Remove SaveArmor (Uninstall Guide)

Posted by Lawrence Abrams on September 20, 2009 @ 03:38 PM · Views: 3,960

 

What this infection does:

SaveArmor is a rogue anti-spyware that deliberately displays fake scan alerts and false security notices on your computer. SaveArmor is typically installed onto your computer by a Trojan that displays false security alerts. The installer will also create numerous fake files on your computer that are used to impersonate malware files. SaveArmor will then be configured to start automatically, and once started, the program will automatically scan your computer. When the scan is finished it will display the files that were created by SaveArmor as malware, but will not allow you to remove them until you purchase the program. It is important to remember that the fake malware files it creates cannot harm your computer. They are only being created to trick you into thinking you are infected.

 

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

 

While the Trojan is running you will also see fake security alerts and a window impersonating the Windows Security Center. The alerts will be displayed on your desktop and will contain messages that state an active malware has been found or that your computer is under attack. It will then prompt you to purchase SaveArmor. The Trojan will also display a window that impersonates the legitimate Windows Security Center, with the only difference being that the Trojan window will suggest that you purchase SaveArmor in order to protect your computer.

Without a doubt, SaveArmor was created for one purpose; to trick you into thinking you are infected and then to scam you into buying the program. Instead of purchasing this program, please use the guide below to remove this infection and any related malware. If you have already purchased SaveAmor, then we suggest that you contact your credit card company and dispute the charges.

 

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

 

Advanced information:

View SaveArmor files.
View SaveArmor Registry Information.

 

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

SaveArmor

 

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

 

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [x0lc3bqd.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\x0lc3bqd.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [SaveArmor] C:\Program Files\SaveArmor Software\SaveArmor\SaveArmor.exe -min
O23 - Service: SaveArmor Security Service (SaveArmorSvc) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\SaveArmor Software\SaveArmor\SaveArmorSvc.exe (file missing)

 

Guide Updates:

09/20/09 - Initial guide creation.

 

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Automated Removal Instructions for SaveArmor 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 SaveArmor 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 SaveArmor 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 SaveArmor 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 SaveArmor Files:

c:\Program Files\SaveArmor Software
c:\Program Files\SaveArmor Software\SaveArmor
c:\Program Files\SaveArmor Software\SaveArmor\SaveArmor.exe
c:\Program Files\SaveArmor Software\SaveArmor\uninstall.exe
c:\WINDOWS\10069zo5-a-virus796.bin
c:\WINDOWS\105579izus27f5.bin
c:\WINDOWS\105899py3cz.dll
c:\WINDOWS\system32\30c9ba5kdzor218.cpl
c:\WINDOWS\system32\31429wor51baz.bin
c:\WINDOWS\system32\3190z59rus461.cpl
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\SaveArmor.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\SaveArmor
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\SaveArmor\1 SaveArmor.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\SaveArmor\2 Homepage.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\SaveArmor\3 Uninstall.lnk
%Temp%\x0lc3bqd.exe

File Location Notes:

%Temp% refers to the Windows Temp folder. By default, this is C:\Windows\Temp for Windows 95/98/ME, C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\<Current User>\LOCAL SETTINGS\Temp for Windows 2000/XP, and C:\Users\<Current User>\AppData\Local\Temp for Windows Vista and Windows 7.

 

Associated SaveArmor Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SaveArmor
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\SaveArmor
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SaveArmor
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\LEGACY_SAVEARMORSVC
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SaveArmorSvc
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "SaveArmor"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "x0lc3bqd.exe"