APcDefender is a rogue antispyware program. The software spreads mostly with the help of trojans that come from malicious websites that ask users to download a flash update needed to view online videos.
Once started, the trojan will download and install APcDefender onto your computer and configure it to start automatically when Windows loads. The trojan will also create a lot of files with random names that made to appear as infections, but in reality all of them are harmless. These files are detected as infections when APcDefender performs a scan of your computer. However, it won’t remove these infections unless you first purchase the full version of the program. This is a scam, these files cannot harm your computer, so you can safety ignore the scan results.
Last, but not least, the same trojan that installs APcDefender will download and install a variant of trojan FakeAlert. When the trojan is running, it will display a fake Windows Security Center and security alerts from Windows task bar. Of course, all of these alerts are fake and like false scan results should be ignored! APcDefender is unable to detect or remove any infections nor will be protect you from legitimate future threats. It is created with one purpose to trick you into purchasing so-called “full” version of the software!
If you find that your computer is infected with this malware, please use the removal guide below to remove APcDefender from your PC for free.
More screen shoots of APcDefender
Symptoms in a HijackThis Log
O4 – HKLM\..\Run: [APcDefender] C:\Program Files\APcDefender Software\APcDefender\APcDefender.exe -min
O4 – HKCU\..\Run: [tw58xs5n.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\tw58xs5n.exe
Use the following instructions to remove APcDefender (Uninstall instructions)
Download MalwareBytes Anti-malware (MBAM). Close all programs and Windows on your computer.
Double Click mbam-setup.exe to install the application. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the installation process. Do not make any changes to default settings and when the program has finished installing, make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
Once the program has loaded you will see window similar to the one below.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Window
Select Perform Quick Scan, then click Scan, it will start scanning your computer for APcDefender infection. This procedure can take some time, so please be patient.
When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results. You will see a list of infected items similar as shown below. Note: list of infected items may be different than what is shown in the image below.
Malwarebytes Anti-malware, list of infected items
Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected for start APcDefender removal process. When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart.
Note: if you need help with the instructions, then post your questions in our Spyware Removal forum.
APcDefender creates the following files and folders
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\APcDefender
C:\Program Files\APcDefender Software
C:\Program Files\APcDefender Software\APcDefender
C:\Program Files\APcDefender Software\APcDefender\APcDefender.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\tw58xs5n.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\APcDefender\1 APcDefender.lnk
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\APcDefender\2 Homepage.lnk
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\APcDefender\3 Uninstall.lnk
C:\Program Files\APcDefender Software\APcDefender\uninstall.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\APcDefender.LNK
APcDefender creates the following registry keys and values
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\APcDefender
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\APcDefender
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\APcDefender
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\tw58xs5n.exe
