Sam Boyd
Updated on: January 3, 2024
Short on time? Here’s how to remove IDP.Alexa.51:
- 1. Scan Your Device — If your antivirus is giving you the IDP.Alexa.51 notification, you need to find out if you actually have malware on your device or if you’re getting a false positive from your antivirus. Run a full system scan with a high-quality antivirus to get a second opinion (I recommend Norton or Bitdefender).
- 2. Whitelist False Positive or Remove Virus — If your second opinion scan doesn’t flag the suspected file, then it’s probably a false positive. You’ll need to whitelist the file in your Avast/AVG/Avira settings (or just get a new antivirus). However, If your second antivirus does flag the same file, then let it remove all instances of the file associated with the IDP.Alexa.51 warning.
- 3. Stay Protected — Keep your device safe from further infections by purchasing a reliable internet security suite. I recommend Norton, which has flawless malware detection rates, great real-time protection, and a heap of other useful internet security features — plus it comes with a risk-free 60-day money-back guarantee.
IDP.Alexa.51 is a threat name given to suspicious applications detected by Avira, Avast, and AVG. In most cases, IDP.Alexa.51 is a false positive (false positives occur when an antivirus scanner mistakenly labels a benign file as a malware file). Safe programs that communicate to a web app (like Spotify or Skype) and flash games (like Plants Vs. Zombies) are often flagged with the IDP.Alexa.51 label.
However, sometimes the IDP.Alexa.51 notification pops up when a file is stealing user data — so it’s important you get a second opinion so you can determine whether you have a malware infection or not.
I recommend most users get a second opinion from a premium antivirus like Norton 360 or Bitdefender. If you want to stick with your original antivirus software (Avast, AVG, or Avira), you can re-install it once your second opinion scan is finished.
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Step 1. Run a Full System Scan With Your Antivirus
IMPORTANT: Avoid connecting tablets, USB drives, or cellphones to the USB ports of an infected computer. Malware is very likely to replicate itself onto those devices.
Once you’ve downloaded an antivirus like Norton or Bitdefender for your second opinion, run a full disk scan on your antivirus.
However, make sure to uninstall the antivirus showing the IDP.Alexa.51 warning before you install another antivirus for a second opinion. When you have two antiviruses installed simultaneously, they can interfere with each other and make your malware scan results unreliable.
A full disk scan will look for the application showing the IDP.Alexa.51 warning. While it’s doing this, the full disk scan will also look for other malicious files in your computer, such as trojans, computer worms, cryptojackers, and spyware.
The full disk scan will use a lot of system resources, so you should only run it when you’re not planning to use your computer. You can schedule a scan, so it starts automatically at a particular time.
The scan can take anywhere between 1 to 5 hours, depending on how big your hard drive is and how many applications the virus scanner has to go through. Therefore, it’s best to leave your computer until the scan is done. Whatever you do, if you remain at your computer, don’t cancel the scan when you see an infected file on the list. You don’t know how many other infected files are installed on your computer. Your best bet is just to wait until the scan is finished.
When the scan is completed, you’ll know if the IDP.Alexa.51 warning shown on AVG/Avira/Avast was a real threat or just a false positive that can be whitelisted or ignored. You can now proceed to Step 2.
Step 2. Whitelist False Positives and Delete Any Infected Files
If your second opinion antivirus scanner didn’t flag the file that your first antivirus identified as the IDP.Alexa.51 threat, then it’s probably not a dangerous file. If you’re keeping your subscription with Avast, AVG, or Avira, then you will need to re-install the antivirus, go into the quarantine list, and follow these instructions (Avast, AVG, and Avira all have slightly different interfaces, so you may need to contact customer support if you’re having trouble accessing the whitelist settings):
- Click Menu > Settings.
- Select General > Exceptions.
- Type in the file path you want to whitelist.
However, if your second opinion antivirus found malware on your device, restart your PC once the full disk scan is finished. This is to stop any malware booted into Windows memory from running. Once this is done, it’s a good idea to scan your PC a second time — just in case any malware has replicated. Luckily, this scan won’t take as long as the first scan. This time around, your antivirus will only scan files that have been added or modified since the previous scan.
Once the second scan has been completed, if there are no malware threats, you can proceed to step 3. However, if there are malware threats, you need to go through your quarantine list once more, delete the threats that aren’t false positives, then restart your PC and repeat these steps until the malware list is empty.
Step 3. Keep Your Device From Getting Re-Infected
The next important step is to keep your device from getting reinfected. You’ve seen just how easy it is to download a potentially unwanted program (PUP) or get a virus infection. Every day, new PUPs and malware are released. Without the proper security precautions in place, it’s likely you’ll get infected again. Here’s what you need to do.
