What is Msmc.exe? Should I remove it?

Msmc.exe – an unwanted application process you should get rid of

Msmc.exe is an executable file that starts a malicious process, launches certain parasite components, or runs a destructive payload. Even if the msmc.exe file does nothing suspicious, its presence indicates that your computer is infected with a particular threat known as a browser plugin ClientMan.

As long as the process runs in the background, you might receive a variety of intrusive pop-ups, deals, offers, banners, and other types of ads while browsing the web on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, MS Edge, or another web browser. Besides, Msmc.exe might start spying on your online activities, resulting in privacy issues and personal data leaks to cybercriminals or other unknown parties.

Potentially unwanted programs and browser extensions can be downloaded from many different sources, although users do not typically do that intentionally. This is because a popular distribution technique known as software bundling is used – several apps are compiled into a standalone installer, and users miss the steps where optional components' installation announcement is provided.

Once installed, msmc.exe would show up in the task manager at all times, running in the background. Besides, the infection might also alter several Windows functions and features in order to perform its malicious deeds later. For example, it may interfere with its removal while not appearing in the installed programs section or missing the uninstall.exe file entirely.

Luckily, you can easily remove the threat with the help of powerful anti-malware software, such as SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner. Security tools can quickly and effectively find, segregate and delete all malicious files quickly. If you try to delete all the unknown components yourself, you might Damage Windows system files, which can cause even more problems for you later.

Another reason to get rid of this threat is privacy issues. It is not a secret that the process runs in the background to gather information about users. Here is an example of data that may be collected without your consent:

• IP address
• Internet Service Provide
• Geo-location
• Visited websites and links clicked
• Ads interacted with
• Search queries, etc.

Some extensions are also capable of tracking personal details such as emails o login data. Therefore, you should not only remove msmc.exe from your system but also ensure you clean your browser accordingly. For that, you can use FortectIntego.

Potentially unwanted programs can be easily avoided

As already mentioned, the process is related to a browser extension known as ClientMan, which is considered an unwanted program. PUPs are very common and now often get installed on web browsers where their main operation is conducted, i.e., spying on web browser activities, delivering ads, redirects, and much more. While this app behavior is beneficial for the virus authors, users have to suffer from ads and redirects regardless if they want it or not.

The best thing to do is not to have potentially unwanted programs installed on your device in the first place. Unfortunately, many of such apps get installed by users, not intentionally, thanks to a marketing technique known as bundling. To avoid being tricked by it, always pick Advanced/Custom installation settings when prompted and remove the markings from checkboxes that would otherwise install media players, PDF converters, codecs, and other useless software on your PC.

You should investigate before you remove Msmc.exe from your device

If you have found unknown processes in the background, they are not necessarily malicious. The best example would be a very well-known process such as svchost.exe, which is usually used by DLL files to be run smoothly. It is spawned by the system but is typically used by third-party programs. Therefore, depending on which program is using it, it can either be malicious or perfectly legitimate.

First of all, you should check whether your device is emitting some strange behavior, for example, random crashes, BSODs, system reboots. Even if you do not experience these, you should still perform a full scan with anti-malware software so you would not have to decide for yourself which processes are necessary and useless and which ones malicious. Once you get rid of all the parasites on your system, make sure you delete cookies and site data from your browsers. If you are not sure how to do that, employ FortectIntego for the job.