Spyware Protect 2009 is a rogue anti-malware program that uses false results, fake malware, and fake security alerts to scare you into purchasing the software. Historically, Spyware Protect 2009 has been installed via a variety of Trojans and malware. Starting in April 2009, this rogue is now being advertised through the use of the Conficker worm. The Conficker worm has spread to supposedly over 10 million computers, so it goes without saying that the amount of people who may potentially fall for the Spyware Protect 2009 scam is now incredibly large.

When installing, Spyware Protect 2009 will be configured to start automatically when you boot your computer and will also create a variety of files on your computer that have a size of 0 bytes. When started, Spyware Protect will automatically scan your computer and list a variety of infections that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the software. The infections that are found, though, are the files that it created in the first place. These files are actually completely harmless and are unable to be run, so pose no risk to your computer. The only reason the files was to scare you into thinking you have malware on your computer.

When this program is running you will also see a variety of security alerts on your computer. These alerts consist of ones stating that a remote host is attacking your computer, that you have a variety of infections, or that Windows has detected your computer is infected and that you should purchase Spyware Protect 2009. The current text of the alert that you will see from the taskbar is shown below.

Windows Security alert

Windows reports that computer is infected. Antivirus software helps to protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. Click here for the scan your computer. Your system might be at risk now.

Just like the fake malware files it detects when it scans, these fake alerts are just being used to scare you into thinking you are infected. These alerts should be ignored and you should use the free removal guide below in order to remove this infection.

 

Spyware Protect 2009 screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 5 images you can view.

 

This guide will walk you through removing the Spyware Protect 2009 program and its associated malware for free.

 

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

 

Advanced information:

View Spyware Protect 2009 files.
View Spyware Protect 2009 Registry Information.

 

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

 

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [sysguardn] C:\Windows\sysguardn.exe

 

Guide Updates:

01/15/09 - Initial guide creation.
04/13/09 - Updated to contain information about Conficker.

 

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Automated Removal Instructions for Spyware Protect 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 (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 Spyware Protect 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 SpywareProtect 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 SpywareProtect 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 Using Malware Removal Tools and Requesting Help

 

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Associated Spyware Protect 2009 Files:

c:\WINDOWS\aazalirt.exe
c:\WINDOWS\dkekkrkska.exe
c:\WINDOWS\dkewiizkjdks.exe
c:\WINDOWS\iddqdops.exe
c:\WINDOWS\ienotas.exe
c:\WINDOWS\iqmcnoeqz.exe
c:\WINDOWS\irprokwks.exe
c:\WINDOWS\jikglond.exe
c:\WINDOWS\jiklagka.exe
c:\WINDOWS\jrjakdsd.exe
c:\WINDOWS\jungertab.exe
c:\WINDOWS\kitiiwhaas.exe
c:\WINDOWS\kkwknrbsggeg.exe
c:\WINDOWS\klopnidret.exe
c:\WINDOWS\krkdkdkee.exe
c:\WINDOWS\krkmahejdk.exe
c:\WINDOWS\krtawefg.exe
c:\WINDOWS\krujmmwlrra.exe
c:\WINDOWS\ktknamwerr.exe
c:\WINDOWS\kuruhccdsdd.exe
c:\WINDOWS\ooorjaas.exe
c:\WINDOWS\oranerkka.exe
c:\WINDOWS\oropbbsee.exe
c:\WINDOWS\otnnbektre.exe
c:\WINDOWS\otowjdseww.exe
c:\WINDOWS\otpeppggq.exe
c:\WINDOWS\rkaskssd.exe
c:\WINDOWS\ronitfst.exe
c:\WINDOWS\seeukluba.exe
c:\WINDOWS\skaaanret.exe
c:\WINDOWS\sysguardn.exe
c:\WINDOWS\tobmygers.exe
c:\WINDOWS\tobykke.exe
c:\WINDOWS\zibaglertz.exe

 

Associated Spyware Protect 2009 Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AvScan
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "sysguardn"

 

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BleepingComputer.com can not be held responsible for problems that may occur by using this information. If you would like help with any of these fixes, you can ask for malware removal assistance in our Virus, Trojan, Spyware, and Malware Removal Logs forum.

If you have any questions about this self-help guide then please post those questions in our Am I infected? What do I do? and someone will help you.