The following instructions have been created to help you to get rid of "PWS.LDPinchIE" manually.
Use this guide at your own risk; software should usually be better suited to remove malware, since it is able to look deeper.

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Threat Details:

Categories:
  • trojan

Description:
This trojan horse pretends to be an update for the Internet Explorer. It massively connects to the internet in background. It hijacks the host file to block security sites and redirects banking websites to a fixed IP address. The trojan downloads other malicious software and adds them to winlogon and system start. There are also services registered to have additional ways of starting the trojans. Variants start themselves in winlogon as "partnershipreg" without giving the user a possibility to cancel that process. Also user profile settings (desktop icons, mapped drives etc.) get deleted upon initial reboot.
Supposed Functionality:
Supposed to be an update for the Internet Explorer
Removal Instructions:

Autorun:

Please use Spybot-S&D, RunAlyzer or msconfig.exe to remove the following autorun entries.
  • Entries named "Key" and pointing to "<$LOCALSETTINGS>\Temp\93.exe".
  • Entries named "Service Pack 1" and pointing to "<$SYSDIR>\winupd_KB*.exe".
  • Entries named "RunOnce2Upd" and pointing to "*\ieupd2.exe?".

Files:

Please use Windows Explorer or another file manager of your choice to locate and delete these files.
  • The file at "<$COMMONDOCUMENTS>\Settings\desktop.ini".
  • The file at "<$COMMONDOCUMENTS>\Settings\partnership.dll".
  • The file at "c:\000001.tmp".
  • The file at "<$WINDIR>\temp.tpk".
  • The file at "<$SYSDIR>\temp.tpk".
  • A file with an unknown location named "temp.tpk".
  • The file at "<$LOCALSETTINGS>\Temp\92.tmp".
  • The file at "<$LOCALSETTINGS>\Temp\93.tmp".
  • The file at "<$LOCALSETTINGS>\Temp\94.tmp".
  • The file at "<$LOCALSETTINGS>\Temp\svchots.exe".
  • The file at "<$LOCALSETTINGS>\Temp\unready.tmp".
  • The file at "<$LOCALSETTINGS>\Temp\wnset.exe.bak".
  • The file at "<$WINDIR>\system32RunOnce2.t__".
  • The file at "<$WINDIR>\system32RunOnce2.tm_".
  • The file at "<$WINDIR>\tmp.log".
  • The file at "<$SYSDIR>\6_exception.nls".
  • The file at "<$SYSDIR>\crypt32net.dll".
  • The file at "<$SYSDIR>\kernel.dll".
  • The file at "<$SYSDIR>\main.sys".
  • The file at "<$SYSDIR>\rpcc1.dll".
  • The file at "<$SYSDIR>\RunOnce2.t__".
  • The file at "<$SYSDIR>\scardrv.exe".
  • The file at "<$SYSDIR>\system32.exe".
  • A file with an unknown location named "ldeag002[1]".
Make sure you set your file manager to display hidden and system files. If PWS.LDPinchIE uses rootkit technologies, use our RootAlyzer or our Total Commander anti-rootkit plugins.
You will have to use a global search for files without a name specified. Be extra careful, because just the name might not be enough to identify files!

Important: There are more files that cannot be safely described in simple words. Please use Spybot-S&D to remove them.

Folders:

Please use Windows Explorer or another file manager of your choice to locate and delete these folders.
  • The directory at "<$COMMONDOCUMENTS>\Settings".
Make sure you set your file manager to display hidden and system files. If PWS.LDPinchIE uses rootkit technologies, use our RootAlyzer or our Total Commander anti-rootkit plugins.
You will have to use a global search for files without a name specified. Be extra careful, because just the name might not be enough to identify folders!

Registry:

You can use regedit.exe (included in Windows) to locate and delete these registry entries.
  • Delete the registry key "partnershipreg" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\".
  • Delete the registry key "{8D5849A2-93F3-429D-FF34-260A2068897C}" at "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Stats\".
  • Delete the registry key "{2C1CD3D7-86AC-4068-93BC-A02304B20509}" at "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\".
  • Delete the registry key "{8D5849A2-93F3-429D-FF34-260A2068897C}" at "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\".
  • Delete the registry key "{8D5849A2-93F3-429D-FF34-260A2068897C}" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\".
  • Delete the registry key "crypt32net" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\".
  • Delete the registry key "partnershipreg" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\".
  • Delete the registry key "rpcc1" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\".
  • Delete the registry key "yayaaaw" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\".
  • Delete the registry key "EXAMPLE" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "EXAMPLE" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "EXAMPLE" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "kprof" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "kprof" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "kprof" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "NDnet1" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "NDnet1" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "NDnet1" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "Odw43" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "Odw43" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "Odw43" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "poof" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "poof" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "poof" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "RpcApi" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "RpcApi" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "RpcApi" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "Runtime" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "Runtime" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\".
  • Delete the registry key "Runtime" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\".
  • Delete the registry value "idstrf" at "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\".
  • Delete the registry value "Restore Operation" at "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run".
If PWS.LDPinchIE uses rootkit technologies, use our RegAlyzer, RootAlyzer or our Total Commander anti-rootkit plugins.

Final Words:

If neither Spybot-S&D nor self help did resolve the issue or you would prefer one on one help,
  1. Please read these instructions before requesting assistance,
  2. Then start your own thread in the Malware Removal Forum where a volunteer analyst will advise you as soon as available.