Short on time? Here’s how to remove IDP.Generic:
- 1. Scan Device — Because Avast and AVG are the only malware scanners that issue the IDP.Generic notification, and because the IDP.Generic is often a false positive, you first need to run a full system scan with another antivirus program to determine if your system is indeed infected with a virus. I recommend you install Norton.
- 2. Whitelist False Positive or Remove Virus — If the second antivirus doesn’t flag any viruses, then the IDP.Generic notification issued by Avast/AVG was a false positive. In this case, you need to whitelist the file in your Avast/AVG settings. But if your second antivirus finds a virus, then let it remove all instances of the file associated with the IDP.Generic warning.
- 3. Stay Protected — Protect yourself from further infections with a high-quality internet security package. My favorite is Norton, which offers flawless malware detection rates as well as heaps of other useful internet security features like a firewall, a VPN, dark web monitoring, and parental controls. Plus it comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free for 2 months.
IDP.Generic is a threat name given to a suspicious process or application detected by Avast and AVG’s malware scanners. IDP is short for Identity Protection, whereas Generic means the threat was found in a standard file (such as an .EXE file).
If your Avast/AVG software is issuing the IDP.Generic notification, it could be a false positive, which means you need to update your software and whitelist the flagged file. But sometimes, IDP.Generic is an indication that you have malware on your device — so you’re going to need a second opinion to determine whether or not you have malware on your system.
To double-check the issue, you’ll need a second antivirus program. So, you have a couple of options: you can cancel your Avast/AVG subscription and get a high-quality internet security suite like Norton 360, or you can download a free antivirus like Avira to give you a second opinion on the IDP.Generic malware notification.
Step 1. Run a Full System Scan With Your Second Antivirus
Make sure any USB drives, your cell phone, and any other devices that can store files are disconnected from your computer’s USB ports. If you do have a virus, it can easily replicate onto your external storage devices.
Once you’re sure all storage devices are disconnected, you need to get a second antivirus program to give you a second opinion about the IDP.Generic notification. If you’ve decided you want a new security suite, I recommend Norton.
Once you’ve installed a new antivirus, your system will give you a notification asking you which antivirus should be running — select your new antivirus (or even uninstall AVG/Avast to be safe), and only run a full disk scan once you’re 100% sure that you only have one active antivirus on your device. The reason for this is that the real-time scanners from various antivirus applications can actually interfere with one another, preventing malware detection.
Once the antivirus is up and running, run a full disk scan. A full disk scan will go through every file and folder on your computer, flagging any malicious files it finds — including the file causing the IDP.Generic notification (if it’s genuinely malicious).
The full disk scan can take between 3 and 4 hours, but in this instance, it’s a better choice than a quick or custom scan since it’s the most thorough option. Your antivirus needs to check every single file on your computer, so depending on the size of your hard drive and how many applications you have installed, it may take even longer.
Once the scan is finished, you’ll receive a notification alerting you to any threats your antivirus uncovered. Your next job is to go through these flagged threats and whitelist any that you trust.
Step 2. Whitelist False Positives and Delete Any Infected Files
If your second opinion antivirus scanner didn’t flag the file that Avast/AVG identified as an IDP.Generic threat, then it’s probably not a dangerous file. If you’ve canceled your Avast/AVG subscription, then you don’t need to do anything. But if you’re keeping your subscription, then you will need to go into the quarantine list and follow these instructions:
- Click Menu > Settings.
- Select General > Exceptions.
- Type in the file path you want to whitelist.
Once you’ve identified whether or not IDP.Generic is a false positive, you can now delete any other malware files that your scanner has identified.
When everything is either whitelisted or deleted, you should restart your PC. It’s always a good idea to restart your computer after removing viruses, as malware can be stored in your computer’s memory and keep running even if the associated file is uninstalled.
Once you’ve restarted your PC, you need to rerun the full scan. The scan shouldn’t take as long this time, but if it finds more malware, you will have to restart your PC again and keep repeating steps 1 and 2 until no more malware files are detected.
Once you reach this point, you can move onto Step 3. The IDP.Generic warning may be gone, but your PC is still at risk of infection.
Step 3. Keep Your Device From Getting Re-Infected
After you’ve dealt with the threat or whitelisted the file responsible for your false positives, it’s a good idea to review your cyber hygiene habits to stay safe going forward. There are lots of ways to get malware, so it’s only natural that there are many things you need to do if you want to stay safe from it.
I recommend taking the following steps to stay safe from malware in 2024:
- Keep Your Software, OS, and Drivers Up-to-Date: Since developers drop support for obsolete products, outdated software, operating systems, and drivers become vulnerable to exploit attacks fairly quickly. In short: when new threats are released, the obsolete product is no longer protected. It’s vital you keep everything on your PC updated to the latest version.
- Don’t Download Suspicious Files: Suspicious files and emails are key vectors for malware, so you have to be really careful when opening these. An antivirus with real-time protection can scan emails and mark unsafe ones, but you should also use a bit of common sense. If you don’t recognize an email sender or weren’t expecting an attachment from a sender you trust, then don’t open the attachment. Don’t click on any suspicious links either, since you can get hit by a drive-by download (malware that downloads the second you click a link).
- Secure Your Wireless Network and IoT Devices: Unsecured wireless networks can be dangerous. You can usually recognize an unsecured network by a shield icon in your available Wi-Fi list. You should never connect to these unsecured networks. If you have no choice but to connect to an unsecured network, you need to be running a virtual private network (VPN) to help maintain privacy, as hackers often spy on users in open networks. It’s also essential that you protect your home network with a password — I recommend using a password manager like 1Password to create and store strong passwords
- Download a Secure Antivirus Program: It’s important that you download an antivirus program to all of your devices. But you need to make sure your antivirus is a secure one. Many vendors put out fake antiviruses that are actually PUPs (potentially unwanted programs).
Best Antivirus Programs For Removing IDP.Generic Alerts in 2024.
Quick summary of the best antiviruses for dealing with IDP.Generic:
- 🥇1. Norton — Best antivirus to stop IDP.Generic threats (perfect detection rates).
- 🥈2. Bitdefender — Lightweight antivirus that’s great for blocking IDP.Generic alerts.
- 🥉3. TotalAV — Best system cleanup tools with good anti-phishing protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is IDP.Generic?
IDP.Generic is a notification from Avast and AVG that indicates their malware scanners have flagged a file as malicious. IDP.Generic is triggered by an app communicating personally identifying information (PII) to an unknown server, which can be a sign that you have spyware or other malware on your device — but IDP.Generic is usually a false positive, which means you need to update or replace your antivirus (or at least whitelist the file that’s been flagged).
Users have reported legitimate apps like Spotify being flagged and quarantined by Avast and AVG’s IDP.Generic warning. Competitors like Norton return fewer false positives, while also boasting impressive 100% malware detection rates.
Is IDP.Generic harmful?
IDP.Generic is generally not harmful, but it shouldn’t be ignored. It could indicate personal information being sent to an unknown server or outdated antivirus software.
Either way, you need to get a second opinion from another scanner. I recommend most users simply switch subscriptions to a security solution like Norton. Once you’ve installed Norton (or another suitable antivirus), run a full system scan to get a “second opinion”.
How can I remove the IDP.Generic virus?
Usually, IDP.Generic is a false positive, which means you typically won’t need to remove anything. Instead, ensure you’re using the latest versions of AVG and Avast and consider getting a second opinion from an antivirus suite such as Norton.
Norton can scan your PC and will remove all traces of malware it finds, even the file associated with IDP.Generic if it’s a real threat to your system. Follow my above steps to learn how to do this.
