How to remove WinProtector (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Grinler on August 11, 2008 @ 09:08 PM · Views: 2,715

Add to Favorites!    Print Guide!

What this programs does:

WinProtector is a rogue anti-spyware program from the same family as XP Antivirus 2008 and XP Antivirus 2009. WinProtector promotes itself through the use misleading advertisements that pretend to be a malware scanner as well as pop-ups created by Trojans. Once installed, WinProtector will automatically scan your computer and list infections on your computer that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the software. These infections, though, do not exist on your computer and are only being shown to scare you into purchasing the software.

When WinProtector is installed you may also find that your computer starts to run slower. This is because the program continuously runs in the background and occasionally displays fake Windows Security Center alerts and pop-ups stating that your computer is infected and that you should buy WinProtector. This program will also hijack your Internet Explorer browser so that it displays warnings when you browse to various sites, and in some instances, actually injects fake alerts into the web sites that you are viewing. This constant barrage of alerts and pop-ups cause cause your computer to not operate as it should.

Screen shot of WinProtector
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 6 images you can view.

This guide will walk you through uninstalling WinProtector rogue and any related malware.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs

Advanced information:

View WinProtector files.
View WinProtector Registry Information.

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [WinProtector] C:\Program Files\WinProtector3.8\WinProtector.exe

Guide Updates:

08/11/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for WinProtector 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 WinProtector 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 WinProtector 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. When removing the files, MBAM may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot, please allow it to do so. Once your computer has rebooted, and you are logged in, please continue with the rest of the steps.
    
    
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 WinProtector 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 WinProtector Files:

c:\Program Files\NetFilter
c:\Program Files\NetFilter\netfilter.dll
c:\Program Files\WinProtector3.8
c:\Program Files\WinProtector3.8\WinProtector.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\BC\Desktop\WinProtector.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\BC\Start Menu\Programs\WinProtector.lnk

Associated WinProtector Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\WinProtector
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "WinProtector"