Cyber Security is a scareware program from the same family
as Total
Security . This rogue is promoted through the use of malware as well as
fake online anti-malware scanners. When installed via Trojans, it will be installed
on to your computer without your permission. When promoted via the web, you
will see a pop-up that states that your computer is infected and that you should
download and install Cyber Security to protect your computer. When the program
is installed it will be configured to start automatically when you start Windows
and perform a scan of your computer. When the scan has finished, Cyber Security
will state that there are numerous infections on your computer, but will state
it cannot remove anything unless you first purchase the program. This method
of showing fake scan results is just a method where the developers of Cyber
Security are trying to trick you into thinking that your computer has a security
problem in the hopes that you will then purchase the program. As the only security
problem on the computer is Cyber Security, you should not purchase this program.
Cyber Security screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 7 images you can view.
Cyber Security also installs an Internet Explorer Browser Helper Object that
is used to hijack your browser when you are surfing the web. When browsing the
web you will be randomly be redirected to an about:blank page where you will
be shown a red screen with a message stating that This website has been
reported to be unsafe and will then suggest that you update your web protection
software. When you click on that link you will be brought to a site that is
attempting to sell Cyber Security to you. This browser hijack is attempting
to impersonate Firefox's and Google's Secure Browsing feature that alerts you
when you visit unsafe sites. In Cyber Security's method it does not matter if
the site you are visiting is legitimate or not, it will still randomly show
the message so that you think you are at risk.
While Cyber Security is running it will also show numerous alerts and screens
that are devised to make you think that there is a major security problem on
your computer. One tactic is to randomly display alerts from your Windows taskbar
that contain fake messages in various languages:
In English:
Privacy violation alert!
Cyber Security has detected numerous privacy violations. Some programs may
send your private data to an untrusted internet host. Click here to permanently
block this activity and remove the possible threat (Recommended)
System files modification alert!
Important system files of your computer may be modified by malicious program.
It may cause system instability and data loss. Click here to block unauthorized
modification and remove potential threats (Recommended).
Spyware activity alert!
Spyware.IEMonster activity detected. It is spyware that attempts to steal
passwords from Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Outlook and other programs,
including logins and passwords from online banking sessions, eBay, PayPal.
It may also create special tracking files to log your activity and compromise
your Internet privacy. It's strongly recommended to remove this threat as
soon as possible. Click here to remove Spyware.IEMonster.
In German:
Gefahr!
Systemdateien wurden geandert! Irgendeinen wichtigen Systemdateien wurden
von gefahrvolles Programm geandert. Das kann Systemsinstabilitat und Datenverzicht
zur Folge haben. Klicken Sie hier an um unberechtigten Modifikationen durch
die Loschung der Gefahrdungen zu blockieren (empfehlt).
In French:
activite du Logiciel espion!
Logiciel espion. Lactivite de IEMonster est decouverte. Cest un Logiciel espion,
qui tente de s'emparer des mots de passe d Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox,
Outlook et d autres programmes, y compris des logins et des mots de passe
des operations bancaires en ligne, eBay, PayPal. Il peut egalement creer des
poursuites speciales des fichiers pour enregistrer votre activite et compromettre
votre intimite a l'Internet. Il est fort recommande d eradiquer la menace
le plus vite possible. Cliquez ici pour supprimer le Logiciel espion. IEMonster.
Cyber Security will also display a window that will impersonate the legitimate
Microsoft Windows Security Center. The difference is that the imposter will
suggest that you purchase Cyber Security to secure your computer. Last, but
not the least in a long line of deceptive tactics, Cyber Security will randomly
display a screen saver that impersonates Windows crashing with a Blue Screen
of Death that contains a message that Spyware caused it. Then the screen saver
will show your computer rebooting with a message that you should purchase Cyber
Security to protect yourself. The text you will see in the screen saver crash
is:
***STOP: 0x000000D1 (0x00000000, 0xF73120AE, 0xC0000008,
0xC0000000)
A spyware application has been detected and Windows has been shut down to
prevent damage to your computer
SPYWARE.MONSTER.FX_WILD_0x00000000
If this is the first time you've seen this Stop error screen, restart your
computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:
Check to make sure your antivirus software is properly installed. If this
is a
new installation, ask your software manufacturer for any antivirus updates
you might need.
Windows detected unregistered version of %product% protection on your computer.
If problems continue, please activate your antivirus software to prevent computer
damage and data loss.
*** SRV.SYS - Address F73120AE base at C00000000, DateStamp 36b072a3
Beginning dump of physical memory...
It is important to understand that this is just a screen saver and your computer
is not actually crashing and rebooting.
As you can see, Cyber Security uses numerous tactics to try and have you think
that there is a serious security problem on your computer. The reality, though,
is that the only serious problem is Cyber Security itself. Therefore, please
do not purchase the program due to the alerts this program shows you. If you
have already purchased the program, then please contact your credit card company
and dispute the charges. Last, but not least, please use the guide below to
remove Cyber Security and any related malware from your computer for free.
