I recently made the mistake of running a suspicious .exe file while logged into my Windows 11 machine as an Administrator, and now I'm dealing with a serious situation. Windows Defender flagged it as a severe threat, labeled as Trojan: Script/Wacatac.B!ml, and claimed to have removed it, but things got worse. The day after running that file, multiple accounts of mine—including Instagram, Steam, Reddit, and Microsoft—got hacked from an IP address in Germany. I've since changed all my passwords and recovered my accounts, but the attackers even managed to hide the emails about the changes in my Spam folder, which led me to believe my Gmail was compromised too. Google hasn't shown any sign-ins from new devices, but it shows my laptop was used recently when I hadn't powered it on for over 24 hours. I suspect they accessed session data from my laptop. I've signed out of all my accounts on it, but I really want to make sure the malware is completely gone. So far, neither Windows Defender nor MalwareBytes have detected any threats, aside from some usual PUPs. What's the best approach to completely remove this malware without resorting to formatting my laptop?
2 Answers
You could attempt a thorough malware scan, but to be honest, sometimes the only foolproof method is to just wipe everything and start over. It might seem like a hassle, but it’s better than waiting for another breach.
Honestly, if you're unsure about the malware still lurking around, you can run multiple scans with tools like Malwarebytes, HitmanPro, and AdwCleaner, but it's tough to be 100% certain without a full wipe. If you want to play it safe and really erase any threats, you might want to consider starting fresh with a Windows reinstall, but I get that could feel like a last resort. Just make sure to back up your important files first!
I agree, running multiple tools is good, but there's always that chance something sneaky remains. Starting fresh might save you a lot of headache later.
Yeah, I think a clean install would be your safest bet. Just ensure your backups are solid before proceeding.