How to remove Trojan:Win32/Qhosts

What is Trojan:Win32/Qhosts

Trojan:Win32/Qhosts is a type of malware known for providing unauthorized remote access to infected systems and modifying the Hosts file. This notorious malware is typically spread through illegal activation tools, keygens, and other dubious software often downloaded from torrent and warez sites. By altering the Hosts file, it can block access to antivirus vendors’ websites and prevent crucial security updates from being applied. Beyond these disruptions, it drops additional malicious payloads and establishes persistence by modifying system-level registry keys, ensuring it can survive reboots and maintain control over the system. It also creates multiple processes and executable files in the system’s temporary directory, further embedding itself into the operating environment. The malware’s ability to manipulate the Hosts file can lead to redirections to fraudulent websites or the blocking of legitimate ones. Removing this trojan requires advanced anti-malware solutions and a thorough restoration of the Hosts file to ensure the system is completely clean.

How Trojan:Win32/Qhosts infected your system

Trojan:Win32/Qhosts typically infects computers through malicious software distributed on unreliable sources such as torrent sites and warez platforms. Users often download these programs thinking they are legitimate tools like software activators or keygens, but these downloads come bundled with the trojan. Once executed, the malware performs a series of checks to ensure it is not running in a sandbox or being monitored by antivirus software. It then proceeds to drop malicious files into the system’s temporary directories and modifies critical system settings to gain persistence. One of its key operations is altering the HOSTS file to block access to security updates and antivirus websites, ensuring its continued control over the infected system.

1. Download Trojan:Win32/Qhosts Removal Tool
2. Use Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool to remove Trojan:Win32/Qhosts
3. Use Autoruns to remove Trojan:Win32/Qhosts
4. Files, folders and registry keys of Trojan:Win32/Qhosts
5. Other aliases of Trojan:Win32/Qhosts
6. How to protect from threats, like Trojan:Win32/Qhosts

Remove Trojan:Win32/Qhosts manually

Manual removal of Trojan:Win32/Qhosts by inexperienced users may become a difficult task because it does not create entries in Add/Remove Programs under Control Panel, does not install browser extensions, and uses random file names. However, there are pre-installed instruments in the Windows system, that allow you to detect and remove malware without using third-party applications. One of them is Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. It comes with Windows Update in Windows 11, 10, 8. 8.1. For older operating system you can download it here: 64-bit version | 32-bit version.

Remove Trojan:Win32/Qhosts using Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool

1. Type mrt in the search box near Start Menu.
2. Run mrt clicking on found item.
3. Click Next button.
4. Choose one of the scan modes Quick scan, Full scan, Customize scan (Full scan recommended).
5. Click Next button.
6. Click on View detailed results of the scan link to view the scan details.
7. Click Finish button.

Remove Trojan:Win32/Qhosts using Autoruns

Trojan:Win32/Qhosts often sets up to run at Windows startup as an Autorun entry or Scheduled task.

1. Download Autoruns using this link.
2. Extract the archive and run Autoruns.exe file.
3. In Options menu make sure there are checkboxes near Hide Empty Locations, Hide Microsoft Entries, and Hide Windows Entries.
4. Search for suspicious entries with weird names or running from locations like: C:\{username}\AppData\Roaming.
5. Right-click on suspicious entry and choose Delete. This will prevent the threat to run at startup.
6. Switch to Scheduled Tasks tab and do the same.
7. To remove files themselves, click on suspicious entries and choose Jump to Entry…. Remove files or registry keys found.

Remove files, folder and registry keys of Trojan:Win32/Qhosts

Trojan:Win32/Qhosts files and folders


{randomname}.exe


Trojan:Win32/Qhosts registry keys


no information


Aliases of Trojan:Win32/Qhosts

How to protect from threats, like Trojan:Win32/Qhosts, in future

Standard Windows protection or any decent third-party antivirus (Norton, Avast, Kaspersky) should be able to detect and remove Trojan:Win32/Qhosts. However, if you got infected with Trojan:Win32/Qhosts with existing and updated security software, you may consider changing it. To feel safe and protect your PC from Trojan:Win32/Qhosts on all levels (browser, e-mail attachments, Word or Excel scripts, file system) we recommend a leading provider of internet security solutions – BitDefender. Its solutions both for home and business users proved to be one of the most advanced and effective. Choose and get your BitDefender protection via the button below:

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