What is AV Guard Online?

AV Guard Online is the latest of rogue antispyware programs to hit the web. These are programs that pose as legitimate utility software, scaring users with fake security scans and warning messages, however these programs are fraudulent and are actually spyware themselves.

Recommended Removal Method:

Automatic Detection and Removal Using Spyware Doctor:

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Screenshots:

avguardonline_gui

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Additional Information:

Methods of Infection:

AV Guard Online is typically installed via a Trojan, and it usually is found on questionable websites (i.e. pornography or gambling), but it has also been found on hijacked fake news websites and in torrent downloads.

Previous Versions:

AV Guard Online is the latest rogue antispyware program from a “family” or rogues that has a long history – previous versions/names for this rogue include Security Guard 2012, Open Cloud Security, Open Cloud Antivirus, and Wolfram Antivirus among others.

What it Does:

AV Guard Online will constantly bombard your computer with phony system alerts and spyware scans, trying to scare you into purchasing the full version, which is nothing more than a hoax as AV Guard Online is not legitimate software and is actually a spyware infection. AV Guard Online can also hijack your web browser and redirect your search results to pages of its choosing, where you will likely encounter more fake alerts and system related warnings.

The larger threat that AV Guard Online poses however, just as with any other rogue antispyware program, is that it can download and install other extremely malicious malware that can log your keystrokes, websites visited, browsing habits, etc. and can send that information over the internet to a remote server where the hacker that created AV Guard Online can then use that information in an attempt to gain access to your credit cards, bank accounts, and numerous other sensitive personal information – which can ultimately lead to identity theft.

Optional AV Guard Online Removal Method – Manual Deletion (Not Recommended)

***Please note we highly recommend against attempting manual removal of AV Guard Online unless are a trained computer professional. AV Guard Online is a highly complex and dynamic spyware infection that can hide several random files throughout your computer’s registry and file system and makes manual removal almost impossible. In addition, deleting and modifying system files and your computer’s registry wihout proper knowledge and training can cause further issues and may even cause your computer to become inoperable. As such, proceeding with manual removal is done at your own risk and spyware-experts.com cannot be held responsible for any problems that may occur in doing so.***

If you need help performing any of these steps, please see our tutorials listed on the upper right hand side of this page.

1. Delete the Following Processes:

<random>.exe

2. Delete Following Files and Directories

%AppData%\<random>\
%AppData%\<random>\
%AppData%\<random>\
%AppData%\<random> Guard Online.ico
%AppData%\ldr.ini
%StartMenu%\Programs\AV Guard Online\
%StartMenu%\Programs\AV Guard Online\AV Guard Online.lnk
%System%\<random>.exe
%UserProfile%\Desktop\AV Guard Online.lnk

3. Delete the following Registry keys

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “<random>”

Important:

Note that even if you have followed all the above steps and performed the tasks correctly, it is highly probable that AV Guard Online will remain on your computer and continue to cause problems. The reason for this is that the program is dynamic and can change the filenames, locations, etc. and can even add additional infected files while it is on your computer.

This is why we highly recommend an automatic detection and removal tool such as Spyware Doctor that can find these additional hidden files and ensure that AV Guard Online is completely removed from your computer.

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