How to remove Safeguard 2009 (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Lawrence Abrams on February 5, 2009 @ 02:09 PM · Views: 6,021

 

What this infection does:

SafeGuard 2009 is a rogue anti-spyware program from the same family as MS AntiSpyware 2009. In order for a program to be classified as a rogue it must satisfy certain conditions. These conditions include being advertised or installed through the use of malware, displaying false scan results, or using aggressive advertising to make you think you are infected when you are not. The program SafeGuard 2009 satisfies all of these conditions as it:

• is advertised through the use of Trojans that displays fake security alerts that imply that you are infected and should purchase SafeGuard in order to protect yourself.
  
  
• is promoted through the use of web pop-ups that pretend to be online anti-malware scanners that state you are infected.
  
  
• displays false results of infections after SafeGuard scans your computer.
  
  
• displays fake screens on your computer, such a as fake Windows Security Center screen, that recommends that you register SafeGuard in order to remove any infections found on your computer.

When SafeGuard 2009 is installed you may also find that your computer begins to act more sluggish or slower. This is because while the program is running in the background it uses up your computers resources that other legitimate programs could better use. It also repeatedly displays nag screens and fake alerts trying to have you purchase the program. This constant barrage of alerts and screens not only slows down your computer, but interrupts the use of legitimate programs that may be running.

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

 

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

 

Advanced information:

View Safeguard 2009 files.
View Safeguard 2009 Registry Information.

 

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

SafeGuard
SafeGuard 2009

 

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

 

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Safeguard 2009] "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SafeguardSoft Ltd\Safeguard 2009\sf2009.exe" /autorun

 

Guide Updates:

02/05/08 - Initial guide creation.

 

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Automated Removal Instructions for Safeguard 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 Safeguard 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 Safeguard2009 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 Safeguard2009 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 Safeguard 2009 Files:

c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SafeguardSoft Ltd
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SafeguardSoft Ltd\Safeguard 2009
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SafeguardSoft Ltd\Safeguard 2009\sf2009.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SafeguardSoft Ltd\Safeguard 2009\BASE
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SafeguardSoft Ltd\Safeguard 2009\DELETED
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SafeguardSoft Ltd\Safeguard 2009\LOG
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SafeguardSoft Ltd\Safeguard 2009\LOG\20090204155256795.log
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SafeguardSoft Ltd\Safeguard 2009\SAVED
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Safeguard 2009
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Safeguard 2009\Safeguard 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 Safeguard 2009 Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SafeguardSoft Ltd
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SafeguardSoft\Safeguard 2009
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\uninstall\Safeguard 2009
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Safeguard 2009"