How To Remove WebHelper Virus [10 Effective Methods]

This tutorial explains suspicious activities and processes that indicate the presence of the WebHelper Virus in your system. Explore methods to remove the WebHelper Virus:

There are numerous categories of malicious files that can harm your system, and one such category is adware. Adware is a malicious file that displays pop-ups on your screen and affects the efficiency of your system.

In this article, we will discuss one such adware which is known as WebHelper. This virus is recognized by suspicious processes known as utorrentie.exe and Webhelper.dll.

We will also understand the activities performed by the virus in the system and explain different methods to remove WebHelper Virus.

What Is A WebHelper Virus

WebHelper program is a suspicious process that works in the background and handles various pop-ups and ads on the screen. This virus uses a greater section of your CPU and is also a major threat to sensitive information (including passwords, bank details).

There are various other suspicious activities that the virus can perform. These are mentioned below:

• Monitors Activity: This virus acts as a Trojan and allows the other person to monitor all your activities on the system, including recording your online activities.
• Taps Keys: This virus is also a key logger that stores all your key logs, making your passwords and bank accounts vulnerable.
• Use More Significant Part of CPU: These virus programs run in the background, and therefore they require larger sections of CPU, which result in slower CPU speed for the user.
• Displays Ads: This virus allows the website to show notifications, which enables the browser to display ads on the computer. It also slows down the system and makes the system vulnerable to more viruses.
• Display Sound Ads: Sound Ads remains one of the most annoying forms of advertisements and this can even interrupt the smooth working of your system.
• Plays Sounds: The virus also controls your audio system, which gives it access to play random sounds on the system and annoys the user.

How Can WebHelper Virus Enter My System

A simple notification of you winning the iPhone 11 can be an infiltration bridge for the virus. Similarly, other ads and notifications can be direct access and infiltration of the virus.

People have also reported winning millions in a lottery which is informed to them via email, and then they are asked to click on a link that would transfer the money to their account. This way, many cybercrimes happen, so one must be aware of such activities.

Also, various websites allow users to download the latest movies and latest shows for free and these downloaded files contain the virus that keeps replicating in the system.

The WebHelper virus mainly reaches the system via two components and they are listed below:

• Webhelper.dll: It is a program that automates WebHelper in the system. Whenever WebHelper is uninstalled, the program reinstalls WebHelper all by itself. It is also responsible for various pop-ups and ads on your system.
• Utorrentie.exe: Utorrentie.exe is a component of Bit Torrent and covers the task of displaying ads for the Utorrent clients. This can further lead to displaying annoying ads on your system. The program runs in the background and it further results in slowing down your system.

How To Locate And Identify WebHelper Virus

The first and the best way to locate this virus is by running a complete system scan because this will identify all the viruses present on the system and will provide the significant measures needed to be taken to remove the virus.

Whereas, you can open Task Manager in your system, click on “Processes” and check the CPU speed occupied by various processes. If there you find programs named “WebHelper” or something unusual, then they are virus programs running in the background.

Suggested Reading =>> Vulnerability Analysis and Vulnerability Scanning Tools

Prevent Further Infiltration In The System

Users must make sure that they can keep their system secure by following the below steps and tips:

1. Backup: Prepare a backup of your data and also make sure that you have created a restore point in your system.
2. Antivirus Scan: Perform regular antivirus scans on your system to avoid any sort of virus spread.
3. VPN: Use VPN to surf the Internet so any person with malicious intention cannot track your system.
4. Trusted Downloads: Always download files and movies from the trusted and secure sources only.
5. Check CPU Usage: Keep track of your CPU usage and check which program occupies how many sections of the CPU.
6. Connect to Secure Networks: Avoid connecting to public networks and rather connect to only private and secure networks.

Ways To Remove WebHelper Virus

There are numerous ways to remove the WebHelper virus, and some of them are listed below for different platforms.

Note: Among various methods mentioned below, some methods are mock methods as these methods can be followed to uninstall the virus file or the extension.

#1) Use Antivirus To Scan And Remove Viruses

The antivirus programs not only keep your system secure but also make it convenient for you to manage the infected files and make your system run efficiently. So it would be best if you perform regular system scans to detect any virus or infected files present on your system.

Note: Scan downloaded programs before they are installed on the system.

#2) Uninstall Using Control Panel

Users can remove the WebHelper virus from the system entirely by using the steps listed below:

Note: Provided screenshots are the sample screenshots of how to complete this task. You need to visit Control Panel and check for all the suspicious and unwanted applications and remove them.

#1) Open Control Panel and click on Uninstall a program as displayed in the image below.

#2) Now, click on Program and then click on Uninstall to delete the software from the system.

Various users have complained of WebHelper getting reinstalled when the system starts, so you can look for further steps listed below.

#3) Overwriting utorrentie.exe File

Some experts suggest the idea of overwriting the utorrentie.exe file with a simple text file.

This can be done easily by following the steps listed below:

1. Press “Ctrl+ Alt + Delete” from your keyboard which will launch Task Manager on your system. Now, end Utorrent task under the Process bar.
2. Open “Local Disk C” and search for “Utorrentie.exe” in the search bar and press Enter, then right-click on it. From the list of options displayed, click on “Open file location”.
3. A Utorrent folder will open, right-click on the screen, then click on “New> Text Document” and save it as “sample.txt”.
4. Open sample.txt and click on “File > Save As“, a dialog box will open specify “Save as type” as “All files” and “Filename” as ” Utorrentie.exe” and press Enter.
5. A pop-up will be displayed “Utorrentie.exe already exists. Do you want to replace it?”. Now, click on “Yes”.
6. Now right-click on “Utorrentie.exe” and then click on “Properties”. Under the General tab, click on “Read-only“. Click on “Apply” and then finally on “OK”.

