PUP.Optional.WireVPN Malware – Removal Guide [Fix]

What is PUP.Optional.WireVPN?

Malwarebytes flagged PUP.Optional.WireVPN during a scan, or WireVPN appeared on your system without deliberate installation and you want to know whether it is safe to keep or how to remove it completely. Read this guide before taking any action.

PUP.Optional.WireVPN is a Malwarebytes detection for software in the WireVPN category that has been documented in connection with a significantly more serious threat than a typical VPN application. Security researcher Luke Acha’s analysis of the upStage Proxy residential proxy campaign specifically named WireVPN and iSharkVPN-themed strings and behavior among the associated binaries – a campaign in which fake software installers turn infected Windows systems into residential proxy nodes used by third parties to route network traffic through the victim’s connection without consent. This is a different threat model than ordinary adware: the victim’s device becomes part of a commercial proxy network, their bandwidth and IP address are sold to third parties, and the proxy traffic is encrypted to make it harder to detect. Gridinsoft detects associated components as PUP.Gen. The campaign shares infrastructure and behavior with related binaries including upHola.exe, upTiktok, upWhatsapp, and upWire, all exhibiting shared behavior including SysWOW64 deployment, service persistence, firewall-rule manipulation, and encrypted proxy traffic.

How Did I Get PUP.Optional.WireVPN?

Here is how WireVPN and associated components typically reach a device:

• Bundled with other software as silent bundleware – The most documented delivery route: WireVPN arrives as a bundled optional component in the installer of a free program downloaded from a third-party site through software bundling. Users who click through the Quick or Recommended installation option install WireVPN without a clear disclosure that a proxy client is being installed alongside the wanted program.
• A fake software installer from the upStage Proxy campaign – The residential proxy campaign distributes WireVPN-associated components through fake software installers that present as legitimate download tools, media players, or utilities while silently installing the proxy client that turns the device into a network node.
• Deceptive advertisements promoting a free VPN service – Ads on low-quality download or streaming sites promote WireVPN as a free VPN service, and the installer silently includes the proxy agent alongside any claimed VPN functionality.
• Part of a bundle containing multiple same-day installs – Like other PUP clusters, WireVPN-associated components frequently arrive alongside other unwanted programs installed on the same date, which is visible when sorting the installed programs list by install date.

What Does PUP.Optional.WireVPN Do?

The behavior documented for WireVPN-associated components in the upStage Proxy campaign is more serious than ordinary adware. Here is the full picture:

• Turns the infected device into a residential proxy node – The primary documented function: WireVPN-associated components enlist the victim’s device as a node in a residential proxy network. Third parties pay to route their network traffic through the victim’s IP address and bandwidth, using the victim’s connection as a relay without their awareness or consent. This can be used for ad fraud, bypassing geo-restrictions, or other purposes the victim’s IP address is then associated with.
• Deploys to SysWOW64 and registers as a persistent Windows service – The campaign’s components are deployed to the SysWOW64 directory and registered as Windows services with firewall rules added to allow ongoing inbound and outbound proxy traffic, making the installation persistent across reboots and difficult to remove without specifically targeting the service entry.
• Manipulates firewall rules to allow encrypted proxy traffic – Firewall rule modifications specifically allow the encrypted proxy traffic to flow without triggering Windows Firewall alerts, concealing the ongoing proxy activity from standard network monitoring.
• Collects device and network data through the proxy infrastructure – As a proxy node, the device’s IP address, approximate geolocation, and connection characteristics are logged by the proxy network operators for commercial purposes, creating an ongoing data collection exposure.

