How to Uninstall StopingSpy Malware

One of the most evil programs in the family of Trojans is a program called StopingSpy. StopingSpy is a scareware form of malware. It convinces you that it is a legitimate application and that your computer is riddled with virus infections. The creators of this software intended to make it very believable, so it uses the names of actual harmful software to help convince you that it is genuine. What's more, it convinces your anti-virus software that it is harmless.

StopingSpy began with false advertisements complete with fake reviews claiming it would give you a free scan of your system. You would then install the software, believing it was a genuine virus-scan application. Once installed, it wreaked havoc on your system, making false claims of infestation. You were then prompted to remove these fake infections by buying the full version of the product.

If you have been infested with StopingSpy, we'll guide you through the removal process.

Identify the Problem

Make sure that you are actually infected with StopingSpy before going through these steps. Many malicious applications use the same protocol of giving you false messages regarding the status of your computer. They make claims that your system is sick and that you must buy their product in order to make it well again. StopingSpy will have that specific name on any browser windows it opens.

Stop the Processes

You will not be able to remove the problem as long as it is active on your system. It runs in the background and will prevent anti-virus scans or downloads. The first step in regaining your computer is to stop the process created by this malware.

To stop the processes, follow these steps:

1. 1. Open your Windows Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del on your keyboard.
2. 2. Go to the Processes tab.
3. 3. Find a process labeled stopingspy.exe.
4. 4. Right click on that process and select End Process.

That has stopped the active monitoring of the malware, but it is not gone. If you were to restart your computer at this point, you would still have the infection.

Delete the Registry Entries

The reason your computer is still be infected is that the malware has put several scripts into your computer that tell your computer to start it along with everything else on your system. To get these out, follow these steps:

1. 1. Click on the Start menu at the bottom, left-hand corner of your screen.
2. 2. Click on Run.
3. 3. In the box that appears, type "regedit." This is the registry editor for your computer.
4. 4. Find and delete all these files. Make sure you only delete these files:
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run stopingspy
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy automaticstartup
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy enablescheduledscan
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy hscheduledscan
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy mscheduledscan
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy previous
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy previousmark
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy uninstall
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy\scan
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy\scan automaticdeletion
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy\system security
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\stopingspy\updates
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall\stopingspy
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall\stopingspy displayicon
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall\stopingspy displayname
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall\stopingspy helplink
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall\stopingspy uninstallstring
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall\stopingspy urlinfoabout
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run stopingspy

Now your registry is clean. The malware is no longer intertwined with your computer's boot procedure.

Delete the Reinstallation Files

Now that your machine is clean, you need to make sure it stays that way. You must now find and remove all these files from your machine. They can usually be found by doing a search on your computer.

• stopingspysetup.exe
• stopingspy.exe
• stopingspysetup.exe
• uninstall.exe
• %desktopdirectory%\stopingspy.lnk
• %program_files%\stopingspy\stopingspy.exe
• %program_files%\stopingspy\stopingspy.lic
• %program_files%\stopingspy\stopingspy0.dll
• %program_files%\stopingspy\stopingspy0.ip
• %program_files%\stopingspy\stopingspy1.dll
• %program_files%\stopingspy\stopingspy1.ip
• %program_files%\stopingspy\stopingspy3.dll
• %program_files%\stopingspy\uninstall.exe
• %programs%\stopingspy\stopingspy.lnk
• %programs%\stopingspy\uninstall.lnk
• %program_files%\stopingspy\stopingspy3.dll
• %program_files%\stopingspy\stopingspy1.dll
• %program_files%\stopingspy\stopingspy0.dll
• %program_files%\stopingspy\stopingspy.exe
• %program_files%\stopingspy\uninstall.exe stopingspysetup.exe

Congratulations. You just removed StopingSpy.

Prevent Re-infection

Now that you have a clean computer, you will need to install good anti-virus software. Once you have installed a security application, run a full scan and set up your preferences for ongoing protection.

You are now bug free. Be careful in the future, and be safe.

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