Windows Protection Suite is a rogue anti-spyware program from the same family as Windows System Suite. When installed, this malware will configure itself to start automatically when your computer reboots. It will also create numerous harmless files that will then be detected as infections when the program scans your computer. It creates these files in order to attempt to validate the scan results that are shown after the scan. The list of files that will created are:

%UserProfile%\Recent\cb.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\cid.dll
%UserProfile%\Recent\cid.tmp
%UserProfile%\Recent\CLSV.dll
%UserProfile%\Recent\CLSV.tmp
%UserProfile%\Recent\DBOLE.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\ddv.dll
%UserProfile%\Recent\eb.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\eb.tmp
%UserProfile%\Recent\energy.drv
%UserProfile%\Recent\energy.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\exec.tmp
%UserProfile%\Recent\kernel32.drv
%UserProfile%\Recent\PE.drv
%UserProfile%\Recent\PE.tmp
%UserProfile%\Recent\ppal.exe
%UserProfile%\Recent\runddlkey.drv
%UserProfile%\Recent\snl2w.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\tempdoc.dll

While running, Windows Protection suite will also constantly show fake security alerts and warnings that stop you from doing anything else on the computer until you acknowledge them. These warnings range from alerts stating that an infection has been found on your computer to a warning that states that you are sending data to a remote computer. These alerts, like the fake infections found during the scan, are all fake and are only being shown to scare you into thinking you are infected.

 

Windows Protection Suite
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 7 images you can view.

 

It goes without saying that if you are infected with this program, you should definitely not purchase it. If you have purchased it already, we suggest that you contact your credit card company and explain that this program is a scam and that you would like to dispute the charges. In order to remove this program you should follow the steps below to remove Windows Protection Suite and any related malware for free.

 

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

 

Advanced information:

View Windows Protection Suite files.
View Windows Protection Suite Registry Information.

 

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

 

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Windows Protection Suite] "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\345d567\WI345d.exe" /s /d

 

Guide Updates:

08/12/09 - Initial guide creation.

 

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Automated Removal Instructions for Windows Protection Suite 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 Windows Protection Suite 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 Windows Protection Suite 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 Windows Protection Suite 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 Windows Protection Suite Files:

c:\ADWARE_LOG
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\345d567
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\345d567\285.mof
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\345d567\mozcrt19.dll
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\345d567\sqlite3.dll
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\345d567\WI345d.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\345d567\WINPS.ico
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\345d567\working.log
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\345d567\WINSPSys
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\345d567\WINSPSys\vd952342.bd
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\WINSPSys
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\WINSPSys\winps.cfg
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\Windows Protection Suite.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Windows Protection Suite
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Windows Protection Suite\cookies.sqlite
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Windows Protection Suite\Instructions.ini
%UserProfile%\Desktop\Windows Protection Suite.lnk
%UserProfile%\Recent\cb.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\cid.dll
%UserProfile%\Recent\cid.tmp
%UserProfile%\Recent\CLSV.dll
%UserProfile%\Recent\CLSV.tmp
%UserProfile%\Recent\DBOLE.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\ddv.dll
%UserProfile%\Recent\eb.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\eb.tmp
%UserProfile%\Recent\energy.drv
%UserProfile%\Recent\energy.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\exec.tmp
%UserProfile%\Recent\kernel32.drv
%UserProfile%\Recent\PE.drv
%UserProfile%\Recent\PE.tmp
%UserProfile%\Recent\ppal.exe
%UserProfile%\Recent\runddlkey.drv
%UserProfile%\Recent\snl2w.sys
%UserProfile%\Recent\tempdoc.dll
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Windows Protection Suite.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Protection Suite.lnk
c:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\searchplugins\search.xml

File Location Notes:

%UserProfile% refers to the current user's profile folder. By default, this is C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User> for Windows 2000/XP, C:\Users\<Current User> for Windows Vista/7/8, and c:\winnt\profiles\<Current User> for Windows NT.

 

Associated Windows Protection Suite Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{3F2BBC05-40DF-11D2-9455-00104BC936FF}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\WI345d.DocHostUIHandler
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes "URL" = "http://search-gala.com/?&uid=7&q={searchTerms}"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent\Post Platform "9877034603"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Windows Protection Suite"

 

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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.