How to Remove PUP.Optional.WireVPN [Fix]

Start by checking the Windows services list (open services.msc from Run) for any service with WireVPN, iSharkVPN, upWire, or an unfamiliar proxy-related name in the service description or binary path. Stop the service and set it to Disabled before attempting to uninstall. Open the installed programs list, sort by install date, and uninstall WireVPN and any other program installed on the same date that you did not deliberately choose. Check SysWOW64 (C:WindowsSysWOW64) for any unfamiliar executable placed there by the installation. Open Windows Defender Firewall, go to Advanced Settings, and check Inbound and Outbound rules for any rule added by WireVPN or associated components and delete them. Run a full system scan with a dedicated anti-malware tool to identify and remove any remaining components – Malwarebytes is confirmed to detect and remove PUP.Optional.WireVPN without further user interaction. Follow the complete fix guide below this article for the full step-by-step process on Windows.

Ventsislav Krastev

Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.

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• Windows
• Mac OS X
• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge
• Safari
• Internet Explorer
• Stop Push Pop-ups

How to Remove PUP.Optional.WireVPN from Windows.

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Step 1: Scan for PUP.Optional.WireVPN with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1.1 Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

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It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

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1.2 After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

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1.3 After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

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1.4 After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

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Step 2: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode

2.1 Hold Windows key + R

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2.2 The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

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2.3 Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

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2.4 When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

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2.5 You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

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Step 3: Uninstall PUP.Optional.WireVPN and related software from Windows

Uninstall Steps for Windows 11

1 Go to the search bar and type "Add or Remove Programs" and then click it.

2 Locate the software that you want to uninstall click on the three dots and click "Uninstall" to begin the process.

3 Follow the uninstall steps until the software has been effectively removed from your computer

Uninstall Steps for Windows 10 and Older Versions

Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:

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1 Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

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2 In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

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3 This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall" Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

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Step 4: Clean Any registries, Created by PUP.Optional.WireVPN on Your PC.

The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by PUP.Optional.WireVPN there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:

4.1 Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

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4.2 When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

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4.3 You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.

Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.

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Video Removal Guide for PUP.Optional.WireVPN (Windows).

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Get rid of PUP.Optional.WireVPN from Mac OS X.

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Step 1: Uninstall PUP.Optional.WireVPN and remove related files and objects

1.1 Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:

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1.2 Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

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1.3 In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to PUP.Optional.WireVPN:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

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1.4 Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

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1.5 In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to PUP.Optional.WireVPN. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

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1.6 Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference.

Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to PUP.Optional.WireVPN. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

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1.7 Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:

• Go to Finder.
• In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
• Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
• If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.

In case you cannot remove PUP.Optional.WireVPN via Step 1 above:

In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:

2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:

3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as PUP.Optional.WireVPN. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.

You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:

→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons

Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.

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Step 2: Scan for and remove PUP.Optional.WireVPN files from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as PUP.Optional.WireVPN, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.

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Click the button below below to download SpyHunter for Mac and scan for PUP.Optional.WireVPN:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

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Video Removal Guide for PUP.Optional.WireVPN (Mac)

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Remove PUP.Optional.WireVPN from Google Chrome.

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Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu

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Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"

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Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.

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Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.

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Erase PUP.Optional.WireVPN from Mozilla Firefox.

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Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window:

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Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.

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Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"

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Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.

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Uninstall PUP.Optional.WireVPN from Microsoft Edge.

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Step 1: Start Edge browser.

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Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.

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Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".

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Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.

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Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.

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Remove PUP.Optional.WireVPN from Safari

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Step 1: Start the Safari app.

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Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.

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Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".

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Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.

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Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.

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Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.

A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the PUP.Optional.WireVPN will be removed.

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How to Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.

Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.

Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.

Eliminate PUP.Optional.WireVPN from Internet Explorer.

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Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.

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Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'

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Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.

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Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.

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Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.

Remove Push Notifications from Your Browsers

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Turn Off Push Notifications from Google Chrome

To disable any Push Notices from Google Chrome browser, please follow the steps below:

Step 1: Go to Settings in Chrome.

Step 2: In Settings, select “Advanced Settings”:

Step 3: Click “Content Settings”:

Step 4: Open “Notifications”:

Step 5: Click the three dots and choose Block, Edit or Remove options:

Remove Push Notifications on Firefox

Step 1: Go to Firefox Options.

