Win 7 Defender 2013 is a computer infection from the Rogue.FakeRean-Braviax family of rogue anti-spyware programs. This program is classified as a rogue because it appears to be a legitimate anti-virus program, but in reality displays fake scan results, hijacks your computer so that you unable to run your normal applications, and displays a constant barrage of fake security warnings from your Windows taskbar. Win 7 Defender 2013 is spread via web sites that pretend to be online anti-malware scanners that prompt you to download and install this infection. It is also spread through hacked web sites that install this malware on your computer by exploiting vulnerabilities in your installed programs.

When installed, Win 7 Defender 2013 does not automatically start when you login to Windows. Instead it makes changes to the Windows Registry so that when you launch any executable on your computer, the rogue will be started instead. When the rogue is started it will then terminate any known security programs in order to protect itself from being removed.

 

Win 7 Defender 2013 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 running, this rogue will also display fake security warnings from the Windows taskbar. These warnings are meant to scare you into thinking your computer is severely infected or under attack so that you will then purchase the program. Some of the warnings that you may see include:

Tracking software found!
Your PC activity is being monitored. Possible spyware infection. Your data security may be compromised. Sensitive data can be stolen. Prevent damage now by completing a security scan.

Security breach!
Beware! Spyware infection was found. Your system security is at risk. Private information may get stolen, and your PC activity may get monitored. Click for an anti-spyware scan.

Win 7 Defender 2013 Alert
System hacked!
Unknown programs is scanning your system registry right now! Identity theft detected!

Just like the fake scan results, these security warnings are all fake and should be ignored.

Without a doubt, Win 7 Defender 2013 was created to scare you into thinking you are infected so that you will then purchase the program. For no reason should you purchase Win 7 Defender 2013, and if you already have, please contact your credit card company and dispute the charges stating that the program is fraudulent and a computer virus. To remove Win 7 Defender 2013 and other related malware, please use the free removal guide below.

 

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

 

Advanced information:

View Win 7 Defender 2013 files.
View Win 7 Defender 2013 Registry Information.

 

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

 

Guide Updates:

10/01/12 - Initial guide creation.

 

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Automated Removal Instructions for Win 7 Defender 2013 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. Reboot your computer into Safe Mode with Networking. To do this, turn your computer off and then back on and immediately when you see anything on the screen, start tapping the F8 key on your keyboard. Eventually you will be brought to a menu similar to the one below:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, select Safe Mode with Networking and press Enter on your keyboard. If you are having trouble entering safe mode, then please use the following tutorial: How to start Windows in Safe Mode
   
   Windows will now boot into safe mode with networking and prompt you to login as a user. Please login as the same user you were previously logged in with in the normal Windows mode. Then proceed with the rest of the steps.
   
   
3. Now we must first end the processes that belong to Win 7 Defender 2013 and clean up some Registry settings so they do not interfere with the cleaning procedure. To do this, please download RKill to your desktop from the following link.
   
   RKill Download Link - (Download page will open in a new tab or browser window.)
   
   When at the download page, scroll down and click on the click on the link labeled Rkill.com download link. When you are prompted where to save it, please save it on your desktop.
   
   
4. Once it is downloaded, double-click on the Rkill.com icon in order to automatically attempt to stop any processes associated with Win 7 Defender 2013 and other Rogue programs. Please be patient while the program looks for various malware programs and ends them. When it has finished, the black window will automatically close and you can continue with the next step. If you get a message that RKill is an infection, do not be concerned. This message is just a fake warning given by Win 7 Defender 2013 when it terminates programs that may potentially remove it. If you run into these infections warnings that close RKill, a trick is to leave the warning on the screen and then run RKill again. By not closing the warning, this typically will allow you to bypass the malware trying to protect itself so that rkill can terminate Win 7 Defender 2013 . So, please try running RKill until the malware is no longer running. You will then be able to proceed with the rest of the guide. If you continue having problems running RKill, you can download the other renamed versions of RKill from the rkill download page. All of the files are renamed copies of RKill, which you can try instead. Please note that the download page will open in a new browser window or tab.
   
   Do not reboot your computer after running RKill as the malware programs will start again.
   
   
5. 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)
   
   
6. Once downloaded, close all programs and Windows on your computer, including this one.
   
   
7. Double-click on the icon on your desktop named mbam-setup.exe. This will start the installation of MBAM onto your computer.
   
   
8. 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.
   
   
9. 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.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. 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 Win 7 Defender 2013 related files.
    
    
11. 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.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
12. 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 Win 7 Defender 2013 removal process.
    
    
13. You will now be back at the main Scanner screen. At this point you should click on the Show Results button.
    
    
14. 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.
    
    
15. 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.
    
    
16. You can now exit the MBAM program.
    
    
17. As many rogues and other malware are installed through vulnerabilities found in out-dated and insecure programs, it is strongly suggested that you use Secunia PSI to scan for vulnerable programs on your computer. A tutorial on how to use Secunia PSI to scan for vulnerable programs can be found here:
    
    How to detect vulnerable and out-dated programs using Secunia Personal Software Inspector

Your computer should now be free of the Win 7 Defender 2013 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 Win 7 Defender 2013 Files:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe "(Default)" = "<random characters>"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\open\command "(Default)" = "%LocalAppData%\<random 3 characters>.exe" -a "%1" %*"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\open\command "IsolatedCommand" = ""%1" %*"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\runas\command "(Default)" = ""%1" %*"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\runas\command "IsolatedCommand" = ""%1" %*"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\<random characters> "(Default)" = "Application"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\<random characters> "Content Type" = "application/x-msdownload"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\<random characters>\DefaultIcon "(Default)" = "%1"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\<random characters>\shell\open\command "(Default)" = ""%LocalAppData%\<random 3 characters>.exe" -a "%1" %*"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\<random characters>\shell\open\command "IsolatedCommand" = ""%1" %*"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\<random characters>\shell\runas\command "(Default)" = ""%1" %*"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\<random characters>\shell\runas\command "IsolatedCommand" = ""%1" %*"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet\FIREFOX.EXE\shell\open\command "(Default)" = "%LocalAppData%\<random 3 characters>.exe" -a "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet\FIREFOX.EXE\shell\safemode\command "(Default)" = "%LocalAppData%\<random 3 characters>.exe" -a "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -safe-mode
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet\IEXPLORE.EXE\shell\open\command "(Default)" = "%LocalAppData%\<random 3 characters>.exe" -a "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"

File Location Notes:

%LocalAppData% refers to the current users Local settings Application Data folder. By default, this is C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User>\Local Settings\Application Data for Windows 2000/XP. For Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 it is C:\Users\<Current User>\AppData\Local.

 

Associated Win 7 Defender 2013 Windows Registry Information:

%CommonAppData%\<random characters and numbers>
%LocalAppData%\<random characters and numbers>
%LocalAppData%\<random 3 characters>.exe
%Temp%\<random characters and numbers>
%UserProfile%\Templates\<random characters and numbers>

 

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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.