This post explains how to remove Clipboard Hijacker in Windows 11/10. If your clipboard is pasting garbled or muddled string instead of your crypto address, then watch out! Your system is infected with Clipboard Hijacker. The DirectX 11 or Services DirectX Driver Clipboard Hijacker is a malicious software that monitors your Windows clipboard for cryptocurrency addresses. It helps cybercriminals gain access to a computer and carry out fraudulent cryptocurrency transactions. Once it enters a system, it keeps an eye on its clipboard to spot cryptocurrency addresses. Once an address is spotted, it replaces the address with the hacker’s address. As a result, the victim unknowingly transfers funds to the hacker’s address instead of the intended wallet address.
A wallet address refers to a virtual location from where cryptocurrencies can be sent or received. It consists of a string of letters and numbers, which is long and complex. As cryptocurrency addresses are hard to memorize, people use the copy/paste method to enter wallet addresses in cryptocurrency transactions. The attacker takes advantage of this and uses the virus to swap the receiver’s wallet address with his own address, while the address is being temporarily stored on the system’s clipboard.
Clipboard hijacking is a malicious practice that allows hackers to take control of your Windows clipboard through a virus known as Clipboard Hijacker. A clipboard is a buffer storage that gets created in your computer’s memory when you copy some text. Clipboard Hijacker constantly monitors your system’s clipboard to detect a crypto address. It gets into action when you do a cryptocurrency transaction and replaces the receiver’s wallet address with some garbled or muddled string. This string contains the wallet address of the attacker to whom you unknowingly transfer funds.
How to remove Clipboard Hijacker in Windows 11/10
If your clipboard has been compromised, you can use these solutions to remove Clipboard Hijacker in Windows 11/10:
- Clear your Clipboard
- Disable suspicious processes through Task Manager
- Scan your computer for Malware and other viruses
- Scan your browser for hijackers
- Uninstall untrusted apps you’ve installed recently
Let us have a look at these solutions in detail.
1] Clear your Clipboard
When you find that your system is being infected with Clipboard Hijacker, the first thing you should do is clear your clipboard. This is to ensure that the clipboard will no longer hold any fraudulent wallet address that has been swapped in place of your intended address by the virus. Follow these steps to clear the clipboard data on your Windows 11/10 PC:
- Click on the Start menu icon on your Windows taskbar.
- Select Settings.
- Under System Settings, navigate to the Clipboard option.
- Click on this option to open the Clipboard settings.
- Click on the Clear button next to the Clear clipboard data option.
2] Terminate suspicious processes through Task Manager
Next, disable all suspicious processes running on your system through Windows Task Manager. AutoIt v3 Script (32-bit) is a malware process associated with Clipboard Hijacker. This process is responsible for replacing your receiver’s wallet address with that garbled or muddled string. If you see this process listed under the running processes in your Task Manager, terminate it immediately.
- Right-click on the Start menu icon to launch the WinX menu.
- Select Task Manager. Windows Task Manager will open up.
- Look for AutoIt v3 Script (32-bit) or any such suspicious process in the list of background processes.
- If you find this process, click on it and then click on the End Task button at the bottom of the Task Manager window.
3] Scan your computer for Malware and other viruses
Even if you terminate the AutoIt v3 Script (32-bit) process, Clipboard Hijacker can reinitiate it as long as it exists on your Windows PC. So it is very important to remove this malware to prevent your system from clipboard data fraud.
You may use Windows built-in antivirus or any trusted premium or free antivirus software to scan your Windows 11/10 PC for viruses and malicious software. If the antivirus software detects a program with suspicious behavior, it quarantines or deletes that program from your Windows PC.
Apart from your existing antivirus, use another portable second-opinion on-demand malware scanner, such as Dr.WEB CureIt, etc.
Read: Virus and threat protection not working on Windows
4] Scan your browser for hijackers
An infected browser can potentially harm your computer by allowing threats to take control of your clipboard. While most modern browsers (including Microsoft Edge and Opera browser) are employing ways to prevent Pastejacking or Clipboard Data Theft, you should scan your default browser using a Browser Hijacker Removal Tool to ensure that it’s not been compromised.
5] Uninstall untrusted apps you’ve installed recently
Lastly, uninstall any third-party apps that you’ve installed from an untrusted source. If you don’t recall installing any such app, go to your Apps section and look for suspicious apps. Remove such apps to prevent your system from virus attacks.
- Click on the Start menu icon.
- Select Settings.
- Select Apps on the left panel.
- Select Apps & features on the right panel.
- Under the app list, identify any unreliable app.
- Click on the three vertical dots next to the app name and select Uninstall.
- Click on Uninstall again in the confirmation popup that appears.
Once you have uninstalled the app, don’t forget to remove leftover files to delete all traces of the suspicious app from your system.
Can websites steal your clipboard?
Yes. Websites can access the content of your clipboard if you grant permission or dismiss the warning dialogue box. While you may have granted permission for a particular purpose at a particular point in time, the permission can stay put, allowing the website to read, erase, or replace whatever you have on your clipboard. For example, you may have allowed a language translator website to access your clipboard to paste some text for translation. Now you switch tabs and copy your bank account password. The translator can access your clipboard and see your password while you return to it to do the translation.
How do I clear my clipboard virus?
There are a few things you can do to clear your clipboard virus on Windows 11/10 PC. For example, you can disable all the suspicious processes using Task Manager, scan your computer with an antivirus, etc. The most important thing is that you need to use an adware removal tool to remove the clipboard virus completely.
Read Next: Is Wave Browser safe or malware?
