Should I remove Spy Guard?
What percent of users and experts removed it?
82% remove it18% keep it
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #40,961
United States Rank #31,239
Reach 0.0023%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 9.11 days
268.74 days >
Average installed length: 141.20 days
Versions
Version | Distribution |
2.6.61 |
17.39% |
|
2.6.58 |
23.91% |
|
2.6.43 |
4.35% |
|
2.6.27 |
8.70% |
|
2.6.24 |
6.52% |
|
2.6.22 |
15.22% |
|
2.6.19 |
10.87% |
|
2.6.17 |
13.04% |
|
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Rankings
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Spy Guard
from Big Water Applications, LLC
What is Spy Guard?
This is an adware web browser extension. From the publisher's site: "In some cases, we may display product offers during your installation process. Of course, you will have the ability to accept or pass on these offers. We try our very best to make sure any product offering follows best practices and actually provides something of value to you."
About (from Big Water Applications)
Spy Guard is entirely free to use. In order to keep Spy Guard free, we've partnered with high-quality ad providers and you may see additional ads when Spy Guard is installed. We do not allow any really annoying ads, sexual content, or intrusive media; we've only partnered with high-quality ad providers to deliver the b... Read more
Overview
The most common release is 2.6.58, with over 98% of all installations currently using this version. It adds a Browser Helper Object (BHO) to Internet Explorer. The primary executable is named common.dll. A majority of users end up uninstalling this less than a week of it being installed. The setup package generally installs about 3 files and is usually about 2.56 MB (2,679,409 bytes).
- Malware detected in the program
- Integrates into the web browser
- Known to reinstall itself
- Typically distributed through a pay-per-install bundle
- The experts agree, you should remove it!
Warning, multiple anti-virus scanners have detected possible malware in Spy Guard.
common.dll (d5398fdb0ee4ed2fc2b7c9f480ad7074) has been flagged by the following 3 scanners: |
Anti-Virus software | Version | Detection |
Dr.Web |
9.0.0.09 |
Adware.Plugin.36 |
ESET-NOD32 |
8.8860 |
a variant of Win32/ExFriendAlert.B |
Kingsoft AntiVirus |
331020.49267 |
Win32.Troj.Generic.a.(kcloud) |

Spy Guard has been found to be bundled with 3rd party software. If you have not purposefully installed this, you should be safe uninstalling it.
Program details
URL: www.spyguardapp.com
Help link: www.spyguardapp.com/about.html
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\spyguard
Uninstaller: C:\Program Files\SpyGuard\uninstall.exe /kb=y
Estimated size: 2.56 MB
Files installed by Spy Guard
Program module: | common.dll (Malware detected) |
Name: | Spy Guard |
Path: | C:\Program Files\spyguard\IE\common.dll |
MD5: | d5398fdb0ee4ed2fc2b7c9f480ad7074 |
Additional files:
Behaviors exhibited
Internet Explorer BHO
- common.dll is installed in Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser Helper Object) under the name 'Spy Guard' with the class of {44ed99e2-16a6-4b89-80d6-5b21cf42e78b}.
How do I remove Spy Guard?
You can uninstall Spy Guard from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
- On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
- Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
- When you find the program Spy Guard, click it, and then do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
- Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
- Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove Spy Guard.
- If for some reason uninstallation fails, please install Microsoft's uninstall fixer utility which will help fix problems with programs that can't be uninstalled at support.microsoft.com.
How do I reset my web browser?
If your web browser homepage and search settings have been modfied by Spy Guard you can restore them to their previous default settings.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Open Internet Explorer and click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
- Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset. Select the Delete personal settings check box if you would also like to remove search providers, Accelerators and home pages. When Internet Explorer finishes applying default settings, click Close, and then click OK.
- The changes will take effect the next time you open IE.
Mozilla Firefox
- At the top of the Firefox window, click the Firefox button, go over to the Help sub-menu and select Troubleshooting Information.
- To continue, click Reset Firefox in the confirmation window that opens. It will close and be reset.
- When it's done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click Finish and Firefox will open.
Google Chrome
- Open Chrome and click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar.
- Select Settings. In the "Search" section, click Manage search engine. Check if (Default) is displayed next to your preferred search engine. If not, mouse over it and click Make default. Mouse over any other suspicious search engine entries that are not familiar and click X to remove them.
- When the "Show Home button" checkbox is selected, a web address appears below it. If you want the Homepage button to open up a different webpage, click Change to enter a link.
- Restart Google Chrome.
OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 50%
Win XP 2%
|
|
USER ACTIONS
 |
Uninstall it 82%
Keep it 18%
|
|
|
GLOBAL RANK
#40,961
|
Windows
Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
Windows 7 |
52.17% |
|
Windows 10 |
17.39% |
|
Windows XP |
15.22% |
|
Windows Vista |
15.22% |
|
Which OS releases does it run on? |
Windows 7 Home Premium |
31.11% |
|
Microsoft Windows XP |
15.56% |
|
Windows 7 Ultimate |
11.11% |
|
Windows 8 |
8.89% |
|
Windows Vista Home Premiu... |
8.89% |
|
Windows 7 Professional |
6.67% |
|
Geography
68.33% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
United States |
68.33% |
United Kingdom |
21.67% |
Germany |
3.33% |
Australia |
3.33% |
France |
1.67% |
Philippines |
1.67% |
PC manufacturers
What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
Dell |
35.56% |
|
Acer |
22.22% |
|
Hewlett-Packard |
17.78% |
|
Medion |
6.67% |
|
Toshiba |
6.67% |
|
Samsung |
2.22% |
|
Compaq |
2.22% |
|
Lenovo |
2.22% |
|
ASUS |
2.22% |
|
GIGABYTE |
2.22% |
|
Common models |
Dell Latitude E6400 |
4.88% |
|
TOSHIBA Satellite L775 |
2.44% |
|
Samsung 300E4C/300E5C/300... |
2.44% |
|
MEDION MS-7797 |
2.44% |
|
Dell OptiPlex 745 ... |
2.44% |
|
Dell MM061 |
2.44% |
|