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The number of online scams has been on the rise recently. Most of the scammers rely on a software service known as FastSupport.com and software tools from GoToAssist.exe to do their work. FastSupport.com was designed to help tech support operators access your personal computer to resolve various problems that you could be facing. Unfortunately, dishonest cybercriminals have come up with ways to exploit GoToAssist.exe and FastSupport for online scams.
It is hard to tell the number of people conducting FastSupport scams, but what we know is that they exist in large numbers. They all employ similar methods to fulfil their malicious needs. They use the screen-sharing service to spread unsolicited requests to access the machines of victims and install malicious software tools or even initiate changes that may lead to serious issues.
How the FastSupport scam works
The scammers have to create many fake websites to reach the target victims easily. They also work hard to ensure that all the fake websites rank high on Google Search rankings. But what you might not be aware of is that all the sites promote services to trick individuals into falling for the FastSupport scams. Each of the fake websites looks similar to the real site. Individuals who cannot identify scams are more likely to get tricked to allow the remote access of their devices allowing the cybercriminals to initiate various tasks.
GoToAssist/FastSupport might also appear in the form of ads claiming that your system is already damaged and you must allow the “Certified Microsoft Technicians” to access it remotely. Never click on such ads because they will infect your machine with serious viruses and malware that can damage your system. To know whether you are dealing with an imposter or not, check the usage of the CPU in your device’s Task Manager. The cybercriminals who use FastSupport mostly infiltrate systems with various dangerous malware infections such as Spyware, Banking Trojans, Ransomware and the potentially unwanted programs (PUPS).
So, each time you encounter the scam online, you have to close your FastSupport window or tab that might be directing you to use unnecessary services and influencing you to search the suspicious software programs on your device. Mostly, the hijackers, adware and similar PUPs will display corrupted ads and search results. You will always end up with serious malware problems on your device or even reveal your personal information.
FastSupport and its developers have nothing to do with the scams that have affected many people. If your computer is already infected the best thing to do is use an effective antivirus to remove the malware. After the removal is complete, reset all your web browsers, such as Safari, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.
How does the malware infect your computer?
Mostly, PUPs will infiltrate your computer system without your permission but some will trick you to download and install them. Developers use budding methods and intrusive advertisements to proliferate them. The intrusive ads will direct you to malicious sites and execute scripts that can download and install malware.
“Bunding” is the stealth installation of apps with regular software tools. Developers will hide the bundled programs in the “Custom/Advanced” settings or any other section of their property. They never disclose the information properly. Again, many people click on advertisements and skip most of the software download and installation steps. That leads to the installation of PUPs.
How you can avoid installing malware to your computer
People mostly install infectious files in their computers due to careless behaviour and poor knowledge. You have to be cautious when browsing the internet or downloading and installing files on your computer. Keep in mind that developers of infectious files invest their resources in dubious websites such as pornography, gambling and other sites that may look legitimate.
Each time you experience suspicious web redirects, you have to eliminate the dubious browser plugins and applications. Remember to analyse all download/installation dialog windows with the “Custom/Advanced” settings and opt-out of the appended programs or decline the installation offers.
Avoid using third party installers or downloaders because developers promote PUPs to monetize them. Download the software tools you need from the official sources alone. If your computer is already infected, use Spyhunter for Windows to eliminate the infiltrated malware automatically.
Malware removal
To remove the Fast Support scam and the related files from your computer manually, here are the instructions to follow. But if the manual process does not get rid of all the redirects and scams, use an advanced anti-malware tool to remove the leftovers. The tools are designed to keep your computer system safe regardless of the sites you visit.
Never drag and drop programs or folders to the recycle bin because you will leave pieces or bits of the program behind and that can make your PC unstable. You might also experience numerous errors associated with some programs and unpleasant activities. To uninstall a program, locate the Windows Logo Button on your keyboard and press it.
Alternatively, type “R” on the keyboard and wait for a window to pop up. In the search field, type in “appwiz.cpl” and hit the Enter key. That will open a window displaying all the programs running on your PC. Click on the programs you would want to remove and click on “Uninstall”. Follow the prompts to complete the process.
Step 2: Clean your web browsers
To clean your web browsers, remove the extensions from Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge or any other browser you are currently using. When using Edge, right-click on the icon situated on the top-right corner of your screen and choose Extensions from the drop-down menu. Choose any malicious extensions you would want to remove and click the gear icon. Scroll down and click Uninstall the malicious extension.
Step 3: Clean the registries FastSupport.com created on your PC
The targeted registries in your Windows machine include:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
To access them, open your Windows registry editor and delete any values that FastSupport.com has created. Here are the steps to follow.
- Click on the Windows key and type in “regedit” on the search box and click Ok
- Navigate to Run and RunOnce Keys of the registry locations we have stated above.
- Right-click on values to remove them. To find the values the virus created, right-click on the keys and click on “Modify”. That way, you will identify all the files set to run. Remove the value if it is the virus file location.
Step 4: Use SpyHunter Anti-Malware tool to scan your computer
Click on “Download” button and move to SpyHunter’s download webpage. After SpyHunter is installed, wait for the update process to complete. Click on “Malware/PC Scan” tab. Click on “Start Scan” on the window that pops up. After the scanning is complete, try to remove them automatically by clicking on “Next “. If the uninstallation is complete, the problem will end.
Conclusion
Manual malware removal can be complicated and it is always good you allow anti-malware and anti-virus tools to do the work automatically. Follow the above steps to remove the malware if it is already ruining your browsing experience. When doing the uninstallation manually, you must know the name of the virus.
