files to an external drive or online backup service
- Create a restore point on your computer in case you need to restore your computer to a date before infection
- Avoid downloading and installing apps, browser extensions, and programs you are not familiar with
- Avoid downloading and installing apps, browser extensions, and programs from websites you are not familiar with – some websites use their own download manager to bundle additional programs with the initial download
- Avoid visiting fake “spyware removal” blogs and websites that promote “spyware removal software.” These are usually malicious websites designed to phish your personal information, infect your computer with a rogue program and trick you into paying for rogue “spyware removal software.”
- If you plan to download and install freeware, open source software, or shareware make sure to be alert when you install the object and read all the instructions presented by the download manager
- Avoid torrents and P2P clients
- Do not open email messages from senders you do not know
