Hitman Pro
This program is very controversial so I'll discuss the program in this article so you can draw your own conclusions. Use the search option to find info about Hitman Pro, both negative and positive. The program has been reccomended by loads of websites but a lot of people experience problems while/after using HMP or when they're trying to remove HMP
Update May 2007: After contacting the authors of the 3rd party software hitman Pro has implemented, some interesting news has appeared. Though the maker of Hitman Pro, Mr. Loman, claims, in several articles, he does has agreement of all companies of the included products, he apparently has not. Below is a short overview of the responses so far:
- Lavasoft, the maker of Ad-Aware has NOT granted permission to implement their software. They'll be contacting Mr. Loman because they want to see some changes to the program before they will give him permissions. Those changes include, but are not limited to: removing the auto-install so users can choose where to install the software and read all license agreements; ensure users can choose where to install the program and customize the installation and icon are created for the program; let users gain control over the configuration process. Lavasoft is currently discussing these changes with Mr. Loman
- McAfee has NOT granted permission to implement their software, they were not aware their software was used. Currently McAfee will discuss the matter internally, no further comment was given
- Nod32 HAS granted permission to use their software.
- All other companies have not (yet) responded to our questions
Update April 2007: Hitman Pro 2.6 and RC 2.7.0.0 are available for download Off course we can keep on going criticizing HMP, but due to all critique Mark Loman, the author, has made a number of changes, which have greatly improved the program. Users have control over what is, and what isn't deleted
Update October 2006: Two good, and three bad issues have risen: Finally a small support section has been placed on the site of HMP and the maker finally admits HMP cannot and will not remove all spyware and it's traces and advices to use hijackthis when problems persist. Secondly, the bad news, the spy sweeper trial now lasts 7 days instead of the previous 14. And the list of all software controlled and installed by hmp seems to have 'disappeared' when updating the site of hmp, thus creting an untransparant image. Finally, at the bottom of each page a block of google adsense ads is shown, also showing commercials for some rogue spyware removers which do you more harm then good.
Hitman Pro is a collection of existing removal tools
- Ad-Aware SE 1.06 Personal(freeware), Plus and Pro (payware)
- CWShredder 2.19 (freeware)
- Ewido Micro (not displayed at the credit section on Hitmanpro website !!!)
- Flash player 9.0 (freeware)
- Microsoft Security Update KB912812 (obsolete due to Windows Update)
- Microsoft Security Update KB912919 (obsolete due to Windows Update)
- Microsoft Security Update KB925486 (obsolete due to Windows Update)
- NOD32 2.5 and 2.7 (trial)
- Superdat VirusScan (you need a McAfee primesupport license)
- Spy Sweeper 4.5 5.0 and 5.3(trial, loses functionality after 7 days)
- Spybot Search and Destroy 1.4 (freeware)
- Spyware Doctor 3.5 and 4.0 (only detects but doesn't remove malware)
- Spyware Blaster 3.5.1 (freeware)
- Sysclean (freeware)
The advantages/pro's:
- A lot of quality tools bundled in one program
- One click and your system is checked thoroughly
- Hitman Pro changes your default security settings, usefull when you don't know what to do (and don't read the tutorials on this site), useless when you can't access specific sites, or install programs due to these HMP actions, surfright, and don't know what caused it (now you do)
- At last a small support section has been added
The disadvantages/con's
- The creator didn't make any of the bundled software
- The program will, upon it's first scan, automatically download and install spyware and adware removers
- After the software is downloaded the install will be auto, so no way you can choose where the 3rd party software should be installed. You have no control over any of the installation options since everything is automated. Though this may be an advantage to the average user
- No desktop icons or startmenu folders are created for the 3rd party programs, thus disabling easy access to the 3rd party programs without using HMP
- You need to uncheck 'delete all found threats automatically' else harmless items might be deleted during the process
- The creator removed all donate banners from the freeware programs and asks for a donation himself, thus no credit for the real creators of the programs. Update: you can find small links to the donation pages of the creators of the freeware here
- The trial versions will expire and cease to work..
- Programs which are included, like CwShredder, made to remove certain CoolWebSearch infections, can damage your system when you're not infected with a Coolweb variant it can remove
- Spyware Doctor runs with the scan but doesn't remove any of the found infections
- Hitman Pro changes your default security settings, usefull when you don't know what to do (and don't read the tutorials on this site), useless when you can't access specific site due to these HMP actions and don't know what caused it (now you do)
- Hitman Pro still contains bugs causing a program crash, windows crash or even a crash during the deletion of registry files (ouch)
As you can see I'm not a fan of Hitman Pro for a number reasons. I could have left out this program from my listing but since it's quite popular I included it to inform people about the risks and, in my opinion, unethical way the creator is getting all the credit for programs created by others.
