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How to remove Anti-virus-1 (Removal Guide)Posted by Grinler on February 18, 2009 @ 05:05 PM · Views: 44,311
What this programs does: Anti-virus-1 is a new rogue anti-spyware program from the same family as Antivirus 2010 and Antivirus 360. This program is promoted primarily through two methods. The first is through the use of advertisements that pretend to be online anti-malware scanners. These advertisements go through what appears to be a scan of your machine and then when finished, state that your computer is infected and that you should download Anti-virus-1 to protect yourself. Remember, though, that this is just an advertisement and it has no way of knowing what is running on your computer. The second method that is used to promote this rogue is through the use of Trojans. When certain Trojans are installed on your computer they will display security alerts stating that your computer is infected or that you have some other security risk. When you click on these alerts, it will download and install Anti-virus-1 onto your computer.
When Anti-virus-1 is installed it will configure itself to start automatically when Windows starts. It will also modify your C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts file so that when you visit certain sites you will be go to a site under the malware developer's control rather than the legitimate site you were expecting to go to. This allows them to show you information that further promotes the Anti-virus-1 program. When the program is started it will automatically scan your computer and then display a list of infections that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the program. The infections that it will show include Spyware.IEMonster.d, Zlob.PornAdvertiser.ba, Spyware.IMMonitor, Infostealer.Banker.E, and Dialer.Xpehbam.biz_dialer among many others. All of these infections do not actually exist on your computer, but are only being shown to scam you into thinking that you have infections on your computer. While the program is running you will also see security alerts in the form of a balloon appearing from the Windows taskbar. These alerts will have messages like:
You may also encounter what appears to be a crash screen, or Blue Screen of Death, that states SPYWARE.MONSTER.FX_WILD has been detected. Your computer will then pretend to reboot and in the fake Windows boot screen you will see the following message under the Windows logo:
When you see these fake taskbar alerts, blue screen crashes, and reboots, please do not be alarmed as they are all fake. In fact the blue screen crash, and the subsequent reboot, are just a screen saver run by the c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AV1\svchost.exe file. In reality your computer never crashed or rebooted. Though Anti-virus-1 may look like a legitimate anti-malware program it is important to remember that these programs are scripted to always show that you have infections. This program, when run will always show you the same infections, the same alerts, and the same warnings. It does this for one reason and only one reason. To scare you into thinking you are infected and thus you purchase their software. Instead of doing so, please use the free removal guide outlined below to remove Anti-virus-1 and the malware that was installed with it.
Threat Classification:
Advanced information: View Anti-virus-1 files.
Tools Needed for this fix:
Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log: O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.review.2009softwarereviews.com
Guide Updates: 02/18/08 - Initial guide creation.
Automated Removal Instructions for Anti-virus-1 using Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware:
Your computer should now be free of the Anti-virus-1 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 Anti-virus-1 Files: c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AV1
Associated Anti-virus-1 Windows Registry Information: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AV1
This is a self-help guide. Use at your own risk. BleepingComputer.com can not be held responsible for problems that may occur by using this information. If you would like help with any of these fixes, you can post a HijackThis log in our HijackThis Logs and Analysis forum. If you have any questions about this self-help guide then please post those questions in our AntiVirus, Firewall and Privacy Products and Protection Methods forum and someone will help you.
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