PUP.Optional.AppMaster

Short bio

PUP.Optional.AppMaster is Malwarebytes’ detection name for a potentially unwanted program that behaves like adware.

Type and source of infection

PUP.Optional.AppMaster displays advertisements not originating from the sites you are visiting. PUP.Optional.AppMaster is usually installed by bundlers.

Protection

Malwarebytes protects users from PUP.Optional.AppMaster by blocking the sites that promote the bundlers.

Malwarebytes blocks pdfpro100.com

Remediation

Malwarebytes can detect and remove PUP.Optional.AppMaster without further user interaction.

Please download Malwarebytes to your desktop.
Double-click mb3-setup-consumer-{version}.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
Then click Finish.
Once the program has fully updated, select Scan Now on the Dashboard. Or select the Threat Scan from the Scan menu.
If another update of the definitions is available, it will be implemented before the rest of the scanning procedure.
When the scan is complete, make sure that all Threats are selected, and click Remove Selected.
Restart your computer when prompted to do so.

Add an exclusion

Should users wish to keep this program and exclude it from being detected in future scans, they can add the program to the exclusions list. Here’s how to do it.

The Exclusions tab includes a list of items to be excluded from scans. The items may include files, folders, websites, or applications that connect to the Internet, as well as previously detected exploits.

To access the exclusions in Malwarebytes:

Click on the Settings tab in the left pane.
Click on the Exclusions tab.
Click the Add Exclusion button.
Select the exclusion type Exclude a File or Folder and use the Browse button to select the main folder for the software that you wish to keep.
Repeat this for any secondary folder(s) that belong to the software.
If you want to allow the program to connect to the Internet, for example to fetch updates, add an exclusion of the type Exclude an application that Connects to the Internet and use the Browse button to select the file you wish to grant access.

Traces/IOCs

Runkey:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run|AppMaster=%APPDATA%\appmaster\AppMaster.exe

Scheduled Tasks:

%SYSDIR%\Tasks\UpdatePrt

%WINDIR%\Tasks\UpdatePrt.job

Folder:

%appdata%\Roaming\AppMaster

Malwarebytes removal log

A Malwarebytes log of removal will look similar to this:

Malwarebytes
www.malwarebytes.com

-Log Details-
Scan Date: 9/13/18
Scan Time: 10:55 AM
Log File: c314ff23-b732-11e8-a33c-00ffdcc6fdfc.json

-Software Information-
Version: 3.5.1.2522
Components Version: 1.0.441
Update Package Version: 1.0.6803
License: Premium

-System Information-
OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1
CPU: x64
File System: NTFS
User: {computername}\{username}

-Scan Summary-
Scan Type: Threat Scan
Scan Initiated By: Manual
Result: Completed
Objects Scanned: 252102
Threats Detected: 7
Threats Quarantined: 7
Time Elapsed: 3 min, 11 sec

-Scan Options-
Memory: Enabled
Startup: Enabled
Filesystem: Enabled
Archives: Enabled
Rootkits: Enabled
Heuristics: Enabled
PUP: Detect
PUM: Detect

-Scan Details-
Process: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Module: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Key: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Value: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Data: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Data Stream: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Folder: 3
PUP.Optional.AppMaster, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\AppMaster\Resources\PdfPro100, Delete-on-Reboot, [760], [559415],1.0.6803
PUP.Optional.AppMaster, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\AppMaster\Resources, Delete-on-Reboot, [760], [559415],1.0.6803
PUP.Optional.AppMaster, C:\USERS\{username}\APPDATA\ROAMING\APPMASTER, Delete-on-Reboot, [760], [559415],1.0.6803

File: 4
PUP.Optional.AppMaster, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\AppMaster\Resources\PdfPro100\shortcut.ico, Delete-on-Reboot, [760], [559415],1.0.6803
PUP.Optional.AppMaster, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\AppMaster\AppMaster.exe, Delete-on-Reboot, [760], [559415],1.0.6803
PUP.Optional.AppMaster, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\AppMaster\AppMaster.exe.config, Delete-on-Reboot, [760], [559415],1.0.6803
PUP.Optional.AppMaster, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\AppMaster\pref.txt, Delete-on-Reboot, [760], [559415],1.0.6803

Physical Sector: 0
(No malicious items detected)

WMI: 0
(No malicious items detected)


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