How to remove SpyProtector (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Grinler on October 19, 2008 @ 09:27 PM · Views: 19,786

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What this programs does:

SpyProtector is a rogue anti-spyware that uses misleading advertising to make you think you are infected and thus download their software. When visiting certain sites, you will be presented with a pop-up that states your computer is infected and asking if you would like to run an online malware scanner to clean it. When you press a button on the pop-up, it will bring you a to another page that pretends to be an online anti-malware scanner, but is in fact just an advertisement. At the end of the advertisement it will state that your computer is still infected and that you should download SpyProtector to clean and remove the infections.

If you decide to download SpyProtector it will be configured to start automatically when you logon to Windows. Once running, SpyProtector will scan your computer and list a variety of legitimate Windows files as infections that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the program. These files, though, are all legitimate files and deleting them could cause problems with the operation of your computer. These files are only being shown as infections in order to scare you into purchasing the software. While this program is running you may also see security alerts appear in your Windows taskbar that state your computer is being attacked or is infected. These alerts, though, are fake as well and are only being shown to further scare you.

SpyProtector screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 8 images you can view.

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

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View SpyProtector files.
View SpyProtector Registry Information.

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O2 - BHO: Browser Helper Objects - {CBE202A6-3B75-4189-B161-9B4DF370BEE9} - %UserProfile%\APPLIC~1\shellex.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Spy Protector] %UserProfile%\Application Data\srcss.exe

Guide Updates:

10/19/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for SpyProtector 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 SpyProtector 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 Spy Protector 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 Spy Protector 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 SpyProtector Files:

c:\Program Files\Spy Protector
%UserProfile%\Application Data\install.exe
%UserProfile%\Application Data\shellex.dll
%UserProfile%\Application Data\srcss.exe
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\s1jqw0bz.default\parent.lock
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\s1jqw0bz.default\bookmarkbackups\bookmarks-2008-10-19.html
%UserProfile%\Application Data\SpyProtector
%UserProfile%\Application Data\SpyProtector\SC_Base_new.dat
%UserProfile%\Application Data\SpyProtector\SC_Config.ini
%UserProfile%\Desktop\Spy Protector.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Spy Protector
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Spy Protector\Purchase License.url
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Spy Protector\Spy Protector.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Spy Protector\Support Page.url

Associated SpyProtector Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SpyProtector
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Spy Protector
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{107A1D63-2EAA-4694-8ABA-EC209C630D83}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{CBE202A6-3B75-4189-B161-9B4DF370BEE9}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Spy Protector
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Spy Protector
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\srcss.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{CBE202A6-3B75-4189-B161-9B4DF370BEE9}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Spy Protector"