How to remove Barracuda Antivirus (Uninstall Guide)

Posted by Grinler on July 6, 2009 @ 06:42 PM · Views: 1,322

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What this programs does:

Barracuda Antivirus is a rogue security program from the same family as Antivirus System Pro and Spyware Protect 2009. Like its predecessors, Barracuda Antivirus is installed through the use of malware. Once installed, the program will be configured to start automatically when Windows starts. When it is run, it will perform a scan and then list a variety of infections that it states resides on your computer, but will not remove them until you purchase the program. These infections, though, are scripted into the program so that no matter what computer you run Barracuda Antivirus on, it will always find the same infections. It shows these fake scan results in order to trick you into thinking you are infected in the hope that you will then purchase their program. It goes without saying that you should not do so and if you have already purchased this program, we suggest that you immediately contact your credit card company and dispute the charges as this program is fraudulent.

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

When the program is running you will also be shown fake security alerts and nag screens stating that Windows has found an infection or that numerous infections were found by Barracuda and that you should purchase the program. For example, an alert that states Windows has found an infection has the following text:

Windows Security alert
Windows reports that computer is infected. Antivirus software helps to protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. Click here for the scan you computer. Your system might be at risk now.

If you find that you are infected with Barracuda Antivirus, then please use the free removal guide below to clean your computer of this rogue.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View Barracuda Antivirus files.
View Barracuda Antivirus Registry Information.

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [system] C:\Windows\systemdb.exe

Guide Updates:

07/06/09 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for Barracuda Antivirus 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 Barracuda Antivirus 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 Baracuda Antivirus 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 Baracuda Antivirus 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 Barracuda Antivirus Files:

C:\Windows\systemdb.exe

Associated Barracuda Antivirus Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AvScan