Remove SystemVeteran (Uninstall Guide)

Posted by Grinler on November 7, 2009 @ 10:13 AM · Views: 1,143

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What this programs does:

SystemVeteran is a rogue security program that is installed through the use of Trojans that impersonate Flash updates or video codecs that are required to view a video online. When these Trojans are installed they will download and install SystemVeteran onto your computer and then create a large amount of files with random names on your computer. These files will then be detected as malware when SystemVeteran scans your computer. The program, though, will state it cannot remove them unless you first purchase it. The reality is that the files that were created by Trojan are harmless and are only being created to substantiate the claims of SystemVeteran that there is malware on your computer. Therefore, you should ignore anything this program states.

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

While the Trojan is running you will also see a fake Windows Security Center window appear on your desktop. This window impersonates the legitimate Windows Security Center except that it suggest that you purchase SystemVeteran to protect your computer. The Trojan will also display fake security alerts and warnings on your computer that state that a remote computer is attempting to hack yours, that you are sending sensitive data to a remote location, or that an active malware infections has been found. Just like the scan results, these warnings are just another tactic being used by the program to try and trick you into thinking you are infected so that you then purchase it.

As you can see, SystemVeteran was created for one purpose; to trick you into thinking your computer has a security problem so that you then purchase the program. It goes without saying that should definitely not purchase this program, and if you already have, I suggest you contact your credit card company and dispute the charges. Last, but not least, to remove this infection and any related malware please use the guide below to remove it for free.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View SystemVeteran files.
View SystemVeteran Registry Information.

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

SystemVeteran

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SystemVeteran.exe] C:\Program Files\SystemVeteran Software\SystemVeteran\SystemVeteran.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [wjq4.tmp.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\wjq4.tmp.exe

Guide Updates:

11/07/09 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for SystemVeteran 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 SystemVeteran 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 SystemVeteran 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 SystemVeteran 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 SystemVeteran Files:

c:\Documents and Settings\Bleeping\Desktop\SystemVeteran.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\Bleeping\Start Menu\Programs\SystemVeteran.lnk
c:\Program Files\SystemVeteran Software
c:\Program Files\SystemVeteran Software\SystemVeteran
c:\Program Files\SystemVeteran Software\SystemVeteran\SystemVeteran.exe
c:\Program Files\SystemVeteran Software\SystemVeteran\Uninstall.exe
c:\WINDOWS\11542no5-a-9izus6e3.exe
c:\WINDOWS\11935w9zm138.cpl
c:\WINDOWS\12944viruz4759.ocx
c:\WINDOWS\system32\379athiez2365.cpl
c:\WINDOWS\system32\38019zrus115.ocx
c:\WINDOWS\system32\390sp91d5z.ocx

Associated SystemVeteran Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SystemVeteran
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\SystemVeteran
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SystemVeteran
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "wjq4.tmp.exe"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "SystemVeteran.exe"