How to remove Chrome.exe

Chrome.exe

Last Updated on Saturday, 19 May 2012 10:40 Sunday, 30 August 2009 12:31

Chrome.exe is the name of the legitimate file of Google's Chrome browser.
Virus writers use this name to create malicious files and save it in different locations. It should not be difficult for you to find out the location of legitimate Chrome.exe installed on your computer. Screenshot of chrome.exe on a XP computer.

chrome.exe

There are several variations of this infection. Please browse through the list of reports if you find this virus infecting your computer. Here is a list of several variations of viruses that use the name chrome.exe

Update: Here are some other viruses using the name chrome.exe

1) Creates %Temp%\chrome.exe see report
2) Creates %AppData%\Google Chrome\chrome.exe see report
3) Creates %ProgramFiles%\Systeme32\Chrome.exe see report
4) Creates %ProgramFiles%\google\Chrome.exe see report

Full path of folders can be found on this link

The information below pertains to one variant. Please use the information from the report above the details of steps below if you are infected with a different variant.

Warning: It is possible that some legitimate software may be using the same file names as that of the virus files. You do not have to delete these files if they belong to some legitimate program installed on your computer. Use Windows Defender or SysInternals Process Explorer to differentiate between them. The information in this article is presented without making any claims regarding its usefulness or otherwise. If you have any questions/ objections, please send a note by adding a comment at the end of this page, or mail on support(at)comprolive.com

Preventive measures

Most of the viruses enter your computer when you visit some harmful website. If you use a browser plugin that warns you about harmful websites, you can prevent this from happening. A popular browser plugin is called Web Of Trust (WOT), you can install it from its website on this link.
[ a video about WOT plugin ]
Blocking Javascript of all sites by default can help to prevent drive by download infections. You can use Noscript Plugin for firefox as explained in this video. Similar functionality can be achieved in Google's Chromium browser using the settings in Preferences > Under the Hood > Content Settings > Java Script > Select "Do not Allow". After that when you visit a site, you will see a pop up next to the address bar asking you if you want to allow JavaScript to run for that particular site. The author of NoScript is writing a similar plugin for IE9 called GoodScript. Keep an eye on when it becomes available.
Some of the viruses are downloaded in Internet Cache or in the Temp folder of the windows. The viruses get activated when these files are executed. You can reduce the risk of virus infection if you empty your browser cache and remove windows temp files occasionally, ideally at the end of a browsing session or before closing down your computer. Some programs like CCleaner can be set to do these things automatically. [ a video about CCleaner ]
Do not leave your computer infected and insecure. If you doubt that there could be some undetected virus on your computer, don't leave it like that. Format the hard disk and reinstall windows and all other programs. That is the sure way to clear doubts.

Using System Restore

If you know the duration since your computer is infected, you can try to restore your computer at a prior date, that will be an easy way to undo the changes done by the virus
[ a video about System Restore ]

Using system restore in windows XP
Using system restore in windows Vista
Using system restore in windows7

Boot in safe mode

Sometimes you can not delete a file. You should boot in safe mode and then try to delete it.

How to boot in safe in windows XP
How to boot in safe mode in windows Vista
How to boot in safe mode in windows7

View Hidden Files

You need to enable to view hidden files and folders before searching.
[ a video about how to view hidden files & folders ]

How to Enable to View Hidden Files and Folders in Windows XP
How to Enable to View Hidden Files and Folders in Windows Vista
How to Enable to View Hidden Files and Folders in Windows7

Remove Processes from Task Manager

Press Ctrl Alt Del keys to open the Task Manager. Select Processes tab. You will see a list. Look for the names chrome.exe in it. Select if found and press the End Process button. It will ask for your confirmation to end that process. Select Yes. You can end one process at a time. [ a video about task manager ]

You can find out if a process in Task Manager is good or bad by using Windows Defender in XP and Vista. It shows the path of a process and its publisher. Harmful processes may be shown under Unknown Publisher in windows defender. Whereas in Windows7 you can find that out from the task manager itself
[ a video about windows defender ]

How to use Windows Defender in windows XP
How to use Windows Defender in windows Vista
How to use Windows Defender in windows7

Or you can use Sysinternal's Process Explorer. How to use Sysinternal's Process Explorer

[ a video about Process Explorer ]

Removing entry from windows startup

The system configuration can be started in xp and in vista by typing msconfig in the run box/ start menu search box. In xp by clicking on Start > run . The windows startup is reversible. You can check / uncheck any entry from windows startup any number of times.

Open system configuration window. Click on the Startup tab. You will see a list all the programs that are scheduled to start with windows. Expand the middle column using your mouse pointer. That will show you the full path of the program. Locate and uncheck the boxes in front of these names "chrome.exe" (also look for any other suspicious names) Press Apply , Press Close/Ok , Select "restart" at the next prompt.

Deleting files

The computer will restart now. Delete the following files and folders. Boot in safe mode or boot in the dos prompt if needed. You can use windows search utility to search for chrome.exe and find out if there are any other instances of this file present elsewhere in the computer.

You should also look in the following folders and delete any suspicious files
C:\ - This is the root folder.
C:\Documents and Settings\[UserName]
C:\Documents and Settings\[UserName]\Application Data
C:\Documents and Settings\[AllUsers]\Application Data
Normally there are no legitimate EXE or DLL or any files in these folders. You can safely delete any such files if found at these locations. Legitimate programs create a sub folder and keep their files in there.

Files created by the virus
C:\windows\system32\chrome.exe
C:\windows\chrome.exe

Folders created by the virus
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Additional Files
These are some of the files commonly found in a Bifrost infection - chrome.exe
This is a folder found in most of the Bifrost infection - Bifrost ( do a windows search with the term Bifrost, that should find any folder named Bifrost)

Files in Temp folder
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Installer File
[file and pathname of the sample #1] (We do not know the name or the location of the installer file sample #1, it could be in your default download location or on the desktop or in a Temp folder. The files and folders in the Temp folder can be automatically removed, if you use a freeware temp files/ registry cleaner software like CCleaner)

Registry Keys

Some of the registry keys will be automatically removed if you run Registry menu of CCleaner. For other registry changes you can see the report mentioned at the beginning of this article

Using CCleaner

You can easily remove the files in the temp folder by running CCleaner. You can set CCleaner to run automatically each time the computer starts.

Do not forget to run CCleaner > Registry menu to remove the obsolete registry entries.