Step 2: Go to “Settings”, type “notifications” in the search bar and click "Settings":

Step 3: Click “Remove” on any site you wish notifications gone and click “Save Changes”

Stop Push Notifications on Opera

Step 1: In Opera, press ALT+P to go to Settings.

Step 2: In Setting search, type “Content” to go to Content Settings.

Step 3: Open Notifications:

Step 4: Do the same as you did with Google Chrome (explained below):

Eliminate Push Notifications on Safari

Step 1: Open Safari Preferences.

Step 2: Choose the domain from where you like push pop-ups gone and change to "Deny" from "Allow".

PUP.Optional.WireVPN-FAQ

What Is PUP.Optional.WireVPN?

The PUP.Optional.WireVPN threat is adware or browser redirect virus.

It may slow your computer down significantly and display advertisements. The main idea is for your information to likely get stolen or more ads to appear on your device.

The creators of such unwanted apps work with pay-per-click schemes to get your computer to visit risky or different types of websites that may generate them funds. This is why they do not even care what types of websites show up on the ads. This makes their unwanted software indirectly risky for your OS.

What Are the Symptoms of PUP.Optional.WireVPN?

There are several symptoms to look for when this particular threat and also unwanted apps in general are active:

Symptom #1: Your computer may become slow and have poor performance in general.

Symptom #2: You have toolbars, add-ons or extensions on your web browsers that you don't remember adding.

Symptom #3: You see all types of ads, like ad-supported search results, pop-ups and redirects to randomly appear.

Symptom #4: You see installed apps on your Mac running automatically and you do not remember installing them.

Symptom #5: You see suspicious processes running in your Task Manager.

If you see one or more of those symptoms, then security experts recommend that you check your computer for viruses.

What Types of Unwanted Programs Are There?

According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the threats that can currently affect your device can be rogue antivirus software, adware, browser hijackers, clickers, fake optimizers and any forms of PUPs.

What to Do If I Have a "virus" like PUP.Optional.WireVPN?

With few simple actions. First and foremost, it is imperative that you follow these steps:

Step 1: Find a safe computer and connect it to another network, not the one that your Mac was infected in.

Step 2: Change all of your passwords, starting from your email passwords.

Step 3: Enable two-factor authentication for protection of your important accounts.

Step 4: Call your bank to change your credit card details (secret code, etc.) if you have saved your credit card for online shopping or have done online activities with your card.

Step 5: Make sure to call your ISP (Internet provider or carrier) and ask them to change your IP address.

Step 6: Change your Wi-Fi password.

Step 7: (Optional): Make sure to scan all of the devices connected to your network for viruses and repeat these steps for them if they are affected.

Step 8: Install anti-malware software with real-time protection on every device you have.

Step 9: Try not to download software from sites you know nothing about and stay away from low-reputation websites in general.

If you follow these recommendations, your network and all devices will become significantly more secure against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.

How Does PUP.Optional.WireVPN Work?

Once installed, PUP.Optional.WireVPN can collect data using trackers. This data is about your web browsing habits, such as the websites you visit and the search terms you use. It is then used to target you with ads or to sell your information to third parties.

PUP.Optional.WireVPN can also download other malicious software onto your computer, such as viruses and spyware, which can be used to steal your personal information and show risky ads, that may redirect to virus sites or scams.

Is PUP.Optional.WireVPN Malware?

The truth is that PUPs (adware, browser hijackers) are not viruses, but may be just as dangerous since they may show you and redirect you to malware websites and scam pages.

Many security experts classify potentially unwanted programs as malware. This is because of the unwanted effects that PUPs can cause, such as displaying intrusive ads and collecting user data without the user’s knowledge or consent.

About the PUP.Optional.WireVPN Research

The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this PUP.Optional.WireVPN how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific, adware-related problem, and restore your browser and computer system.

How did we conduct the research on PUP.Optional.WireVPN?

Please note that our research is based on independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware, adware, and browser hijacker definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the PUP.Optional.WireVPN threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand this online threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.