ProtectingTool Removal Guide

Posted by Grinler on March 21, 2008 @ 02:03 PM · Views: 316

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What this programs does:

ProtectingTool is a rogue anti-spyware program that is in the same family as SafePCTool and BugDestroyer. ProtectingTool uses fake antimalware scans on their web sites, misleading advertisements, and displays aggressive and exaggerated search results. It does all of this in order to scare you into thinking you are infected so that you purchase a license of their software in order to remove these so-called infections.

ProtectingTool will by default supposedly check for new updates every 5 minutes. At the same time as the update, it will display a fake security message stating that you have a security risk and should download a piece of software to remove it. This software is typically a clone of itself skinned under a new name.

ProtectingTool Fake Security Alert

This guide will walk you through removing the ProtectingTool program.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs

Advanced information:

View ProtectingTool files.
View ProtectingTool Registry Information.

Add/Remove Programs control panel entry:

ProtectingTool 1.5.15.0

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ProtectingTool] C:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\SysRep.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [cwriter] C:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\ucookw.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [strpmon] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\ProtectingTool\strpmon.exe" dm=http://protectingtool.com ad=http://protectingtool.com sd=http://inspaid.protectingtool.com

Guide Updates:

03/21/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for ProtectingTool using Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware:

1. Print out these instructions as we will need to close every window that is open later in the fix.
   
   
2. Download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, or MBAM, from the following location and save it to your desktop:
   
   Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Download Link
   
   


3. Once downloaded, close all programs and Windows on your computer, including this one.
   
   
4. Double-click on the icon on your desktop named Download_mbam-setup.exe. This will start the installation of MBAM onto your computer.
   
   
5. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the installation process. Do not make any changes to default settings and when the program has finished installing, make sure you leave both the Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware checked. Then click on the Finish button.
   
   
6. MBAM will now automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program before performing a scan. As MBAM will automatically update itself after the install, you can press the OK button to close that box and you will now be at the main program as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. On the Scanner tab, make sure the the Perform quick scan option is selected and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for ProtectingTool related files.
   
   
8. MBAM will now start scanning your computer for malware. This process can take quite a while, so we suggest you go and do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan. When MBAM is scanning it will look like the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. When the scan is finished a message box will appear as shown in the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   You should click on the OK button to close the message box and continue with the Protecting Tool removal process.
   
   
10. You will now be back at the main Scanner screen. At this point you should click on the Show Results button.
    
    
11. A screen displaying all the malware that the program found will be shown as seen in the image below.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    You should now click on the Remove Selected button to remove all the listed malware. MBAM will now delete all of the files and registry keys and add them to the programs quarantine.
    
    
12. When MBAM has finished removing the malware, it will open the scan log and display it in Notepad. Review the log as desired, and then close the Notepad window.
    
    
13. You can now exit the MBAM program.
    

Your computer should now be free of the Protecting Tool program. If your current anti-virus solution let this infection through, you may want to consider purchasing the PRO version of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future.

If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow the steps outlined in the topic linked below:

Preparation Guide For Use Before Posting A Hijackthis Log

Associated ProtectingTool Files:

%UserProfile%\Desktop\ProtectingTool.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\protectingtool\Data\em
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\protectingtool\Data\oid
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\protectingtool\Data\ProtectingTool.exe.cer
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\protectingtool\Data\user
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\ProtectingTool\Contact Customer Service.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\ProtectingTool\ProtectingTool.lnk
c:\Program Files\Common Files\ProtectingTool\strpmon.exe
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\atl71.dll
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\kernel.dll
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\License.rtf
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\mfc71.dll
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\msvcp71.dll
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\msvcr71.dll
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\Readme.rtf
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\rm.url
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\sr.log
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\swupd.log
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\SysRep.exe
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\SysRep.exe.Log
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\SysRep.exe.xml
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\SysRep.url
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\transpaid.exe
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\ucookw.exe
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\unins000.dat
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\unins000.exe
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\urls.ini
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\Res\Main.ico
c:\Program Files\ProtectingTool\Res\RecycleBin.ico

Associated ProtectingTool Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ProtectingTool
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ProtectingTool
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Purchased Products\System Error Repair
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent\Post Platform "UGES 1.5.15.0"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "cwriter"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "ProtectingTool"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "strpmon"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\GES_is1