# Computer Virus Help!



## YOUNG_TRADER (29 November 2006)

Hi guys,

Well my reliable PC has finally been infected with a virus and it was my partners fault as she installed one of those music downloading things.


Anyway I've got Ad-Aware and AVG Anti-Virus but neither of them are picking up the problem,

I also today installed something called Spyware which is picking up a Trojan Horse but won't clean it unless I buy the program (ie I could only download the free trial scan version)

Why isn't Ad-Aware or AVG picking up this Trojan Horse?


It won't let me run PT, or access any website that I don't have under my favourites, I can't access, google, yahoo, ninemsn, commsec, commbank, etc etc 

Yet I can access ASF weird huh?

It seems like only 1 small virus so any tips?


----------



## CanOz (29 November 2006)

Try to search for any recent .exe files. its a manual way for looking for a virus but it is how our support guy here found the last one.


----------



## marklar (29 November 2006)

YOUNG_TRADER said:
			
		

> It seems like only 1 small virus so any tips?



Pay for decent software to clean it, or reinstall from original media after backing up whatever you can of your data.

If you are paranoid, reinstall it without taking soft copies of any of your data (ie printouts only).

If you are truly paranoid, don't use Microsoft products   

m.


----------



## ezyTrader (29 November 2006)

Have you checked for new definition lists in AVG and adaware? If not, give that a go first. Then run a full scan with AVG first, then adaware.


----------



## It's Snake Pliskin (29 November 2006)

YOUNG_TRADER said:
			
		

> Hi guys,
> 
> Well my reliable PC has finally been infected with a virus and it was my partners fault as she installed one of those music downloading things.
> 
> ...




I find Adaware very good. It picks up things my Norton(paid) service doesn't.

Get rid of that trojan!


----------



## spooly74 (29 November 2006)

I`ve always found that with free music programs you generally pick up some unwanted crap.

If you press Control-alt-delete to open up windows task manager and  press the process tab button you will get a list of running processes on your computer.

If you see some strange names with large memory usage just type the name into a search at www.symantec.com 
They might a step by step removal process
or
get Nortons and Spyware Doctor and keep em updated....about $100 for both
good luck


----------



## noobs (29 November 2006)

I am also a computer tech by night YT - Here are some options

1. If you are running Windows XP you should be able to revert back to a previous system restore point b4 you had problems. Do do this go to control panel/system/system restore and choose a restore point to revert back too. You won;t loose any data you have entered or modified since than just changes to the system settings.

2. If you are not running XP or do not have system restore turned on than you will have to attempt to remove the problem. The most common cause of this is WIN Anti-Virus which comes under many other variants. Make sure you have the most update AVG & Ad aware definitions. Also download a spyware removal program called spybot search and destroy (type it into Googel) 
- Install and update + Immunize. After these 3 programs are up to date you can attempt to get rid of the problem:

1.1 start the PC into safe mode - Tapping F8 on startup will do this and choose safe mode.
1.2 once in there run scans with the 3 programs idenified above and delete anything they find. Restart and see if you still have problems if so post a reply in this thread.

Hope this helps.

Also it sounds like you don;t have a firewall installed - A major problem and cause of your dilemma. You can download Zone Alarm Firewalll for free and it is fantastic - www.zonelabs.com


----------



## carmo (29 November 2006)

Never let your partner near the PC again!


----------



## nioka (29 November 2006)

Check to see if spyware is compatable with your other antivirus. I once downloaded spyware and it treated updates on my other anti virus as a virus. I had to reload windows to get out of trouble.?????


----------



## hissho (29 November 2006)

NOD32 is an excellent anti-virus product, much better than some big-name products.

But i'll show you an alternative way to get around this PITA(pain in the a**) later today; haven't got enough time atm...

cheers
hissho


----------



## Plan B (29 November 2006)

hissho said:
			
		

> NOD32 is an excellent anti-virus product, much better than some big-name products.




Another vote for NOD32 here..... A couple of computer techs that i know recommended it to me and i certainly haven't had any trouble since its been installed.

Although i would recommend getting 2 computers, 1 for play & 1 for trading etc.


----------



## Mumbank (29 November 2006)

Firstly, Noobs, that's great information, I've printed it out for if and when I am in a dilemna which is usually on a Sunday when no-one at hlep desks wants to talk.

Secondly, YT I recently upgraded from the free version of AVG to the paid for full version and WOW what a difference.  Each day on the daily scans it finds much more than the free version did, but that may be because it includes spyware, cookies etc but I have noticed at least 1 virus daily going ito the virus vault.

You didn't say whether you had the full version or the free one, but the full version is worth it, I find it better than Norton.  

Good luck and let us know how you get rid of the Trojan.


----------



## Prospector (29 November 2006)

I had a virus I think came in on YouTube!  That seemed to be about the right timing.  And I have never had a virus come in on the P2P - eg Limewire.