Keep Your Software, OS, and Drivers Up-To-Date
Firstly, everything on your computer needs to be kept up to date. To do this, you can use a program such as Bitdefender. Bitdefender can automatically scan your computer for obsolete applications, drivers, and system files. Then, it will update them for you. Updating software is really important because when it becomes outdated, developers stop actively supporting it. This means the newest and emerging malware threats can easily infect obsolete systems. Newer software, operating systems, and drivers will have had security patches issued to prevent this from happening.
Another way you can ensure everything on your computer remains updated is to make sure to enable the auto-update option in individual applications. With this, applications will automatically update as soon as you open them. However, if you haven’t turned auto-update on, you can check the individual application settings to see if this option is available.
Don’t Download Suspicious Files
Potentially harmful files can wreak havoc on your computer and some can even cause permanent damage. That’s why it’s very important to avoid downloading free software from unfamiliar websites, pirated files or downloading key generators that bypass software activation codes.
You should also be very careful when receiving emails. Never respond to an email if you don’t recognize the sender, even if it looks like it’s from a trusted business organization. Some cybercriminals disguise phishing emails by using the face of a trusted business. Call the business and ask them if they sent you an email. If they didn’t or don’t recognize the sender, then mark the email as junk and report it to your email provider for phishing.
If the email is from a sender you recognize, you should still be cautious before opening an email attachment. It’s possible that the sender’s email account has been compromised, and they might not have sent the attachment with the email. What you need to do (especially if you didn’t expect an attachment from them) is to contact the sender outside of their email and ask if they sent you an attachment — similar to a business. If they intended to send you an attachment, then the attachment is probably safe. If they didn’t, they need to change the password on their email account, and you should delete the email.
Secure Your Wireless Network and IoT Devices
Finally, you need to ensure your wireless network and internet of things (IoT) devices are secure. In both instances, this will involve setting a password. In the case of your router, you need to look in the router settings and set a password if you don’t already have one. In the case of your IoT device, you will need to look up the instructions or FAQs for whatever application you use to access your device — whether on your desktop or mobile device.
A good way to set up a password is to use a program such as Dashlane. Password managers such as Dashlane come with various features to keep all of your accounts and passwords secure. They work on a zero-knowledge protocol, which means only you will have the information needed to access your account. Inside your account, you’ll be able to both generate and store passwords. Generated passwords are really strong, and you’re given a lot of options when creating them, such as choosing the length of the password and if the password will contain special characters, symbols, or numbers. All of these passwords are securely locked behind a master password that only you have access to (not even the Dashlane staff have it). This is a method to stop anyone from ever breaking into your account and stealing your password.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is IDP.Alexa.51 a virus?
In most cases, IDP.Alexa.51 is a false positive shown in Avira, Avast, and AVG and not a virus. It commonly appears as a warning after installing flash games (such as Plants vs. Zombies). However, you should still be careful — some generic virus detection notifications like IDP.Alexa.51 pop up because you have malware on your device.
If IDP.Alexa.51 appears on your system; you should take precautions and follow our steps to scan your system for malware.
What does IDP.Alexa.51 do?
IDP.Alexa.51 is a generic threat name given to a process acting similar to malware — so its effects on your PC can vary. If it’s a false positive, the only noticeable symptom will be your antivirus blocking the associated application until you whitelist it.
However, if IDP.Alexa.51 is a genuine malware infection, you may notice a slowdown on your PC. You’re also at risk of having your personal files stolen and modified. But you shouldn’t wait until you see these symptoms. If you suspect you have a malware infection, you should get a second opinion using a comprehensive malware scanner such as Norton or Bitdefender and take action.
How to remove IDP.Alexa.51?
To remove the IDP.Alexa.51 threat notification, you need to first determine if it’s a false positive or not. The best way to determine if IDP.Alexa.51 is a false positive or a virus is to use a reliable antivirus to get a second opinion — I recommend Norton or Bitdefender. First, uninstall the antivirus (Avast, AVG, or Avira) giving the IDP.Alexa.51 warning so it doesn’t interfere with Norton or Bitdefender’s scanner. Then, install Norton or Bitdefender and initiate a full disk scan. If the antivirus registers the file showing the IDP.Alexa.51 warning, you have a malware infection and you need to remove it.
However, if the second opinion antivirus doesn’t detect malware with its scan, then it’s safe to say that your first antivirus scanner detected a false positive, so you can reinstall your original antivirus and whitelist the false positive (or get a different antivirus program).
