Remove Antivermins: Another Smitfraud Spyware
What is Antivermins spyware?
The deceit starts with Antivermins pretending to be a miracle cure...
Smitfraud has had yet another baby; this one is known as Antivermins. Judging by the name, most would presume that this program will remove computer "vermin", but this program does just the opposite. Antivermins spyware penetrates computer systems, bypassing security using clever tricks that deceive most users into allowing it onto their systems. Often the deceit starts by Antivermins pretending to be a miracle cure against spyware. This makes Antivermins spyware a true Trojan horse in the original sense of the word; it infiltrates its enemy camp (the user's computer) looking all innocent and then when least expected... POUNCE. The user's system starts running slow, warning signs are frequently displayed and the user is coerced into purchasing the fake program.
Smitfraud infections are of the worst kind and can be considered similar to the "I love you" email virus in motive. On the exterior it appears to be sweet and kind. Yet on the inside it is black and ugly with little to no feelings for the damage done to the user or the user's computer system. Antivermins takes the same approach, forcing users to purchase software to get rid of what Antivermins installed.
What to expect if your system has become infected by Antivermins:
- Your computer system will be running much slower.
- You will receive/see many fake warnings that appear to be from Microsoft stating that your system is infected. In most cases Windows will never warn you whether or not your computer system is infected, that job belongs to your Antivirus and Antispyware programs.
- Your internet bill may be showing signs of over-usage that you were not currently aware of; this especially applies to dialup users and internet users whose internet service keeps track of their usage.
- In the event that the Trojan virus has stolen personally identifiable information from your system you may see more serious actions take place; such as charges on your credit card bill that you didn't charge and possibly other evidence of identity theft.
Which file names are associated with Antivermins spyware:
- AntiVermins
- AntiVermins 2.1 Website.lnk
- antivermins 2.1.lnk
- antivermins.exe
- antivermins.lnk
- antivermins.url
- AntiVerminsPro
- AntiVerminsPro 2.1 Website.lnk
- AntiVerminsPro 2.1.lnk
- AntiVerminsPro.exe
- AntiVerminsPro.lnk
- av_setup[1].exe
- av_setup_v2_1[1].exe
- cthkpcv.dll
- cvnzie.dll
- hjpprpu.dll
- kcaofg.dll
- kuhmk.dll
- msvcr71.dll
- rosdzop.dll
- Uninstall AntiVermins 2.1.lnk
- Uninstall AntiVerminsPro 2.1.lnk
- vwfps.dll
How to remove Antivermins
To remove Antivermins spyware is not an easy task. Most popular automatic antivirus/antispyware programs only partially remove Anitvermins. That is due, in part, to the fact that you must modify the registry and some system files to completely remove Antivermins; thus, it is strongly recommended that you consult an expert such as the Solutions Engineers at support.com and have them do the work for you. Please be advised that if you choose to make these kinds of modifications to your computer on your own, it is possible to seriously damage your computer if not done correctly.
How to Protect Against Future Infections from Antivermins:
To avoid having to remove Antivermins or similar spyware, install a trusted antivirus program and use a hardware firewall to best protect your computer. A hardware firewall can be as simple as connecting a router between your internet connection and your computer. A router is often used to allow more than one computer to share an internet connection, but is a great tool to use even if you have only one computer in the house.
Install trusted antispyware programs such as Ad-aware SE by Lavasoft and Spybot Search and Destroy by Safer Networking Ltd. Do not forget to use Spybot's immunize feature.
Be aware of what you click "allow" to on the internet. Often these types of spyware bypass the security provided by antivirus and firewall programs because they have deceived the user into clicking "allow". This is often accomplished by offering a product for free then saying that a special plugin/codec is required to use this free software. In most cases this is just to get you to allow the nasty software into your system.
