How to remove Advanced PC Shield 2012 (Removal Guide)

[Jack]

What is Advanced PC Shield 2012?

Advanced PC Shield 2012 is a fake system security software that is considered as a Rogue.
Rogues are malicious programs that cyber criminals use to trick users by displaying false threats and problems that it claims to have detected. In reality, none of the issues are real and are only used to convince the user into buying their software and stealing their personal financial information
As this program is a scam do not be scared into purchasing the program when you see its alerts. You are strongly advised to follow our removal instructions below.

Am I infected?
This is how the main screen of the rogue application looks:

Removal Instructions
(If you experience any problems completing these instructions, please start a new thread here)


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. Do one of the following:
   • If your computer has a single operating system installed, press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts. You need to press F8 before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows logo appears, you will need to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears, and then shutting down and restarting your computer.
   • If your computer has more than one operating system, use the arrow keys to highlight the operating system you want to start in safe mode, and then press F8.
3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode with Networking , and then press ENTER. For more information about options, see Advanced startup options (including safe mode).
   
   
4. Log on to your computer with a user account that has administrator rights.

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STEP 2: Download and run RKill to terminate known malware processes.

RKill is a program that attempts to terminate known malware processes so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections. When RKill runs it will kill malware processes and then import a Registry file that removes incorrect file associations and fixes policies that stop us from using certain tools.

As RKill only terminates a program's running process, and does not delete any files, after running it you should not reboot your computer as any malware processes that are configured to start automatically will just be started again.

1. Download RKill
   Below are a list of RKill download links using different filenames. We offer RKill under different filenames because some malware will not allow processes to run unless they have a certain filename. Therefore when attempting to run RKill, if a malware terminates it please try a different filename offered below.
   <form action="http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/grinler/iExplore.exe">
   <input type="submit" value="iExplore.exe Download Link"></form>
   <form action="http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/grinler/rkill.com">
   <input type="submit" value="RKill.com Download Link">
   </form>
   <form action="http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/grinler/rkill.exe">
   <input type="submit" value="RKill.exe Download Link">
   </form>
   <form action="http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/grinler/rkill.scr">
   <input type="submit" value="RKill.scr Download Link">
   </form>
   
2. Double-click on the RKill icon in order to automatically attempt to stop any processes associated with this rouge.
   
   
3. Now RKill will start working in the background, please be patient while the program looks for various malware programs and tries to ends them.
   
   
   • If you receive a message that RKill is an infection, that is a fake warning given by the rogue. As a possible solution we advise you to leave the warning on the screen and then try to run RKill again.Run RKill until the fake program is not visible but not more than ten times.
   • If you continue having problems running RKill, you can download the other renamed versions of RKill from the above links.
4. When Rkill has completed its task, it will generate a log. You can then proceed with the rest of the guide.

Note: Do not reboot your computer after running RKill as the malware programs will start again.

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STEP 3: Download and scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

1. Please download the latest official version of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.
   
   
   
   <form action="http://www.filehippo.com/download_malwarebytes_anti_malware/" target=”_blank”>
   <input type="image" src="http://i.imgur.com/0aTRt.gif" title="Download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware" alt="">
   </form>
2. Install Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware by double clicking on mbam-setup.
   
   
3. Follow the prompts. Make sure that Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware are checked. Then click Finish.
   
   
   
   
4. On the Scanner tab, make sure the the Perform full scan option is selected and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for malicious files.
   
   
   
   
5. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for infected files .When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
   
   
   
   
6. You will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that the program found.
   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 Remove Selected.
   
   
   
   
7. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware will start now removing the malicious files.
   If during the removal process Malwarebytes will displays a message stating that it needs to reboot, please allow this request.
   
   

Malwarebytes should completely remove this infection however you can also download other free anti-malware softwares from the list below and run a full system scan to make sure that your computer is clean.

• Hitman Pro 3.5
• Microsoft Safety Scanner
• Dr.Web CureIt!
• ESET Online Scanner

If you are still experiencing problems on your machine, please start a new thread here.

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How was I infected?

• Rogues can get on to computers without the user's consent through Drive-by downloads. When a user visits a compromised or infected website, the site immediately checks for any security vulnerabilities on the machine to inject the malicious code.
• Peer-to-peer (P2P) programs utorrent, Limewire, and Kazaa are frequently used by hackers to distribute malware
• Hackers can also trick the user into downloading a file, saying it is a legitimate file needed to view a video or pictures.

How can I prevent these infections?


1. Keep Your System Updated

• Microsoft releases patches for Windows and Office products regularly to patch up Windows and Office product bugs and vulnerabilities. Please ensure you update your system regularly.
  
  To update Windows and Office
  
  1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Automatic Updates
  2. Select Automatic (recommended) if you want the updates to be downloaded and installed without prompting you.
  3. Select Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them button if you want the updates to be downloaded automatically but to be installed at another time.

To manually update Windows,

• 
  Start Internet Explorer. Go to Tools > Windows Update

2. Keep your Antivirus up-to-date

Make sure that you update your antivirus, firewall and anti-spyware programs regularly. If you don't have an antivirus, download any one of the following:

• Avira AntiVir Personal- Free anti-virus software for Windows. Detects and removes more than 50000 viruses. Free support.
• avast! 5 Home Edition - Anti-virus program for Windows. The home edition is freeware for noncommercial users.
• Microsoft Security Essentials - Free anti-virus program for Windows.

3. Avoid Peer-to-peer programs

• Peer-to-peer programs are legitimate but the files shared are extremely dangerous. Hackers often use fake file names to trick users into downloading malware.

4. Switch your browser

• Firefox is a more secure, faster browser than Internet Explorer. Firefox contains less vulnerabilities, reducing the risk of drive-by downloads.
• Google Chrome is another good browser that is faster and more secure than Internet Explorer.

5. Read our other "Security Tips"