Absunset: what it is and how to remove it
Absunset is a Trojan horse that enters the computer system via phishing email messages and starts its damaging activity right away. These types of malicious programs have a big variety of annoying and harmful features, starting from dubious redirects to unknown websites and ending with injecting other malware into the target system.
Facts checked October 6, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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Absunset: summary
| Name | Absunset |
|---|---|
| Category | Trojan |
| Sub-category | Malware |
| Related to | absunset.exe |
| Features | Redirects to dubious pages, dubious pop-ups, high CPU usage, resource overuse, can open paths for other cyber infections, etc. |
| Danger level | High. Can relate in opening paths for other malware infections |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 11 more facts
| Text language | Some computer users claimed that the text that has been produced by the virus was poorly written in the Swedish language |
|---|---|
| Spreading ways | Spam messages, potentially dangerous websites, outdated software |
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Type | Loader |
| Symptoms | An unknown process in Task Manager |
| Evidence | 5 write-ups by security sites; details still limited |
| File names | absunset.exe |
| First seen | 2 January 2021 |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
What Absunset does on an infected PC
From our report of Jan 2021 · not reviewed since
Absunset is the infection that is indicated by poor performance and speed or CPU usage problems related to executable file
Absunset is a Trojan horse that enters the computer system via phishing email messages and starts its damaging activity right away.
These types of malicious programs have a big variety of annoying and harmful features, starting from dubious redirects to unknown websites and ending with injecting other malware into the target system. Moreover, some users have reported that the virus has been especially aiming at infecting Acer computers and been showing up with each computer boot .
However, such activity is not innocent because you can end up with even more malware on the system. We advise you to keep on reading to learn more about this threat and why it is important to remove the threat from the system as soon as you detect absunset.exe or other components related to the trojan.
When inside the system, Trojan horses such as this virus do not show any clear symptoms which makes these malicious programs even harder to detect. However, if you always keep a reputable antivirus program active on your computer and perform regular system scans, there should be no problems with spotting the cyber threat. Some symptoms you might overcome by yourself are:
As you can see, this malicious program can perform a big variety of activities. Nevertheless, trojans can open paths for other malicious programs to enter the system easily. This can lead to serious and secret malware infiltration such as ransomware.
Talking about ransomware, we guess that you definitely do not want to get important data lost. So, to avoid such possible risk, remove the virus from your computer system ASAP.
Performing the Absunset removal is very important if you want to bring back your computer's stability, be able to launch programs properly, and avoid other serious system infections. Make sure you choose reputable software for the process, otherwise, trojan-related content might still be lurking somewhere on your PC. Additionally, we suggest downloading and installing programs such as or . This anti-malware software will detect the threat and delete it fully.
- crashing programs;
- high CPU usage ;
- dubious pop-ups;
- frequent redirecting to unknown pages;
- changes in the Windows Registry that you cannot memorize performing;
- absunset.exe process running in the background.
From our report of Jan 2021 · not reviewed since
Avoiding trojans is obligatory
According to cybersecurity experts from Virusai.lt site , all users have to gain knowledge about trojan spreading techniques and distribution methods.
This is crucial if you want to keep your computer safe and protected from possible damage. So, trojan horses often infiltrate the system by:
However, note that you have the ability to take some actions to avoid unwanted infiltration. First, make sure you do not open any dubious messages or their attachments. If you have received an email from a questionable sender, better eliminate it for good.
Second, make sure you keep all your applications updated and working properly. Finally, avoid entering suspicious-looking websites and clicking on dubious links as they might easily contain malware-laden content.
- Spam messages;
- Outdated software;
- Harmful websites.
From our report of Jan 2021 · not reviewed since
Terminate the trojan with proper anti-malware tools
If you have spotted absunset.exe or other similar components that relate to the trojan infection, you need to remove the virus immediately.
Make sure that you do not hesitate and take the elimination process seriously as the longer you keep this cyber threat in the system, the worse the consequences might be.
For automatical Absunset removal use only reliable and expert-tested anti-malware software. You can choose from a big variety of computer fixing tools but make sure to pick a truly reputable one. After the process is finished, perform some system backups to make sure that the trojan horse was removed successfully and will not run again with the next boot.
From our report of Jan 2021 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on Absunset
- Get rid of the virus with the help of a reputable tool.
How to check the PC for Absunset
- File:
absunset.exe
How to remove Absunset
A loader's job is to install other malware, so treat the PC as infected with more than one program until the scans are clean.
