Remove Windows Smart Security (Uninstall Guide)

Posted by Grinler on October 9, 2009 @ 07:35 PM · Views: 2,607

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What this programs does:

Windows Smart Security is a rogue anti-spyware program that utilizes aggressive advertising and false scan results to trick people into purchasing the program. When Windows Smart Security is installed it will be configured to start automatically and then scan your computer. When the scan has finished it will state that you have numerous infections on your computer, but will not let you remove them until you purchase the program. The results, though, are either grossly exaggerated or outright lies that are used to trick you into thinking you are infected.

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

Windows Smart Security will also display fake security alerts and firewall warnings on your computer. These alerts will contain dire warnings that your computer has security problems and that if you do not purchase Windows Smart Security you are at risk for identity theft, bank account theft, and loss of data. An example of a message you will see, including its horrible grammar, is:

REMOVE ALL SPYWARE FROM YOUR PC!
SECURE YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!
ARE STILL THERE and could break your life!
with all the images, and all the downloaded and maybe later removed movies or mp3 songs -
Every site you or somebody or even something, like spyware, opened in your browsers,
FOR YOUR BOSS, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR WIFE, YOUR CHILDREN.
YOUR DATA IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR FORENSICS. AND IN SOME CASES
LOGGED. AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE THEM WITH STANDARD TOOLS.
WHEN YOU VISIT SITES, SEND EMAILS... ALL YOUR ACTIONS ARE
ALL YOU DO WITH COMPUTER IS STORED FOREVER IN YOUR HARD DISK.
YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED WITH SPYWARE!
YOUR'RE IN DANGER!

Windows Smart Security will also show a fake Windows crash, or Blue Screen of Death, that pretends that a major Windows driver, NTFS.SYS, has a problem:

*** NTFS.SYS - Address 0xFBFE7617 base at 0xFD3094C2, DateStamp 3d6abeff
*** STOP: 0x00000050 (0xFD3094C2,0x00000001,0xFBFE7617,0x00000000)
Technical information:
select Safe Mode.
your computer, press F8 to select Advanced Startup Options, and then
If you need to use Safe Mode to remove or disable components, restart
or software. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing.
If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware
for any windwos updates you might need.
If this is a new installation, ask your hardware or software manufacturer
Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed.
these steps:
restart your computer. If this screen apears again, follow
If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen,
PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
The problem seems to be caused by the following file: NTFS.SYS
to your computer.
A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage

You will then receive a prompt to purchase Windows Smart Security to fix the problem.

As you can see Windows Smart Security was designed for one reason; to scam you into thinking that you are infected in the hopes that you then purchase the program. It goes without saying that you should not purchase the program, and if you already have, I suggest you contact your credit card company to dispute the charges. Last, but not least, please use the guide below to remove this infection and any related malware.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View Windows Smart Security files.
View Windows Smart Security Registry Information.

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

SystemSecurity2009

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

Please note the folders and filenames used by this infection are random.

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [hl11734594] C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\hl11734594\hl11734594.exe

Guide Updates:

10/09/09 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for Windows Smart Security 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 Windows Smart Security 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 Smart Security 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 Smart Security 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

Associated Windows Smart Security Files:

Please note the folders and filenames used by this infection are random.

c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\hl11734594
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\hl11734594\hl11734594
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\hl11734594\hl11734594.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\hl11734594\pchl11734594ins
%UserProfile%\Desktop\Windows Smart Security 2009.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Smart Security
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Smart Security\Windows Smart Security 2009.lnk

Associated Windows Smart Security Windows Registry Information:

Please note the folders and filenames used by this infection are random.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{425882B0-B0BF-11CE-B59F-00AA006CB37D}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\hl11734594
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\SystemSecurity2009
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "hl11734594"