I just spent the last 2 days trying to get rid of a fake antivirus called Antimalware doctor that somehow made its way to my computer. It looks like a legit software, but trust me it isnt. It will turn off almost every way to get rid of it. changed my internet settings so that none of my browsers would connect and locked me out of the computers registry. It blocks real antiviruses from running right and just gets in the way. It main purpose is to get you to “buy” the full version with your credit card, and the rest is history.
I had to clean that off my son’s and my nephew’s computers. Power off the sytem and boot to the restore system menu. then choose the restore point for the day before it started. after it completed and a re-boot or two, the computers were back to normal. I think both of those just didn’t have the up to date virus definitions in their AV software.
I just got my laptop redone because of it. It also bit one of the puters here at work, they replaced the hard drive. The desktop puter at home had the hard drive crash the day before my lap top BUT I can use the one here, at work, When I am at work. Malware didn’t stop it on mine though it did contain it enough that I did not lose the whole puter.
I run Spysweeper on my computer and have for the last 3 years and like it. It teams up well with McAfee.
Short story (don’t believe the part about being short) - My parents have a grandson living with them and their AV was not up to date so I purchased and installed the latest version of McAfee for them. The day after the install, problems started to occur. I go over and check and see that a new program was installed after I installed McAfee at 3 am in the morning.
Well the parents were definitely sleeping at that time and I check the history of the computer only to find a few questionable sites visited along with a new program that claimed to have found a major virus. After more research I find out that the program popped up while visiting a “questionable” site. Not only did it announce that it found a major virus but to fix it, you had to uninstall McAfee which the kid then said OK to. At the point the real virus became invasive and a restore point change did not fix the virus.
It was a LOOOOOONG process to get their machine back up and running. You have to be able to discern the difference between your AV software giving you a message and the malicious software giving you a message.
This thing is still out there! Had some fun (not really!) trying to remove it a few weeks ago! It did everything as you had described. Had to turn off the computer so that my anti-virus could catch it at start-up and quarantine it. Then my Verizon In-Home helper identified how the virus was able to do what it did and fixed it. I believe the fraudulent malware disabled or enabled? my proxy which allowed it to shut me out. I’m lucky to have been able to fix it, because the average 10 yr old knows more about pewters than me! LOL!!!
Yeah the one I got was the Security Center Virus, looks just like MS Security center and it’s a pain to clean. I used the MS malicious software removal tool, then ran Malware-bytes then a quick scan by AVG and it was gone. Haven’t gotten it back in a while, course when the address popped up I went to properties for it copied the web address and then put it in my blocked web sites list.
Thank you sir! Hopefully I won’t have to deal with it again, but if I do I’ll remember your advice at the end of your post. Good idea! I’m not going to go looking for this thing on purpose! LOL!!!
Not a problem!!! I hated getting it LOL Actually anyone using the free AVG when it tells you to updated to the free version 2011, you can also download a temp program which will clean your computer really good. It’s AVG PC Tuneup 2011 and it says it will only do it one time but I’ve used it 4 times already and a guy at work used it 6 times before it told him he couldn’t do it anymore.
Thanks - Did the same programs, but picked this virus up after the fact. The AVG 2011 help me clean it up though. My Verizon In-Home Agent delivered the coup de gras to the little bugger! - pun intended LOL!!!.