Anti-Virus Number 1 is a clone of the Anti-Virus-1 and Antivirus 2010 rogue anti-spyware programs. This program uses deliberate false advertising to make it appear that Anti-Virus Number 1 is a legitimate program. Like its predecessor, Anti-virus-1, this version displays fake reviews that appear to be from highly respected sites in order to convince you that the program is legitimate. It does this by adding entries to your Windows HOSTS file so that when it displays pop-ups of these fake reviews they appear to be coming from a legitimate site, rather than from a server under the malware developer's control. Some of the sites that this program shows impersonations of include PCMag.com, CNET.com, Download.com, and PC Advisor. This malware is typically installed through the use of Trojans that display fake alerts on your computer stating that you are infected. Once you click on these alerts, Anti-Virus Number 1 will be download and installed onto your computer without your permissions.

 

Anti-Virus Number 1 image
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 6 images you can view.

 

Once installed, Anti-Virus Number 1 will be configured to run when Windows starts. Once running, it will scan your computer and display scan results that are scripted to be the same regardless of the computer it is run on. This means that whatever Anti-Virus Number 1 shows during its scans should be ignored as the program was designed to always show those results no matter how clean your computer is. It does this to scare you into thinking you are infected in the hopes that you may purchase the program. While the program is running you will also continue to see alerts being displayed on your desktop stating that your computer is being hacked or that you have active malware on it. The text of some of these alerts include:

Internal conflict alert.
Anti-Virus Number-1 detected internal software conflict. Some applicztion tries to get access to system kernel (such behavior is typical to Spyware/Malware). It may cause crash of your computer.

Privacy Violation alert!
Anti-Virus Number-1 detected a Privacy Violation. A program is secretly sending your private data to an untrusted internet host. click here to block this activity by removing the threat (Recommended).

All of these alerts, including the scan results, should be ignored as they are just being used as a scam to make you into thinking you are infected. Instead, please use the free removal guide below in order to remove this infection.

 

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

 

Advanced information:

View Anti-Virus Number 1 files.
View Anti-Virus Number 1 Registry Information.

 

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

 

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.review.2009softwarereviews.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 review.2009softwarereviews.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 a1.review.zdnet.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.d1.reviews.cnet.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.toptenreviews.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.toptenreviews.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.download.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.download.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.pcadvisor.c.uk
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.pcadvisor.co.uk
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.pcmag.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.pcmag.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.pcpro.co.uk
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.pcpro.co.uk
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.reevoo.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.reevoo.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.riverstreams.co.uk
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.riverstreams.co.uk
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 www.reviews.techradar.com
O1 - Hosts: 217.20.175.74 reviews.techradar.com
O2 - BHO: QWProtectBHO - {8D187DFF-423F-41d3-A331-A60DE5886675} - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AV1\QWProtect.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Drives swap] C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AV1\AV1i.exe

 

Guide Updates:

03-15-09 - Initial guide creation.

 

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Automated Removal Instructions for Anti-Virus Number 1 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 (Download page will open in a new window)
   
   


3. Once downloaded, close all programs and Windows on your computer, including this one.
   
   
4. Double-click on the icon on your desktop named 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 full scan option is selected and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for Anti-Virus Number 1 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 Anti-Virus Number 1 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 Anti-Virus Number 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 Using Malware Removal Tools and Requesting Help

 

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Associated Anti-Virus Number 1 Files:

c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AV1
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AV1\AV1.cab
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AV1\av1.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AV1\AV1i.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AV1\AV1Two.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AV1\QWProtect.dll
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AV1\svchost.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\Anti-Virus Number-1.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Anti-Virus Number-1\Anti-Virus Number-1.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Anti-Virus Number-1\Uninstall.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Anti-Virus Number-1
C:\Windows\BasCw1RaU1oLasEc1S.exe

 

Associated Anti-Virus Number 1 Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AV1
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AppID\{0D1DBFEE-0C43-4223-8B3E-A56FB3C5C87D}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AppID\QWProtect.DLL
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{8D187DFF-423F-41d3-A331-A60DE5886675}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{0D1DBFEE-0C43-4223-8B3E-A56FB3C5C87D}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\QWProtect.QWProtectBHO
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\QWProtect.QWProtectBHO.1
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib\{CD30B357-F8F7-4AD1-BF68-04A219D21A69}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{8D187DFF-423F-41d3-A331-A60DE5886675}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Drives swap"

 

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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 ask for malware removal assistance in our Virus, Trojan, Spyware, and Malware Removal Logs forum.

If you have any questions about this self-help guide then please post those questions in our Am I infected? What do I do? and someone will help you.