How come bitdefender didn't find the trojan.html.agent.wr malware on my PC?

HelpfulLemon · October 2023

I became aware of an issue when I opened the Outlook app on my PC and emails from my inbox started auto-deleting (I didn't have any archiving rules set up), and then messages started to appear asking if I was sure I wanted to grant access to 'transfer' certain files (that I wasn't trying to transfer).

I suspected a virus so I did a full Bitdefender system scan and it found 7 issues; 6 of which it cleaned/resolved and 1 that it could not resolve which was the trojan.html.agent.wr

My questions are

How come Bitdefender hadn't already found and highlighted/cleaned the 7 issues? For context I only got my PC 3 months ago and installed Bitdefender the same day I bought the PC. All 7 of the issues it found after I did a full scan were related to Outlook including Trojan.genericKD malware (which it cleaned after the scan) and the trojan.html.agent.wr which I had to manually delete.
Now that all 7 issues seem to have been cleaned does that mean I am in the clear, or could these malware have already stolen personal data from my PC? Should I now change all passwords etc (I don't want to have to do this as I have so many online accounts)?

Thanks in advance for any help

Flexx · October 2023

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/97356/how-come-bitdefender-didnt-find-the-trojan-html-agent-wr-malware-on-my-pc

There are a few reasons why Bitdefender may not have detected the malware earlier:

1) The malware may have been new or evasive, and Bitdefender's database may not have been updated yet.

2) The malware may have been disguised as a legitimate file or process, making it difficult for Bitdefender to identify.

3) The malware may have been running in a protected area of the operating system, where Bitdefender has limited access.

It's also possible that the malware was able to exploit a vulnerability in Outlook to gain access to your system.

It's good that you were able to clean the malware from your system. However, it is possible that the malware may have already stolen personal data from your PC. It's a good idea to change your passwords, especially for any accounts that contain sensitive information, such as your email, bank account, and social media accounts.

Additionally, also follow the below stated steps

1) Restart your PC in safe mode: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-your-pc-in-safe-mode-in-windows-92c27cff-db89-8644-1ce4-b3e5e56fe234

2) Open the Run command and execute the following commands one by one:

temp ,delete all the files in the the folder

%temp% ,delete all the files in the folder

prefetch ,delete all the files in the folder

3) Restart your PC in normal mode by unselecting the option to run the system in Safe Mode and then click 'Apply.

4) Reset your we browsers:

Google Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/3296214?hl=en

Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/refresh-firefox-reset-add-ons-and-settings

Microsoft Edge: https://malwaretips.com/blogs/reset-microsoft-edge/

Opera: https://browsersolution.com/reset-opera-browser