How to remove Smart Antivirus 2009 (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Grinler on September 6, 2008 @ 03:24 PM · Views: 25,695

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What this programs does:

Smart Antivirus 2009 is a rogue anti-spyware program from the same developers as the widely spread MS Antivirus. This program is advertised through two different methods. The first method is the use of fake security pop-ups that are shown when you visit various domains related to this software. These pop-ups will state that you are infected and then display a fake online malware scanner that ultimately leads to prompting you to download Smart Antivirus 2009. The other method is via Trojans that are installed on your computer. These Trojans will periodically display fake Windows alerts stating that your computer is infected or is being attacked. Regardless of the method that this program is being advertised, the ultimate goal is to scare you into downloading and installing Smart Antivirus 2009.

If you decide to install Smart Antivirus then the program will be set to run automatically when you start your computer. The installer will also change your desktop background to a fake security alert and remove your ability to access your display properties in order to remove it. When started, Smart Antivirus 2009 will scan your computer and display a variety of false threats that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the software. These threats, though, are all fake and are only being shown to scare you into purchasing the software. While the program is running in the background you will also see different alerts stating that your computer is being attacked, is infected, or has some other security risk. These should be ignored as well.

Smart Antivirus 2009 screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 10 images you can view.

This guide will walk you through uninstalling Smart Antivirus 2009 and any related malware that may be installed with it.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View Smart Antivirus 2009 files.
View Smart Antivirus 2009 Registry Information.

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Smart Antivirus-2009.exe] C:\Program Files\Smart Antivirus 2009\Smart Antivirus-2009.exe

Guide Updates:

09/06/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for Smart Antivirus 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 Smart Antivirus 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 SmartAntivirus 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 SmartAntivirus 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 Smart Antivirus 2009 Files:

%UserProfile%\Desktop\Smart Antivirus-2009.lnk
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Temp\win14_32.dll
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Smart Antivirus 2009
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Smart Antivirus 2009\Smart Antivirus-2009.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\Smart Antivirus-2009.lnk
c:\Program Files\Smart Antivirus 2009
c:\Program Files\Smart Antivirus 2009\Smart Antivirus-2009.exe
c:\Program Files\Smart Antivirus 2009\vscan.tsi
c:\Program Files\Smart Antivirus 2009\zlib.dll
c:\Program Files\Smart Antivirus 2009\Infected
c:\Program Files\Smart Antivirus 2009\Suspicious

Associated Smart Antivirus 2009 Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Smart Antivirus 2009
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Smart Antivirus-2009.exe"