What is IDP.Generic Virus? What Should You Do About It?

What is IDP.Generic Virus? What Should You Do About It?

Many windows users get the IDP.Generic infection alert on their files. The IDP.Generic attack is not specific to a certain file; many files may be detected to have the infection. But what is IDP.Generic virus? IDP.Generic virus is a computer malware mainly experienced by those using Avast or AVG antiviruses. IDP generic infection means an Identity Protection detection component has detected the virus. Many windows users get the idp.generic infection, and they usually get a message that a file is infected with IPD.Generic was caught.

This usually represents the detection of an attack on a generic file. It means that it is not related to a specific file so, the infection could be on a wide range of files. Users can detect the attack on their game files, while others could have the infection on their python files.

Although this could be a false positive alarm, it could also have happened due to outdated definitions. Generally, this kind of attack or infection is not harmful and can be corrected if you put preventive measures in place.

However, once a file is infected, you cannot continue using it, so users want to know if it is malware or a false positive. The flag is triggered if the file in question does something identical to the malware.

What Should You Do if You Get IDP.Generic Flag?

Although in most cases, it turns out to be a false positive, you should not ignore it completely. You should use another anti-virus program to see if it detects the same file. There are several ways to deal with IDP.Generic infection. They include

Method 1. VirusTotal

This is a software service used to analyze suspicious URLs and files and facilitate quicker detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and any other malware program. You can install it as a program on your computer or use it on the website where you upload the files, and it tells you whether the file has any malicious components. VirusTotal works by uploading the infected file onto the website to check if it will be flagged or not. If VirusTotal does not flag your file, then ignore the warning and mark it safe. Also, consider updating your antivirus program.

Follow the following steps:

Step. Install the VirusTotal application on your computer.

Step 2. Select Browse.

Step 3. Copy the following line, then paste it into the File Name Field.

C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe

Step 4. Click on Open.

Step 5. Select Send File, located at the bottom of the VirusTotal page.

Step 6. If you are given feedback that the file has already been analyzed, click Reanalyze. Otherwise, complete the scanning process.

If the file is infected, VirusTotal flags it as a threat and recommends a full scan with your antivirus.

To Update the AVG antivirus program to the latest version, follow the following steps:

Step 1. On the AVG software, click on the Menu bar.

Step 2. Open the tab settings.

Step 3. Click on the Update option and update both the virus definition and the program.

Step 4. After the update is complete, restart your computer. This is to check whether the problem has been solved or not.

What Triggers IDP.Generic False Positive?

A false positive flag is mainly caused by an outdated definition of the antivirus program. To correct it, simply update your antivirus to the latest version.

VirusTotal analyzes the problem by scanning all the files associated with HashCheck. Follow these steps to correct it:

Step 1. If you are using an older version of Avast, update it.

Step 2. Uninstall and re-install HashCheck.

Step 3. If this does not work, you can disable the Avast software temporarily

If the false positives aren’t gone after doing this, consider changing the antivirus application.

Actions to Take in case of a False Positive Alert

The first thing to do is to take the file out of the virus fault to prevent the virus from blocking it. To do this, follow the given steps below:

Step1. Click on your Avast Antivirus program.

Step 2. Click on Protection.

Step 3. Select Virus Chest.

Step 4. Right-click your file

Step 5. Choose Restore and add to exclusions.

Note that these steps are similar in all antivirus programs and the steps are easy to follow. You will find a virus fault in each antivirus and an option to restore the files.

Once you are done, upload the file to the false-positive form so Avast can know about the file to prevent future false positives.

Method 2. Java Update

When the java in your computer is out of date, it can cause IDP.Generic infection. The older versions of Java have vulnerabilities that malware programs use to infect the entire system. When you want to update your java system, we recommend that you follow the following steps:

Step1: Download Java Runtime Environment 7 Update 5 and save it to your computer.

Step 2: Select the option Java SE 7 Update 5 and choose the Download JRE option.

Step 3: Click on Accept License Agreement Option.

Step 4: Download Windows *86 Offline and save it to your desktop.

Step 5: Click on Start, go to Settings and choose Control Panel.

Step 6: Choose the option Add/Remove Programs and remove all the older versions of Java.

Step 7: Restart your computer system when all the java components are completely removed.

Step 8: Locate the JRE-7u5-windows-i586 on your desktop and install the latest Java version.

Are You a Victim of IDP.Generic?

Although IDP.Generic virus is, in most cases, false positives, it locks the file such that the user cannot use them. It is, therefore, important to have good knowledge of the action to take in case you become a victim. The methods which we have discussed above should get you sorted. You can also prevent it from happening by considering adding protection to your computer by installing Malwarebytes Anti Malware. This on-demand scanner checks your entire system for any malware programs.