Download Hitman Pro (be carefull, allways make a backup before cleaning)
When you're so unfortunate to use HitmanPro and something went wrong (what can't) go here
Advice: Take a look at the range of programs/tools and utilities discussed on this site. Those programs are a lot safer to use, don't take credit for something the programmer didn't make and they are usually better compared to hitmanpro
Update: The link above used to point to a multilingual forum but they stopped support for HMP. Offical forum message/source (30-11-05): dutch english (short version)translated version below:
-----------------------Offical ASO Forum HMP Message, translated to English---------------------------
The managers of the ASO forum have decided to immediately stop supporting HMP.
We have several reasons for this decision.
For starters: the ASO-forum is, wrongly, seen as THE official HMP-forum which it isn’t. As a result visitors seem to think our crewmembers support HMP or even developed the program. This way crewmembers are held responsible for everything related to HMP, which they are not.
We hoped the visitors could distinguish the ASO-forum as a whole and the HMP-section but that didn’t happen.
Secondly, experience has shown using HMP will cause a lot of problems. All programs contain bugs, but the problems Hitman Pro causes, especially those created by the heuristic scanning, are too serious to be ignored. Legitimate files and even necessary system files are removed because they are in the ‘wrong’ folder, according to the creator of HMP. People panic when Alternate Data Streams are found while most of them are harmless, such as the thumbs.db file.
As a result of these problems the malware-experts of the ASO-forums in the Hijackthissection were spending most of their time solving problems not caused by malware but by HMP.
Thirdly, the malware-experts ranked ‘Qualified helpers’ are getting more and more frustrated when confronted with the problems and malfunction of HMP. A growing number of ‘clean’ Hijackthis logs are posted just because HMP ‘thinks’ it found something. Unfortunately HMP doesn’t report where the file is located and what should be the problem. Running all available tools, scanners etc. results in no malware found, sow e can conclude HMP is wrong. The Helpers are losing all their time solving problems created by HMP. This way they cannot dedicate their time to real infections.
As a fourth, crewmembers and qualified helpers, at least, some of them, disagree with HMP. Especially the removal of donation banners of implemented freeware and asking for a donation himself. It never ahs become clear to what extent the creator of HMP has been given permission by the companies whose products he bundled. He’s been asked many times but no satisfactory answer has been provided as yet.
Also, internationally, HMP has been heavily criticized for the same reason as above, taking credit others should get.
Fifthly, there is no cooperation possible between our helpers and the creator of HMP and cooperation in the future is hardly possible because an agreement could not be reached.
Both parties agreed on ‘departing’. Hopefully the official site www.hitmanpro.com will come up with a support forum ASAP.
This is not an intention to blacklist HMP, it’s a fact here have been differences between HMP and the crew of this forum. These have grown to big so it’s time to depart.
-----------------------Offical ASO Forum HMP Message, translated to English---------------------------
-------------------------Offical Hitmanpro Message, translated to English-------------------------------
Almelo, 30 november 2005
February 2005 the crew of ASO has asked Hitman Pro to setup up a cooperation. The users of HMP could go to the ASO forums for support by both the ASO crew and the creator of HMP.
Hitman Pro is surprised to see the sudden ending of this cooperation.
Hitman pro would like to respond to the above ASO message.
A number of people in the ASO crew doesn't want to be associated by HMP due to problems generated by the program and, people started asking HMP questions in forumsections not related to HMP.
People not recognizing certain sections not meant for HMP is not a lack caused by HMP.
The heuristicmodule in HMP is blamed for most problems, but it's the only program able to remove certain spyware. Though people can remove this spwyare using the programs themselves, like messenger plus, many users don't know where the ads came from or how to remove the spwyare.
Offcourse it's important that HMP won't remove legitimate files. In the past the heuristic module has deleted legit files in certain situations. When such a deletion is reported a investigation will be started to solve the problem. Most of the times the problem was removed because it didn't have a correct identification or because it behaved strangely. The new version 2.3.1 tries to prevent the finding of such fales positives.
Alternate Data Streams (ADS). ASO also tries to tell that removing all ADS will cause problems. This will not cause any since no applications that fully rely on ADS are known. Only on system environments running special indexservices thumbnails can be removed, though those will be recreated by the system itself. HMP has chosen to remove all ADS to be able to remove new, unknown, threats.HMP shows no reason in it's logs for removing the ADS and, apparently, a few members of the ASO crew were annoyed by the question of one of the users about the how and why. HMP regrets the fact non of the ASO members have informed HMP about their feelings. By the way, the qualified helpers in the HJT-section of the site are skilled in analyzing the hjtlogs but ADS will not by shown bij HJT by default.
A number of ASO people doubt whether HMP has permission to use the implemented products. HMP has contacted all producers last year and has reached agreements with all of them. Besides, the programs work the same way in the bundle as they would seperately. also, nowhere is told the sued products were made by HMP.
The producer of HMP has received a lot of donations from people who appreciated the program, besides ASO forum has also received a few alrge donations by HMP for their great work.
HMP regrets the end of the cooperation but will put up a faq and a place where users cana sk questions about the product.
HMP thanks ASO for their help and wishes them the best
-------------------------Offical Hitmanpro Message, translated to English-------------------------------