Step 1: Check where absunset.exe runs from and stop it
In Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) find
absunset.exeon Processes, right-click it and choose Open file location before ending anything.Windows' own files live in
C:\Windows\System32; the same name in%AppData%, %Temp% or C:\Users\Public is an impostor. If the folder is wrong, right-click the process again, choose End task and delete the file.If it starts again within seconds, a task or another process restarts it, so run the scan step in Safe Mode. Task Manager works the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Full procedure with screenshots: Close a frozen app (Task Manager, Force Quit) On uGetFix
Step 2: Delete scheduled tasks that bring it back
Programs like Absunset add a scheduled task so they return after an uninstall or reopen a page at every sign-in. Start Task Scheduler, open Task Scheduler Library and sort by Last Run Time to see what ran recently.
On the Actions tab, a program in a user folder, a script or a web address is a warning sign; right-click such a task and choose Delete.
Tasks with names copying Google, Edge or Windows updaters but pointing to an odd folder are typical. The tool looks the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Windows 11: Task Scheduler Library, the task selected, the Actions tab shows the file it runs. Full procedure with screenshots: Remove what malware leaves behind in Windows
Step 3: Remove it from startup
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and select Startup apps (Windows 11) or the Startup tab (Windows 10). Disable entries you do not recognise, especially ones with no publisher or with a name that copies a Windows component.
Right-click an entry and choose Open file location to see where it runs from: programs in
%AppData%or%Temp%deserve a closer look. Some entries are not listed there but in the registry Run keys, which the procedure below shows how to check.Full procedure with screenshots: Stop apps from opening at startup On uGetFix
Step 4: Delete the folders left behind
Uninstalling often leaves the program's folders, and some threats reinstall themselves from them.
Press Windows + R, type
%LocalAppData%and press Enter, then do the same for%AppData%and %ProgramData%, and look for folders named after Absunset, its publisher or created on the day the problem started. Delete those folders, and check C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86) too.If Windows says a file is in use, end it in Task Manager or delete the folder after a restart in Safe Mode. The folders are the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Full procedure with screenshots: Remove what malware leaves behind in Windows
Step 5: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
A scan finds the parts of Absunset that the manual steps cannot see. In Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, start a Full scan and quarantine what it reports.
Follow it with Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) > Scan now, which restarts the PC and checks the disk while Windows and the malware are not running.
It takes about 15 minutes and works the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10. If either scan finds something, run the full scan again after removal until it comes back clean.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Step 6: Change passwords from another device and sign out other sessions
Absunset can copy saved passwords, cookies and session tokens and send them out in seconds, so cleaning the PC does not undo the theft.
Change your passwords on a device that was never infected, starting with the e-mail account, since every other reset goes through it. On each account, end all other sessions and check the recovery e-mail, phone number and forwarding rules.
Then turn on two-step verification. Sign in on the Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC again only after the offline scan is clean.
Full procedure with screenshots: Turn on two-step verification / secure a hacked account
Instructions for each browser and system
The detailed steps for every browser and system this guide covers. Open the one you use.
Manual removal using Safe Mode
Important! →
Manual removal guide might be too complicated for regular computer users. It requires advanced IT knowledge to be performed correctly (if vital system files are removed or damaged, it might result in full Windows compromise), and it also might take hours to complete. Therefore, we highly advise using the automatic method provided above instead.
Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking
Manual malware removal should be best performed in the Safe Mode environment.
Windows 7 / Vista / XP
- Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
- When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 button (if that does not work, try F2, F12, Del, etc. - it all depends on your motherboard model) multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
- Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
Windows 10 / Windows 8
- Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
- Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
- On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
- Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
- Click Restart now.
- Select Troubleshoot.
- Go to Advanced options.
- Select Startup Settings.
- Press Restart.
- Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking.
Step 2. Shut down suspicious processes
Windows Task Manager is a useful tool that shows all the processes running in the background. If malware is running a process, you need to shut it down:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
- Click on More details.
- Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
- Right-click and select Open file location.
- Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
- Delete the contents of the malicious folder.
Step 3. Check program Startup
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
- Go to Startup tab.
- Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
Step 4. Delete virus files
Malware-related files can be found in various places within your computer. Here are instructions that could help you find them:
- Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
- Select the drive you want to clean (C: is your main drive by default and is likely to be the one that has malicious files in).
- Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:
Temporary Internet Files
Downloads
Recycle Bin
Temporary files - Pick Clean up system files.
- You can also look for other malicious files hidden in the following folders (type these entries in Windows Search and press Enter):
%AppData%
%LocalAppData%
%ProgramData%
%WinDir%
After you are finished, reboot the PC in normal mode.
After removal: passwords, accounts and prevention
Secure your accounts after the clean-up
Assume that whatever was saved in the browsers on this PC while the PC showed an unfamiliar process called absunset.exe in Task Manager has been copied:
- passwords
- cookies
- autofill data
Work from a clean device, or from this PC once the offline scan finds nothing.
