Coupon.exe Threat Level:

Coupon.exe is a Trojan attached to a spoof McDonald’s email. Coupon.exe gets linked to from a fake McDonald’s email, subject line “McDonalds wishes you Merry Christmas!”

Sounds friendly, right?

Wrong.

Though Coupon.exe may allow a hacker to get very close and cozy with your PC — and likely all your personal and financial information.

Let me show you how to block Coupon.exe.

Do You Have Coupon.exe?

When you’re infected with badware — whether it’s Coupon.exe, spyware, adware, a Trojan, or a virus — there are a few key symptoms. Have you noticed…

• Slow computer performance: It just takes one parasite like Coupon.exe to slow your computer dramatically. If your PC takes longer than usual to reboot, or if your Internet connection is unusually slow, you may be infected with Coupon.exe.
• New desktop shortcuts or switched homepage: Badware like Coupon.exe may change your Internet settings to redirect your homepage to another site. Badware can even add desktop shortcuts to your PC.
• Annoying popups: Badware can bombard your computer with popup ads, even when you’re not online. Through these popups, you may be tricked into downloading more spyware.

How to Remove Coupon.exe Manually

Before we get started, you should backup your system and your registry, so it’ll be easy to restore your computer if anything goes wrong.

To remove Coupon.exe manually, you need to delete Coupon.exe files. Not sure how to delete Coupon.exe files? Click here, and I’ll show you. Otherwise, go ahead and…

Delete Coupon.exe files:

Coupon.exe reads:

From: giveaway@mcdonalds.com
Subject: McDonalds wishes you Merry Christmas!
I’m going to McDonalds’
McDonald’s is proud to present our latest discount menu.
Simply print the coupon from this Email and head to your local McDonald’s for FREE giveaways and AWESOME savings.

You don’t have a flash plugin installed or a javascript enabled.

Corporate McDonald’s | Facts about McDonald’s | Podcasts | Voice

Note: In any Coupon.exe files I mention above, “%UserProfile%” is a variable referring to your current user’s profile folder. If you’re using Windows NT/2000/XP, by default this is “C:\Documents and Settings\[CURRENT USER]” (e.g., “C:\Documents and Settings\JoeSmith”). If you have any questions about manual Coupon.exe removal, go ahead and leave a comment.

How Do You Remove Coupon.exe Files?

Need help figuring out how to delete Coupon.exe files? While there’s some risk involved, and you should only manually remove Coupon.exe files if you’re comfortable editing your system, you’ll find it’s fairly easy to delete Coupon.exe files in Windows.

How to delete Coupon.exe files in Windows XP and Vista:

1. Click your Windows Start menu, and then click “Search.”
2. A speech bubble will pop up asking you, “What do you want to search for?” Click “All files and folders.”
3. Type a Coupon.exe file in the search box, and select “Local Hard Drives.”
4. Click “Search.” Once the file is found, delete it.

How to stop Coupon.exe processes:

1. Click the Start menu, select Run.
2. Type taskmgr.exe into the the Run command box, and click “OK.” You can also launch the Task Manager by pressing keys CTRL + Shift + ESC.
3. Click Processes tab, and find Coupon.exe processes.
4. Once you’ve found the Coupon.exe processes, right-click them and select “End Process” to kill Coupon.exe.

How to remove Coupon.exe registry keys:

Because your registry is such a key piece of your Windows system, you should always backup your registry before you edit it. Editing your registry can be intimidating if you’re not a computer expert, and when you change or a delete a critical registry key or value, there’s a chance you may need to reinstall your entire system. Make sure your backup your registry before editing it.

1. Select your Windows menu “Start,” and click “Run.” An “Open” field will appear. Type “regedit” and click “OK” to open up your Registry Editor.
2. Registry Editor will open as a window with two panes. The left side Registry Editor’s window lets you select various registry keys, and the right side displays the registry values of the registry key you select.
3. To find a registry key, such as any Coupon.exe registry keys, select “Edit,” then select “Find,” and in the search bar type any of Coupon.exe’s registry keys.
4. As soon as Coupon.exe registry key appears, you can delete the Coupon.exe registry key by right-clicking it and selecting “Modify,” then clicking “Delete.”

