Malware appeared to bypass my antivirus when enabled. What should I do?

Question

I downloaded a file knowing it MAY have malware and executed it while my antivirus was enabled. When executing the file at the same time Norton notified me that auto-protect had been disabled. I immediately enabled it back but I had a suspicion that I was infected.

I ran both Norton and Malwarebytes for a full scan ( I didn’t run them at the same time) but both antiviruses told me that my computer was okay. With the same file that possibly infected my computer I scanned it using Virustotal but all antivirus vendors said that the file was safe. The file itself was suspicious and when opening the file I did see random Russian texts when finishing the so called installation.

I’m just very worried and have no idea if I’m infected. If I am actually infected then what should I do?

I’m also happy to share the file with you.

Answer 1

Hi Aaron,

If your anti-virus program has not picked up the file as a virus then you really shouldn't be worrying about much.

If you continue to be worried about your computer being infected then:

#1 Backup your files and ensure they are safe.

#2 Reinstall a fresh Windows 10/Windows 11:

Create Windows 10 installation media

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows10

Create Windows 11 Installation Media

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows11

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