How to remove AntiMalwareSuite (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Grinler on September 6, 2008 @ 09:09 AM · Views: 1,200

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What this programs does:

AntiMalwareSuite is a rogue anti-spyware program from the same developers as Cleaner2009. AntiMalwareSuite is advertised through many different domains that show a pop-up that pretends to be a security alert stating that something is wrong with your computer. When you click on this alert you will then be brought to a page that pretends to be an online anti-malware program and begins to scan your computer. When it has finished scanning, it will state that your computer is infected and that you should install AntiMalwareSuite to remove these infections. This online scanner, though, is actually an animated image that only pretends to be a scanner. In fact, this advertisement has absolutely no way of knowing what is installed on your computer. If you click on this advertisement, it will then prompt you to download and save the installer for AntiMalwareSuite.

If you installed AntiMalwareSuite, the program will be configured to start automatically when your computer loads. Once running, the program will scan your computer and then state that you are infected with malware such as KeyHost and that you cannot remove them unless you first purchase the program. The found infections, though, are all fake and are only being shown to scare you into purchasing the software. When AntiMalwareSuite is running in the background you may also find that it occasionally displays alerts stating that programs, even legitimate anti-malware programs, are security risks. Once again, this is just an attempt to stop you from running legitimate programs that may actually remove this infection. Last, but not least, when this program is installed you may find that your computer is not running as efficiently. This is due to the fact that AntiMalwareSuite is always running in the background using up your computer's resources and memory.

AntiMalwareSuite screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 7 images you can view.

This guide will walk you through uninstalling AntiMalwareSuite and any related malware that may be installed with it.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs

Advanced information:

View AntiMalwareSuite files.
View AntiMalwareSuite Registry Information.

Add/Remove Programs control panel entry:

AntiMalwareSuite 4.1.221.0

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O2 - BHO: iercptbho - {D4CDC21D-43BE-4101-A1EF-E379F134771E} - C:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Local Settings\Application Data\qip\iercpt.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AntiMalwareSuite] "C:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\AMS.exe" /min
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [QuickInstallPack] C:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Local Settings\Application Data\qip\QuickInstallPack.exe

Guide Updates:

09/06/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for AntiMalwareSuite 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 AntiMalwareSuite 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 AntiMalwareSuite 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 AntiMalwareSuite 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 AntiMalwareSuite Files:

c:\My Downloads
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AntiMalwareSuite
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AntiMalwareSuite\Data
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AntiMalwareSuite\Data\Abbr
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AntiMalwareSuite\Data\ProductCode
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalwareSuite
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalwareSuite\AntiMalwareSuite on the Web.url
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalwareSuite\AntiMalwareSuite Online Manual.url
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalwareSuite\AntiMalwareSuite.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalwareSuite\Contact customer support.url
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalwareSuite\Uninstall AntiMalwareSuite.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\update.log
%UserProfile%\Desktop\AntiMalwareSuite.lnk
%UserProfile%\Desktop\Install AntiMalwareSuite.lnk
%UserProfile%\Desktop\QuickInstallPack.lnk
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\qip
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\qip\AMS_FreeSetup.exe.ini
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\qip\data.ini
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\qip\iercpt.dll
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\qip\QuickInstallPack.exe
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\UAMS_QIP
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\UAMS_QIP\data.ini
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Temp\AMS_FreeSetup.exe
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\QuickInstallPack
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\QuickInstallPack\QuickInstallPack on the Web.url
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\QuickInstallPack\QuickInstallPack.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\QuickInstallPack\Uninstall QuickInstallPack.lnk
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\quaratine.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\Activate.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\AMS.exe
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\AMS.xml
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\appupdate.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\AsAgents.dll
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\AsAgents.xml
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\atl71.dll
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\AutoProcess.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\dbupdate.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\InstUp.exe
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\lapv.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\license.rtf
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\manual.pdf
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\mfc71.dll
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\msvcp71.dll
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\msvcr71.dll
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\PaymentPage.exe
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\ps.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\pv.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\readme.rtf
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\scanlog.xml
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\settings.ini
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\shellext.dll
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\shellext.xml
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\Summary.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\tasks.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\threatnet.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\threatnet.ini
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\unins000.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\unins000.exe
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\uninstall.ico
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\up.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\updateapp.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\updatedb.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\UserAgent.dll
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\database
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\database\knownfiles.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\database\MalwareDB.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\database\TEBase.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\database\vbpv.dat
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\Download
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\quaratine.dat\#post_quarantine
c:\Program Files\AntiMalwareSuite\RTMonitor.dat
c:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins\nprcpt.dll
c:\WINDOWS\system32\bootrem.exe

Associated AntiMalwareSuite Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AntiMalwareSuite
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\amshellext.ShellHook
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\amshellext.ShellHook.1
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AppID\{3A9377A6-BE7F-485D-908C-D44114691389}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AppID\iercpt.DLL
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{4567AB12-EDED-4675-AF10-BA15EDDB4D7A}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{4ADD95DA-B25D-4d21-9C5C-05FC6DE05860}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{D4CDC21D-43BE-4101-A1EF-E379F134771E}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\iercpt.iercptbho
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\iercpt.iercptbho.1
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{4567AB12-A884-4CA6-B739-CEDB12FEF096}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{59C345BA-3D5E-44E3-9D10-D3848AF15D73}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib\{4567AB12-7DFC-4C46-BD8F-41259D169A0D}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib\{4567AB12-AE24-4FD6-B479-E2B464F32DA6}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib\{A6FBD2E4-1C7E-4EAB-80DD-01DE2645566A}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\washellext.WASContextMenu
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\washellext.WASContextMenu.1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{D4CDC21D-43BE-4101-A1EF-E379F134771E}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\AMS_is1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\QuickInstallPack
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "QuickInstallPack"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellExecuteHooks "{4ADD95DA-B25D-4D21-9C5C-05FC6DE05860}"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent\Post Platform "UAMS 4.1.221.0"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "AntiMalwareSuite"