Troj/Fakespy-A

Please follow the instructions for removing Trojans.

Windows NT/2000/XP/2003

In Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 you will also need to edit the following registry entry. The removal of this entry is optional in Windows 95/98/Me. Please read the warning about editing the registry.

At the taskbar, click Start|Run. Type 'Regedit' and press Return. The registry editor opens.

Before you edit the registry, you should make a backup. On the 'Registry' menu, click 'Export Registry File'. In the 'Export range' panel, click 'All', then save your registry as Backup.

Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE entry:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\explorer\run
winlogon.exe
helper.exe

and delete it if it exists.

Close the registry editor.

Troj/Fakespy-A runs in the background and every 13 minutes displays a system warning message on the screen informing the user that there is a problem with their computer.

The image displayed by the Fakespy Trojan horse.

If the user clicks "OK" then Troj/Fakespy-A will open Internet Explorer to a web page that sells software to fix the alleged problem.

The Trojan may also display a warning from an icon in the taskbar again informing the user of a problem with the system, and inviting them to click on the icon to get software to fix this problem.

The Fakespy Trojan horse can display a warning in the taskbar.

Troj/Fakespy-A does not check the computer for the problems it reports.

Troj/Fakespy-A sets the following registry entry so that, provided it is called helper.exe and it is on the system's path, it will be run every time a user logs on:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\explorer\run
winlogon.exe
helper.exe

The Trojan also sets the following registry entry:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\3
CurrentLevel
dword:00011000