Earth Antivirus

14 July 2010 Rogue 0 Comment

Earth Antivirus is a program that was categorized as rogue due to its unpleasant behavior once installed on the computer. This threat will produce pop-up alerts that contain misleading information of security threats found on the system. It will then prompt to remove the infection by purchasing the registered version of the program. It will also modify system files and registry that will allow itself to run every time Windows starts to load. This will give Earth Antivirus the opportunity to perform malicious acts including the following:

• The virus will disable antivirus programs and open-up Internet communication.
• It will block access to security web sites to prevent user from downloading removal tool.
• It will block execution of any programs. It will display a message that the executable file is infected with malware if user attempts to run it.

Remove Earth Antivirus as soon as you see any signs and symptom on the computer. Timely disinfection will avoid further damage and prevent itself to spread on other systems. A trusted anti-malware program is enough to get rid of this useless application. Next time, keep away from unknown web sites. Be cautious when downloading executable files from the Internet to avert future infections of rogue antivirus programs.

Earth Antivirus Screen Shot:

Technical Details and Additional Information:

Damage Level: Medium

Systems Affected: Windows 9x, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7

Malware Behavior
It is common to rogue antivirus software to promote self as authentic security product. This is where Earth Antivirus differs. It endorses itself as environment friendly software. In fact, it carries a slogan “Stay Protected, Care of Earth” on its console. During its stay on the computer, the virus will give unpleasant experience to users. It means to obstruct the operation by providing alerts and fake messages.

Added Registry Entries:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Earth AV
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Earth AV"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Earth

Associated Files and Folders:

%Documents and Settings%\All Users\Application Data\EarthAV.exe
%Documents and Settings%\All Users\Desktop\Earth AV.lnk
%Documents and Settings%\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Earth AV

1. Stop Earth Antivirus process by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard. It will open Windows Task Manager. Look for the following and click on End Process.
EarthAV.exe

2. You need to update your installed antivirus software. Please connect to the Internet and download the most recent database. This is a one-click process from your AV program’s console.
3. Run a full system scan. You must clean all detected files. If cleaning is not possible, you may delete or quarantine the item.

4. Edit your Windows registry. Find and delete Earth Antivirus entries as shown in the registry section. [how to edit registry]
5. Exit registry editor when you are done.

6. Remove Earth Antivirus start-up entry by going to Start > Run. Type msconfig on the "Open" dialog box. System Configuration Utility will open. Go to Startup tab and remove the check mark on the following items.
EarthAV.exe
7. Click Apply and restart Windows.

Earth Antivirus Removal Tool

In order to remove the threat completely, you need to download and run Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. This is a free malware removal tool. If Trojan infection blocks the downloading of this program, get it using a clean computer. Rename the executable file before executing on the infected PC.

Online Virus Scanner

Another way to remove a virus without the need to buy extra anti-virus software is to do a system check thorough Online Virus Scanner. This tool is available on official web sites of several anti-virus maker.