PUA:Win32/HiddenStart — HiddenStart Unwanted Application Removal Guide

If you spectate the alert of PUA:Win32/HiddenStart detection, it looks like that your PC has a problem. All malicious programs are dangerous, with no deviations. HiddenStart is a malicious application that aims at opening your system to further threats. Most of of the modern virus examples are complex, and can inject other viruses. Being infected with the PUA:Win32/HiddenStart virus often means getting a malicious thing which is able act like spyware or stealer, downloader, and a backdoor. Spectating this detection means that you must to perform the malware removal as fast as you can.

Any malware exists with the only target – gain money on you¹. And the programmers of these things are not thinking of morality – they use all available ways. Grabbing your personal data, receiving the comission for the advertisements you watch for them, exploiting your system to mine cryptocurrencies – that is not the complete list of what they do. Do you want to be a riding equine? That is a rhetorical question.

What does the notification with PUA:Win32/HiddenStart detection mean?

The PUA:Win32/HiddenStart detection you can see in the lower right corner is shown to you by Microsoft Defender. That anti-malware program is pretty good at scanning, but prone to be generally unstable. It is defenseless to malware attacks, it has a glitchy interface and bugged malware removal capabilities. Thus, the pop-up which says about the HiddenStart is simply an alert that Defender has found it. To remove it, you will likely need to use another anti-malware program.

The exact PUA:Win32/HiddenStart virus is a really undesirable thing. It sits inside of your computer under the guise of something legit, or as a piece of the tool you downloaded from a forum. Therefore, it makes everything to weaken your system. At the end of this “party”, it downloads other malicious things – ones which are choosen by cybercriminals who manage this virus. Hence, it is almost impossible to predict the effects from HiddenStart actions. And the unpredictability is one of the most upleasant things when we are talking about malware. That’s why it is rather not to choose at all, and don’t let the malware to complete its task.

Threat Summary:

Is PUA:Win32/HiddenStart dangerous?

As I have actually specified , non-harmful malware does not exist. And PUA:Win32/HiddenStart is not an exception. This malware modifies the system setups, edits the Group Policies and registry. All of these elements are critical for correct system operating, even when we are not talking about PC security. Therefore, the malware which HiddenStart contains, or which it will download later, will try to get maximum profit from you. Cyber burglars can steal your data, and then push it at the black market. Using adware and browser hijacker functionality, built in PUA:Win32/HiddenStart 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 hard to trace the origins of malware on your PC. Nowadays, things are mixed, and spreading ways chosen by adware 5 years ago may be utilized by spyware nowadays. However, if we abstract from the exact distribution method and will think about why it works, the reply will be really simple – low level of cybersecurity knowledge. People press on ads on odd sites, click the pop-ups they get in their web browsers, call the “Microsoft tech support” believing that the strange banner that says about malware is true. It is very important to know what is legitimate – to prevent misunderstandings when attempting to figure out a virus.

Nowadays, there are two of the most widespread methods of malware spreading – lure emails and injection into a hacked program. While the first one is not so easy to avoid – you must know a lot to recognize a fake – the 2nd one is very easy to get rid of: just don’t utilize cracked programs. Torrent-trackers and other providers of “free” applications (which are, in fact, paid, but with a disabled license checking) are really a giveaway place of malware. And PUA:Win32/HiddenStart is simply among them.

How to remove the PUA:Win32/HiddenStart from my PC?

PUA:Win32/HiddenStart malware is very difficult to erase manually. It stores its data in several locations throughout the disk, and can recover itself from one of the parts. In addition, a number of alterations in the windows registry, networking setups and also Group Policies are pretty hard to find and change to the original. It is much better to utilize a specific tool – exactly, an anti-malware program. GridinSoft Anti-Malware will definitely fit the best for virus removal reasons.

Why GridinSoft Anti-Malware? It is pretty light-weight and has its databases updated nearly every hour. Furthermore, it does not have such bugs and weakness as Microsoft Defender does. The combination of these facts 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 HiddenStart the default option is “Delete”. Press “Apply” to finish the malware removal.

1. Read about malware types on GridinSoft Threat encyclopedia.