Today I’m removing (from an Acer laptop) a trojan called Win32.Renos. It causes false alerts on the desktop purporting to be from Windows. If you click on the alert, the trojan then downloads a rogue anti-spyware called Win SpyControl, AntiSpy Kit, and Virus Ranger.

The alert looks like this or some other warning:

This is a photo of the alert that Win32 Renos causes to pop-up on your desktop.

The rogue anti-spyware seems to be associated with the Zlob download trojan too and a web address http://www.safestarts.com/test/?c=440785. (Warning, don’t go to that site!!)

I removed it using Spy bot and Spyware Doctor.

Here’s what Microsoft says about this spyware. Microsoft associates Win32.renos with SpySheriff group of rogue anti-spyware products.

Whichever rogue anti-spyware Win32.renos is linked to, they all do the same thing. They attempt to get you to download and pay for bogus anti-spyware that is really spyware itself. This is fraud. It also infests your computer with lots of dangerous spyware.

Ducktoes to the rescue!! Please leave a comment if you have more to add about this problem or any questions.

This is a photo of the alert that Win32 Renos causes to pop-up on your desktop.