Remove Ghost Antivirus (Uninstall Guide)

Posted by Lawrence Abrams on January 13, 2010 @ 10:27 AM · Views: 6,982

 

What this infection does:

Ghost Antivirus  is a rogue security program discovered by Bharath M Narayan and is the successor to the prolific Internet Antivirus Pro malware. This program is promoted through the use of Trojans and advertisements that pretend to be online anti-malware scanners. Regardless of how Ghost Antivirus is installed on your computer, it uses aggressive techniques to make it difficult to remove it. First, it disables Task Manager so that you cannot end the processes associated with this program. It will also install another malware that has a filename of <random>onin.exe, such as atforonin.exe, and is created in random paths under the Windows folder. This process, along with the main GhostAV.exe, will terminate known security executables as well as constantly terminate Explorer.exe when it restarts itself so that you cannot access your Windows desktop or access any of the programs residing on it. Thankfully, for now, we can reboot into safe mode to bypass these restrictions and remove the program.

 

Ghost Antivirus screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 5 images you can view.

 

When Ghost Antivirus runs it will automatically scan your computer and display a list of supposed infections. If you attempt to remove any of these infections, though, it will state that you first need to purchase the program to do so. In reality, these detected files are legitimate Windows files that if removed could affect the proper operation of Windows. Therefore, please ignore any of the scan results this program may display and instead use the guide below to remove Ghost Antivirus.

As you can see, this program attempts to ransom the proper operation of your computer by making you purchase it before it allows you to see your desktop. It goes without saying that you should definitely not purchase this program, and if you have, please contact your credit card company and dispute the charges stating that this program is a scam and malware. Finally, to remove Ghost Antivirus you can use the guide below, which only uses programs that are free to use.

 

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

 

Advanced information:

View Ghost Antivirus files.
View Ghost Antivirus Registry Information.

 

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

Ghost Antivirus (1.1.3.9)

 

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

 

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Ghost Antivirus] "C:\program files\Ghost Antivirus\GhostAV.exe" /s
O4 - HKCU\..\Policies\Explorer\Run: [<random>onin] "<random>onin] "<random path>\<random>onin.exe"

 

Guide Updates:

01/13/10 - Initial guide creation.

 

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Automated Removal Instructions for Ghost Antivirus 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. Reboot your computer into Safe Mode with Networking. To do this, turn your computer off and then back on and immediately when you see anything on the screen, start tapping the F8 key on your keyboard. Eventually you will be brought to a menu similar to the one below:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, select Safe Mode with Networking and press Enter on your keyboard. If you are having trouble entering safe mode, then please use the following tutorial: How to start Windows in Safe Mode
   
   Windows will now boot into safe mode with networking and prompt you to login as a user. Please login as the same user you were previously logged in with in the normal Windows mode. Then proceed with the rest of the steps.
   
   
3. Download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, or MBAM, from the following location and save it to your desktop:
   
   http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/malwarebytes/mbam-setup.exe - Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Download Link (Download page will open in a new window)
   
   
4. Once downloaded, close all programs and Windows on your computer, including this one.
   
   
5. Double-click on the icon on your desktop named mbam-setup.exe. This will start the installation of MBAM onto your computer.
   
   
6. 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.
   
   
7. 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.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. 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 Ghost Antivirus related files.
   
   
9. 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.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. 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 GhostAntivirus removal process.
    
    
11. You will now be back at the main Scanner screen. At this point you should click on the Show Results button.
    
    
12. 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.
    
    
13. 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.
    
    
14. You can now exit the MBAM program.
    
    
15. As many rogues and other malware are installed through vulnerabilities found in out-dated and insecure programs, it is strongly suggested that you use Secunia PSI to scan for vulnerable programs on your computer. A tutorial on how to use Secunia PSI to scan for vulnerable programs can be found here:
    
    How to detect vulnerable and out-dated programs using Secunia Personal Software Inspector

Your computer should now be free of the GhostAntivirus 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 Ghost Antivirus Files:

c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\GhostAV.exe
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\register.ico
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\unins000.dat
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\uninst.ico
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\web.ico
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\working.log
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\Languages\
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\lib\
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\lib\ghost.sql
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\lib\Infected.wav
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\lib\listing.cfg
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\lib\version.db
c:\Program Files\Ghost Antivirus\lib\WMILib.dll
c:\WINDOWS\system32\<random>.dll
c:\WINDOWS\system32\<random>.dll
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\Ghost Antivirus.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Ghost Antivirus\
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Ghost Antivirus\Ghost Antivirus Home Page.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Ghost Antivirus\Ghost Antivirus.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Ghost Antivirus\Purchase License.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Ghost Antivirus\
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Ghost Antivirus\settings.ini
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Ghost Antivirus\uill.ini
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Ghost Antivirus\unins000.exe
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Ghost Antivirus\Uninstall Ghost Antivirus.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Ghost Antivirus\lib\
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Ghost Antivirus\lib\links.txt
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Ghost Antivirus\lib\properties
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Ghost Antivirus\lib\times.conf
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\Ghost Antivirus.lnk
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\iGSh.png
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\iMSh.png
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\iPSh.png
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\pguard.ini
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\services.exe
<random path>\<random>onin.exe

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 Ghost Antivirus Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Ghost Antivirus_is1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\taskmgr.exe
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\FTP "SearchDir" = "c:\program files\Ghost Antivirus\"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\Run "<random>onin"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Ghost Antivirus"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce "3P_UDEC"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent "URIAPRO[1.1.3.9]"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\taskmgr.exe "Debugger" = "?"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\taskmgr.exe "RealDebugger" = "?"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon "RealLogonType" = "1"