How to delete Coupon.exe DLL files:

1. First locate Coupon.exe DLL files you want to delete. Open your Windows Start menu, then click “Run.” Type “cmd” in Run, and click “OK.”
2. To change your current directory, type “cd” in the command box, press your “Space” key, and enter the full directory where the Coupon.exe DLL file is located. If you’re not sure if the Coupon.exe DLL file is located in a particular directory, enter “dir” in the command box to display a directory’s contents. To go one directory back, enter “cd ..” in the command box and press “Enter.”
3. When you’ve located the Coupon.exe DLL file you want to remove, type “regsvr32 /u SampleDLLName.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 /u jl27script.dll”) and press your “Enter” key.

That’s it. If you want to restore any Coupon.exe DLL file you removed, type “regsvr32 DLLJustDeleted.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 jl27script.dll”) into your command box, and press your “Enter” key.

Did Coupon.exe change your homepage?

1. Click Windows Start menu > Control Panel > Internet Options.
2. Under Home Page, select the General > Use Default.
3. Type in the URL you want as your home page (e.g., “http://www.homepage.com”).
4. Select Apply > OK.
5. You’ll want to open a fresh web page and make sure that your new default home page pops up.

Coupon.exe Removal Tip

Is your computer acting funny after deleting any Coupon.exe files? I recommend using a program like File Recover from PC Tools. File Recover saves deleted files that otherwise can’t be recovered by Windows operating sytem.

Want to save time finding Coupon.exe files? Download Spyware Doctor, let it find the Coupon.exe files for you, and then manually delete Coupon.exe files.

How Did You Get Coupon.exe?

Wondering how Coupon.exe ended up on your PC? If you’re infected with Coupon.exe or other badware, perhaps you were using…

• Freeware or shareware: Did you download and install shareware or freeware? These low-cost or free software applications may come bundled with spyware, adware, or programs like Coupon.exe. Sometimes adware is attached to the free software to “pay” developers for the cost of creating the software, and more often spyware is secretly attached to free software to harm your computer and steal your personal and financial information.
• Peer-to-peer software: Do you use a peer-to-peer (P2P) program or other application with a shared network? When you use these applications, you put your system at risk for unknowingly downloading an infected file, including applications like Coupon.exe.
• Questionable websites: Did you visit a website that’s of questionable nature? When you visit malicious sites that are fishy and phishy, badware may be automatically downloaded and installed onto your computer, sometimes including applications like Coupon.exe. I recommend you use Firefox web browser, if you don’t already.

Understanding Coupon.exe

If you’re infected with Coupon.exe, you should know what you’re fighting. I’ll explain some definitions related to Coupon.exe.

Coupon.exe May Be a Backdoor

“Backdoor” describes a parasite that gets past your system’s normal means of authentication, remotely accesses your PC, or otherwise enters your system without being detected. Trojans and worms often use backdoor methods to access your computer and steal your personal and financial information and/or install more malware into your PC.

Coupon.exe May Be a Trojan

Trojans install themselves secretly onto your computer, most often through your downloading a simple email attachment (often Trojans pose as harmless pictures). Most Trojans are able to gain complete control over your PC after installation. With this control, the Trojan and the hacker behind it may change your system settings, delete important files, steal your passwords, and watch your computer acitivity.

Infection Methods of Coupon.exe and Other Trojans

Most Trojans infect your computer by tricking you into launching an infected file. This poisoned file could disguised as a small file, such as a jpeg or other email attachment, or it might be downloaded via a website or FTP.

• Email: Your PC may be infected with a Trojan when you download infected email attachments, or sometimes even when you simply open an email. Many Trojans exploit security holes in Microsoft Outlook. You may be able to reduce your chances of getting infected by a Trojan by using a spam-blocking software.
• Websites: Your PC may be infected with a Trojan when you visit a rogue site. Many Trojans exploit security holes in Internet Explorer web browser so that by simply visiting a website you may unknowingly download a Trojan.
• Open ports: If your computer runs programs that provide file-sharing functions – such as AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), MSN Messenger, and more – you may open your computer up to vulnerabilities. Using file sharing through these applications may create a network that gives attackers the opportunity to remotely access your computer.