There are many possible threats that can be generalized as IDP Generic. This threat is not limited to any specific type of file. For example, a game file. When a game file is installed, if IDP infection is present, the installed antivirus will detect the threat and will not allow the game file to start.
The same is true for any file containing the IDP thread. Many users have even experienced this while using a legitimate software. This was later found to be a bug in the AVG and the Avast antivirus software.
This issues has been fixed in the latest update of the afore mentioned software. If a user is still facing this issue he/she has to be cautious as either they have not updated the software or it is a real threat.
What Is IDP Generic Trojan?
IDP generic means that the detection was detected by an Identity Protection detection component and it is a generalized file that got detected. This can either be a false positive as well which happened due to an out dated definitions and can simply be fixed by updating the antivirus software.
The user’s file will be flagged whenever the file does something similar to the trojan that triggers the flag.
Should I Ignore IDP.Generic?
Generally one shouldn’t ignore any threat warnings from the antivirus program. But in the case of IDP Generic, it is mostly a false positive, still one should not completely ignore it.
According to a recommendation one should use another antivirus program and see if that catches the same type of malware threat. One more recommendation is using VirusTotal.
VirusTotal is a website which allows you to upload the file and checks if the file contains any malicious infection. If the file isn’t flagged, it is a false positive and the user should update the antivirus program.
To upload the file to VirusTotal following steps should be followed:
Step 1 : Go to VirusTotal website.
Step 2 : Click HERE.
Step 3 : Click on choose file.
Step 4 – Select the files that are flagged by your antivirus.
What Causes IDP.Generic False Positive?
The most common problem that generates the false idp.generic positive is the outdated version antivirus program.
To solve this problem, the user should simply update the antivirus program to the latest version and if even after that one receives false positives, changing the antivirus program is recommended.
What Should Be Done If I Find A False Positive ?
Firstly one should remove the file from the virus vault as the antivirus will not allow it to run in the computer.
That can be done by following the below mentioned steps :
Step 1 – Open your Avast antivirus application.
Step 2 – Go to protection.
Step 3 – Select Virus chest.
Step 4 – Right click your file.
Step 5 – Select Restore and add to exclusions.
Although these steps are mentioned for Avast antivirus, they should apply to other antivirus programs as well.
Conclusion
IDP.Generic is an identity protection malware that causes the antivirus program to cause runtime errors in the files where the infection is present. Thus, the antivirus program uses Identity Protection detection component to detect the presence of malware.
This component detects any unusual activity from program or a file. Though most of the time this is generated as a false positive, one should not ignore the issue as many times ignoring idp.generic results in further malware infections, money loses, identity theft and sensitive information disclosure to malicious actors.
Hence, it is always good advice to take care of any issues popped up by the antivirus program.
