Fraud.sysguard virus....how bad is it and how to remove?

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

Just editing this because it is a very old post and it turned out I did not have a virus in my computer. The "fraud.sysguard" wording was just a fragment left behind from something cleaned a Computer has been running fine for many months since!!

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

I clicked on a link that I shouldn't have and briefly saw something like a .exe running. So I ran Spybot (I have PC-Cillin which didn't pick anything up) and it discovered a virus called fraud.sysguard. I then googled the virus and got into this majorgeeks.com forum which has instructions for eliminating malware, but the instructions include all these instructions for downloading and running about five different anti-virus programs, one after the other. I was partway through the instructions (which are so complex...I had to do something with my user accounts, etc.), in the middle of the first scan using something called SuperAntiSpyware, and I realized that I should have posted on TUG because I'm in over my head!

So the first question is...how bad is this virus? Can it steal personal information or does it just slow down my computer? (I hadn't noticed a problem with the computer and have not used the computer to log into anything since it happened.) Secondly, is downloading gobs of different anti-virus programs going to make things worse?

Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

It is TERRIBLE and gets into EVERYTHING including your recovery files. Unless you are comfortable with safe mode, downloading various removal programs, know how to turn off System Restore and much more best to take it to a reliable shop for removal. Even they may not be able to get it off without a reformat & Windows reload (it can be THAT bad) but they should know how to try.

Good luck.

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

Ugh...where do I take it for removal? A Best Buy? Can it share personal info with others? Thanks.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

Ugh...where do I take it for removal? A Best Buy? Can it share personal info with others? Thanks.

Look for a small local shop that may advertise or post "PC Clean up" as a service. I'd stay away from Best Buy for that.

Yes, any data on the drive is exposed to the tech people.

[The Conch Man Past Goumba President & BigFrank's Cigar Buddy! Find all posts View Profile Close The Conch Man]

Try Office Depot for there PC Check-up service. Not sure they will repair it for free but may charge ya a fee for gettin' rid of it!

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Staples may have their free fix up service going, but you have to bring it to a store.

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

I ended up going to Best Buy before I saw these posts. They ran their diagnostic and could not find any trace of it. I then ran Spybot and showed them where it was coming up, and they found a remnant of it in a source file or something that they said could not be executed. I have not noticed any problems or slowdowns, so I'm assuming they are right, and that it was at one time eliminated but left behind some kind of code that was being picked up by Spybot. (The other five virus scanners I downloaded and referenced in my first post also did not pick up anything, so I'm thinking they were correct.) They did not charge me for running the diagnostic and the other things they did, which took about a half hour....

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I have a thread here talking about when I picked about a virus googling about Survivior. I got all kinds of good-intentioned advice, and then tried the Restore function. I restored to the closest date before I picked up the virus.

It's been quite awhile now and there have been no signs of it.

[kristain Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close kristain]

Fraud.sysguard virus....how bad is it and how to remove?

Fraud.Sysguard is a rogue security software advertised with help of fake security alerts and deceptive infection pop-ups to scare you into buying its fabricated "commercial" anti-malware version. Fraud.Sysguard may spread via adult sites or free multimedia downloads or via corrupt video codecs and ActiveX updates. Fraud.Sysguard may set back your computer speed and cause crucial harm to Windows system files.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Fraud.Sysguard is a rogue security software advertised with help of fake security alerts and deceptive infection pop-ups to scare you into buying its fabricated "commercial" anti-malware version. Fraud.Sysguard may spread via adult sites or free multimedia downloads or via corrupt video codecs and ActiveX updates. Fraud.Sysguard may set back your computer speed and cause crucial harm to Windows system files.

I hear people getting this all the time, In fact we just had to reinstall windows of my friends computer because of this, Any ideas on how to get rid of it when you get it with out reinstall of windows. My friends was so bad we could no longer navigate at all.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

I hear people getting this all the time, In fact we just had to reinstall windows of my friends computer because of this, Any ideas on how to get rid of it when you get it with out reinstall of windows. My friends was so bad we could no longer navigate at all.

You have to have access to a second PC to use the HD as a slave and run a very complicated set of removal steps that MUST include turning off "System Restore" to hopefully save the existing Windows install. It is slow, tedious and complicated to do but it can be done and now works about 80% of the time if caught early enough. The other 20% it's reformat as the only choice unfortunately.

[Spliffman23 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Spliffman23]

my sister had the same thing on her comp.. i ran a couple of spyware/malware programs and spybot search and destroy found sys.fraud.. also a nice little tool is hirens boot cd, has a ton of programs for fixing and tweaking your pc..

link for download
removed as someone questioned it

burn the iso file inside the zip file to a disc not the whole rar file

you can boot from it or run in in safe mode

[gophish Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close gophish]

For a virus of this type Restore very seldom works because there is usually pieces left deep in the Regtistry even after a restore and the result is the virus gets reinstalled.
You may have luck with SuperAntiSpyware but you will need to run it from Safe Mode and you may have to run it twice to remove all the pieces.
If you want to try this:
1 Boot in to Safe Mode by booting and pushing F8 key until Windows Advanced Menu comes up.
2. Pick Safe Mode without Networking.
3. When booted run SuperAntiSpyware and follow directions.

Repeat above a sec ond time.

Do regular boot.
Hopefully this will get rid of virus but these types are very difficult to get rid of.
These geek sites are very good also but you have to do all there steps and feel comfortable with getting dumps from programs like HijackThis and sending them to them.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

One step you can't miss

For a virus of this type Restore very seldom works because there is usually pieces left deep in the Regtistry even after a restore and the result is the virus gets reinstalled.
You may have luck with SuperAntiSpyware but you will need to run it from Safe Mode and you may have to run it twice to remove all the pieces.
If you want to try this:
1 Boot in to Safe Mode by booting and pushing F8 key until Windows Advanced Menu comes up.
2. Pick Safe Mode without Networking.
3. When booted run SuperAntiSpyware and follow directions.

Repeat above a sec ond time.

Do regular boot.
Hopefully this will get rid of virus but these types are very difficult to get rid of.
These geek sites are very good also but you have to do all there steps and feel comfortable with getting dumps from programs like HijackThis and sending them to them.

One step most forget to do is to TURN OFF System Restore before you run all the cleanup programs to try to get rid of this insidious virus/spyware. If you leave it on the infection will restore itself almost immediately.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

For a virus of this type Restore very seldom works because there is usually pieces left deep in the Regtistry even after a restore and the result is the virus gets reinstalled.

Everyone said that when I got a virus . . . the thread's still here somewhere . . . but that is not the case.