How to remove AntiMalware 2009 (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Grinler on September 19, 2008 @ 08:53 AM · Views: 22,504

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What this programs does:

AntiMalware 2009 is a rogue anti-spyware program from the same family as XP Protector 2009 and eAntivirusPro. Just like its predecessors, AntiMalware 2009 is advertised through the use of misleading pop-ups and ads that are shown when visiting various sites. These ads consist of a pop-up stating that your computer is infected, and when you click either button on the pop-up, it brings you to another page claiming to be an online anti-malware scanner. This scanner, though, is fake and is only an ad pretending to actually scan your computer. Once the ad has finished, it will then display a message stating that your computer is infected that you should download AntiMalware 2009 in order to clean your computer.

If you decide to download and install AntiMalware2009, it will be set to run automatically when your computer starts. Once running, it will scan your computer and display a variety of false results that cannot be removed unless you first purchase a license of the software. The infections found, though, are false and are only being shown to scare you into purchasing the software.

When this program is installed, you will also find that your Internet Explorer has become hijacked. This hijacking consists of AntiMalware 2009 randomly inserting a message into Internet Explorer stating that the page you are going to has been blocked due to malware activity. This is just another tactic to scare you into thinking you are infected and these messages can be ignored. Last, but not least, when AntiMalware 2009 is installed you may find that your computer runs slower. This is because the program is always running in the background while using up your computer's resources.

AntiMalware 2009 screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 3 images you can view.

This guide will walk you through removing the AntiMalware 2009 rogue anti-spyware program and any associated malware that may have been installed with it.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View AntiMalware 2009 files.
View AntiMalware 2009 Registry Information.

Entries for this program found in the Add or Remove Programs control panel:

AntiMalware2009

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SMthcrkrj0etfg] C:\Program Files\thcrkrj0etfg\thcrkrj0etfg.exe

Guide Updates:

09/19/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for AntiMalware 2009 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 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 AntiMalware 2009 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 AntiMalware2009 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 AntiMalware2009 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 AntiMalware 2009 Files:

c:\Program Files\thcrkrj0etfg
c:\Program Files\thcrkrj0etfg\database.dat
c:\Program Files\thcrkrj0etfg\license.txt
c:\Program Files\thcrkrj0etfg\MFC71.dll
c:\Program Files\thcrkrj0etfg\MFC71ENU.DLL
c:\Program Files\thcrkrj0etfg\msvcp71.dll
c:\Program Files\thcrkrj0etfg\msvcr71.dll
c:\Program Files\thcrkrj0etfg\thcrkrj0etfg.exe
c:\Program Files\thcrkrj0etfg\thcrkrj0etfg.exe.local
c:\Program Files\thcrkrj0etfg\uninstall.exe
c:\WINDOWS\system32\pphcjkrj0etfg.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\AntiMalware2009.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalware2009
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalware2009.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalware2009\AntiMalware2009.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalware2009\How to Register AntiMalware2009.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalware2009\License Agreement.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiMalware2009\Register AntiMalware2009.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\AntiMalware2009.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\thcrkrj0etfg
%UserProfile%\Application Data\thcrkrj0etfg\Quarantine
%UserProfile%\Application Data\thcrkrj0etfg\Quarantine\Autorun
%UserProfile%\Application Data\thcrkrj0etfg\Quarantine\Autorun\HKCU
%UserProfile%\Application Data\thcrkrj0etfg\Quarantine\Autorun\HKCU\RunOnce
%UserProfile%\Application Data\thcrkrj0etfg\Quarantine\Autorun\HKLM
%UserProfile%\Application Data\thcrkrj0etfg\Quarantine\Autorun\HKLM\RunOnce
%UserProfile%\Application Data\thcrkrj0etfg\Quarantine\Autorun\StartMenuAllUsers
%UserProfile%\Application Data\thcrkrj0etfg\Quarantine\Autorun\StartMenuCurrentUser
%UserProfile%\Application Data\thcrkrj0etfg\Quarantine\BrowserObjects
%UserProfile%\Application Data\thcrkrj0etfg\Quarantine\Packages

Associated AntiMalware 2009 Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\thcrkrj0etfg
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\thcrkrj0etfg
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\User Agent\Post Platform "AntiMalware2009"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "SMthcrkrj0etfg"