Remove CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 (Removal Instructions)

Posted by Lawrence Abrams on April 29, 2009 @ 06:59 PM · Views: 17,546

 

What this infection does:

CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 is a rogue anti-spyware program discovered by security researcher S!RI, that uses an interesting trick in order to protect itself. This trick is to uninstall legitimate anti-malware programs when CoreGuard detects they are installed. When CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 starts it will examine the Windows Registry key that contains the list of programs that Windows knows how to uninstall from your computer. If it detects certain programs installed it will display the following message and then start the program's uninstall process:

There is unauthorized antivirus software detected on your computer. It is recommended you to remove it, otherwise it could conflict with CoreGusard <sic> Antivirus 2009.

The anti-malware programs that it detects, and attempts to uninstall include:

• MalwareBytes' Anti-malware
• F-Secure
• NOD32
• Avast
• AntiVir
• AVG
• Norton Internet Security

 

CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 main screen
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 6 images you can view.

 

CoreGuard will also be configured to start whenever you log into Windows. When it runs it will automatically perform a scan of your computer, which will find a variety of infections that it will not let you remove until you purchase the program. These infections, though, are either fake or nonexistent and can be ignored. While running, it will also display numerous alerts and nag screens in order to convince you to purchase the program. Some examples of the alerts you may see are:

User's activity loggers detected!
It's strongly recommended to remove detected threats right now!

Most of the viruses and worms on your PC because of visiting pornosites or warez/torrent sites.

ANTIVIRUS IS RUN IN DEMO MODE. ACTIVATE YOUR ANTIVIRUS OTHERWISE ALL THE DATA WILL BE LOST OR DAMAGED!

DANGEROUS! ANTIVIRUS DETECTED SOME HARMFUL PROGRAMS ON YOUR PC! THEY MAY CORRUPT YOUR INFORMATION OR SEND IT TO HACKERS.

PLEASE, OPTIMIZE YOUR PC. IT RUN ONLY 10%.

These alerts are also disruptive to your normal applications because they will be displayed over your running applications and can't be minimized. The only way to get rid of these alerts is to acknowledge them.

If you find that you are infected with CoreGuard Antivirus 2009, then please use the remove guide shown below in order to remove it and any associated malware for free.

 

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

 

Advanced information:

View CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 files.
View CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 Registry Information.

 

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

Coreguard Antivirus 2009

 

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
• SmitFraudFix

 

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Coreguard Antivirus 2009] C:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Coreguard 2009.exe
O10 - Unknown file in Winsock LSP: c:\program files\coreguard antivirus 2009\firewall.dll
O10 - Unknown file in Winsock LSP: c:\program files\coreguard antivirus 2009\firewall.dll

 

Guide Updates:

04/29/09 - Initial guide creation.

 

---

Choose the removal method you would like to use:

• Automated Removal using Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
• Automated Removal using SmitFraudFix

---

Automated Removal Instructions for CoreGuard Antivirus 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 (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 CoreGuard Antivirus 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 CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 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 CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 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

 

---

Automated Removal Instructions for CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 using SmitFraudFix:

 

1. Print out these instructions as we will need to close every window that is open later in the fix.
   
   
2. Download SmitfraudFix.exe from here and save it to your desktop:
   
   SmitFraudFix.exe
   
   Confirm that the file SmitfraudFix.exe now resides on your desktop, but do not double-click on the icon as of yet. We will use it in later steps. The icon will look like the one below:
   
   
   
   


3. Next, please reboot your computer into Safe Mode by doing the following:
   
   
   1. Restart your computer
      
      
   2. After hearing your computer beep once during startup, but before the Windows icon appears, press F8.
      
      
   3. Instead of Windows loading as normal, a menu should appear
      
      
   4. Select the first option, to run Windows in Safe Mode.
      
      
   5. When you are at the logon prompt, log in as the same user that you had performed the previous steps as.
      
      
4. When your computer has started in safe mode, and you see the desktop, close all open Windows.
   
   
5. Now, double-click on the SmitFraudfix icon that should be residing on your desktop.The icon will look like the one below:
   
   
   
   
6. When the tool first starts you will see a credits screen. Simply press any key on your keyboard to get to the next screen.
   
   
7. You will now see a menu as shown in the image below. Press the number 2 on your keyboard and the press the enter key to choose the option Clean (safe mode recommended).
   
   
   
   


8. The program will start cleaning your computer and go through a series of cleanup processes. When it is done, it will automatically start the Disk Cleanup program as shown by the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   This program will remove all Temp, Temporary Internet Files, and other files that may be leftover files from this infection. This process can take up to a few hours depending on your computer, so please be patient. When it is complete, it will close automatically and you will should continue with step 11.
   
   
9. When Disk Cleanup is finished, you will be presented with an option asking Do you want to clean the registry ? (y/n). At this screen you should press the Y button on your keyboard and then press the enter key.
   



10. When this last routine is finished, you will be presented with a red screen stating Computer will reboot now. Close all applications. You should now press the spacebar on your computer. A counter will appear stating that the computer will reboot in 15 seconds. Do not cancel this countdown and allow your computer to reboot.
    
11. Once the computer has rebooted, you will be presented with a Notepad screen containing a log of all the files removed from your computer. Examine this log, and when you are done, close the Notepad screen.
    

Your computer should now be free of the CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 infection.

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

 

---

 

Associated CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 Files:

c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\blacklist.cga
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\core.cga
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\CoreExt.dll
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Coreguard 2009.exe
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\firewall.dll
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Uninstall.exe
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\reg.html
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\support.png
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\unreg.html
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\images
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\images\delete.png
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\images\info.png
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\images\plus_circle.png
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\images\tick.png
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\images\warn.png
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\images\buttons
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\images\buttons\offline.gif
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\images\buttons\online.gif
c:\Program Files\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Help\images\buttons\voice.gif
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\Coreguard 2009.lnk
%UserProfile%\Desktop\Coreguard 2009.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Coreguard Antivirus 2009
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Coreguard 2009.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Coreguard Antivirus 2009\Uninstall Coreguard Antivirus 2009.lnk

File Location Notes:

%UserProfile% refers to the current user's profile folder. By default, this is C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User> for Windows 2000/XP, C:\Users\<Current User> for Windows Vista/7, and c:\winnt\profiles\<Current User> for Windows NT.

 

Associated CoreGuard Antivirus 2009 Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CoreGuard
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{5E2121EE-0300-11D4-8D3B-444553540000}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Coreguard Antivirus 2009
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Coreguard Antivirus 2009"