Remove Security Defender (Removal Instructions)

Security Defender is a computer virus (Rogue.PCDefPlus family), which pretends to be a legitimate security program and after performing a quick scan, it will report that malware has been detected on your machine. If you try however to remove these infections, Security Defender will state that you need to purchase the full version before being able to remove these threats.
Apart from the bogus scan results,Security Defender will dispaly other fake security alerts in an attempt to scare you into buying this rogue antivirus.

System Security Alert!
Vulnerabilities found
Background scan for security breaches has been finished. Serious problems have been detected. Safeguard your system against exploits, malware and viruses right now by activating Proactive Defence.

System Security Alert!
Unknown program is scanning your system registry right now! Identify theft detected!

In reality, none of the reported issues are real, and are only used to scare you into buying Security Defender and stealing your personal financial information.

As part of its self-defense mechanism,Security Defender has disabled the Windows system utilities, including the Windows  Task Manager and Registry Editor,and will block you from running certain programs that could lead to its removal.
This rogue antivirus has also modified your Windows files associations so that whenever you are trying start a program, Security Defender will block this operation and it will instead display a bogus notification in which will report that the file is infected.

Security Defender Firewall Alert
Iexplore.exe is infected with Trojan.JS.Fraud.ba. Private data can be stolen by third parties, including credit card details and passwords.
Windows recommends activate Security Defender

If your computer is infected with Security Defender,then you are seeing the following screens:

Security Defender is a scam, and you should ignore any alerts that this malicious software might generate.
Under no circumstance should you buy this rogue security software as this could lead to identity theft,and if you have, you should contact your bank and dispute the charge stating that the program is a scam and a computer virus.

Registration codes for Security Defender
As an optional step,you can use the following license key to register Security Defender and stop the fake alerts.
Security Defender license key: xOxZxLxWxIxTxFxQxCxNxYxKxVxHxSxE
Please keep in mind that entering the above registration code will NOT remove Security Defender from your computer , instead it will just stop the fake alerts so that you’ll be able to complete our removal guide more easily.

SECURITY DEFENDER – VIRUS REMOVAL GUIDE

STEP 1 : Start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking

1. Remove all floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs from your computer, and then restart your computer.
2. Press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts.Please keep in mind that you need to press the F8 key before the Windows start-up logo appears.
   Note: With some computers, if you press and hold a key as the computer is booting you will get a stuck key message. If this occurs, instead of pressing and holding the “F8 key”, tap the “F8 key” continuously until you get the Advanced Boot Options screen.
3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode with Networking , and then press ENTER.
   

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STEP 3: Run RKill to terminate known malware processes associated with Security Defender.

RKill is a program that will attempt to terminate all malicious processes associated with Security Defender,so that we will be able to perform the next step without being interrupted by this malicious software.
Security Defender has changed your Windows registry settings so that when you try to run a executable file,it will instead launch the infection rather than the desired program.
This infection will not allow you to open your web browser, so you’ll need to right click on the Internet Explorer’s icon or any other browser’s icon, and select Run As (Windows XP) or Run as Administrator (Windows Vista and 7).This should allow you to open your web browser, so that you’ll be able to download RKILL from the below link.
If you still can’t open your web browser, you’ll need to download this registry fix on a clean computer and then transfer the program to the infected computer. You can transfer the files via a CD/DVD, external drive, or USB flash drive.

1. While your computer is in Safe Mode with Networking ,please download the latest official version of RKill.Please note that we will use a renamed version of RKILL so that Security Defender won’t block this utility from running.
   RKILL DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will automatically download RKILL renamed as WiNlOgOn.exe)
2. Double click on WiNlOgOn.exe to start RKill and stop any processes associated with Security Defender.
   
3. RKill will now start working in the background, please be patient while the program looks for various malware programs and tries to terminate them.
   
   IF you are having problems starting or running RKill, you can download any other renamed versions of RKill from here.
4. When Rkill has completed its task, it will generate a log. You can then proceed with the rest of the guide.
   

WARNING: Do not reboot your computer after running RKill as the malware process will start again , preventing you from properly performing the next step.

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STEP 3: Remove Security Defender malicious files with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware FREE

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a powerfull on-demand scanner which will remove Security Defender malicious files from your computer.

1. You can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free from the below link,then double click on it to install this program.
   MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK(This link will open a download page in a new window from where you can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free)
2. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the setup process.
   DO NOT make any changes to default settings and when the program has finished installing, make sure you leave both the Update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware checked,then click on the Finish button.
   
3. On the Scanner tab,select Perform quick scan and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer.
   
4. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for Security Defender malicious files as shown below.
   
5. When the Malwarebytes scan will be completed,click on Show Result.
   
6. You will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware has detected.Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.Make sure that everything is Checked (ticked) and click on the Remove Selected button.
   
7. After your computer will restart in Normal mode, open Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and perform a Full System scan to verify that there are no remaining threats

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STEP 4: Remove Security Defender rootkit with HitmanPro

In some cases,Security Defender will also install a rootkit on victims computer.To remove this rootkit we will use HitmanPro.

1. Download HitmanPro from the below link,then double click on it to start this program.
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
   IF you are experiencing problems while trying to start HitmanPro, you can use the Force Breach mode.To start HitmanPro in Force Breach mode, hold down the left CTRL-key when you start HitmanPro and all non-essential processes are terminated, including the malware process. (How to start HitmanPro in Force Breach mode – Video)
2. HitmanPro will start and you’ll need to follow the prompts (by clicking on the Next button) to start a system scan with this program.
   
   
3. HitmanPro will start scanning your computer for Security Defender malicious files as seen in the image below.
   
4. Once the scan is complete,you’ll see a screen which will display all the infected files that this utility has detected, and you’ll need to click on Next to remove this malicious files.
   
5. Click Activate free license to start the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

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STEP 5: Double check for any left over infections with Emsisoft Emergency Kit

1. You can download Emsisoft Emergency Kit from the below link,then extract it to a folder in a convenient location.
   EMSISOFT EMERGENCY KIT DOWNLOAD LINK ((This link will open a new web page from where you can download Emsisoft Emergency Kit)
2. Open the Emsisoft Emergency Kit folder and double click EmergencyKitScanner.bat, then allow this program to update itself.
   
3. After the Emsisoft Emergency Kit has update has completed,click on the Menu tab,then select Scan PC.
   
4. Select Smart scan and click on the SCAN button to search for Security Defender malicious files.
   
5. When the scan will be completed,you will be presented with a screen reporting which malicious files has Emsisoft detected on your computer, and you’ll need to click on Quarantine selected objects to remove them.
   

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If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove Security Defender from your machine, please start a new thread in our Malware Removal Assistance forum.