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Antivirus Pro 2010

Antivirus Pro 2010

Protecting our computers is essential, especially if you depend on these machines for work, school, communication, and research.  You may have noticed that your computer is running more slowly, and perhaps a few pop-up ads have made it past the filters.  Besides being a minor annoyance, this could be a signal that you have a rouge antivirus program, such as Antivirus Pro 2010, installed in your system. 

What is Antivirus Pro 2010?

Antivirus Pro 2010 is classified as a rogue antivirus program and is related to PC Security 2009, PC Antispyware 2010, XP AntiSpyware 2009, and Home Antivirus 2010.  Like these, Antivirus Pro 2010 creates misleading security warnings.  These are designed to convince computer users that there are security threats in their system and that they are inadequately protected.  Each rogue program has its own identifying characteristics, but their goal is the same: to persuade users to purchase their software.  They claim that they only way to resolve your security risks is to install their program immediately. 

Many people act quickly because they do not want to lose data or put personal and financial information at risk.  The problem, though, is that Antivirus Pro 2010 and other rouge programs, cannot offer any protection.  What will happen if you do purchase the program?  You will have bought nonexistent protection, and the issues caused by the program itself will not be fixed. 

Is Antivirus Pro 2010 Installed in My System?

It is important to know the signs that a rouge antivirus program is installed on your computer so you can take steps to remove it and keep your system running optimally.  Fortunately for computer users, it is relatively easy to identify Antivirus Pro 2010 and other rogues.  One of the very first signs you will notice is the influx of pop-up ads and warning alerts. 

This is a favored tool of these rogue programs, and Antivirus Pro 2010 stays true to form.  You may see messages like the following:

Security Center helps you manage your Windows Security settings.  To protect your computer, make sure the three security essentials are turned ON.  If the settings are not ON, follow the recommendation...

You will notice that the "warning" mimics those that are issued by Windows Security Center, a legitimate protection program.  Take the time to read any pop-up thoroughly.  Those issued by Antivirus Pro 2010 will have that name clearly written across the top.  Programs like these hope that users will scan the warning without really reading it and then act without considering it. 

You will also see false scans generated by this rogue program. It incorporates a well-known symbol (a shield with red, green, blue, and yellow quadrants) and looks legitimate.  It indicates that it has run a system scan and has found several security risks, which it lists for you.  You then have the option of removing these threats.  Again, you can easily tell that Antivirus Pro 2010 is issuing the false scan because its name is written clearly at the top, with the urging, "Protect Your Windows OS" beneath it.

But what about these threats?  Are they real?  No.  It is important to remember that this is a rogue program and as such, it cannot scan your computer.  These "threats" are harmless files that are created by Antivirus Pro 2010 in order to convince you that there are risks to your system.

Antivirus Pro 2010 is able to hijack your browser settings and create new desktop shortcuts and system tray icons.  The purpose of this is to direct you to it rogue website and urge you to purchase its protection for your computer. 

Another difference you are likely to notice is that your computer is running more slowly than usual.  When Antivirus Pro 2010 is downloaded, it configures itself to run every time you turn on your computer.  This uses up system resources and leaves less for your legitimate programs.  Everything from opening a Word document to loading a website takes longer. 

How Does Antivirus Pro 2010 Enter My System?

If you haven't purchased Antivirus Pro 2010, you may wonder how it gained access to your system.  It has been brought in by a Trojan, which carries malware from affected sites, emails, and attachment into computers.  Typically, Antivirus Pro 2010 is promoted by a Trojan called Zlob.  This Trojan disguises itself as a video codec. 

When you download video, you need codecs to decompress the files so you can play them. Zlob masquerades as one of these necessary codecs and gains access to your system, bringing malware in with it.  Sites that offer free videos, especially adult content, are vulnerable to this Trojan.  The Conflicker.b Trojan can also carry in Antivirus Pro 2010.  This is attached to specific types of emails.

It is also possible that a computer user opts to purchase the full version of Antivirus Pro 2010 after they see the warnings and alerts.  This is an understandable response to repeated - and quite dire - warnings.  However, the protection is nonexistent, as is your refund.

How Do I Remove Antivirus Pro 2010?

If you notice the signs that this rogue antivirus program has been downloaded into your system or if you installed it directly, it is important to remove it immediately.  These programs may be easy enough to detect, but they are very difficult to remove.  They are sophisticated enough to evade basic removal attempts, such as running your virus scan or using the delete option.  This leaves you with two choices: manual and automatic removal.

Manual removal should only be attempted by those with extensive technical experience and knowledge because there is the risk that you could inadvertently harm your system or fail to remove the entire program.  If you have experience with your system registry, you will find removal instructions below.

Automatic removal is much easier and is recommended for anyone who has a rogue antivirus program installed in their system.  Programs that have been designed especially to handle rogue antivirus programs, such as ParetoLogic's XoftSpySE , can detect and remove such programs without risking any of your data.

Block Antivirus Pro 2010 Sites:

best-online-antivirus-scanner.info
av2010pro.com
av1-scanner.info
av1-download.info
download-antivirus2010.info

Remove Processes:

wingamma.exe
AV2010.exe

Delete Registry Entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareAV2010
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTAppID{3C40236D-990B-443C-90E8-B1C07BCD4A68}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTAppIDIEDefender.DLL
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTCLSID{FC8A493F-D236-4653-9A03-2BF4FD94F643}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTIEDefender.IEDefenderBHO
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTIEDefender.IEDefenderBHO.1
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTInterface{7BC7565C-5062-43CE-8797-DC2C271140A9}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTTypeLib{705FD64B-2B7B-4856-9337-44CA1DA86849}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerBrowser Helper Objects{FC8A493F-D236-4653-9A03-2BF4FD94F643}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMControlSet001ControlClass{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002bE10318}012
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMControlSet001ControlClass{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002bE10318}013
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMControlSet001ControlClass{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002bE10318}014
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun "Windows Gamma Display"

Delete DLL File:

IEDefender.dll

Delete Associated Files:

c:Program FilesAV2010
c:Program FilesAV2010AV2010.exe
c:Program FilesAV2010svchost.exe
c:WINDOWSsystem32IEDefender.dll
c:WINDOWSsystem32wingamma.exe
c:Documents and SettingsAll UsersDesktopAV2010.lnk
c:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsAV2010
c:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsAV2010AV2010.lnk
c:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsAV2010Uninstall.lnk

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