Windows Safety Tweaker

Posted: March 12, 2012

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:	10/10
Infected PCs:	52

First Seen:	March 12, 2012
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Its looks may portend otherwise, but Windows Safety Tweaker is a decidedly unsafe form of scamware that creates poor substitutes for accurate threat alerts and system scans. Windows Safety Tweaker's analytical information is geared to provide alarmist and deceitful warnings that encourage you to buy Windows Safety Tweaker without cause. However, SpywareRemove.com malware experts warn you that Windows Safety Tweaker isn't any more capable of successfully disinfecting your computer than a mouse is capable of flying to the moon. As a confirmed member of the subgroup of scamware, Windows Safety Tweaker should be deleted as soon as possible, as long as you have access to anti-malware tools which can detect and delete Windows Safety Tweaker and its side effects – including browser redirects and attempts to block Windows security software.

A Guide Through the Furtive Hostility of Windows Safety Tweaker

On a superficial level, Windows Safety Tweaker may look and act like an anti-virus scanner, but the virus alerts and other security pop-ups that Windows Safety Tweaker provides are completely inaccurate. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have also confirmed that Windows Safety Tweaker doesn't make a legitimate attempt at analyzing your PC with its 'scanner,' and that its other features, including anti-phishing protection and a process manager, are also fraudulent. While Windows Safety Tweaker will try to warn you about a veritable swarm of PC threats attacking your computer, you should ignore these 'cry wolf' style warnings, along with Windows Safety Tweaker's attempts to beg for your money.

Windows Safety Tweaker's fake security pop-ups can be recognized by their recycled text, which is also shared amongst other brands of rogue anti-virus programs from the Rogue.VirusDoctor family. Some of these clones include

The Tweaks to Your PC That Will Make You Want to Banish Windows Safety Tweaker from Your Hard Drive

Even though its most easily-detected attacks involve fake security features, Windows Safety Tweaker will also indulge in other attacks of a more subversive nature than simple pop-ups and simulated scans. In particular, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend that you be on guard against:

Problems with unrelated security, system analysis and anti-malware programs that block your access to such software. Windows Safety Tweaker may attempt to block them or (especially in the case of Windows products like Task Manager) attempt to swap them out for its Advanced Process Control window.
Interferences with your web-browsing settings that cause your browser to redirect to undesirable websites. Windows Safety Tweaker may promote its own site or block PC security-related sites.

These problems may require you to stop Windows Safety Tweaker from launching itself; SpywareRemove.com malware research team recommends Safe Mode or a USB-based boot to accomplish this with as little trouble as possible. Once you can access your OS without Windows Safety Tweaker, any competent anti-malware scanner should be able to remove Windows Safety Tweaker with all the facility of a hot knife cutting butter.

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:

%APPDATA%\Protector-auc.exe

File name: Protector-auc.exe
Size: 1.95 MB (1959424 bytes)
MD5: fdf57ae55c49b17c21acbfe45809ca21
Detection count: 68
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Path: %APPDATA%
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: March 12, 2012

%AppData%\result.db

File name: %AppData%\result.db
Mime Type: unknown/db
Group: Malware file

%AppData%\NPSWF32.dll

File name: %AppData%\NPSWF32.dll
File type: Dynamic link library
Mime Type: unknown/dll
Group: Malware file

%AppData%\Protector-[RANDOM 3 CHARACTERS].exe

File name: %AppData%\Protector-[RANDOM 3 CHARACTERS].exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

%CommonStartMenu%\Programs\Windows Safety Tweaker.lnk

File name: %CommonStartMenu%\Programs\Windows Safety Tweaker.lnk
File type: Shortcut
Mime Type: unknown/lnk
Group: Malware file

%Desktop%\Windows Safety Tweaker.lnk

File name: %Desktop%\Windows Safety Tweaker.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\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Settings "UID" = "origkboryd"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Settings "net" = "2012-3-11_2"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System "DisableRegedit" = 0HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System "DisableRegistryTools" = 0HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System "DisableTaskMgr" = 0HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings "WarnOnHTTPSToHTTPRedirect" = 0HKEY..\..\..\..{Subkeys}HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\sahagent.exeHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\ecengine.exeHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\msconfigHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\PavFnSvr.exeHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\wsbgate.exeHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\infwin.exeHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\titaninxp.exeHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\atcon.exeHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\bipcp.exeHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\InternetExplorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_ERROR_PAGE_BYPASS_ZONE_CHECK_FOR_HTTPS_KB954312HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\..{RunKeys}HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Inspector"