"Windows PC Defender" Malware, Malicious Site Reports

[SysAdMini]

http://security.thejoshmeister.com/2009/09/windows-pc-defender-malware-malicious.html

There's been a lot of fake ("rogue") antivirus malware in the wild, as I've mentioned previously.  Sometimes it's relatively easy to remove; just kill the process with Windows Task Manager (press Ctrl-Shift-Esc, click on the malicious process e.g. pav.exe, and click End Process) and then delete the offending executable file.  Yesterday I came across a new variant of "Windows PC Defender" and was surprised at how many changes it made to the system.  Not only were there HOSTS file and search engine modifications, but the malware also effectively disabled Windows Task Manager—and even McAfee VirusScan Enterprise, which unfortunately failed to detect the new malware.