Some of the anti-virus detectors on the internet that find a virus, then you have to pay to remove it are just a ruse to get you to part with your $$$.

You could try spy-bot, it is free but as a PP said it sometimes deletes files you actually need.

AVG free normally picks up all the virus', but you have to actually run it as sometimes the sentinel doesnt always work.  That, in combination with adaware should do the trick.

I have had norton in the past and really find it a PITA.


----------



## hissho (29 November 2006)

i found these websites useful:

enter the file name and you can discover the product name, publisher, original publication date and more: 
http://fileadvisor.bit9.com/services/search.aspx

you can look up any of the processes running on your PC and find out whether they are your friends or enemies:
http://www.processlibrary.com/


----------



## vert (29 November 2006)

well i got the same problem by the looks last week, kept getting this window when started up, generic host for windows 32 services, have been ignoring it now its freezing. i ran spybot,ad-aware, and avg and nothing was picked up. i downloaded avanti as that is what im using on my laptop and did a boot scan and it found some infected files, one i recall said 'trojan' in it. so deleted them all and now still get that same window at the start and freezing. as im typing im trying a virus scan from symantec to see what that comes up with.

looks like my wife might have got this virus when downloading some music as well.

will keep updated and more advice would be appreciated to thanks.


----------



## professor_frink (29 November 2006)

This is making me paranoid  
Which program were you people using to get your music?


----------



## Simmo (29 November 2006)

Try the microsoft product

Windows Defender - ITS FREE
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

It doesn't sound like a virus, more likely spyware the above should find it and hopefully fix it.

If that fails get a program called hijackthis which will help in a manual removal


----------



## vert (29 November 2006)

limewire, 

symantec came up clean so will run updates on the other 3 i metioned and run them again and if they come up clean and i still get that window then i will try other ways as mentioned above.

tis is sh#ting me i dont have the time or the patience


----------



## professor_frink (29 November 2006)

vert said:
			
		

> limewire,
> 
> symantec came up clean so will run updates on the other 3 i metioned and run them again and if they come up clean and i still get that window then i will try other ways as mentioned above.
> 
> tis is sh#ting me i dont have the time or the patience



Cheers for that. Use Bitcomet myself-never had a problem yet(touchwood). Hope you and YT get the problem fixed


----------



## hissho (29 November 2006)

ok here's an alternative way to beat viruses and other kinds of rubbish:

www.sandboxie.com (free)

www.greenborder.com ($30 a year; better than sandboxie)

give them a try and see if you like them.


----------



## scranch (29 November 2006)

Spobot and Ad-aware seem to pick up most things between them,but I doubt if they can get the lot.I had problems with a computer yonks ago and came up with a scan from a programme called Adware.Thinking it was Ad-Aware(which is from Lavasoft)I did a scan.It picked up a few problems and offered to get rid of them for a price.I did a bit of searching and found the programme I was looking at"found problems"whether they existed or not,then when it was run to clean things up,installed its own spyware,so be carefull.
System restore is an easy fix,but I think if you do another system restore sometime down the track,and restore to a date after you picked up this problem,you may find it will be still waiting to emerge like something in a horror movie. 
Best of luck,I know how frustrating it is.I have to wait for my foster son to fix my confuser if anything goes wrong.He won't let his kids use his one,they have 1 each,he reckons they download everything going,and he always has to clean up the mess.
Brian


----------



## JimBob (29 November 2006)

Another good free program for helping get rid of trojans and spyware is Spybot Search and Destroy - 
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
Use it in tandom with Adaware

The best free online virus scan - in my opinion - is Trend Micro's House Call
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
Run that, see what you are infected with, then if it doesnt get rid of the problem, use google to find out how to get rid of whatever you are infected with.  If you cant go to other websites, you can post what virus or trojan you have and someone should be able to tell you how to delete it.  Most of them are fairly easy to get rid of.


----------



## Smurf1976 (29 November 2006)

I use Vet (paid - about $43 a year I think) plus Adaware and Spybot (both free). Between them they seem to be picking up everything (I hope).

Missus Smurf managed to infect the computer with a virus a while ago (better not say how - let's just say she downloaded a few pictures   ) and running these 3 got rid of the lot. About 100 files deleted in total and the computer has been running fine ever since.


----------



## sarahmeehan3 (29 November 2006)

Your antivirus is useless. Get rid of it. I am saying this from personal experience and through my pocket. I paid for a 4 year subscription for AVG Antivirus and got rid of it after a year.

Since then, after speaking  to someone who knows what they are talking about, 
I introduced the following and never had a problem since.

1/ NOD 32 antivirus Brilliant, forget the rest.

2/ Spyware doctor. Great for a variety of tasks.

3/ I also run adware professional as a back up but you do not need this, unless you are really really really security conscience.

I download music, movies etc. Never had a problem.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE: What ever antivirus you intend to change too Make sure you remove your current antivrus programme first  before loading the one otherwise your system wont work.


