Also known by the name of GuardPro, Guard Pro is a rogue anti-spyware that aggressively sells itself to users by showing fake threat reports and scan results. Guard Pro gets installed on a user’s computer through fake websites that install a Trojan or through attachments downloaded from spam emails. Once installed, Guard Pro starts to display fake pop-ups, claiming that the integrity of the system has been compromised due to the presence of dangerous spyware. Its GUI is extremely authentic-looking, and starts conducting fake scans as soon as it is open, flagging legitimate user programs as viruses and spyware. It also tries to convince the user that the currently installed ‘trial’ version is not sufficient to remove these threats, and that the user should pay for ‘activation’ of Guard Pro. It should be noted that the ‘full’ version of Guard Pro, once purchased, has no capability whatsoever to clean your computer and this is a trick that you should never fall for.
As soon as you find a copy of Guard Pro on your computer, you should take steps to delete it. The actions that should be taken to delete Guard Pro are shown in the following sections.
File Removal Procedures
The first step needed to delete Guard Pro is to find and stop the following process:
- VH339.exe
Next, it is necessary to unregister the following DLLs related to Guard Pro:
- mozcrt19.dll
- sqlite3.dll
The final step in the process of file deletion is to remove the actual files and folders themselves. For this, delete the following files and folders from your computer:
- %Documents and Settings%\[UserName]\Application Data\Guard Pro
- %Documents and Settings%\[UserName]\Application Data\Guard Pro\cookies.sqlite
- %Documents and Settings%\[UserName]\Application Data\Guard Pro\mozcrt19.dll
- %Documents and Settings%\[UserName]\Application Data\Guard Pro\sqlite3.dll
- %Documents and Settings%\[UserName]\Application Data\Guard Pro\BackUp
- %Documents and Settings%\[UserName]\Application Data\Guard Pro\Quarantine Items
- %Documents and Settings%\[UserName]\Application Data\Guard Pro\RootLib
- %Documents and Settings%\[UserName]\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\Guard Pro.lnk
- %Documents and Settings%\[UserName]\Desktop\Guard Pro.lnk
- %Documents and Settings%\[UserName]\Start Menu\Guard Pro.lnk
- %Documents and Settings%\[UserName]\Start Menu\Programs\Guard Pro.lnk
- %Documents and Settings%\All Users\Application Data\117fc
- %Documents and Settings%\All Users\Application Data\117fc\VH339.exe
- %Documents and Settings%\All Users\Application Data\117fc\VHOOK.ico
- %Documents and Settings%\All Users\Application Data\VHMELHOOOK
- %Documents and Settings%\All Users\Application Data\VHMELHOOOK\VHJJOOK.cfg
Once these steps have been completed, your file system is safe from Guard Pro.
Registry Removal Procedures
The final step needed to delete Guard Pro is the removal of the following keys and settings from the registry:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\3
- HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{3F2BBC05-40DF-11D2-9455-00104BC936FF} HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\trial_ca8cf.DocHostUIHandler
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Download “RunInvalidSignatures” = “1?
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “Guard Pro”
Once you have deleted these entries, you have completed the steps needed to delete Guard Pro.
Conclusion
It is not advisable for inexperienced users of computer systems to delete Guard Pro manually, as one wrong move could result in your system being damaged. It is recommended for inexperienced users to use a web-based threat detection and removal service like the one provided from www.onlinecomputerrepair.org or legitimate antivirus software, such as Spyware Doctor with Antivirus, that will completely delete Guard Pro from your computer.