Be Smart Don't Fall For The SmartFixer Scam

The debates continue as to which antivirus software is the best to use? Which firewall should you use? which anti spyware software works the best? As these debates continue, there is one thing that can be agreed upon; you should use some form of protection if you are using the internet. There are so many different types of viruses, spyware, trojans as well as adware out there. One of the ways to see if you have picked up anything malicious is by running a scan. There are many software programs available which are geared to scan your machine and pick up anything malicious. The question is would you be able to tell the difference between a fake online scan and a real one? You probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference and this is exactly what the rogue anti-spyware program, SmartFixer, relies on.

It all begins with your browser landing on a page that allows you to do a scan to detect the current state of your computer. The results are always the same, it produces a false report which contains a long list of viruses and malicious stuff that it claims is running on your system. The scan report looks authentic just like any scan report; the only real difference is it is a different Vendor and the results are fake. Due to the factor that there is such a variety of Vendors out there users just assume that it is one that they have not heard of yet.

Table 1.  Alias names of SmartFixer

The really clever part of this scam involves the fact that, once the user is in panic about all the found infections, a "solution" is conveniently provided. Yes that is correct, you finally feel relieved once it offers you a complete fix, which will get rid of everything malicious on your system. All that is required is for you to register and buy the full version. This full version is, of course, a fake full version and is no safer than the scanning version. This scam plays on people's lack of knowledge, it relies on the factor that the average internet user will believe that they have viruses and threats on their machine if they are told so by a so called "professional" computer security company.

There are also high risks of your browser being hijacked in order to redirect you to the SmartFixer home page. Do not fall for this scam, even though it says you are saving money on purchasing the product. You need to be warned that they don't provide you with any of their contact details except for an email address. SmartFixer also goes by the name of Smart Fixer 2007. The names of the related files are: smartscanner[1].exe and SmartFixer.exe. The file MD5's are: c10a86aae5c49a246649f93e6563dbf8 and 16f0d2f9a9917a34af5f945bc23f1d1d.

Once you get this on your system you need to remove it immediately. You also need to make sure you have protection on your machine at all times. In order to do a manual removal, you need to be careful and not do anything wrong, it may be in your best interest to consult an expert on this matter. Please also back up your data before you attempt the manual removal of SmartFixer. I say this for your own good, so that you don't lose anything, as the possibilities are high of you damaging something if you don't do it correctly.

How To manually remove SmartFixer:
You will need to Stop this SmartFixer processes:

1. SmartFixer.exe

You will then need to remove these SmartFixer Registry Entries:

1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SmartSoftware
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{68C74155-1156-4D23-ADB8-D76CDCD4D22D}

You will need to remove these SmartFixer files:

1. SmartFixer 2007.lnk
2. SmartFixer 2007.lnk
3. license.rtf
4. SmartFixer.exe

I hope that this works out for you. Remember to stay clear of anything remotely related to the names SmartFixer or SmartFixer 2007. Never under any circumstances buy the full version no matter how many bad things it says your computer has. There is lots of software out there that is authentic and will do a proper scan and remove real threats that do actually exist on your machine.