Trojan.win32.dss (Virus Removal Guide) - Free Instructions

Trojan.win32.dss Removal Guide

What is Trojan.win32.dss?

Trojan.win32.dss is a Trojan horse which redirects users to adult-only sites

Trojan.win32.dss imageTrojan.win32.dss is a Trojan horse which causes unwanted redirects to adult-only sites.

Trojan.win32.dss is a Trojan infection which is designed to create a hidden Internet Explorer window and redirect computer users to the website with adult-only content. According to the experts, this program enters the system via Openme.exe file in the spam email and downloads a phone dialer app which might be used to cause financial losses.

Name Trojan.win32.dss
Also known as W32.DSS.Trojan
Type Trojan horse
Danger level High
Distribution Travels as Openme.exe file in malicious spam emails
Symptoms Causes redirects to adult sites and installs phone dialing applications
Removal Get rid of Trojan.win32.dss with FortectIntego or another reliable antivirus

Once Trojan.win32.dss is installed, it inserts a small Web page with the code. IT professionals note that it is programmed to wait for a pre-set period of time before it opens a new Web page with a link to an adult site. Likewise, this Trojan horse is primarily designed to perform advertising activities and promote suspicious websites.

Even though it might not look exceptionally harmful, Trojan.win32.dss redirect tendency might increase the risk of more malware infections. It is because such untrustworthy sites contain potentially dangerous ads, promotions, and other commercial content. If clicked, it can activate an automatic installation of the malicious program and other cyber threats.

Furthermore, the analysis showed that the last website to which the user is redirected downloads a phone dialer application. Likewise, experts warn that this unreliable program might be able to open backdoors[1] for other dangerous viruses. For this reason, you must remove Trojan.win32.dss as quickly as possible.

Employ FortectIntego for Trojan.win32.dss removal. It will help you with the elimination and speed up the process. We advise you not to try to uninstall this program on your own as you might delete essential system files and damage your computer. Thus, you should rely on automatic removal with a professional antivirus.

Trojan.win32.dss illustrationTrojan.win32.dss spreads via spam emails as Openme.exe attachment.

The Trojan virus enters the system through a malicious email attachment

As with most cyber threats, this one also spreads inside the attachments of spam emails. Experts note that the letters contain Openme.exe file with the Trojan virus. Thus, users should carefully monitor their online activity and NEVER open suspicious executable files or untrustworthy email attachments[2].

Keep in mind that criminals might try to lure you into opening the email by legitimate-looking design. In other terms, the letter might use a well-known company's name and pretend to send the following documents:

  • Invoices;
  • Shopping receipts;
  • Order confirmations.

However, if you have any doubts about the legitimacy of the email, contact the retailer or company directly and ask for verification. Otherwise, you can simply delete the letter without opening any attachments and mark it as spam or even report it for future safety.

Learn how to protect your PC and uninstall Trojan.win32.dss virus

Trojan horses are sophisticated cyber threats which can hide their presence. Likewise, it is hard to identify all components of the malicious program. Although, IT professionals[3] say that it is necessary for complete Trojan.win32.dss removal.

For this reason, we suggest installing a reputable antivirus to detect all of its elements and remove Trojan.win32.dss entirely. Our top choices are FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, and Malwarebytes.

Offer
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Compatible with Microsoft Windows Compatible with macOS
What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of Trojan.win32.dss. Follow these steps

Manual removal using Safe Mode

First Trojan.win32.dss removal step is to boot your computer into Safe Mode with Networking:

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
  1. Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
  2. 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.
  3. Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list. Windows 7/XP
Windows 10 / Windows 8
  1. Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
    Settings
  2. Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
    Update and security
  3. On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
  4. Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
  5. Click Restart now.
    Reboot
  6. Select Troubleshoot. Choose an option
  7. Go to Advanced options. Advanced options
  8. Select Startup Settings. Startup settings
  9. Press Restart.
  10. Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking. Enable safe mode

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:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details.
    Open task manager
  3. Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
  4. Right-click and select Open file location.
    Open file location
  5. Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
    End task
  6. Delete the contents of the malicious folder.

Step 3. Check program Startup

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Go to Startup tab.
  3. Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
    Startup

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:

  1. Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
    Disk cleanup
  2. 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).
  3. Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:

    Temporary Internet Files
    Downloads
    Recycle Bin
    Temporary files

  4. Pick Clean up system files.
    Delete temp files
  5. 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.

Remove Trojan.win32.dss using System Restore

Alternatively, you can reboot the PC to Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

  • Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt
    Windows 7 / Vista / XP
    1. Click Start Shutdown Restart OK.
    2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
    3. Select Command Prompt from the list Select 'Safe Mode with Command Prompt'

    Windows 10 / Windows 8
    1. Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
    2. Now select Troubleshoot Advanced options Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
    3. Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window. Select 'Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt'
  • Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
    1. Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter. Enter 'cd restore' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    2. Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again.. Enter 'rstrui.exe' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    3. When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of Trojan.win32.dss. After doing that, click Next. When 'System Restore' window shows up, select 'Next' Select your restore point and click 'Next'
    4. Now click Yes to start system restore. Click 'Yes' and start system restore
    Once you restore your system to a previous date, download and scan your computer with FortectIntego and make sure that Trojan.win32.dss removal is performed successfully.

Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from Trojan.win32.dss and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes

How to prevent from getting trojans

Protect your privacy – employ a VPN

There are several ways how to make your online time more private – you can access an incognito tab. However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of Private Internet Access VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise. Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and Private Internet Access VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals. 

No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool

If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers – human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence. In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.

If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. Data Recovery Pro is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market – it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.

About the author
Gabriel E. Hall
Gabriel E. Hall - Passionate web researcher

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References