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Remove OpenCloud AV rogue to upset the bad cyber guys
02.10.2011 | Malware Type: Rogue Anti-Spyware
Malware Description:
OpenCloud AV is a standard and regular rogue antivirus tool. Actually, the word ‘regular’ doesn’t even sound odd there because these scarewares have been occupying a huge niche in the malware industry, giving in to perhaps trojans and rootkits only. However, considering that the spreading of OpenCloud AV definitely has to do with the infamous TDSS rootkit and trojan horses too, it’s pretty hard to demarcate the dominance of any of the above pests. Oops, we seem to have digressed a bit from the point. So, today’s cyber predator is called OpenCloud AV. As you can tell by the name, it is just a slightly updated, modified and optimized version of the recent OpenCloud Security / Antivirus rogues. What unites them all together is the graphics of their interfaces, general approach to infecting computers and the objectives being pursued. The contamination proper takes place in a manner not perceptible for the user, mainly due to the activity of the above-mentioned TDSS infection. It obfuscates the installer and the process itself, making the victim lag behind in the ability to influence this somehow. Next, OpenCloud AV goes way too impudent on you, it overrides your system processes that normally launch with the highest priority and configures your OS to execute its own files when you start your PC. This features gives the badware an advantage in that it dominates your system when operating. The virus then starts displaying its ads: the spoof scanners that list false detections, and many false positives ‘yelling out loud’ that your computer is at huge risk as it’s stuffed with parasites of different kinds. What you learn from OpenCloud AV’s pop-ups and scan results is counterfeit information altogether. This rogue does not spot genuine threats, instead it does some intimidating work so that you actually think you have viruses and want to get rid of them. Do not do what this fraudware tells you to though. You don’t have many options there: just uninstall OpenCloud AV scam.
Remove Security Sphere 2012 malware and avoid its malign impact
29.09.2011 | Malware Type: Rogue Anti-Spyware
Malware Description:
This is the case when it makes sense to depart from the custom and start the malware description with a caution: do your best to stay away from the software called Security Sphere 2012 and uninstall it at once if you have even a minor suspicion it’s on your PC. Do not even doubt we have perfect grounds to put it this way. This rogue anti-spyware is potentially a huge problem for thousands of users all over the globe, mainly because it is a clone and obviously a successor of such mega-nasty fraudware samples as Security Tool, Security Shield and a number of other menaces we have known to affect large scopes of workstations in the not so remote past. This newest updated version is perfectly fit to spread via trojan related schemes resulting in absolutely imperceptible system penetration, or at least the installation that does perfectly well without your consent. The worst part is what happens after Security Sphere 2012 actually breaks into your machine. It disables virtually everything: you will find it hard or even impossible to launch various executables because of the obstructive interference of this scareware. It blocks Task Manager, hijacks your web browser and keeps you from using the legit antivirus clients. Before we proceed with this description, it’s a good idea to mention that perhaps the only way to avoid this total block is the use of Windows’ Safe Mode which is accessible through F8 key (hit that one repeatedly when your computer is beginning to load). Let’s move on now. When activated, Security Sphere 2012 trialware floods your screen with noxious positives that are under no circumstances to be considered trustworthy. The counterfeit scanners and popup messages emanating from this shameless digital invader aim to give you a completely twisted vision of how your system is doing in terms of virus defense and resistance. Security Sphere 2012 says you have a whole bunch of trojan horses, some keyloggers potentially endangering your identity safety, worms, adware and other undesired entities. This is all done for a victim to get scared. According to the hackers’ anticipations, the next move of the prey would be to eliminate the ‘detected’ items, but that won’t work unless the activated version of Security Sphere 2012 is at the user’s disposal. It means there’s a license payment trap the scamware attempts to get you in. Instead of surrendering to this brainwasher, do the right thing – get rid of Security Sphere 2012 bogus AV without delay.
