Zinaps – Do Not Install It!

With the direction that technology is headed today, it’s inevitable that we’ll get people creating programs with bad intentions. Hackers have been notorious for creating viruses and spyware programs that are created solely for causing destruction to a user’s computer. Unfortunately, destruction is not the worst side effect of these programs. Identity theft is a major, growing problem from these types of malware. One prime example of this type of program is zinaps. This program will install itself onto your computer, without your consent by the help of a Trojan. If you go on the internet and download some form of free software or free music from an unknown source, there is a good chance a Trojan was downloaded also. Zinaps installs a trial version of itself onto your computer and then sends you a completed scan with a list of false virus infections. This is supposed to encourage the users to go to the zinaps website and download the full version, after paying for it of course.

No matter how many popups you may receive that warn you of infections do not download the software. Once it’s on your computer it will slow your computer down due to the resources needed to run the popups and notifications. In the background meanwhile zinaps will be watching your every move, monitoring your browsing history, keystrokes etc and then sending that information to a paid source. What that source does with that information is endless, but chances are it can lead to identity theft. If you believe zinaps has been installed on your computer, here are the directions you can follow to remove it manually:

Uninstall Program
Go to Start --> Settings --> Control Panel
Double-click on Add/Remove Programs
Find and uninstall Zinaps

Stop processes
Go to Start --> Run --> type taskmgr
Select the Processes tab and look for the following process under Image Name:
Zinaps7.exe
Select the name and click on “End Process”

Unregister registry keys
Go to Start -->Run
Type “regedit” and then press OK
Right click on the files below and select “Delete”
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run Zinap
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run Zinaps
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\”Zinaps7? = “C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Zinaps7\Zinaps7.exe /MIN”

Remove Files
Go to Start --> My Computer --> Local Disk (C:) --> Program Files --> Show the contents of this folder.
Zinaps7.exe
%UserProfile%\\Application Data\\Zinaps7\\Zinaps7.exe
%UserProfile%\\Application Data\\Zinaps7\\settings.ini
%UserProfile%\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Zinaps7\\Uninstall Zinaps Anti-Spyware 7.0.lnk
%UserProfile%\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Zinaps7\\Zinaps Anti-Spyware 7.0.lnk

If your homepage has been changed
Type in the address of your desired homepage in your browser
Go to Start --> Control Panel --> Internet Options --> click on the General --> click Use Current under Home Page

Your best long term option for dealing with problems like zinaps is to use a trusted antispyware to remove it. You of course can attempt to remove it on your own but you make yourself vulnerable to many problems by doing so yourself. If you have a trusted antispyware program that can do this for you, then not only will it remove any existing spyware on your computer but it will also protect you from any future attempts to install onto your computer.