Start with your main e-mail account, because it can reset everything else, then banking and payment, then social and gaming accounts. Change each password, sign out of all sessions and turn on two-step verification: Turn on two-step verification / secure a hacked account.
The full order, including crypto wallets and card replacement, is in securing your accounts after malware.
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online.
One of the basic means to add a layer of security - choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features.
However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful VPN - it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable.
Family photos, work documents, school projects - these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur:
- power cuts
- Blue Screen of Death errors
- hardware failures
- crypto-malware attack
- even accidental deletion
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
Questions about Absunset
What is absunset.exe and why is it running?
Every process is started by something:
- a program you installed
- a Windows service
- a scheduled task
- a startup entry
To learn why absunset.exe runs, find its file with Open file location in Task Manager, then look for an entry pointing to that file in Settings > Apps > Startup and in Task Scheduler.
Sort Installed apps by date to see what arrived when the process first appeared. Once you know the owner, you can decide whether to keep it, switch it off at startup or uninstall it completely.
absunset.exe keeps coming back. What should I do?
A process that returns after you end it has a restart mechanism, and that is a reason to treat absunset.exe as unwanted. Check Settings > Apps > Startup, Task Scheduler and the Services list for entries pointing to its folder, and disable them.
Look in Installed apps for anything added the same day and uninstall it. Then delete the folder and run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan, which works before Windows starts and can remove files that are locked or hidden while the system is running.
Is absunset.exe a virus?
If it sits outside the Windows and Program Files folders and your antivirus links it to Absunset, yes. absunset.exe is the file name used by this trojan. Some trojans borrow the names of real Windows components, so the name alone does not decide it:
- right-click the process in Task Manager
- choose Open file location
- look at the folder and the publisher under Properties > Details
A file in a user folder with no publisher is the trojan. Do not delete it by hand while it runs; use the offline scan in the plan above.
Do I need to reinstall Windows to get rid of Absunset?
Usually not. A thorough clean-up is enough when the offline scan finds nothing afterwards and you do not see an unfamiliar process called absunset.exe in Task Manager again. A reset is the safer choice if an attacker had remote control, if security tools were switched off, or if detections come back after every clean-up.
Windows 11 can reset itself without a USB stick under Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC. Copy documents and photos out first and scan the copies. A reset does not change passwords or undo stolen data, so the account steps still apply.
How dangerous is Absunset?
Treat it as serious until proven otherwise. The visible sign is an unfamiliar process called absunset.exe in Task Manager, and programs that behave this way often have more abilities than they show:
- copying passwords
- downloading other malware
- giving remote access
Its family is not known yet, so nobody can say which of these it uses. The good news is that the response is the same in every case and takes about an hour:
- cut the network
- remove the startup entry
- run an offline scan
- change passwords from a clean device
If someone had remote control, a full reset is safer.
My antivirus was on. How did a trojan get past it?
Antivirus programs see a file only when it is written or run, and criminals test each new build against popular scanners before release. Detection catches up within hours or days, which is often after the first victims ran it.
Archives with passwords, installers that fetch the malware later, and scripts run through PowerShell make the job harder. That is why behaviour such as downloading cracks or pasting commands matters more than any setting. Keep Windows and Defender updated, and turn on Reputation-based protection in App & browser control.
Should I check my other computers too?
Yes, it takes little time and removes doubt. Absunset itself usually stays on one PC, but the download that carried it may have been copied to other computers, shared drives may hold the same installer, and an attacker who had access could have tried saved passwords on other devices.
Run a full scan on every Windows PC in the home or office, check shared folders for the original download, and change Wi-Fi and router passwords if they were stored on the infected machine.
Why can't I find Absunset in antivirus databases?
Because it is new or because it is listed under a different name. Antivirus companies name threats after the family they belong to, and a program that appears as Absunset on your PC may carry a generic or unrelated label in their databases.
Many new samples are first detected only by behaviour, without a family name. What you saw, an unfamiliar process called absunset.exe in Task Manager, is enough to act on:
- end the program
- remove its startup entry
- run a Microsoft Defender offline scan
- secure your accounts
A detection name from a scan is worth noting for later.
Should I report Absunset?
Report it if you lost money, if accounts were taken over, if you are a business, or if the trojan came through a scam call. A police or national cybercrime report gives you a reference number for your bank and insurer and helps link cases.
You do not need to report a trojan that antivirus blocked before it ran. Before reporting, write down the dates, the detection name, file names and any messages or transactions linked to the attack; screenshots of antivirus alerts are useful evidence. The country list is in the report section above.
Will Fortect remove Absunset?
Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.
For Absunset, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.
Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Trojan horse (computing) (read October 6, 2026)
- Avast forum: Absunset trojan (read October 6, 2026)
- Virusai: Virusai.lt (read October 6, 2026)
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 6, 2026)