By following the steps listed above, you will replace the Utorrent.exe file with a blank file and therefore it won’t be further functional.

#4) Delete WebHelper From Mac

The user can remove the WebHelper virus from the Mac system by following the steps listed below:

• From the menu bar, click on “Go” and then click on “Applications“.
• Please select the File, a WebHelper virus, drag it to the trash bin, and clean any remaining program files.

#5) Deleting Suspicious Extensions From Microsoft Edge

Microsoft provides its users with the feature to remove infected extensions from the system by following the steps listed below:

Note: You can see the screenshot of how to remove an extension from your Microsoft Edge browser. Please keep in mind that this is just a sample screenshot of how to complete this task. Go through your extension page and check for all unwanted extensions and remove them.

#1) Click on the menu icon and then click on “Extensions”.

#2) After clicking on the extension, click on “Remove” as projected in the image below.

#6) Deleting Suspicious Extensions From Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox allows users to remove extensions from the browser. Follow the steps listed below to remove extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Note: Given screenshots are the sample screenshots showing how to remove an extension from your Mozilla Firefox browser. Go through your extension page and check for all unwanted extensions and remove them.

#1) Open Mozilla Firefox and then click on the menu icon. Now, click on “Add-ons and Themes” as projected in the image below.

#2) Then click on the Extensions and further click on “Remove” to remove the extension.

#7) Deleting Suspicious Extensions From Google Chrome

The extensions can be deleted from Google Chrome by following the steps mentioned below:

Note: The screenshots provided are sample ones and you need to follow the same process to uninstall other extensions from your Google Chrome browser.

#1) Open the Chrome menu, click on “More Tools” and then click on “Extensions”.

#2) A window will appear. Now click on “Remove” to delete the extension you want, as displayed in the image below.

#8) Reset The Browser

Users can also reset the browser to remove all the extensions and settings, making the system vulnerable. Follow the steps listed below to reset the browser:

#1) Open the Chrome menu and click on “Settings” as displayed in the image below.

#2) Search for reset in the search bar and click on “Restore settings to their original defaults”.

#3) A dialog box will appear as displayed in the image below. Click on “Reset settings”

Now you must restart the system and check that whether the WebHelper virus is still present on the system.

#9) Use Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup is a feature provided by Window, which makes it easier for the users to clean temporary files and suspicious programs from the system.

Follow the steps mentioned below to use Disk Cleanup:

#1) Search for Disk Cleanup in the search menu as displayed below and click on “Open”.

#2) A dialog box will open as projected below, now chose “(C:)” and then click on “OK”.

#3) A dialog box will open as displayed below. Click on “Clean up system files”.

#4) Select the files you want to clean and then click on “OK”.

By following the steps mentioned above, you can remove temporary files and suspicious files from your system.

#10) Using Safe Mode With Networking

Safe Mode is a feature in Windows which allows you to start your system with the basic files. Also, it comes with various variations like Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

Follow the steps listed below to enable Safe Mode with Networking and delete the WebHelper virus:

#1) Open Settings, and click on “Update & Security” as displayed in the image below.

#2) Click on “Recovery” and under the heading Advanced startup click on “Restart now”.

#3) A system with restart and a blue screen will be displayed. Now click on “Troubleshoot”.

[image source]

#4) Now click on “Advanced options”.

#5) Further, click on “Startup Settings” as displayed below.

#6) Then, click on “Restart”.

[image source]

#7) Now, press “F5” from your keyboard, and your system will restart in Safe Mode with Networking.

#8) When the system restarts, open task manager and locate any suspicious program in Process. Now, click on the process and click on “Open File Location“.

#9) End the task and delete all the files of this process. Restart the system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q #1) Is WebHelper a virus?

Answer: Yes, a WebHelper is a malicious program recognized by various antivirus software, and this program spies and records user’s actions.

Q #2) How do I remove WebHelper from Windows 10?

Answer: There are many ways to remove WebHelper from Windows 10. Some of them are listed below:

• Use antivirus to locate and remove viruses from the system.
• Open Task Manager, check for processes, locate WebHelper, and right-click to open file location and then delete the File.

Q #3) What is a WebHelper in Utorrent?

Answer: The WebHelper is a malicious program sent by pirated sites to spy on the user, and it is also a key logger that taps the user’s key actions.

Q #4) How do I disable WebHelper in Utorrent?

Answer: You can disable WebHelper in Utorrent by using the steps listed below:

• Open Task Manager and click on Process.
• Locate WebHelper and right-click on it. Now, click on the Open file location.
• Select the File and delete the File.

Q #5) Is Utorrent a virus?

Answer: No, Utorrent is not a virus, but it is a download manager that helps users download files from various websites.

Q #6) What is a WebHelper in Task Manager?

Answer: The WebHelper displayed in the Task Manager is a malicious program that spies on your actions and keeps records of your key logs.

Conclusion

There are chances that various viruses might be present in your system and you do not even have a hint about it. WebHelper is a similar type of virus that can infect your system and can disrupt its functionality. Therefore, we should try to keep our system secure from such viruses by running antivirus scans regularly and following other required methods.

Also Read =>> Malware Removal Tools With Features & Comparison

In this article, we have discussed WebHelper virus, and have learned various ways to remove the virus from multiple platforms.