Remove TR/AD.FireHooker.BU (Removal Guide)

TR/AD.FireHooker.BU – Avira detection name for a potentially malicious program

TR/AD.FireHooker.BU

TR/AD.FireHooker.BU is the name of an unidentified adware infection that might reside in various places on a Windows system, as well as the web browser. Users reported that they began seeing pop-up messages from Avira security software, which attempted to warn about a threat. In most cases, the security program flags that a suspicious executable, such as 105c6c37-ee2a-2a76-e42c-02506c4d1be0.exe, was detected inside a Windows temp folder.

While under normal circumstances, TR/AD.FireHooker.BU virus would be deleted straight away, users reported that it keeps coming back as soon as they reboot their computers. Other security applications detect the infection as FileRepMalware, W32.Adware.Gen, Riskware/WebCompanion, and others. If you want to find out how dangerous the malware is and how to delete TR/AD.FireHooker.BU for good, keep on reading.

Name	TR/AD.FireHooker.BU
Type	Adware, Trojan
Distribution	Software bundles, third-party websites, deceptive ads, fake Flash Player updates
Symptoms	Avira security software keeps detecting a threat within Windows temp folder, which comes back when deleted
Dangers	Redirects to malicious websites can result in unwanted site notifications, personal information disclosure to cybercriminals, monetary losses, installation of other potentially unwanted programs/malware
Elimination	While adware can be usually be uninstalled like other regular programs, this time, the infection is much more serious, which means that the threat is persistent. Therefore, the infected users should clean their browsers adequately, as explained below, and then scan the device with an alternative anti-malware
Further steps	Malware or adware infections can diminish the performance of your computer or cause serious stability issues. Use Fortect Intego to remediate your device and ensure that the virus damage is fixed

TR/AD.FireHooker.BU is a relatively generic detection name for a Trojan – a type of computer infection that gets installed on the system by pretending to be something else. Since Trojan's functionality is not defined by its category, it can represent various threats, such as ransomware, viruses, worms, RATs, adware, and much more. This particular threat has been linked to intrusive adware specializing in browser hijacking and delivery of intrusive advertisement campaigns.

Those who do not remove TR/AD.FireHooker.BU malware might suffer from various annoying and even dangerous consequences. Adware's main goal is to hijack users' traffic and deliver intrusive pop-ups, deals, offers, coupons, and other advertisements regardless of which websites are visited. While these ads can be stopped with an effective ad-blocker, the root cause of the infection should be found and eliminated.

Typically, the suspected malicious file can be spotted in the Windows temp folder (C:\Windows\temp). Users reported that once the malicious file is deleted, it always comes back. Since the location is a temp folder, there is a chance that the infection is recurring due to an online component. For example, Google account sync might store some cached^[1] files on its database, resulting in repeated infection.

Since TR/AD.FireHooker.BU removal is not successful with Avira, security experts^[2] recommend scanning the device with alternative anti-malware, such as SpyHunter Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes Malwarebytes. Since having two security applications simultaneously is not recommended, you should delete all the anti-malware tools first before performing a scan with a different AV.

TR/AD.FireHooker.BU virus

If that is not successful and the TR/AD.FireHooker.BU virus keeps returning, you need to clean your web browser, as the infection can exist there. Below you will find the instructions on how to delete extensions and clear browsing data. If that also does not work, you should reset your web browser entirely.

As a final step, you should also run a scan with Fortect Intego repair software – this application would ensure that all Windows components are repaired after a malware infection, and the machine is not crashing, returning errors, or suffering from other stability issues.

Trojans can be extremely dangerous: avoid them at all costs

As mentioned above, Trojans are defined by the way they are distributed. Typically, users open an executable or another file believing that it is harmless. Quite often, such files are distributed on fake software websites that imitate the original ones. Since the one of the TR/AD.FireHooker.BU samples was found on a fake Audacity audio app website, many German users infected with this malware, believing that the it is legitimate program installer. Thus, it is important to always check the URL of the address you are downloading software from (ensuring the connection is protected by SSL is also important, although it does not guarantee anything).

Other ways users manage to download Trojans is when they download programs from suspicious third-party websites, such as torrents. Security researchers recommend staying away from pirated software and cracks, as these files are often boobytrapped with malware.

Finally, fake updates, typically those of Flash Player, are also commonly used by cybercriminals to make users install malicious software on their system. Keep in mind that Flash is an outdated multimedia plugin that is no longer required and will be discontinued by the end of 2020.^[3]

TR/AD.FireHooker.BU distribution

Delete TR/AD.FireHooker.BU from your system

As evident, you should not ignore any pop-ups and warnings from your security software. While there is a small chance that the detection is a false positive, and there is no need for TR/AD.FireHooker.BU removal. To be sure, you should uninstall your current security software and perform a full system scan with an alternative tool, such as SpyHunter Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes Malwarebytes. To fix Windows problems that could arise after the infection, we recommend using Fortect Intego.

If the infection does not go away, you should take care of your web browsers. First of all, we recommend cleaning your web browsers – uninstall all the extensions, delete cache/data – as explained below. If that does not help, go to the following location and delete application data:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome

Finally, you can also reset Chrome Sync to ensure that none of the malicious components remain on Google's servers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
Pick Manage Add-ons.
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:

Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
Select Internet Options.
In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:

Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
Under Browsing history, click Delete...
Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:

Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
Select Reset.
In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:

Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
Then find On startup section.
Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
Select Details tab.
Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:

Click on Menu and go to Settings.
Select Privacy, search and services.
Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
Under Time range, pick All time.
Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

Click on Menu and select Settings.
On the left side, pick Reset settings.
Select Restore settings to their default values.
Confirm with Reset.
This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
Select Add-ons.
In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:

Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
Choose Settings.
Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

Click Menu and pick Settings.
Go to Privacy & Security section.
Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
Click on Clear Data...
Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

Click on Menu and pick Settings.
Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:

Click menu and choose Settings.
Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.

Reset Google Chrome:

If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:

Click on Menu and select Settings.
In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
Confirm with Reset settings.

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:

Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:

Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

How to remove TR/AD.FireHooker.BU

TR/AD.FireHooker.BU – Avira detection name for a potentially malicious program

Trojans can be extremely dangerous: avoid them at all costs