but for some reason I had to uninstall my AVAST in order to install the spyware program which removed the smart protection virus.
Now what do I do? Do I install avast again or leave the spyware doctor one in there? I have never heard of it. I have always loved my AVAST and I’m sure one of my kids were the ones who got this virus.
not to cause trouble but smart protection 2012 basically blocks everything… so try running chameleon in malwarebytes… will remove it but leave some traces behind
secureman, Avast and Spyware Doctor do not conflict with each other, unless you are installing Spyware Doctor with Antivirus. Otherwise, there is not need to uninstall Avast. The only problem is that SP doesn’t detect this rogue. It actually failed to detect previous variants as well, so I’m really surprised SP took care of it this time. Consider yourself lucky.
While Grinrel’s removal guide is probably the most detailed one, it doesn’t work. Registry fix doesn’t work because the rogue program re-writes reg keys faster then you can run rkill (it block rkill as well). Try it yourself if you don’t believe me. It’s probably the most aggressive rogue I’ve ever seen. I can only compare it with Internet Security 2010 malware which was a bear to remove.
Thankfully, Malwarebytes detects and successfully removes this rogue antivirus. The most easiest way to remove this malware is to use debugged reg key and then scan your computer with Malwarebytes (or your favorite anti-malware software). You can find the key here:
By the way, you can easily stop the rogue program and delete the main .exe file manually once the rogue program is activated.
%CommonAppData%<random 33 characters>
%CommonAppData% refers to the Application Data folder in the All Users profile. For Windows XP, Vista, NT, 2000 and 2003 it refers to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data, and for Windows Vista/7 it is C:\ProgramData.
You need to run free anti-virus softwares in order to get rid of this rogue security program naming itself as Smart Fortress 2012. It is not smart at all. The only thing it is smart for is to deceive users with and to scare them with its fake virus reports. I recommend you to run free anti-viruses like Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware or Superantispyware. If you cannot actually launch them then here is a good guide for you to consider - http://www.deletevirus.net/smart-fortress-2012-malware-symptoms/
