Spy Dawn Virus Help

What is Spy Dawn?

It is strongly recommend you remove Spy Dawn from your computer ASAP.

Spy Dawn is a Spyware/Trojan program that comes from the family of Smitfraud Trojans. Its main purpose is to take over the infected computer, stealthily install several of its buddy malware programs and deceive the user into purchasing its phony software by falsely portraying itself as security software. SpyDawn creates many counterfeit pop-up alerts claiming the computer is infected with spyware or viruses. These pop-ups are meant to mimic Microsoft Windows security alerts - DO NOT BE FOOLED. This is NOT Microsoft software and this counterfeit company cannot be trusted. It is strongly recommend you remove Spy Dawn from your computer ASAP.

What to expect if a computer is infected with Spy Dawn?

  • A flashing icon down in the system tray will be visible. It randomly gives phony alerts saying that the computer is infected and to purchase their software to remove Spy Dawn and remedy this situation. The desktop and start menu will have one or more new icons that were not authorized to be installed onto the computer.
  • The computer may be running much slower than normal
  • The internet usage for the month(s) since becoming infected will be much higher, due to this infection accessing the internet and downloading additional threats onto the computer.
  • In the event that the Trojan virus has stolen personally identifiable information from the computer system, then more serious actions may take place; such as, charges on the credit card bill that the user has not charged and possibly other evidence of identity theft.

How does Spy Dawn infect computers?

Spy Dawn infects computers through several methods.

  • By the user downloading and installing the program before they realize it is fake or rogue software.
  • By visiting an infected website that automatically infects the computer.
  • By installing a fake codec when attempting to watch "Free Videos" online. The free video offer is meant to lure people in. Once the user attempts to watch the movie a notice appears that says the movie requires a specific codec to be installed in order to play. Once the user agrees to install the codec the computer becomes infected.

Note: not all free videos are a sign of infection, but rather the videos that claim that a codec must be installed to watch the video is what is referred to here.

What aliases and files are associated with Spy Dawn?

  • geplxss.dll
  • higehsg.dll
  • iesplugin.dll
  • isamonitor.exe
  • msvcp71.dll
  • psmgr.exe
  • sd.ini
  • sd_setup.exe
  • SpyDawn 3.1 Website.lnk
  • SpyDawn 3.1.lnk
  • spydawn.exe
  • SpyDawn.lnk
  • tvomnc.dll
  • Uninstall SpyDawn 3.1.lnk
  • xkrdk.dll

How to remove SpyDawn?

Spy Dawn works by modifying system files and the registry. If you are an expert computer user, you can use your favorite search engine and find instructions on how to manually remove this threat yourself. However, be advised that incorrectly modifying the registry or system files can break the computer and/or cause the computer to no longer start up. Thus, it is highly recommended that an expert technician remove Spy Dawn for you; such as, the friendly, expert Solutions Engineers at support.com. We're experienced in dealing with this kind of threat and can often remove it for you in less than an hour, while you watch them work from the comfort of your own home using cutting edge screen-sharing technology.

How can I better protect my computer from getting infected by Spydawn?

Here are some tips to keep you from having to worry about Spy Dawn removal:

  • Make sure you have a trusted antivirus and firewall installed on your computer that is kept up-to-date. The best form of hardware firewall is to install a router. Routers can be found at any computer hardware store and are often used to allow more than one computer to share an internet connection. Even if you only have one computer it is an excellent idea to have one of these installed.
  • Install and regularly run trusted anti-spyware programs. I would strongly suggest installing Spybot Search and Destroy by Safer-Networking Ltd and Ad-aware SE from Lavasoft. Make sure these are up-to-date and that you run the scans at least once a week.
  • Be very cautious about what you decide to download and install onto your computer. A considerable amount of these types of nasty software try to fool you into thinking that you need it or it's something that's required to view a webpage. Almost all of these kinds of warnings are false no matter how official they may look. If you have any doubts, don't allow it in. If you're unsure about what to do, talk to a professional at support.com before installing it.