Multiple Programs – AFASRV32.EXE

Afasrv32.exe will appear in your Windows\System or System32 folder and will be described as the Afa Card Reader Service. Afa Technologies, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells integrated circuits for flash memory storage, I/O bridge/card readers, and mobile televisions. It offers performance controllers, which include USB flash disk, USB HUB, USB biometric reader, card reader, multifunction card reader, and flash card controllers; DVBT Afatech Demods; and power line communication products. Their website at http://www.afatech.com.tw was down at the time of this writing. But they made the driver software for card readers/writers from Digital Concepts and Sokar. One of our users found this file to install with the SimReader 51-in-1 Card Reader/Writer from Digital Concept. You'll find more information and additional supported card readers at http://www.sakar.com/thumbnails.aspx?categoryid=141. If you have this instance of the file, you can consider it safe.

We also found an unrelated, malicious program using a file by this name. Afasrv32.exe and sysguard.exe install with a variant of a rogue program called SysGuard. This program generates a popup warning that your PC is infected and offering a free scan. False positive results are generated and you're told you must buy the program to remove them. This file runs all the time and can't be easiliy deleted. You'll find more information at http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/rogue_w32_sysguard_d.shtml. We'd recommend removing these files using WinPatrol. First, kill them under Active Tasks then remove them from your Startup Programs or IE Helpers. To do so, right click each file then select "Delete file on Reboot". Finally, reboot your system then

Safe if AFA Tech Card Reader