What is XP Anitivirus 2009?
What is XP Antivirus 2009? It keeps popping up and telling me I have infections that need to be removed, but my anti-virus program is telling me nothing is wrong. I tried to uninstall it, but it keeps coming back.
I received the above pop-up and clicked Cancel. That resulted in the following...
There are a few big red flags here.
- The full system scan took less than 1 second.
- According to the window it is a secure site, but does not have the "lock" icon in the address bar.
- The window is attempting to install a setup program without any interaction from me.
The only way to get out of this window successfully without installing is to keep clicking the X in the upper right hand corner of the window until it is completely closed.
If you do get infected with this, your anti-virus software may not catch it. Microsoft offers an online scanner found here that may be able to clean your system. If you'd rather download software to your computer, there are two free scanners that deal specifically with spyware/malware that I would recommend. Spybot and Adaware are free for personal use and have frequent updates to catch the latest spyware/malware.
If you catch it early enough, you can also perform a system restore to roll back your computer to before the program was installed. If you need help performing a system restore, see my previous post for instructions.
***** UPDATE: See my latest post for an updated resolution to this malware. ****
August 7, 2008 7:11 PM
ANother scam U need to watch for. Great security post.
August 7, 2008 9:51 PM
Thanks, and I agree...it is yet another scam to watch out for. Even with the latest security software, it's things like this that slip through the cracks.
October 3, 2008 9:58 PM
Did AdAware and Spybot remove it for you? Those did nothing for me when I scanned with them. Maybe I didn't have an updated version? I had to use NoAdware at Spyware Fix. I also heard that Malwarebytes works very well.
October 4, 2008 1:46 PM
I had to use both. This spyware digs into the OS so deeply that both programs found different pieces in the registry. Although I have not had any indication that it's still in the system, I wonder if there might be dormant pieces laying around. Thanks for the link, I'll be sure to check out NoAdware.
April 2, 2009 5:10 AM
I use Spybot too and really helps against spyware and malware in general. Keeping the Windows registry in good shape is also important, especially after being infected.
April 12, 2009 11:32 PM
It is one of the worst Rogue Security Software to hit the Internet Scene. Good Post.
November 26, 2009 12:55 PM
It really was wide spread and difficult to get rid of , thanks for sharing this nice post
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