Antivirus System Pro is a rogue anti-spyware that uses false scan results, fake security alerts, and Internet Explorer hijacking in order to have you purchase this program. It is because of these actions that we classify Antivirus System Pro as a rogue anti-spyware program. When installed, Antivirus System pro will be configured to start automatically when you log into Windows. Once running it will scan your computer and display numerous infections that do not actually exist. Furthermore, it will state it will not remove these infections unless you first purchase the program. This method of stating there are infections, but not removing it until you purchase it, is just another tactic to have you purchase the software.

Antivirus System Pro screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 6 images you can view.

While running, you will also be constantly barraged with fake security alerts stating that your computer is under attack or that you have viruses on your computer. For example, one alert is labeled Infiltration Alert and it states that your computer is being attacked by an Internet Virus. Another alert prompts you to scan your computer and when you click on it, will automatically launch Antivirus System Pro and then prompt you to purchase it. The text of this alert is:

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last, but not least, Antivirus System Pro will install a Internet Explorer Browser Helper Object that will hijack Internet Explorer so that when you are browsing web sites, instead of going to the page you want, you will be shown a warning message. This warning message will state that the site you are going to is harmful to your computer and that you should purchase Antivirus System Pro to protect yourself.

As you can see, this program utilizes many tactics to make you think you are infected and thus tricking you into purchase the program. Please do not purchase this program as it will not protect your computer in any way. Instead, use the guide below to remove this infection and any related malware for free.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

  Advanced information:

View Antivirus System Pro files.
View Antivirus System Pro Registry Information.

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

The filenames may be random.

O1 - Hosts: ::1 localhost
O1 - Hosts: 209.44.111.57 security.microsoft.com
O1 - Hosts: 209.44.111.57 inetavirus.com
O1 - Hosts: 209.44.111.57 www.inetavirus.com
O1 - Hosts: 91.212.127.227 osawarepro2009.microsoft.com
O1 - Hosts: 91.212.127.227 osawarepro2009.com
O1 - Hosts: 91.212.127.227 www.osawarepro2009.com
O2 - BHO: BHO - {BAD4551D-9B24-42cb-9BCD-818CA2DA7B63} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\iehelper.dll
O4 - HKCU..\Run: [system tool] C:\WINDOWS\sysguard.exe
O4 - HKLM..\Run: [<random characters>] C:\Documents and Settings\<UserProfile>\<random characters>\<4 random chars>sysguard.exe
O4 - HKCU..\Run: [<random characters>] C:\Documents and Settings\<UserProfile>\<random characters>\<4 random chars>sysguard.exe

Guide Updates:

06/05/09 - Initial guide creation.
11/12/09 - Updated to use new removal technique due to new variant.
11/29/09 - Updated removal technique due to new protection system used by Antivirus System Pro

Automated Removal Instructions for Antivirus System Pro using Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware:

1. Print out these instructions as we may need to close every window that is open later in the fix.
   
   
2. It is possible that the infection you are trying to remove will not allow you to download files on the infected computer. If you run into this problem when following the steps in this guide you will need to download the files requested in this guide on another computer and then transfer them to the infected computer. You can transfer the files via a CD/DVD, external drive, or USB flash drive.
   
   
3. Reboot your computer into Safe Mode with Networking using the instructions for your version of Windows found in the following tutorial:
   

   How to start Windows in Safe Mode

   When following the steps in the above tutorial, select Safe Mode with Networking rather than just Safe Mode. When the computer reboots into Safe Mode with Networking make sure you login with the username you normally use. When you are at your Windows desktop, please continue with the rest of the steps.
   
   
4. This infection changes your Windows settings to use a proxy server that will not allow you to browse any pages on the Internet with Internet Explorer or update security software. Regardless of the web browser you use, for these instructions we will first need need to fix this problem so that we can download the utilities we need to remove this infection.
   
   Please start Internet Explorer, and when the program is open, click on the Tools menu and then select Internet Options as shown in the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. You should now be in the Internet Options screen as shown in the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Now click on the Connections tab as designated by the blue arrow above.
   
   
6. You will now be at the Connections tab as shown by the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Now click on the Lan Settings button as designated by the blue arrow above.
   
   
7. You will now be at the Local Area Network (LAN) settings screen as shown by the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Under the Proxy Server section, please uncheck the checkbox labeled Use a proxy server for your LAN. Then press the OK button to close this screen. Then press the OK button to close the Internet Options screen. Now that you have disabled the proxy server you will be able to browse the web again with Internet Explorer.
   
   
8. Now we must end the processes that belong to Antivirus System Pro so that it does not interfere with the cleaning procedure. To do this, download the following file to your desktop.
   
   rkill.com Download Link
   
   If you are unable to connect to the site to download rkill, please go back and do steps 3-6 again and make sure the infection has not reenabled the proxy settings. You may have to do this quite a few times before you can get the rkill.com file downloaded. If you still cannot download the rkill.com program on the infected computer, you should download it to a clean computer and copy it to the infected one via a USB flash drive or CDROM.
   
   
9. Once it is downloaded, double-click on the rkill.com in order to automatically attempt to stop any processes associated with Antivirus System Pro 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 Antivirus System Pro 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 Antivirus System Pro . 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.com, you can download iExplore.exe or eXplorer.exe, which are renamed copies of rkill.com, and try them instead.
   
