Erdey.exe

Posted by Lisa Blanc on December 13, 2016

What is Erdey.exe?

Erdey.exe is a malicious file that is most likely to show up on your system when your computer is infiltrated by a browser hijacker from the ELEX family. This is a big family containing dozens of potentially harmful hijackers, including LuckySearch123.com, Funnysiting.com, and Trotux.com. Our malware specialists at anti-spyware-101.com say that this executable file may do updates for the browser hijacker but it may also show you third-party advertisements. Since this program runs silently in the background, it could also collect information about you and send it to third-parties. It is never safe to keep any questionable program on your system that you do not even know what it really does. Finding this .exe file on your computer can also be the sign of other malicious programs being present. If you do not take action in time, soon you may face more serious threats that might lead to a crippled operating system or losing your personally identifiable information and more. We suggest that you do not hesitate too long to remove Erdey.exe from your computer. If you want to know more about this threat and how you can defend your PC from similar threats, please read our full article.

Where does Erdey.exe come from?

User reports and our own tests also show that this program is mainly spreading with ELEX family browser hijackers. Since these malware infections mostly spread in free software bundles, chances are that this is the most likely way in which you ended up with this infection. It is possible to install malicious bundles after you click on unreliable third-party ads, such as banner and pop-up ads. But do not think for a second that these are always that obvious because some ads may also try to fool you and make you believe that they are something else. In other words, when you are viewing an unfamiliar torrent or freeware website, there is a good chance that you will click on corrupt content, such as fake buttons and links, fake system notifications, and so on. Sometimes, it is enough to click on any area on the page where you cannot even see any content, yet a new window or new tab opens right away with more malicious contents. This is how it is also possible that you download or install a bundle of malware infections even without realizing. This is why it is so important to be aware of the real content of a software package whenever you install one.

Because you may believe that you are only installing your targeted application; however, the bundle may contain a number of threats, such as adware programs, browser hijackers, Trojans, and potentially unwanted applications. You can also drop such a package when you click on questionable third-party ads displayed by adware programs that are residing on your system without your knowledge. All in all, we advise you to delete Erdey.exe from your computer along with all browser hijackers and other potentially harmful programs you may find after you run a proper malware scan on your system.

Certain sources also say that it is possible to install this malicious program via spam e-mails; so it could also spread as an attachment in spams. You need to be very careful every time you open an e-mail because spam mails may not always end up in the spam folder since they may evade detection. But even if they land in your spam folder, they could appear to be very important and convincing so that you would want to open them and save the attachment to see it right away. We recommend that you do not open questionable e-mails coming from unknown or unfamiliar senders.

How does Erdey.exe work?

When this executable starts up, it may operate in the background without your knowledge. You can only realize that it is doing something when you open your Task Manager and check on the process named Erdey.exe. We assume that this program can do certain updating functions but our tests also show that it might show third-party advertisements as well. This could put your system security at risk since cyber criminals can easily exploit it and promote their fake and malicious websites through it. Another risk factor is that when this malicious executable is active on your system, it means that there must be a browser hijacker operating, too. This hijacker can also pose a threat by showing you questionable third-party ads and providing you with potentially unreliable search results that could contain sponsored ads and links that may take you to malicious websites run by cyber criminals. Clicking on corrupt contents is always risky because you may drop infections onto your machine but you could also be deceived by a fake website that poses as a webshop, for instance. If you do not want to lose your money with your banking details or more, we suggest that you remove Erdey.exe right now along with the browser hijacker it could have come with.

How can I delete Erdey.exe?

We suggest that first you take care of the browser hijacker. Our malware researchers say that it could be enough to change your home page settings in the affected browsers. If that still would not eliminate the hijacker, we suggest that you reset your browsers. Then, you can simply kill the malicious process called Erdey.exe in your Task Manager. Finally, you need to delete the related files. If you need assistance with these steps, please use our guide below as a reference. Since there is a good chance that this infection is not the only one right now on your system, we recommend that you go on eliminating all potential threats until your computer is completely clean. If you do not want to go through this manually, you can use an automated solution, such as an anti-malware program, which can automatically detect and remove all existing malware infections as well as keep your PC protected.

How to remove the browser hijacker

Mozilla Firefox

Press Alt+T and go to Options.
Select General in the left panel.
Replace the unwanted home page URL.
Restart the browser.

Google Chrome

Press Alt+F and choose Settings.
Under On Startup, select Open a specific page or set of pages.
Click Set pages.
Replace the undesirable home page URL and press OK.
Restart the browser.

Internet Explorer

Press Alt+T and navigate to Internet options.
Select the General tab.
Replace the undesirable home page URL and click OK.
Restart the browser.

How to remove Erdey.exe from Windows

Tap Ctrl+Shift+Esc to start up the Task Manager.
Navigate to the malicious process "Erdey.exe" and click End task.
Close the Task Manager.
Tap Win+E to open the File Explorer.
Delete Erdey.exe, which may be in a random-name subfolder in %PROGRAMFILES% or %Program Files(x86)% directories.
Empty your Recycle Bin.
Reboot your system.