How to remove AdvancedPrivacyGuard (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Grinler on September 8, 2008 @ 11:09 AM · Views: 651

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What this programs does:

AdvancedPrivacyGuard is a rogue privacy program that is advertised via misleading pop-ups and ads on web sites. These ads state that you are infected and then perform a fake online malware scan of your computer. When the scan is completed, it will state that your computer has a variety of security issues and that you should download and install AdvancedPrivacyGuard to protect it. It is important to note that ads on web sites have absolutely no way of knowing what is running on your computer, so these types of ads are scams and are just trying to scare you into downloading the software.

If you download and install AdvancedPrivacyGuard, it will be configured to run everytime your computer starts. Once running, it will scan your computer and list false or exaggerated security risks on your computer that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the program. These risks are grossly exaggerated and should be ignored. While the program runs in the background, AdvancedPrivacyGuard will also display pop-ups indicating that your computer is under attack or that you have some security risk. Once again, these can be ignored.

Screen shot of AdvancedPrivacyGuard
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 4 images you can view.

This guide will walk you through removing the AdvancedPrivacyGuard program and its associated malware for free.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs

Advanced information:

View AdvancedPrivacyGuard files.
View AdvancedPrivacyGuard Registry Information.

Add/Remove Programs control panel entry:

AdvancedPrivacyGuard

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AdvancedPrivacyGuard] C:\Program Files\AdvancedPrivacyGuard\apg.exe

Guide Updates:

09/08/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for AdvancedPrivacyGuard 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 AdvancedPrivacyGuard 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 AdvancedPrivacyGuard 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. Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    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 AdvancedPrivacyGuard 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 AdvancedPrivacyGuard Files:

c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Dr Watson
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AdvancedPrivacyGuard
c:\Program Files\AdvancedPrivacyGuard
%UserProfile%\Desktop\AdvancedPrivacyGuard.lnk
c:\Program Files\AdvancedPrivacyGuard\apg.exe

Associated AdvancedPrivacyGuard Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\{65DE966D-11D1-4bb1-BF7E-B8A273514DAF}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AdvancedPrivacyGuard
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\AdvancedPrivacyGuard
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent\Post Platform "3P_UAPG 1.0.21.3"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "AdvancedPrivacyGuard"