Disabled Services Trouble

Here is one last security tip in my security series of articles and I finish up on a sure sign of a malicious compromise.

If you notice that your antimalware software & antivirus software is disabled and you did not do it, you're probably exploited -- especially if you try to start Task Manager or Registry Editor and they still will not start and disappear, or start in a reduced state. This is very common for malware to do.

What to do: You should really perform a complete restore because there is no telling what has happened. But if you want to try something less drastic first, research the many methods on how to restore the lost functionality (any Internet search engine will return lots of results), then restart your computer in Safe Mode and start the hard work. I say "hard work" because usually it is not easy or quick. Often, I have to try a handful of different methods to find one that works. Precede restoring your software by getting rid of the malware program, using the methods listed above.

It is also likely it will be necessary to backup your data and re-format your computer.