Remove the Conflicker.B Spam Trojan (Uninstall Guide)

Posted by Grinler on October 19, 2009 @ 10:55 PM · Views: 2,194

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What this programs does:

Virus writers are becoming more and more canny with the methods that they use to distribute malware. This is seen with a new SPAM email that is being distributed that contains an attachment, that when run, lowers the security of Internet Explorer and installs the rogue anti-spyware program called Antivirus Pro 2010 on to your computer. This SPAM pretends to be an email from Microsoft where they state that a new version of Conficker has been released and that the included attachment, called install.zip, is a tool that can be used to scan and clean your computer of this infection. In reality this attachment is a Trojan that will harm the security of your computer. The current text of the SPAM message is:

Subject: Conflicker.B Infection Alert
Message:

Dear Microsoft Customer,

Starting 18/10/2009 the ‘Conficker’ worm began infecting Microsoft customers unusually rapidly. Microsoft has been advised by your Internet provider that your network is infected.

To counteract further spread we advise removing the infection using an antispyware program. We are supplying all effected Windows Users with a free system scan in order to clean any files infected by the virus.

Please install attached file to start the scan. The process takes under a minute and will prevent your files from being compromised. We appreciate your prompt cooperation.

Regards,
Microsoft Windows Agent #2 (Hollis)
Microsoft Windows Computer Safety Division

If you download the attachment and open the ZIP file, you will see a file called install.exe. When the install.exe file is run it will change your Internet Explorer security settings so that Internet Explorer will run files that are normally considered risky. It will also display a fake security warning in your taskbar that states Windows has detected an infection. The text of this warning is:

Your computer is infected!
Windows has detected spyware infection!
It is recomended to use special antispyware tools to pervent data loss.Windows will now download and install the most up-to-date antispyware for you.
Click here to protect your computer from spyware!

Finally, the Trojan will download and install the rogue anti-spyware program called Antivirus Pro 2010 onto your computer, which will then state that you have numerous infections running on your computer. Please ignore any warnings that Antivirus Pro 2010 displays on your computer as they are all false and are only being shown to convince you to purchase the program.

Fake Security Warning
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 2 images you can view.

The install.exe Trojan is detected by anti-malware companies using the following names:

This guide will walk you through removing the Conflicker.B SPAM Trojan, Antivirus Pro 2010, and any related Malware.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware
• Trojan Horses

Advanced information:

View Conflicker.B Spam Trojan files.
View Conflicker.B Spam Trojan Registry Information.

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

Antivirus Pro 2010

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [mserv] C:\Documents and Settings\Bleeping\Application Data\seres.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [svchost] C:\Documents and Settings\Bleeping\Application Data\svcst.exe

Guide Updates:

10/19/09 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for Conflicker.B Spam Trojan 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 Conflicker.B Spam Trojan 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 Conflicker.B Spam Trojan 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.
    
    
14. Now download the following Registry file and save it to your desktop.
    
    FixIE.reg
    
    
15. Once the file is downloaded, double-click on the FixIE.reg file and allow the data to be merged into your Windows Registry. This will fix the revert Internet Explorer's security settings back to the more secure defaults.
    

Your computer should now be free of the Conflicker.B Spam Trojan. 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 Conflicker.B Spam Trojan Files:

%UserProfile%\Application Data\seres.exe
%UserProfile%\Application Data\svcst.exe
%UserProfile%\Application Data\lizkavd.exe

Associated Conflicker.B Spam Trojan Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AntivirusPro_2010
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ESENT\Process\lizkavd
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\AntivirusPro_2010
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Download "RunInvalidSignatures" = "1"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Associations "LowRiskFileTypes" = "zip;.rar;.cab;.txt;.exe;.reg;.msi;.htm;.html;.gif;.bmp;.jpg;.avi;.mov;.mp3;.wav"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Associations "SaveZoneInformation" = "1"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer "ForceClassicControlPanel" = "1"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Download "CheckExeSignatures" = "no"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "mserv"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "svchost"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ESENT\Process\lizkavd\
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Antivirus Pro 2010"