Remove Data Restore unbearable scareware
29.09.2011 | Malware Type: Fake Security Programs
Malware Description:
Data Restore ought not to be mistaken for a program that provides actual computer optimization services. We know it looks like one, but the real state of things calls forth a lot of doubts in this regard. First off, Data Restore typically skips the user authorization part when installing on your machine. This flow usually takes place unnoticeably for you and gets obscurely triggered by your accidental click on some ad or a downloaded file disguised as something useful or interesting. Another fact that led us to the conclusion that the application is rogue is it creates a startup entry on Windows registry to subsequently get launched in an automatic mode each time your OS loads. Now that we have considered the intrusion specificity and the first manipulations with the host system, let’s see what happens as Data Restore is operating. It appears to be configured to display scanners and system tray notifications that are all phony. The malware does not list any spyware infections etc. but it does list problems affecting the way your machine works. It says you have damaged hard drive clusters, operating memory issues, complications with the available disk space and similar malfunctions. Normally, your awareness of these problems with your workstation would be an instruction for action such as registry repairing and general system healing. That’s what Data Restore counts on when recommending you an ‘easy’ fix of its own which implies your registering the full-functional version of it. But since this is a clearly fraudulent scheme, you must react accordingly. We mean no paying for Data Restore activation and definitely removal of this malcode from your PC.
Remove Advanced PC Shield 2012 fake antivirus
28.09.2011 | Malware Type: Rogue Anti-Spyware
Malware Description:
It’s evident that Advanced PC Shield 2012 is not what you could be possibly looking for to make sure your computer and your private information are safe. The disturbing truth about this piece of scamware is that it hunts your money and does not go too picky on the methods for achieving this goal. Advanced PC Shield 2012 spreads through rootkits that can easily make the attack latent, which means it usually exhibits no outer signals that you can see during the intrusion. It’s not only you that may stay unaware of this infiltration but also your antivirus software is likely to miss this installer, especially if its database has not been fully updated lately. Some of the first things this nasty program does after entering your PC are system files and registry modifications and on certain occasions – browser functioning interference. But the worst part is the intense campaign that consists in feeding you some security facts that aren’t true. Advanced PC Shield 2012 reports infections (many of them) to show you how unprotected you are and how badly you need a fix for the moment. It’s not that hard to figure what remedy will be offered by this scareware. That’s going to be the paid licensed version of it. At this point, it becomes clear why Advanced PC Shield 2012 actually listed the threats you don’t have. The intimidation and deceit are this rogue’s main weapons leading the victims to a thoughtless decision of wasting their money. The conclusion to draw from all of this is obvious: do not ever buy the commercial copy of Advanced PC Shield 2012 as it won’t help anyway. More importantly though, it’s advised to immediately eliminate this parasite from your computer or else things are going to get yet worse shortly as the malicious activity evolves into a larger scale menace.
Remove Data Repair fake system fix tool
28.09.2011 | Malware Type: Fake Security Programs
Malware Description:
Irrespective of how nice the Data Repair application looks and how seemingly efficiently it acts, be advised it’s a virus. This type of malware is generally classified as a rogue system optimizer, i.e. a tool pretending to improve the work of your computer but actually doing none of that. Data Repair and the recent Data Recovery fraudware are clones. They have so many things in common that one might find it hard to differentiate between them if it weren’t for the different names. Concerning their activity, the two badwares follow a basically identical path. They attack your PC using software exploits, blackhat Search Engine Optimization and rootkit techniques that hardly yield to any exposure. As Data Repair begins to operate on your machine, it applies an intricate scheme of giving you a major brainwash. It mimics a scan of your OS and, once through with that, says you have serious problems. Here are just some examples of the false positives generated by this scareware with the intent to mislead you: “HDD clusters are partly damaged. Segment load failure”, “A potential disk failure may cause loss of files, applications and documents stored on the hard disk”, “The system has detected a problem with one or more installed IDE / SATA hard disks”, “An error occurred while reading system files” etc. Those messages sound spooky, don’t they? Of course they do – and that is exactly what the hackers want you to think. But a much more reasonable approach is to disregard any and all alerts by Data Repair, bearing in mind that they report pseudo problems, no doubt about that. This tactic is aimed at forcing you to eventually purchase the licensed copy of the program, or as its GUI reads “Activate full-functional version”. It’s obvious that buying Data Repair means donating to the development of the international cyber underworld composed of the bad guys. So you’d better be on top of it and refrain from surrendering them. This is why Data Repair malware removal is your only option.
