Manual Removal Guide for AstaKiller

The following instructions have been created to help you to get rid of "AstaKiller" 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 startup entry is started automatically and copies more files to the windows system folder. It installs a Toolbar in IE-Explorer. Also it always connects to the internet without giving the user a possibility to cancel that process. It downloads Avenue A, Command Service, Network Monitor, Smitfraud-C, Smitfraud-C.Toolbar888, Targettsaver,Downloader.Tsupdate.L, Zlob-Familie, Look2Me_RG etc.

Removal Instructions:

Installed Software List:

You can try to uninstall products with the names listed below; for items identified by other properties or to avoid malware getting active again on uninstallation, use Spybot-S&D or RunAlyzer to locate and get rid of these entries.

• Products that have a key or property named "Cowabanga".

Files:

Please use Windows Explorer or another file manager of your choice to locate and delete these files.

• The file at "<$PROGRAMS>\Games\Cowabanga.lnk".
• The file at "<$PROGRAMFILES>\Cowabanga\Cowabanga.exe".
• A file with an unknown location named "page.htm".
• The file at "<$PROGRAMS>\Games\Cowabanga.lnk".
• The file at "<$PROGRAMFILES>\Cowabanga\Cowabanga.exe".
• The file at "<$PROGRAMFILES>\Cowabanga\License.txt".
• The file at "<$PROGRAMFILES>\Cowabanga\uninstaller.exe".
• The file at "<$PROGRAMS>\Games\Cowabanga.lnk".
• The file at "<$SYSDIR>\ssqonol.dll".
• The file at "<$SYSDIR>\winghy32.dll".

Make sure you set your file manager to display hidden and system files. If AstaKiller 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 "<$PROGRAMFILES>\Cowabanga".
• The directory at "<$PROGRAMFILES>\Cowabanga".
• The directory at "<$COMMONPROGRAMFILES>\{44D228D9-0969-1031-0729-050031}".

Make sure you set your file manager to display hidden and system files. If AstaKiller 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 "{14D228D9-0969-1031-0729-050729050031}" at "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\".
• Delete the registry key "{14D228D9-0969-1031-0729-050729050031}" at "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\".
• Delete the registry key "MezziaCodec.Chl" at "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\".
• Delete the registry key "Cowabanga" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\".
• Delete the registry key "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-100005000004}" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Code Store Database\Distribution Units\".
• Delete the registry key "{CBCC61FA-0221-4ccc-B409-CEE865CACA3A}" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\".
• Delete the registry value "{CBCC61FA-0221-4ccc-B409-CEE865CACA3A}" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar\".

If AstaKiller 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.