How to remove iSafe AntiVirus (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Grinler on December 29, 2008 @ 11:40 PM · Views: 1,926

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What this programs does:

iSafe AntiVirus is a rogue antivirus program from the same family as AntivirusTrigger and Astrum Antivirus. This program is promoted via advertisements pretending to be online malware scanners and through the Zlob Trojan. When visiting certain sites you will be presented with a pop-up stating that your computer has security risks and if you would like to run an online scan. Regardless of what you click you will be brought to a page that ultimately advertises iSafe AntiVirus. This rogue is also promoted and installed via the Zlob Trojan. This Trojan masquerades as a video codec required to view a video online, but will instead install iSafe AntiVirus on to your computer.

Regardless of how the program arrives on your computer, it will be configured to start automatically when you boot your computer. Once started it will scan your computer and list a variety of infections that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the program. These infections, though, are all legitimate files or Registry keys and are only being shown to scare you into purchasing the software. While running, you will occassionally see fake alerts stating that an infection was blocked by the iSafe AntiVirus firewall. These alerts are fake as well and are only being used to further scare you into thinking you are infected.

iSafe AntiVirus screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 6 images you can view.

This guide will walk you through removing the iSafe AntiVirus program and its associated malware for free.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View iSafe AntiVirus files.
View iSafe AntiVirus Registry Information.

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

iSafe AntiVirus 2.1

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [iSafeAV] "C:\Program Files\iSafeAVsoftware\iSafeAV.exe"

Guide Updates:

12/29/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for iSafe 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. 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 iSafe AntiVirus 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 iSafe AntiVirus 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 iSafe AntiVirus 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 iSafe AntiVirus Files:

c:\Program Files\iSafeAVsoftware
c:\Program Files\iSafeAVsoftware\iSafeAV.exe
c:\Program Files\iSafeAVsoftware\uninst.exe
%UserProfile%\Desktop\iSafe AntiVirus 2.1.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\iSafe AntiVirus 2.1.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\iSafe AntiVirus 2.1
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\iSafe AntiVirus 2.1\iSafe AntiVirus 2.1.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\iSafe AntiVirus 2.1.lnk

Associated iSafe AntiVirus Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\iSafeAV
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{BC67F594-BBD6-3BAB-4B70-65D45A80818C}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\iSafeAV
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\iSafeAV
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "iSafeAV"