Remove Raresearchsystem.com hijack and the virus causing it
26.09.2011 | Malware Type: Browser Hijackers
Malware Description:
Gone are the days when the Internet was a safe spot to be. Let us provide just one recent proof of this. It’s Raresearchsystem.com – a hijacker that spoils your web experience. More specifically, it has most of its effect on the web search, replacing Google, Bing or Yahoo search results with a hidden code redirecting you to a site that is completely different from what you actually picked there. This noxious stuff is has nothing to do with the Search Engine being compromised or something like that – it’s all due to a virus on your personal computer. It is generally known as the ZeroAccess rootkit (trojan). This infection does not really harm your PC except that it may drive you nuts with its terrible tricks. This gets manifested in a very straightforward way: you go to, say, Google then type in your search query and of course get the full set of results that match your phrase best. Everything is Ok at that point. But once you select the most correct link on the SERPs and push it with your mouse, next thing you know is you find yourself on Raresearchsystem.com. The page itself is in no way dangerous but does it suit you to paralyzed info lookup option? We believe you aren’t satisfied with such state of things. Alright, there is a problem obviously, so what next? Keep enduring the disgusting ever-repeating process, or do something about it? Of course the latter is the most judicious thing to do, so you need to get yourself a guide to find out how the virus can be swept away and not allowed to enter your computer in the future? Normally, it takes a reliable antivirus utility to complete that, although one may try the manual cleaning method as well. Still, we strongly recommend that you launch an efficient cleaner tool like the one available via the section below. Not only will it eliminate the malware but will keep guarding you from the occurrences of similar situations.
Remove Win32/Olmarik.TDL4 hideous trojan
26.09.2011 | Malware Type: Trojan Horses
Malware Description:
Hindering you from using your computer to the fullest is merely one of the known consequences of the activity of Win32/Olmarik.TDL4 infection. The above assertion sure needs to be augmented with some specifics, so let’s go. The international markup for this threat implies that it’s a trojan horse. Most legit software vendors recognize it as a high risk parasite, hence it is potentially harmful to the cyber safety of the infected PC’s user due to possible identity theft. That’s not the only drawback of this dangerous ‘neighborhood’ though. Win32/Olmarik.TDL4 affects a much broader scope of one’s PC work, interfering with way the essential processes are running. It may deteriorate the functioning of your workstation since the resources it consumes leave too little spare CPU to process the other executables that should normally be operating. Also, we’ve known instances of browser hijacking owing to the prankish deeds of this malware. The trojan can get really far on this one, preventing you from going to websites. This aspect of Win32/Olmarik.TDL4 existence means it tries to stay on your PC for as long as possible, keeping you from finding the up-to-date information on removal using the web. And one last side effect is promotion of rogue anti-spyware software. This pest is able to open up a security gateway so that a scareware installer can get in and automatically trigger the corresponding fake AV intrusion. As you can see, Win32/Olmarik.TDL4 is obviously a risky thing to have on your machine. Its impact may turn out unpredictable for the overall stability of your machine as well as for your personal data safety. The conclusion is quite clear: removal of this trojan horse is an undoubted must for you to feel secure further on.
