Adware Punisher is a corrupt illegally distributed anti-spyware program. It is secretly installed to victim computers by various trojans and through certain web browser exploits. Once executed, Adware Punisher registers itself in the system and runs a payload. It blocks access to some web sites including security-related resources and displays a deceptive icon in the system tray, which says that the compromised computer is infected with dangerous parasites. The threat may also hijack the web browser, disable some Windows functions and change the desktop background. Adware Punisher uses false positives and therefore displays bogus scan reports. This malware can restore its removed components. Parasites that install Adware Punisher run on every Windows startup.