Is OtShot a virus?

Viruses and worms
1

I recently noticed a new program on my PC which apparently I downloaded somehow. It is nested in my task bar (even though I uninstalled the program via the Control panel) with a white square and a pink heart. I rebooted the PC after the uninstall, but each time the PC starts up, it gives a message from otshot saying “Unable to load skin”. It then asks “Would you like to import your contacts from Outlook”; obviously I said no. If I run the application, it looks like some kind of a photo application where you can load pictures and send them to recipients. Clicking the Help link takes you to their website help page http://www.otshot.net/help.html. Their uninstall instructions are on a FAQ page.

Research on the web led me to http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/492363/otshot-removal-and-help-to-confirm-virus-free-computer/.

So, for the Avast folks:

  1. Is this a virus?
    This article says it is: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/491883/please-help-with-otshot-removal/?hl=%2Botshot#entry3028159.
  2. If it is, then why doesn’t Avast Internet Security block it?
  3. Either way, how do I get rid of it? The guy, “mkat”, in the article referenced seemed to have to run through hoops to get rid of it.

Thanks very much for your advice.

2
It is nested in my task bar (even though I uninstalled the program via the Control panel) with a white square and a pink heart.
virus are not listed so they can be uninstalled ;) the malware writers dont make it that easy

OtShot http://lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+OtShot

3

It’s a photo editing software, not malware. It probably came bundled with other junk. See this:

http://deletemalware.blogspot.com/2013/06/remove-otshot-removal-instructions.html

4

One can use Revo Uninstaller → http://majorgeeks.com/Revo_Uninstaller_d5706.html to remove otshot,

polonus

5

Thanks all. I had already uninstalled it through the Control Panel. I used msconfig to remove it from the startup. I also used CCleaner to clean up the registry. Once that was done and I rebooted, I no longer see it.