Remove Wickedsearchsystem.com hijacker triggering Google redirects
22.09.2011 | Malware Type: Browser Hijackers
Malware Description:
Wickedsearchsystem.com and Coolsearchserver.com are clone websites that appear to exhibit the same sort of activity in terms of the malicious aspect. This framework of scam sites (there are a lot more of them live) comprises the end point of the hacktivists’ bad endeavors to hijack web search results and make users arrive at the domains they created and designed. Wickedsearchsystem.com seems to be a search system of a kind upon the first glance. However, this impression is very ambiguous and mostly wrong. It is not functional for actually looking for any information. Do pay attention to the multiple advertisements on that page – now, those ads lie in the essence of the general corrupt scheme. But before a victim gets to clicking those and bringing the bad guys some ad-clicking revenue, there is typically a pre-history on how (s)he got there in the first place. The blackhat individuals who direct this campaign plant a rootkit on to your computer system, which in its turn embeds an obfuscated script to the web browser. This script is skillfully coded to divert Google search results to certain sites. In this case, Wickedsearchsystem.com is such URL. Be advised the domain under our scrutiny was not made for implementing online search option. Nope, it is just a target page you hit as a result of the Google redirect virus activity on your computer. To be able to browse normally like you used to, it is necessary to find the parasite in the structure of your OS and delete it completely. For your convenience, we made a tutorial to provide help with Wickedsearchsystem.com hijacker removal.
“Failed to write all the components for the file \System32\0000390c” fake alert. DIY malware removal guide
20.09.2011 | Malware Type: Security Alerts
Malware Description:
Please take a close look at the image under this badware description. It’s a screenshot of the fake warning notification generated by a growingly dangerous rogue PC optimization client known as Data Recovery (by the way, we provided a full review of this sample a few days ago in a separate entry). As you see, the bogus message is encompassed within a pop-up entitled “Windows – Delayed Write Failed”. The information (or rather misinformation) box proper also says the following: “Failed to write all the components for the file \System32\0000390c. The file is corrupted or unreachable”. The false positive offers a vague choice of options to undertake for fixing the presumable error. Those are Cancel, Try Again and Continue. We would like to tell you in advance that none of these functions actually fixes the problem because the whole issue is much more profound than it may appear at first sight. This spoof warning is a part of a scam taking place inside your computer without being authorized by you in any way at all. Data Recovery scareware is the one to blame for giving you such a poor user experience. It deliberately provides you with made-up facts about the performance and stability level of your machine, thus encouraging the most credulous of its victims to take the bait and do what it advises. To better understand why Data Recovery could be doing this, it suffices to know its true purposes being pursued as it’s running inside your workstation. It seeks revenue, i.e. attempts to rip users off by shooting out incredibly deceptive data about how the targeted Operating System is doing. If the brainwashing gets successful, chances are the rogue program manages to get the licensed payment from the unsuspecting user who only wants to get the PC working normal again. Therefore, if you are being repeatedly annoyed by the “Failed to write all the components for the file \System32\0000390c” phony notification or similar silly messages, make sure you do your best to find and destroy the real infection, i.e. Data Recovery rogue software.
Remove Coolsearchserver.com hijacking the search results
16.09.2011 | Malware Type: Browser Hijackers
Malware Description:
The pretty blue sky graphics of Coolsearchserver.com web page conceal a great deal of dark sinister stuff behind them. The site is a part of a large network involved with the activity of the so-called Google Redirect Virus which has become a real big problem for online surfing quite a long time ago. Although Coolsearchserver.com appears to serve as a search engine, it won’t any return any results except some ads that are by no means relevant for your search. Ads mean money, so that is where the essence of the issue lies. The blackhat SEO guys have been actively distributing malware that obscurely infects computers and modifies certain settings so they users get repeatedly rerouted to their own target domains. This typically happens when one clicks on any one of the items in Google search results. Consequently, the more users fall victim of this virus, the more hits are attained in this fraudulent way because the ‘big G’ is undoubtedly the dominating place people choose for looking up the information they need. Therefore, if it’s spontaneous visiting of Coolsearchserver.com that you are concerned about, there’s a piece of malcode on your machine that needs your urgent attention. Unfortunately, deleting the virus seldom yields to manual methods since it may create copies of itself so that the bad objects get restored even after deletion by hand. It is hence a must in most cases to use an automatic solution for removal of Coolsearchserver.com hijacker and of course the malicious items causing your hits to it. The tool linked to below has been verified to be efficient in this regard.
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