Complete Total

Complete Total

Total Protect 2009 Doesn't Protect Anything

Hailing from Mother Russia, here comes Total Protect 2009, one of the newest rogue security tools.  These things just don't seem to quit.  By its name, Total Protect2009 vaguely resembles a legitimate security tool called Total Protection 2009.  It may trip up people who had heard of this program, but let me assure you that they're nothing alike—not even in appearance.

Total Protect 2009, just like many other programs, belongs to the class of malware called rogue security tools.  They are essentially a bundle of spyware programs designed to trick you into buying a shell scanner program.  They do this by emulating a security program which appears out of nowhere and offers a “free†unsolicited scan of your computer.

Just like all the others, Total Protect 2009 is downloaded from corrupted Web sites.  The downloader program for it, probably either Zlob or Vundo, hides on these pages disguised as a video codec.  When you download it, all the security measures on your computer are bypassed, and Total Protect 2009 gets downloaded.

Total Protect 2009's pop up warning screen isn't all that clever.  It looks like it is probably trying to pretend as though it's a Windows mini process.  If you've seen a genuine security tool at work, you would at least think that this program is cheap in design.  As a matter of fact, it probably is.

Total Protect 2009 pretends that it's scanning your computer for infected files.  It's actually not doing anything of the sort.  It's counting your temp files and labeling them as being infected.  It will never say that your computer is clean.  After all, this is how they rope you into the sales page.

Once Total Protect 2009 is done with the scan, you get the apparent choice to get the full version.  You actually get no choice, since if you click on this pop-up, you will be taken directly to  www.totalprotect2009.com.  This is the sales page for their so-called product.

If you managed to get this far with the Total Protect 2009 infection, this is where you should stop.  The asking price alone isn't worth it, since there are many effective, real security programs out there much cheaper than that.  What you get for your purchase is simply a junk program.  It will perform a scan on your computer, but that's about it—unless it downloads more spyware.

The worst part of this whole scheme is if you give up your credit card information, you're completely at their mercy.  These are corrupt people we're talking about.  Who says they can't take all of your money?  I can tell you this:  There is no law enforcement agency in the U.S. that can touch them.  Once you give up your money, count it as gone.

So naturally, whether or not you bought the program, you're going to need to get rid of the spyware.  You will probably need to get rid of your old spyware and replace it if you got Total Protect 2009.  Be picky, look for 100% removal guarantees.  Everyone claims to be the best, but this search term will narrow your options down a lot.

About the Author

Carl runs a site devoted to helping you rid your computer from all sorts of spyware and malware at http://www.spyzooka.com/

Wes Borland for Total Guitar COMPLETE