Fake Antivirus Removal – Free Security Software

This post was written by admin on December 7, 2008
Posted Under: Free PC Security, Free Program, Malware Removal

There are many sites which users are clicking on and downloading fake antivirus programs, in some cases they are also installed as drive-by downloads.

The effect is that users get a warning shield in their taskbar and pop-ups saying that 'you have a security problem' or 'your computer is at risk' and a prompt to download the rogue software followed by a scan which will find many infections that do not exist and then users are asked to purchase the fake software, which only adds to the problem.

The first step to take if you have purchased the fake antivirus is to contact your Credit Card issuer and STOP any further transactions, as many of the cybercriminals behind this will soon ask for further payments, also inform your Credit Card issuer that you have been the victim of fraud.

It is NOT a virus, which is why antivirus programs do NOT remove them, it is a malware infection.

When the fake software is installed it adds files to the Windowssystem32 folder and also to the Windowssystem32drivers folder as well as making Registry changes.

Some versions also block your browser from visiting sites to download the necessary antimalware programs by redirecting users to other sites.

If you cannot connect to the internet to download the necessary programs, open Task Manager, Ctrl+Alt+ Del and look for entries such as the following and click End Process:
av2009.exe
explorere32.exe
ieupdates32.exe

Open My Computer > C: > Program Files and Delete Antivirus2009 Folder or similar.

The following offer free spyware removal, as well as other malware removal and Trojan removal from an infected computer.

Download the following free programs to clean your computer:

Norman Malware Cleaner - No install required, will also run from usb flash drive or CD, so you can easily download it on another computer and then use it on infected computers.

This is a super utility that has over 2 million removal signatures in its database and DO NOT run this in Safe Mode. It is NOT a substitute for antivirus or antimalware programs, but does kill many of the processes started by viruses/malware.

What it does:
Kills running processes that are infected with malware
Removes infections from disk (including ActiveX components and browser helper objects)
Reveals and removes rootkits inserted by malware
Restores correct registry values changed by malware
Removes references created by malware in hosts file which redirect to other sites and block downloads
Removes windows firewall rules for malicious programs
Cleans Restore Points that are infected

System Requirements: Windows 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista

Alternative download site click here

After this program has run download the following free programs, install, update and scan:
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
Install, update and perform Quick Scan. Remove all infections that it finds after scan.

SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition
Install, update and Select Scan your Computer, select your drive and select Perform Quick Scan and remove infections, then click on Preferences, click Repairs Tab and click on any of the System and Browser Repair Items that you may have problems with then click Perform Repair.

a-squared Free
Install, update, click on Scan PC, select Deep Scan which will thoroughly scan ALL files on your hard drive.

These scans may take some time, depending on how many files you have so please be patient.

NONE of the programs above require any payment and are not trial versions.

Use the Web of Trust addon for warning users against malicious sites and enhancing your surfing safety.