How to remove Security 2009 (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Grinler on October 20, 2008 @ 07:50 AM · Views: 11,678

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What this programs does:

Security 2009 is a rogue anti-spyware from the same family as SpyProtector. This program is advertised through the use of fake advertisements on web sites that pretend to be online anti-malware scanners that state you are infected with a variety of malware. This advertisement will then state that you should download and install Security 2009 in order to protect and clean your computer from these threats.

Once installed, Security 2009 will be set to start automatically when Windows starts. Once started, the program will scan your computer and list a variety of infections, which cannot be removed unless you first purchase the program. These infections, though, are actually legitimate programs that could cause problems with the proper operation of your computer if deleted. While running, Security 2009 will also display fake security alerts in your Windows taskbar. These security alerts will contain messages stating that Security 2009 detected malware or an attack on your system and that you should register the software to protect yourself. These fake alerts and the false positives found in the scan are just a tactic to scare you into purchasing the software.

Security 2009 screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 9 images you can view.

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

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View Security 2009 files.
View Security 2009 Registry Information.

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

Security 2009 1.0

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Security 2009] C:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Application Data\Security2009.exe

Guide Updates:

10/20/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for Security 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 quick scan option is selected and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for Security 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 Security2009 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 Security2009 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 Security 2009 Files:

c:\Program Files\Security 2009
c:\Program Files\Security 2009\uninst.exe
%UserProfile%\Desktop\Security 2009.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\install.exe
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Security2009.exe
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Security2009
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Security2009\SC_Base_new.dat
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Security2009\SC_Config.ini
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Security 2009
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Security 2009\Purchase License.url
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Security 2009\Security 2009.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Security 2009\Support Page.url

Associated Security 2009 Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Secure
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Security 2009.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Security 2009
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Security 2009"