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major_tom
Contributor
Message 1 of 3

Security System 2009

Hi

I have the latest Mcafee Total Protection running on a 18 month old windows XP SP3 pc. I regularly get updates and perform weekly full scans.

Last Sunday I acquired a virus know as "Security System 2009" (but it also has other names). My Mcafee anti virus protection did not detect this virus even with antivirus & spyware on! This virus prevents any user action after boot up and displays worrying wallpaper . I searched the internet from another pc and found as much as I could about it, In particular Spyware and Malware bytes both looked  a safe means of solving my problem. This proved to be the case and I successfully managed to clean the infected pc after a simple download and installation process. Unfortunately I am now experiencing scan issues relating to conflict(s) between Mcafee and the recently installed products. Browsing this site it appears to be a well documented issue but I note that many others also have scanning issues.

Whilst I appear to have solved my problem using my own initative (and time) I never the less have 2 specific questions....

1) Why didn't Mcafee protect me against this virus?

2) Why should I renew my Mcafee subscription (due soon) when it seems I am better protected by other antivirus products?

Thanks in advance for any response.

Chris.

2 Replies
ConorD62
Former Member
Message 2 of 3

Re: Security System 2009

Hi,

Most Fake Anti Viruses are hard to get rid of, And most Anti Viruses advise to use Malwarebytes and SuperANTISpyware.

Malwarebytes is NOT an Anti Virus and is very good at detecting malware because it is dedicated to dealing with malware.

Thanks.


major_tom
Contributor
Message 3 of 3

Re: Security System 2009

Hi

Thanks for your prompt reply.....more questions I'm afraid!

Should I conclude that Mcafee does not detect Fake Anti Viruses?

Also, when first encountering a virus how should users determine whether it is fake or not? Surely not that Mcafee has failed to detect it!

Please note that I was fortunate in that I had immediate access to the internet on a second uninfected pc so I was able to get quick answers. Other users may operate from just a single pc .

Your reply seems to suggest that having more than one AV product may be the answer. But, as is well documented, Mcafee does not work correctly when installed along with other AV package(s).

 

Sticking with Mcafee at the moment but my confidence in the product has been severely shaken.

Regards

Chris.

PS For the benefit of others my investigations have revealed that this virus (and its clones) are also known as "System Security 2009", "Personal Antivirus", "Total Security 2009", "Windows Police PRO" and "Advanced Virus Remover".

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