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SpyAgent

For Information and Removal of SpyAgent

How does an award winning program become a danger?  How does a helpful parental tool become a potential risk to your financial and personal information?  When programs like SpyAgent are used appropriately, they are very useful as parents try to keep their children safe from predators or employers try to ensure that their work machines are used solely for work.  When they are misused, they can present a risk to those who use the computer on which they are installed.  What type of risk does SpyAgent pose, and what should you do if you suspect it has been installed in your system?

Introduction to SpyAgent

It is important to know that SpyAgent is not a malicious application when it is used as intended; in fact, it is a very well regarded monitoring tool available from SpyTech.  SpyAgent has won numerous awards including ZDNet's Editor's Pick 5 Star Review, Download.com 5 out of 5 Review, and SnapFiles/Web Attack 5 Star Editor's Choice Award and most downloaded PC monitoring program from 2002 to 2008.  It is a feature-rich program, offering:

• Keylogging with time and date stamp.
• Password flagging.
• Screenshots.
• Events timeline logging.
• IM and chat recording.
• Logging of websites visited.
• Email logging from most major email providers.
• File tracking, including uploads and downloads, accessed files, etc.
• Filtering of applications, chats, websites, and more.
• Stealth mode.

SpyAgent is marketed as a tool to help parents monitor their children's online activity, for employers to keep tabs on workers' usage of work machines, or suspicious spouses to look for evidence of cheating.  It can also allow users to filter content.  These are all legitimate uses, though your spouse may beg to differ.  Installation on your computer is perfectly legal.  It becomes a problem, though, if it is installed without the computer owner's knowledge.

Is SpyAgent Installed on Your Computer? And How Did It Get There?

SpyAgent is so well regarded in the industry because it is incredibly stealthy; it has to be so that whoever is using your computer cannot detect it and remove it.  In stealth mode, SpyAgent does not appear in your registry, startup utilities, or Windows Task Manager.  The installer also has the option of altering security settings so that security programs do not detect or interfere with SpyAgent while it is running.  While these are all major selling points for parents, employers, and others with legitimate intentions, it does make it extremely difficult for you to tell if the keylogger has been installed in your system.

The installer has the option of disabling SpyAgent's stealth mode.  If this is the case, then a warning message will appear that tells you your usage is being monitored.  If someone went to the trouble of installing the program on your computer, it is unlikely that they would have chosen to forgo the stealth mode.

If hidden, you may find that your computer is running more slowly than usual.  SpyAgent runs constantly in the background while it is monitoring, so it may divert system resources for its own use.  Beyond this ambiguous sign, it is almost impossible to detect SpyAgent, which is why it has the potential to pose such serious risks to your information.

SpyAgent is a legitimate keylogger; unlike Trojans and malware, it does not gain access to a system covertly.  A rogue antivirus program, for instance, may catch a ride into your system with the Zlob Trojan, which is disguised as a video codec.  SpyAgent, by contrast, has to be manually installed on your computer.  Someone, whether a friend, spouse, employee, or family member, needs direct access to your computer.  After the initial installation, they can monitor your activity from a remote location.

Risks Posed by SpyAgent

SpyAgent can alter your security settings, which could potentially create vulnerabilities in your system.  The greater threat is that your user names, passwords, and credit card and bank numbers may be compromised.  Millions of people use their computers for ecommerce, banking, and bill paying, and the wealth of information that a monitor can access is incredible.

Removing SpyAgent

If you suspect a keylogger like SpyAgent has been installed in your system, it is important to remove it immediately.  The first step, of course, is to detect it.  The most reliable method is to use a program like Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (Malwarebytes has free malware removal) .  Because SpyAgent is not a virus, and because its creators make every effort to evade standard security measures, your current antivirus program is likely to be ineffective in protecting you.  XoftSpySE is designed to detect elusive programs like this.  You simply run it and let the sophisticated program detect and remove SpyAgent quickly, conveniently, and safely.

The other option is to remove SpyAgent manually.  This is difficult because of the complex and rather tedious task of removing very similar registry values and keys.  You have to remove each and every file associated with SpyAgent without mistakenly removing a necessary file.  Only those with technical experience should undertake this task.

Kill Processes:

deploy.exe

nostealth.exe

sagent.exe

sbrowse.exe

svchost.exe

sysdiag.exe

Delete Registry Values:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Spytech\SpyAgent Pro
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\system32

Delete Files:

deploy.exe

nostealth.exe

sagent.exe

sbrowse.exe

svchost.exe

sysdiag.exe

systemsa32.dll

ntinvisible.dll

yahoodll.dll

Delete Directories:

C:\Program Files\Spytech Software\Spytech SpyAgent
C:\Windows\sacache
C:\Winnt\sacache

Removing SpyAgent Automatically/Safely

For free automatic removal we recommend using Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. This program is widely recommended by reputable third-party sites, so you can be reasonably confident of its ability to safely get rid of SpyAgent and any hidden Trojans. As a precaution we recommend double checking your system with Spyware Doctor. This program requires paid registration to enable deletions, however it has a money back guaranteed and is the top of the line in malware removal. It should catch malware that evades Malwarebytes and block anything that tries to reinstal itself.

Remove SpyAgent Now:

1. Download and install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and Spyware Doctor  
2. Run Reimage PC Repair Online to check for malware damage and repair if required.
3. Run a scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
4. Remove all the detected infections (free).
5. Run a scan with Spyware Doctor
6. Remove any remaining infections
7. Reboot and rescan with Spyware Doctor. Your computer should now be clean.

Important note: If Malwarebytes is blocked by malware then run Chameleon (Start Menu → All Programs → MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware → Tools → Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Chameleon). If you need further help removing SpyAgent please email us at info@removeadware.com.au or call for personal assistance on toll-free number 888-655-3453, within the USA and Canada.

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