W3i.IQ5. fraud

W3i.IQ5.fraud is an adware infection that may be detected with the help of a reliable anti-spyware application. While it is possible to remove W3i.IQ5.fraud manually, ESG security researchers consider it easier and more effective to remove W3i.IQ5.fraud automatically since an effective anti-malware program can search deeper and more thoroughly into your computer system. Typically, W3i.IQ5.fraud is not as dangerous as viruses or Trojans. However, like most adware, W3i.IQ5.fraud represents both an annoyance and a security risk. Basically, W3i.IQ5.fraud is designed to display advertisements, keep track of your online activity and keystrokes and download and install other malware on your computer system.

An Overview of a W3i.IQ5.fraud Infection

Usually, criminals disguise W3i.IQ5.fraud as an installer for a popular freeware application. While this can theoretically happen with any popular free program, there have been numerous reports of W3i.IQ5.fraud occurring from a fake 7-zip installer (7-zip is a popular freeware alternative to WinRAR, a program allowing computer users to create and read compressed archives and files). Actually, instead of installing 7-zip, W3i.IQ5.fraud will connect to a remote server and download malware and install it onto the victim's computer. W3i.IQ5.fraud uses a confusing GUI (Graphical User Interface) as a trick intended to convince the computer user to agree with the download and installation of several different adware infections on their computer system. W3i.IQ5.fraud will claim that 7-zip, or the particular free program W3i.IQ5.fraud is appropriating at the moment, is of their own creation in order to do this. This is why ESG malware analysts strongly recommend only downloading software directly from the manufacturer's website, and only after thoroughly researching the applications that you plan to install on your computer system.

W3i.IQ5.fraud Adware may Be Accompanied with a Rootkit Infection

While most reports indicate that W3i.IQ5.fraud is not a serious threat, several cases indicate that W3i.IQ5.fraud may be a part of a multi-component malware attack involving a rootkit. Rootkits, such as Alureon, TDSSTDSS or ZeroAccess, have the capacity to hide malware by creating a hidden file system within your own hard drive as well as being able to corrupt your drivers and other deeper parts of your computer system. This makes them difficult to remove with non-specialized anti-malware software. If you suspect that you have a W3i.IQ5.fraud infection that is not appearing on a fully-updated, reliable, anti-malware scan, it may be possible that W3i.IQ5.fraud is associated with a rootkit. Use a specialized anti-rootkit tool before attempting to remove W3i.IQ5.fraud in these cases.