Threat Classification:
Advanced information:
View Cyber Security files.
View Cyber Security Registry Information.
Entries for this program found in the Uninstall Programs control panel:
Cyber Security
Tools Needed for this fix:
Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:
O2 - BHO: &IE Help - {35A5B43B-CB8A-49CA-A9F4-D3B308D2E3CC} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\iehelpmod.dll
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [CS] C:\Program Files\CS\tsc.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [CSec] C:\Program Files\CSec\cs.exe
Guide Updates:
10/09/09 - Initial guide creation.
Automated Removal Instructions for Cyber Security using Malwarebytes Anti-Malware:
- Print out these instructions as we will need to close every window that
is open later in the fix. Due to this malware infecting Internet Explorer,
it is suggested that you use Firefox or another browser when following these
instructions.
- Before we can do anything we must first end the Cyber Security process so
that it does not interfere with the cleaning process. To do this, please download
RKill.com to your desktop from the following link.
RKill
Download Link - (Download page will open in a new tab or browser window.)
When at the download page, click on the Download Now button
labeled iExplore.exe download link. When you are prompted
where to save it, please save it on your desktop.
- Once it is downloaded, double-click on the iExplore.exe
icon in order to automatically attempt to stop any processes associated with
Cyber Security
and other Rogue programs. Please be patient while the program looks for various
malware programs and ends them. When it has finished, the black window will
automatically close and you can continue with the next step. If you get a
message that rkill is an infection, do not be concerned. This message is just
a fake warning given by
Cyber Security
when it terminates programs that may potentially remove it. If you run into
these infections warnings that close Rkill, a trick is to leave the warning
on the screen and then run Rkill again. By not closing the warning, this typically
will allow you to bypass the malware trying to protect itself so that rkill
can terminate
Cyber Security
. So, please try running Rkill until malware is no longer running. You will
then be able to proceed with the rest of the guide.
Do not reboot your computer after running rkill as the malware programs will
start again.
- Just to be sure, we will use another program to verify that the processes
are indeed terminated. To do this we must first download and install a Microsoft
program called Process Explorer. Normally, we would have you use the Windows
Task Manager, but this rogue will disable the ability to run it. Please download
Process Explorer from the following link and save it to your desktop:
Process Explorer Download
Link
- You should now have the Procexp.exe file on your desktop. You now need to
rename that file to iexplore.exe. First delete the current
iExplore.exe file that is on your desktop and then right-click on the Procexp.exe
and select Rename. You can now edit the name of the file
and should name it to iexplore.exe. Once it is renamed you
should double-click on the file to launch it.
- Once the program is running, you should be presented with a screen similar
to the one below.
- Scroll through the list of running programs until you see a process named
tsc.exe. When you see this process, select the tsc.exe process
by left-clicking on it once so it becomes highlighted. Then click on the red
X button as shown in the image below. Newer versions of this executable may
be using names consisting of random numbers or characters. If you see a process
that is composed of random numbers or characters and has a shield icon
or a padlock icon 
next to it, then you have found the process you need to terminate. If you
do not see any processes using random characters or with the name tsc.exe,
please continue to step 9.
- When you click on the red X to kill the process, Process Explorer will ask
you to confirm if you are sure you want to terminate it as shown in the image
below.
At this point you should press the Yes button in order to
kill the process.
- 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)
- Once downloaded, close all programs and Windows on your computer, including
this one.
- Double-click on the icon on your desktop named mbam-setup.exe.
This will start the installation of MBAM onto your computer.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Cyber Security
related files.
- 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.
- 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
CyberSecurity
removal process.
- You will now be back at the main Scanner screen. At this point you should
click on the Show Results button.
- 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.
- 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.
- You can now exit the MBAM program.
Your computer should now be free of the CyberSecurity 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
Associated Cyber Security Files:
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\CS
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\CS\Computer Scan.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\CS\Cyber Security.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\CS\Help.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\CS\Registration.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\CS\Security Center.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\CS\Settings.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\CS\Update.lnk
%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\CS.lnk
%UserProfile%\Desktop\Cyber Security.lnk
c:\Program Files\Common Files\CSUninstall
c:\Program Files\Common Files\CSUninstall\Uninstall.lnk
c:\Program Files\CS
c:\Program Files\CS\tsc.exe
C:\Program Files\CSec\
C:\Program Files\CSec\cs.exe
c:\WINDOWS\system32\iehelpmod.dll
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/7/8, and c:\winnt\profiles\<Current User> for Windows NT.
%AppData% refers to the current users Application Data folder. By default, this is C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User>\Application Data for Windows 2000/XP. For Windows Vista and Windows 7 it is C:\Users\<Current User>\AppData\Roaming.
Associated Cyber Security Windows Registry Information:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\uninstall\CS
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{35A5B43B-CB8A-49CA-A9F4-D3B308D2E3CC}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\5FFB10D58FFCF482208906E6A889FD56
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{35A5B43B-CB8A-49CA-A9F4-D3B308D2E3CC}
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "CS"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "CSec"
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 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.