   Do not reboot your computer after running rkill as the malware programs will start again.
   
   
10. Now you should 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)
    
    If you are unable to connect to the site to download Malwarebytes’, please go back and do steps 3-6 again and make sure the infection has not reenabled the proxy settings.
    
    


11. Once downloaded, close all programs and Windows on your computer, including this one.
    
    
12. Double-click on the icon on your desktop named mbam-setup.exe. This will start the installation of MBAM onto your computer.
    
    
13. 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. If MalwareBytes’ prompts you to reboot, please do not do so.
    
    
14. 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.
    
    
    
    
15. 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 Antivirus System Pro related files.
    
    
16. 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.
    
    
    
    
17. 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 Antivirus System Pro removal process.
    
    
18. You will now be back at the main Scanner screen. At this point you should click on the Show Results button.
    
    
19. 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.
    
    
20. 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.
    
    
21. You can now exit the MBAM program.

Your computer should now be free of the Antivirus System Pro program. You may want to consider purchasing the PRO version of Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future, as if you had the real-time protection component, that comes with the paid for version, activated it would not have allowed this infection to install.

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 Antivirus System Pro Files:

c:\WINDOWS\sysguard.exe
c:\WINDOWS\system32\iehelper.dll
C:\Documents and Settings\<UserProfile>\<random characters>\<4 random chars>sysguard.exe

Associated Antivirus System Pro Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AvScan
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{BAD4551D-9B24-42cb-9BCD-818CA2DA7B63}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{BAD4551D-9B24-42cb-9BCD-818CA2DA7B63}
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “system tool”
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “<random characters>”

Tip 2:  Do not open emails or attachments from unknown sources. Unless you know what it is, even if it appears to come from a friend or someone you know do not open files attached to emails. Some viruses can replicate themselves and spread through email. Confirm that your contact really sent an attachment.

Tip 3:  Share your e-mail address with only trusted sources. Only your family, friends, and trusted business contacts should have your personal e-mail address. Do not post your e-mail address on Web sites, forums, or in chat rooms. If you post your e-mail address, you are vulnerable to receiving spam or having your e-mail passed on to others. If you would like to subscribe to a newsletter or Web site and receive confirmation e-mail for online transactions, consider using a generic e-mail address that is not linked to any of your personal information. An example of a generic e-mail address is giraffe@samplee-mail.com.

Tip 4:  Delete junk email. Do not open, forward nor reply to any to them. These types of email are considered spam - unsolicited, intrusive messages that clog up the inboxes and networks.

Tip 5:  Don’t download unknown programs from the Web. Unreliable sources such as Internet newsgroups or Web sites that you haven’t heard of may be willing providers of viruses for your computer. Avoid downloading files you can’t be sure are safe. This includes freeware, screensavers, games, and any other executable program - any files with an “.exe” or “.com” extension, such as “coolgame.exe.”.

Tip 6:  Create smart and strong passwords. Make it difficult for hackers to crack your password. You can create a smart password by incorporating capital letters, numbers, special characters and using more than six characters. An example of a strong password is: Envi$ion34.

Tip 7:  Watch out for phishing scams. Phishing scams use fraudulent e-mails and fake Web sites, masquerading as legitimate businesses, to lure unsuspecting users into revealing private account or login information. To be safe, if you receive an e-mail from a business that includes a link to a Web site, make certain that the Web site you visit is legitimate. Instead of clicking through to the Web site from within the e-mail, open a separate Web browser and visit the business’ Web site directly to perform the necessary actions. You can also verify that an e-mail is in fact from a legitimate business by calling the business or agency directly.

Tip 8:  Update your anti-virus software regularly. Either manually download anti-virus program updates or make sure your anti-virus program is set to update your anti-virus program automatically.            

Tip 9:  Never enter your personal information into a pop-up screen. Sometimes a phisher will direct you to a real organization’s Web site, but then an unauthorized pop-up screen created by the scammer will appear, with blanks in which to provide your personal information. If you fill it in, your information will go to the phisher. Install pop-up blocking software to help prevent this type of phishing attack.

Tip 10:  When in doubt, always err on the side of caution. Do not open, download, or execute any files or email attachments. Not executing is the more important of these caveats. Check with your product vendors for updates for your operating system, web browser, and email.

2. Dragon Diction: Dragon Dictation is an easy-to-use voice recognition app powered by Dragon NaturallySpeaking that allows you to easily speak and instantly see your SMS, email or social networking updates on the iPhone™, iPad™ or iPod touch™.

3. Pandora

4. Categories

5. MCleaner

6. iLocalis: With iLocalis you can control your iPhone from your computer connected to the internet. If your iPhone have been stolen you can find it with the track feature or even make a remote call or SMS to see the new number if the SIM have been changed.

7. pulse: Pulse is a clean and visual news reader for your iPhone/iPod. It takes in upto 20 news sources that you follow, and creates a visual mosaic of your news. Tap on an article, and you’re presented with a cleanly rendered view of the news story.

8. Diacarta: The main screen of the app is a small clock that can be populated with icons for all manners of activity – sports, sleep, gold, dry cleaning, working out, etc. Just pick what you need to be doing and drag it to the time of day when you need to be doing it.

9. Geo Meter

10. Facebook