PcSecureNet is a rogue antispyware program from WiniGuard family as PcsSecure, APcSafe, etc. It uses trojans, that come from fake antispyware online scanners or misleading websites that supposedly provide free movies, to install itself.
When the trojan is installed, it will download and install the rogue onto your computer and register it in the Windows registry to run automatically when you logon to the system. The same trojan will also drop numerous “infected” files with random names (22874hacztoo932d.bin , 169fthzef3591.exe, etc) in the Windows folders. All of these files are absolute harmlems, they cannot harm your computer, but PcSecureNet detects them as trojans, worms and malware and it won’t remove those infections unless you purchase this fake antispyware. However, this is a scam and the scan results are false. So you may safety ignore all that PcSecureNet shows you!
Last but not least, the same trojan, that installs PcSecureNet, will download and install two another trojans. First trojan is a trojan FakeAlert that will display various fake security alert and notifications from Windows task bar and a screen that pretend to be the legit Windows Security Center, with one exception, it will suggest you register the rogue. The fake alerts stats:
Security Center Alert!
Infiltration alert!
Your computer being attacked by an Internet
Virus. It could be a password-stealing attack,
a trojan-dropper or simular.
Do you want PcSecureNet to block this attack?
Spyware Alert!
Your computer is infected with spyware. It could damage your
critical files or expose your private data on the Internet. Click
here to register your copy of PcSecureNet and remove
spyware threats from your PC.
Of course, all of these alerts are fake and you should ignore them! Second trojan is a variant of trojan/rootkit TDSS. The trojan may redirect search results in Google, Yahoo, MSN, block an access to security websites and much more.
As you can see, PcSecureNet is scam and designed with one purpose to scare you into purchasing so-called “full” version of the program. Do not be fooled into buying the program! Instead of doing so, follow the removal guide below to remove PcSecureNet from your computer for free.
More screen shoots of PcSecureNet
Symptoms in a HijackThis Log
O4 – HKCU\..\Run: [
Spyware software are surreptitiously installed on user`s computer to collect information about computer’s configuration, user`s private information, user’s activity without his consent. Spyware may also change Windows settings, download and install other malicious programs without the user’s knowledge.
.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\
Use the following instructions to remove PcSecureNet (Uninstall instructions)
Download TDSSKiller from here and unzip to your desktop.
Open TDSSKiller folder and double click the TDSSKiller icon. Follow the prompts.
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 PcSecureNet 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 PcSecureNet 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.
PcSecureNet creates the following files and folders
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\PcSecureNet
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PcSecureNet
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PcSecureNet
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\
PcSecureNet creates the following registry keys and values
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\PcSecureNet
C:\Program Files\PcSecureNet Software
C:\Program Files\PcSecureNet Software\PcSecureNet
C:\Program Files\PcSecureNet Software\PcSecureNet\PcSecureNet.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\
Spyware can do the following:
1. gather information about user habits of use of the Internet, what sites are visited most frequently (known as “tracking software”);
2. record keystrokes (keyloggers) and make a screenshots (screen scraper) and send collected data to the creator of the spyware;
3. remotely control user computer (remote control software) – backdoor, botnets, droneware;
4. download and run on user computer an additional malware;
5. analyze the state of security systems, scan an open ports, and look for vulnerabilities to crack passwords;
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\prtprocs\w32x86\00007ab1.tmp
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\PcSecureNet\1 PcSecureNet.lnk
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\PcSecureNet\2 Homepage.lnk
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\PcSecureNet\3 Uninstall.lnk
C:\Program Files\PcSecureNet Software\PcSecureNet\uninstall.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\PcSecureNet.LNK
