Win 7 Smart Defender

Posted: March 2, 2013

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	98

First Seen:	March 4, 2013
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Win 7 Smart Defender claims to be a program that's designed to ward off viruses, Trojans, Registry attacks and other PC problems, but Win 7 Smart Defender really is a fake anti-malware scanner with no ability to perform any of the above actions. Closely related to similar PC threats, Win 7 Smart Defender's only working features are its ability to display inaccurate system information along with various direct attacks against your computer. You can remove Win 7 Smart Defender without paying for Win 7 Smart Defender, and, for their part, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend that course of action as soon as you can launch a legitimate anti-malware product.

Win 7 Smart Defender: a New OS for an Old Scam

Win 7 Smart Defender may have the look of a PC security application, but can't provide any of the functioning security functions that you would suppose Win 7 Smart Defender to have. Win 7 Smart Defender's scans are designed to display inaccurate lists of infections that aren't on your computer, whereas pop-ups from Win 7 Smart Defender may imitate normal Windows programs in their attempts to warn you about nonexistent threats. Both of these attacks are used to promote registering Win 7 Smart Defender, which transfers money and sensitive financial information to the criminals behind its distribution.

These attacks are very reminiscent of previously-identified scamware programs that SpywareRemove.com malware experts have connected to the WinPC Defender family. Win 7 Smart Defender's various clones also are similar to Win 7 Smart Defender in their appearances, but may pretend to be compatible with different versions of Windows. Examples include Ultimate Defender, SystemDefender, IE Defender, Advanced XP Defender, XP Defender, WinDefender2008, PCTotalDefender, PC Defender 2008, Personal Defender 2009, WinDefender 2009, Perfect Defender 2009, Total Defender, Malware Defender 2009, WinPC Defender, PC Privacy Defender, Smart Defender Pro, Rogue.UltimateDefender, FraudTool.LastDefender.b and Security Defender Pro 2015.

Being Your Own Line of Defense Versus Win 7 Smart Defender

Win 7 Smart Defender can't benefit your computer in any way and never should be registered for money. In fact, SpywareRemove.com malware experts note that Win 7 Smart Defender may redirect your web browser, block various websites or disable security-related applications without your permission. These issues can be remedied by deleting Win 7 Smart Defender and any related PC threats that may have been installed through the same infection methods as Win 7 Smart Defender.

Since Win 7 Smart Defender will try to avoid being deleted by the usual methods, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers suggest that you use a dedicated anti-malware product to, ironically, remove the fake anti-malware product that is Win 7 Smart Defender. Because Win 7 Smart Defender is a recently-identified member of its family of fake anti-malware scanners, you should check to make sure that your anti-malware software is using the most up-to-date threat database before you scan your computer and try to delete Win 7 Smart Defender. Similar methods can be applied to any clones of Win 7 Smart Defender that you may encounter.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

%CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\[RANDOM].exe

File name: %CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\[RANDOM].exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

%CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\defs.bin

File name: %CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\defs.bin
File type: Binary File
Mime Type: unknown/bin
Group: Malware file

%CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\vl.bin

File name: %CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\vl.bin
File type: Binary File
Mime Type: unknown/bin
Group: Malware file

%CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\uninst.ico

File name: %CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\uninst.ico
Mime Type: unknown/ico
Group: Malware file

%CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\app.ico

File name: %CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\app.ico
Mime Type: unknown/ico
Group: Malware file

%CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\support.ico

File name: %CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\support.ico
Mime Type: unknown/ico
Group: Malware file

%CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\config.bin

File name: %CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\config.bin
File type: Binary File
Mime Type: unknown/bin
Group: Malware file

%CommonDesktopDir%\Win 7 Smart Defender.lnk

File name: %CommonDesktopDir%\Win 7 Smart Defender.lnk
File type: Shortcut
Mime Type: unknown/lnk
Group: Malware file

%CommonPrograms%\Win 7 Smart Defender\Win 7 Smart Defender Help and Support.lnk

File name: %CommonPrograms%\Win 7 Smart Defender\Win 7 Smart Defender Help and Support.lnk
File type: Shortcut
Mime Type: unknown/lnk
Group: Malware file

%CommonPrograms%\Win 7 Smart Defender\Win 7 Smart Defender.lnk

File name: %CommonPrograms%\Win 7 Smart Defender\Win 7 Smart Defender.lnk
File type: Shortcut
Mime Type: unknown/lnk
Group: Malware file

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

HKEY..\..\{Value}HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe "Content Type" = 'application/x-m'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\DefaultIcon "(Default)" = '%1'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\open\command = ""%CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\[RANDOM].exe" /ex "%1" %*"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\runas\command "IsolatedCommand" = '"%1" %*'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\runas\command = '"%1" %*'HKEY..\..\..\..{Subkeys}HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exeHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\ [RANDOM_2]HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\DefaultIconHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shellHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\openHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\open\commandHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\runasHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.exe\shell\runas\commandHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\..{RunKeys}HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run pcdfsvc = "%CommonAppData%\pcdfdata\[RANDOM].exe /min"

Additional Information

The following messages's were detected:

#	Message
1	System Security Alert! Unknown program is scanning your system registry right now! Identify the theft detected!
2	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.
3	Win 7 Smart 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 Win 7 Smart Defender

Win 7 Smart Defender Pro