How to remove Virus Sweeper

Posted by Grinler on April 9, 2009 @ 03:20 PM · Views: 4,707

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What this programs does:

Virus Sweeper is a rogue program that is a clone of Virus Alarm and Virus Doctor. These particular rogues are notorious for their use of Google Code to distribute its software. Google Code is a programming project repository that allows programmers to host files related to their projects. Virus Sweeper's installer then uses Google Code to download and install the program onto your computer. Only when the program can't be downloaded from Google Code will it then utilize other servers that are under the malware writer's control. When the program is installed it will also create a variety of files randomly throughout your computer. These files are harmless but will be used by Virus Sweeper to be detected as infections.

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

Once the program is installed it will be configured to start automatically when you log into Windows. When running, it will perform a scan and list a variety of malware found on your computer, but will not remove them until you purchase the program. The malware files it finds, though, are actually the harmless fake malware files that it created on your computer in the first place. While running you will also see nag screens and fake security alerts appear on your computer. These alerts are being shown to further scare you into thinking your computer is infected. Just like the scan results, any security warnings and pop-ups you see from this program should be ignored. Instead, please use the removal guide below to remove Virus Sweeper from your computer for free.

Other stories about this malware can be found here:

• S!Ri.URZ

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View Virus Sweeper files.
View Virus Sweeper Registry Information.

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Virus Sweeper] "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\7c69f0c\VSweep.exe" /s /d

Guide Updates:

04/09/09 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for Virus Sweeper 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 full scan option is selected and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for Virus Sweeper 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 VirusSweeper 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 VirusSweeper 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 Virus Sweeper Files:

c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\7c69f0c
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\7c69f0c\LoopSystem
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\LoopSystem
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\7c69f0c\VSweep.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\7c69f0c\LoopSystem\vd952342.bd
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\LoopSystem\swcfg.ini
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\Virus Sweeper.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Virus Sweeper
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Virus Sweeper\Instructions.ini
%UserProfile%\Desktop\Virus Sweeper.lnk
%UserProfile%\Recent\ANTIGEN.drv
%UserProfile%\Recent\cb.dll
%UserProfile%\Recent\CLSV.dll
%UserProfile%\Recent\energy.exe
%UserProfile%\Recent\exec.dll
%UserProfile%\Recent\fix.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\PE.exe
%UserProfile%\Recent\PE.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\ppal.tmp
%UserProfile%\Recent\snl2w.drv
%UserProfile%\Recent\tjd.exe
%UserProfile%\Recent\tjd.tmp
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Virus Sweeper.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Virus Sweeper.lnk

Associated Virus Sweeper Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{3F2BBC05-40DF-11D2-9455-00104BC936FF}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\VSweep.DocHostUIHandler
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent\Post Platform "97680312703"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Virus Sweeper"