How to remove MS Antispyware 2009 (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Grinler on December 14, 2008 @ 03:55 PM · Views: 118,646

Add to Favorites!    Print Guide!

What this programs does:

MS AntiSpyware 2009 is a rogue anti-spyware program from the same family as NanoAntivirus and Pro AntiSpyware 2009. MS AntiSpyware is advertised through the use of Trojans that display fake security alerts stating that you are infected and that you should install MS AntiSpyware 2009 in order to protect yourself. If you click on one of these alerts, the program will download and be installed on your computer. Once installed, MS AntiSpyware will be configured to start automatically, and when started, will automatically scan your computer. When the scan is complete it will show results that state you have a variety of infections on your computer that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the program. These infections, though, are all fake and are only being shown in order to scare you into thinking you are infected and thus having you purchase the software.

When the program is running, it will also display a fake Windows Security Center screen that states that Windows recommends that you purchase a license of MS AntiSpyware 2009. You will also occasionally see alerts stating that your computer has serious infections and that you should install purchase MS AntiSpyware. All of these alerts and fake screens are being shown for one reason; to scare you into purchasing the software. Please ignore these warnings and instead use the free removal guide below.

MS AntiSpyware 2009
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 7 images you can view.

This guide will walk you through removing the MS AntiSpyware 2009 program and any associated malware that may have been installed with it.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View MS Antispyware 2009 files.
View MS Antispyware 2009 Registry Information.

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

MS AntiSpyware 2009

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MS AntiSpyware 2009] "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CrucialSoft Ltd\MS AntiSpyware 2009\msas2009.exe" /autorun

Guide Updates:

12/14/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for MS Antispyware 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
   
   


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 MS Antispyware 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 MSAntispyware 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 MSAntispyware 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 Posting A Hijackthis Log

Associated MS Antispyware 2009 Files:

c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CrucialSoft Ltd
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CrucialSoft Ltd\MS AntiSpyware 2009
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CrucialSoft Ltd\MS AntiSpyware 2009\msas2009.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CrucialSoft Ltd\MS AntiSpyware 2009\BASE
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CrucialSoft Ltd\MS AntiSpyware 2009\DELETED
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CrucialSoft Ltd\MS AntiSpyware 2009\LOG
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CrucialSoft Ltd\MS AntiSpyware 2009\LOG\20081214155256795.log
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CrucialSoft Ltd\MS AntiSpyware 2009\SAVED
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\MS AntiSpyware 2009
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\MS AntiSpyware 2009\MS AntiSpyware 2009.lnk

Associated MS Antispyware 2009 Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CrucialSoft Ltd
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CrucialSoft Ltd\MS AntiSpyware 2009
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\uninstall\MS AntiSpyware 2009 5.7
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "MS AntiSpyware 2009"