Just a few weeks ago, Erin wrote about a fake antivirus program called XP Antivirus 2008. That program forces itself onto your computer and starts causing all kinds of trouble.
Now, it looks like there's another program out there doing the exact same thing. I have received several phone calls and e-mails about a program called Antivirus 2009. That program does the same thing XP Antivirus 2008 did. If you go to an infected Web site, you'll be bombarded with pop ups asking you to install the program. It will seem like there's no way to get rid of the pop ups besides installing the program.
First of all, do not install Antivirus 2009. If you go to a site that's trying to make you install it, you should close your Web browser immediately. If you need to, press Ctrl + Alt + Del on your keyboard and click on the End Task button. If that doesn't work, shut your computer down. Do whatever it takes to get rid of the pop ups, but do not install the program.
Antivirus 2009 is not only infecting computers, but it's also infecting Web sites. It will gain access to a site and then spread to users who visit that site. It will also change the site so that it gets better search results and appears under searches for antivirus software and virus removal. Keep an eye out for sites that offer it and stay away from them! It will take time before those sites are repaired and back to normal.
If you're already infected with Antivirus 2009, there is some good news! It looks like there's a pretty simple way to remove the bug. All you need is a program called Malware Bytes Anti-Malware. The basic version is free and you can download it right here. Install the program and then run the Quick Scan. (Note: The Quick Scan isn't necessarily quick. It took nearly 30 minutes on my computer). After the scan is complete, a message will pop up and tell you it's done. Click OK.
Next, you will see a list of all the malware it found. They should all have checkmarks next to them. Just click on the Remove Selected button and it will remove all of them for you.
After that, a page will pop up telling you exactly what it did. You can save it if you want, but you don't have to.
That should be it. Just close the Malware Bytes program and the Antivirus 2009 bug should be gone.
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