Remove Smart Defender PRO (Uninstall Guide)

Posted by Grinler on July 7, 2009 @ 11:42 AM · Views: 8,679

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What this programs does:

Smart Defender PRO is a rogue security program from the same family as Virus Remover Professional. This program is promoted through the use of malware and web sites that pretend to be online scanners. When visiting sites under this program's control, you will be shown a pop-up that states malware has been detected on your computer and that you should run an online scan. Regardless of what button you press on the pop-up you will then be brought to a page that shows an advertisement that pretends to be an online anti-malware scanner. When this advertisement has finished, it will state that your computer is infected and that you should download and install Smart Defender Pro. This program is also advertised through the use of malware that will display fake security alerts from your Windows taskbar. These alerts will state that your computer is infected or has some security problem and then prompt you to download and install the program.

Smart Defender Pro
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 6 images you can view.

Once installed, Smart Defender Pro will be configured to start every time you log into Windows. Once running, it will perform a scan and then state that you have a variety of infections on your computer, but will not remove them until you purchase the program. The scan results, though, do not list the actual files or Registry keys that it states are infected. This is because these scan results are fake and are only being shown to scare you into purchasing the program.

While the program is running you will see a constant barrage of fake security alerts and screens stating that you have problems on your computer. One of these screens is one that impersonates the legitimate Windows Security Center. It looks exactly like the real one, but instead states that Windows recommends that you purchase Smart Defender Pro to protect your computer. You will also see alerts labeled Infiltration Alerts that state your computer is under attack. Examples of the text you will find in these alerts are:

Your computer is being attacked by an Internet Virus. It could be a password-stealing attack, a trojan - dropper or similar.

Your computer is infected with spyware. It could damage your critical files or expose your private data on the Internet. Click here to register your copy of %s and remove spyware threats from your PC.

It goes without saying that Smart Defender is not a program you want to purchase. Instead, if you find this program on your computer please use the guide below to remove it for free.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View Smart Defender PRO files.
View Smart Defender PRO Registry Information.

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Smart Defender PRO] %UserProfile%\\Application Data\Smart Defender PRO\smrtdefp.exe

Guide Updates:

07/07/09 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for Smart Defender PRO 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 Defender PRO 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 Smart Defender PRO 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 Smart Defender PRO 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 Defender PRO Files:

c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\Smart Defender PRO.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Smart Defender PRO
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Smart Defender PRO\Smart Defender PRO.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Smart Defender PRO
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Smart Defender PRO\smrtdefp.exe
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Temp\smrtdefp.exe

Associated Smart Defender PRO Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Smart Defender PRO
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Smart Defender PRO"