Is spywarehelpcenter.com a reliable resource for malware removal?

Question

I am looking for a good resource for removing a spyware program Security Shield. I know that many resources claiming to offer help are actually just proponents of additional spyware.

The article I came across is at http://www.spywarehelpcenter.com/how-to-remove-security-shield-virus-virus-removal/ . Can I trust this advice and the files from this site? If not, where can I find reliable information on this topic?

Solution 1

More than likely, that site is little more than a turnkey affiliate site for StopZilla (the tool it recommends you download and install to remove the malware.) StopZilla is one of the more shady and untrustworthy of the non-rogue anti-malware applications out there. You'd be much better off with Malwarebytes Antimalware, SuperAntiSpyware, or just about anything other than StopZilla.

Like @KCotreau, suggested Bleeping Computer's self help guide is your best bet for doing it yourself or their malware help forum in case something goes wrong. Find Bleeping Computer's removal guide for Security Shield here: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-security-shield#first

Full disclosure: I'm a moderator at Bleeping Computer.

Solution 2

It appears to be a legitimate site (I Googled spywarehelpcenter.com scam with nothing significant returned), but they would not be my first choice at all.

I would run the following softwares to clean my computer: Malwarebytes, Superantispyware and Hitman Pro...all available virus-free at download.com.

A great resource for removal info is http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/

Their combofix is a very powerful tool that should be used as a last resource.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/combofix/how-to-use-combofix

Solution 3

It's a safe website but I'm not sure how reliable it is. From my experience I know that affiliated websites tend to add removal instructions without even testing them with suggested removal software. So you never know if the recommend tool will actually remove the virus. Hopefully, it will detect it. Otherwise, it's a waste of time. Usually, I if need to find some info about certain malware, I visit these websites:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/

http://deletemalware.blogspot.com

My favorite tool for regular system scan is Malwarebytes. However, I also use SUPERAntispyware and Hitman Pro.

Kudos!

Comments

[Andrew Lambert]

Combofix should only be run at the direction of someone who knows what to do if something goes wrong. Combofix can and does, on semi-rare occasions, rendered an infected OS unbootable.