What is AutoRun.inf?
What exactly is an autorun.inf? Is it a virus or just a file that needed by other application in our computer to run? Have you ever gotten alerted by your system anti-virus application that autorun.inf was detected as a threat to your computer?
AutoRun.inf is a primary instruction file associated with Autorun function. Autorun.inf is just a simple text-based configuration file that tells the operating system which executable to start or which icon to use. In other words, Autorun.inf simply tells the operating system how to deal on the programs or executable files and how the operating will treat the contents of a CD or any removable disks that is plug to your computer.
Autorun.inf is not a malware, but a virus might use autorun.inf to get access to your computer programs and files. Common virus like bacalid, ravmon.exe and even Trojan virus hides in autorun.inf to easily spread to your computer. These viruses save themselves in the root directory of the infected hard disks and will run themselves every time you double click the drive. Usually if a USB stick or a CD was infected by a virus, once it was plugged to your computer the device automatically runs itself especially with the device where autorun was enabled.
If autorun.inf was detected by your anti-virus as a threat to your computer but not yet tried to make an action then here are some tips to remove autorun.inf which are infected by virus.
You can disable autorun.inf for all drives by configuring the registry of your computer. First you need to open the registry by typing regedit.exe to the command prompt or you may execute it in run. Then look for this registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Double-click the NoDriveAutorun DWORD entry and type the value HEX: FF (255 in Decimal). (If the NoDriveAutorun does not exists, you can create it by right-clicking the right side area of the regedit window, then click New->DWord Value -> type NoDriveAutorun) Close the registry and restart the computer. This procedure will disable all the autorun for all drives of your computer and at least will prevent the autorun function of infected USB drives or CDs and avoid the infection of viruses like the Bacalid and RavMon.exe.
Another procedure to disable or delete autorun.inf that has been infected by virus is by using the command prompt, type cd\ then press enter. You may type the letter of your USB drive or CD drive, for example F: then press enter. Type this attrib –h –r –s autorun.inf then press enter, type del autorun.inf.That’s the easiest way to avoid spreading virus from your computer especially using sutorun.inf. If you have any questions, you can comment on this post, thank you!
