How I Found Adware on My Computer, and What I Did to Remove It

I take security and privacy quite seriously. After all, I’m the Security Editor for MakeUseOf, so that’s why I’m very aware of malware and other threats.

But during a recent antivirus scan on my main computer, I was surprised to find a bunch of adwares sitting on my device. Where did he come from? And most importantly, how do I release it?

How I found Adware on my computer

Long story short, I found adware on my computer after running a Malwarebytes scan. The short scan option discovered the adware in my download folder – which makes sense, since adware is typically introduced to your system through a download.

It is found adware.elexa generic adware family thought to have originated in China.

What surprised me about finding this adware on my machine is that it didn’t show any other signs of problems. Typically, when adware is installed on your machine, you can expect to notice problems such as excessive pop-ups, unexpected changes in your browser, Internet search redirects, and the like.

However, in my case, there were no noticeable changes to my system, browser, or otherwise.

Where does the adware come from?

Actually, I’m not one hundred percent sure. Do not pirate games, movies, or other software, so avoid sites and downloads that may contain viruses. Likewise, my general browsing is mostly limited to “safe sites”, meaning the most popular sites in the world.

Of course, it’s not a guarantee, but major websites are generally safe, and any data breaches or security issues are well documented.

How to remove Adware.Elex from your computer

Fortunately, removing adware.elex is a simple process that any antivirus tool can take care of. Once you’ve finished scanning your system, check the box next to any instances of adware, and delete them. This goes for any adware, not just adware.elex.

Note that you must close your browser before removing adware or other types of malware. This will give you the best chance of removing the adware without a problem.

This process removed the Alex adware from my system, but there are numerous reports that Google Chrome Sync can cause it to reappear. Because Google Chrome syncs browser data across multiple devices, you may accidentally re-infect your device. If you notice this happening to you, this Malwarebytes explained can guide you through the necessary extra steps.