Any malware exists with the only target – make money on you¹. And the developers of these things are not thinking about ethicality – they use all available tactics. Stealing your private data, getting the comission for the advertisements you watch for them, utilizing your system to mine cryptocurrencies – that is not the full list of what they do. Do you like to be a riding steed? That is a rhetorical question.

What does the pop-up with Trojan:Win32/Ekstak.NH!MTB detection mean?

The Trojan:Win32/Ekstak.NH!MTB detection you can see in the lower right corner is demonstrated to you by Microsoft Defender. That anti-malware application is quite OK at scanning, however, prone to be mainly unreliable. It is defenseless to malware attacks, it has a glitchy user interface and bugged malware removal capabilities. Therefore, the pop-up which states concerning the Ekstak is simply a notification that Defender has detected it. To remove it, you will likely need to make use of a separate anti-malware program.

Microsoft Defender: “Trojan:Win32/Ekstak.NH!MTB”

The exact Trojan:Win32/Ekstak.NH!MTB virus is a very unpleasant thing. It is present inside of your computer disguised as a part of something benevolent, or as a piece of the application you downloaded from a forum. After that, it makes all possible steps to make your system weaker. At the end of this “party”, it injects other viruses – ones which are wanted by crooks who manage this virus. Hence, it is likely impossible to predict the effects from Ekstak actions. And the unpredictability is one of the most unwanted things when it comes to malware. That’s why it is better not to choose at all, and don’t let the malware to complete its task.

Threat Summary:

Is Trojan:Win32/Ekstak.NH!MTB dangerous?

As I have mentioned previously, non-harmful malware does not exist. And Trojan:Win32/Ekstak.NH!MTB is not an exception. This malware modifies the system setups, modifies the Group Policies and Windows registry. All of these things are vital for correct system functioning, even when we are not talking about system safety. Therefore, the malware which Ekstak carries, or which it will inject after some time, will squeeze out maximum profit from you. Crooks can steal your data, and then push it at the black market. Using adware and browser hijacker functionality, built in Trojan:Win32/Ekstak.NH!MTB virus, they can make revenue by showing you the banners. 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 line the sources of malware on your PC. Nowadays, things are mixed up, and distribution tactics used by adware 5 years ago can be utilized by spyware these days. However, if we abstract from the exact spreading way and will think of why it works, the reply will be very uncomplicated – low level of cybersecurity awareness. People press on ads on weird websites, click the pop-ups they receive in their web browsers, call the “Microsoft tech support” thinking that the strange banner that states about malware is true. It is necessary to understand what is legitimate – to stay away from misunderstandings when trying to identify a virus.

Microsoft tech support scam page

Nowadays, there are two of the most common methods of malware distribution – lure e-mails and also injection into a hacked program. While the first one is not so easy to stay away from – you should know a lot to recognize a fake – the second one is easy to solve: just don’t use hacked apps. Torrent-trackers and other providers of “totally free” applications (which are, in fact, paid, but with a disabled license checking) are really a giveaway point of malware. And Trojan:Win32/Ekstak.NH!MTB is just within them.

How to remove the Trojan:Win32/Ekstak.NH!MTB from my PC?

Trojan:Win32/Ekstak.NH!MTB malware is very hard to delete by hand. It puts its files in multiple locations throughout the disk, and can recover itself from one of the elements. In addition, numerous modifications in the windows registry, networking configurations and Group Policies are fairly hard to find and change to the initial. It is much better to make use of a special program – exactly, an anti-malware program. GridinSoft Anti-Malware will fit the best for malware elimination goals.

Why GridinSoft Anti-Malware? It is pretty lightweight and has its databases updated almost every hour. Moreover, it does not have such bugs and exposures as Microsoft Defender does. The combination of these aspects makes GridinSoft Anti-Malware suitable for clearing away 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 Ekstak the default option is “Delete”. Press “Apply” to finish the malware removal.

References

1. Read about malware types on GridinSoft Threat encyclopedia.