HomeAntivirus 2009 is rogue anti-spyware. What is rogue anti-spyware, you ask? Good question! Today's rogue anti-spyware starts off with a Trojan like Zlob or Vundo getting onto your computer and sending you pop-ups. But not just any pop-ups--these pop-ups will scare you by telling you your computer is infected, and that the only way you can remove said infection is to click the pop-up, purchase, and install the program on the website the pop-up sends you to.
Sounds harmless, right? Not so. The program you will be sent to buy is Antivirus 2009. Once you buy the 'full version' it automatically installs and updates itself. This is where your troubles really begin. Antivirus 2009 will install spyware, adware and other malware onto your computer when it installs and updates itself. This is a very, very bad thing. Antivirus 2009 opens you up to identity theft, an outside source having access to your bank account information, and even an outside source having control of your computer.
Antivirus 2009 is part of the Innovagest family of rogue anti-spyware. This family of rogue anti-spyware all behaves relatively the same: a Trojan to introduce the program; the pop-ups with the scare tactics; and then the bundled spyware, adware and malware. The Innovagest family of rogue anti-spyware is known as a rootkit virus. A rootkit digs into the root of your operating system and takes control of your functions. A good example of this is when your computer is used in denial-of-service attacks without your permission or knowledge.
Since Antivirus 2009 is a rootkit it can be difficult to remove. Traditionally, someone with a computer background would have to spend hours and hours digging around in the computer's registry looking for and removing Antivirus 2009 one file at a time. If any file is missed during this process, Antivirus 2009 reinstalls itself. So removal can be daunting, even for those advanced computer users.
Luckily, the anti-spyware community has come up with fixes for Antivirus 2009. Any good anti-spyware program will remove Antivirus 2009, the Trojan that led to its installation on your computer, and all the bundled spyware, malware and adware that came with the installation and updates of Antivirus 2009. The anti-spyware will then protect you from re-infection from the Trojan, the adware, spyware and malware, or Antivirus 2009.
How do you make sure that you have legitimate anti-spyware and not another rogue version, you ask? Another excellent question! Usually, the good programs will have a few awards. Some examples of legitimate awards are Tucows' Five Star Rating and WUGNET's Hall of Fame. There are quite a few more awards, so you really have to do a search on the award to make sure it is legitimate. That, my friends, is how you overcome a potentially devastating infection on your computer.