How to remove Magala virus

Magala Trojan exploits victim's computer to generate pay-per-click revenue

Magala Trojan is a computer virus that targets Windows OS and uses virtual desktops to click on ads in search results. The virus infects Internet Explorer 9 and all higher versions of this browser. It is a must to remove Magala Trojan as soon as possible because it is a deceptive click-fraud^[1] program.

Once installed on the system, Magala virus launches a virtual desktop and installs an infamous browser toolbar called MapsGalaxy. This extension is a product of a developer that has created a lot more potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) such as Screen Addict, EmailFanatic, or From DOC to PDF. Once the extension is installed, IE’s homepage gets switched to a customized version of hp.myway.com search site.

The Trojan then addresses its Command & Control server to download a file with a list of search queries. Magala Trojan viruses then enters each of these queries into the aforementioned search engine. Following that, it finds the first ten search results and successively clicks on each of them. To enter these websites, the Trojan employs IHTMLDocument2^[2], a Windows interface that allows using DOM tree.

Knowing that search engines always push sponsored results to the top of the page, there is no doubt what is the aim of this click-fraud Trojan. It initiates visits to these promoted websites via the MapsGalaxy search engine to generate pay-per-click revenue for the developers of it.

The Trojan is extremely dangerous because it clicks on search results randomly, without checking their reliability. According to experts, the virus earns about 0.07 USD per click on a sponsored search results, meaning that a thousand successful clicks earn 2.2 USD. The virus only needs to perform 5000 clicks per day to earn approximately $350.

Of course, such activities will slow down victim’s computer since the virus continuously uses the Internet connection. To put an end to such shady activities of this virus, we highly recommend using FortectIntego for Magala removal. You can also employ tools like MalwarebytesMalwarebytes.

Current reports show that the malware has affected USA, Russia, France, Germany^[3], Australia, China, India, and UK citizens mostly.

Protect your PC from the Trojan

Typical Trojans are distributed via malicious spam, so you have to remember to be careful and avoid opening unsolicited junk mail. Never interact with the content of emails that come from unknown people or companies. Remember that logos of legitimate companies also do not indicate that the email originates from a trustworthy source. Criminals can easily forge these.

Malicious viruses can also be distributed via malvertising, illegal software packs, and other ways. To protect your PC from Magala malware, we highly recommend you to bypass questionable Internet websites and never download shady files or programs from the Internet.

Speaking of free software, we must mention that attempting to obtain a paid software for free is an illegal action. Besides, when installing free software, make sure that you choose Custom/Advanced settings and deselect all additional programs added to your preferred software.

Remove Magala Trojan virus

The right way to remove Magala virus is to employ a powerful anti-malware software. If you have an antivirus software, you can use it to delete the Trojan. However, if you noticed some suspicious extensions or potentially unwanted programs in your PC, you might want to run an additional scan using anti-spyware software like FortectIntego.

We do not recommend you to try to find and uninstall malware manually. This way, you can do more harm than good. Therefore, use an automatic spyware/malware removal software to perform a professional Magala removal.