Do you know what MedusaHTTP is?
MedusaHTTP is a malicious application that evolved from an IRC botnet to an HTTP botnet. In other words, it is not exactly a new threat, but more like a new version of a few-years old infection. The malware spreads among users to increase its amount of bots, infected computers connected to the same network. If you do not wish your computer to become one of the malicious application’s bots, we recommend reading our report carefully. By doing so, you can learn how the malware might be spread and what you should do to protect your system against it. If you think your device is already infected, you should check the removal guide available below the main text or employ a reputable antimalware tool to erase MedusaHTTP as soon as possible. If you need more help while deleting it or have some questions about the malware, we encourage you to leave us a message in the comments section.
Our computer security specialists report that the malware could get in by exploiting a vulnerability that older Adobe Flash Players might have. MedusaHTTP is spread via malicious ads, and if a user clicks them, the threat might be able to identify the mentioned weakness and exploit it to sneak in. Thus, it is imperative that users who fear they could receive such a threat would make sure they have the latest Adobe Flash Player’s version.
Also, it is advisable to stay away from unreliable pop-ups, banners, and other kinds of advertisements. Such content might be spread through unreliable file-sharing websites and web pages alike, which is a good reason never to visit such sites. Additionally, we advise installing a reputable antimalware tool that could stand guard and alert you about potentially dangerous content. Browsers can be of use too in this area as they can recognize some of the malicious web pages. Thus, besides your operating system, antimalware tool, and Adobe Flash player, you should also update your browser whenever you can.
According to our computer security specialists, most of the encountered MedusaHTTP versions settle in by creating executable files called Asus Gaming.exe in the %APPDATA% directory. Of course, the malicious .exe file’s title could be random in some cases, which is why users who wish to get rid of the malware manually are advised to get rid of all suspicious files located in the mentioned folder. As we explained at the beginning of the article, the threat is a botnet. It connects all infected devices into one network.
This allows the hackers behind the threat to use a large number of devices to carry out DDoS attacks and similar tasks. DDoS or Distributed Denial of Service is an attack/attempt to bring down a particular network, service, or system by flooding it with more Internet traffic than the target can handle. In other words, if your computer is infected with MedusaHTTP, it could be used to attack various businesses and other illegal activities. For instance, some hackers use such botnets to demand ransom from companies, which they threaten to flood with DDoS attacks first.
No doubt, misusing your system’s resources could make your computer work slower or result in bad Internet connection. Plus, your machine might become a tool of cybercriminals. Therefore, we recommend erasing it as soon as you find out about its presence on your system. The threat restarts automatically after each restart, so you must eliminate it for good.
To delete MedusaHTTP manually, you could try the removal guide available below. Of course, we cannot guarantee it will work for everyone since the malicious application could have many versions. Thus, if you suspect this threat is on your computer, it might be best to employ a reputable antimalware tool.
Erase MedusaHTTP
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
- Choose Task Manager and go to the Processes tab.
- Locate a process belonging to the malware.
- Choose the threat’s process and click End Task.
- Exit Task Manager.
- Click Windows Key+E.
- Navigate to the suggested path: %APPDATA%
- Locate a file called Asus Gaming.exe, right-click it and choose Delete.
- Look for suspicious files that could be related to the malware in the %APPDATA% location too, right-click them and click Delete.
- Exit File Explorer.
- Empty Recycle bin.
- Restart the computer.
In non-techie terms:
MedusaHTTP is an HTTP botnet that could be employed to carry out DDoS attacks. In other words, the malware misuses devices it infects for malicious tasks such as attacking various systems. If you do not like the idea someone could use your device for illegal activities, we recommend doing all you can to avoid the malicious application. As explained in the main text, one of the most important tasks you need to complete to make sure the threat does not get in is to update your Adobe Flash Player. If you want to check if the malware is already on your system or wish to get rid of it manually, we recommend seeing the removal guide available above this paragraph. Another way to erase MedusaHTTP from a machine is to perform a full system scan with a reputable antimalware tool that could delete it for you. Of course, if you choose to employ a trustworthy security tool, we advise keeping it active and up to date at all times so it could guard your computer efficiently.