Regards

Sarah


----------



## noirua (29 November 2006)

I found that  http://www.ccleaner.com  works well at removing all the crap etc.,  and is free and trustworthy. Sometimes managed to remove some items that stopped other programmes from running. All your cookies also go, so make sure you know all your passwords etc., 

WinCleanerOneClick is good for permanently removing all sorts of rubbish that builds up on the computer. Combined with ccleaner you may be surprised at the results. Permanent means permanent, so don't press for permanent removal unless you really mean it.


----------



## YOUNG_TRADER (29 November 2006)

Hi guys I'm back!

And I brought a few friends with me 

1. AVG

2. Ad-Aware

3. XP Repair

4. Spybot

5. Spy Sweeper

6. XoftSpy

7. An online virus scanner www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html


----------



## noirua (13 April 2008)

A new, of course FREE, virus protection.  Very many rave about it:  http://www.download.com/Avast-Home-Edition/3000-2239_4-10019223.html?tag=list


----------



## rhen (13 April 2008)

This may help...
http://www.av-comparatives.org/seiten/ergebnisse/report17.pdf


----------



## rowes (14 April 2008)

System restore is the best bet by far as mentioned by noobs, that has got me out of the crap in quite a few occasions. whenever its a malicious software then that is defintly go.


----------



## MoneyNeverSleeps (14 April 2008)

I'm new to trading, however I have 29 years experience and a masters in Information Technology along with a degree and certificate in related fields i.e. I am as expert as they come in IT (and as novice as can be in trading!)

I'd also like to say at the outset that I am not looking for a debate unless you have similar experience and qualifications. I'm not being arrogant here, but let me ask you if you debate your doctor, dentist or lawyer?

It has very much been my experience that security vulnerabilities and subsequent exploits in Microsoft windows have increased exponentially with each new version of the operating system since windows Version 1.0 in 1984, whilst there is clearly every reason to believe that this situation will continue. There are reasons for this, however in a nutshell people generally accept these problems and continue to buy windows and so Microsoft has little motivation to fully address this issue, instead they skirt around the issue with firewalls etc. Also, windows really only dates back to 1995 or even 2000 (earlier version were not operating systems but file management utilities) and so has not really had time to fully mature (allow another 10 - 15 years!).

Subsequently I own a MAC and for my trading I am running VMware Fusion ( http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/ ) which allows me to run windows in a window (where it belongs) on my MACbook PRO, or more specifically CMC Markets platform Market Maker in a window on the MAC OSX desktop (or any other windows application). I do not use Windows for anything else and have it set to automatically update itself. I am also about to find out exactly what TCP/IP ports Market Maker uses and will then close all other ports in the windows firewall. The windows XP installation is a minimal installation, whilst no other windows applications are installed, this in turn reduces windows inherent instability and vulnerabilities. I have no windows antivirus software installed as these programs cause their own issues, instead it is very easy to erase and restore Windows and Market Maker in Fusion (takes  no more than literally 1-2 minutes). (I also have no antivirus software installed in MAC OSX as OSX is literally immune to 99.99% of malicious software i.e. viruses and spyware etc.

As for the MAC, the operating system is a version of UNIX ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix ) and whilst you may love windows, your world is run by UNIX i.e. cars, dvd players, photocopiers, foxtel, the Net [Google, Ebay, Yahoo and 99% of web sites including www.aussiestockforums.com!], operating theatres, medical equipment, ATM's, telephone exchanges, cockpits, ADSL modems and routers, your ISP, power stations, traffic lights, navy submarines and warships, missiles, satellites etc etc. you are in fact a bigger UNIX user than you are a windows user! Windows is really a consumer grade operating system whilst UNIX and its various derivatives are industrial strength (UNIX's pedigree extends back to the 60's).

So I can 100% recommend MACS (Or Linux machines, however they do not run Fusion). In fact, I have for years told friends and relations to "Get a MAC" when they ask me about windows issues and none of them have ever looked back!

PS I do not, nor have I, ever worked for Apple or for Microsoft for that matter whilst I do not own Apple shares or have any other vested interest. This post is simply my considered expert opinion.


----------



## roland (14 April 2008)

Nothing is safe when user intervention overides the system's security. Microsoft Windows is way more complex than Mac OSX and has to contend with an almost endless range of hardware configurations and platforms.

99% of viruses and security breaches are through enticement to open bad emails, download trojan ridden junk off the internet, visiting trap door websites etc.

Here is an interesting read from PC World covering a Hacking Competition http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1672168999;pp;1;secid;762453;fp;4;fpid;762453

and, a light hearted look at why you should be more worried about email security: http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php?id=2067442033&fp=4&fpid=762453&eid=110


----------



## xyzedarteerf (14 April 2008)

MoneyNeverSleeps said:


> So I can 100% recommend MACS (Or Linux machines, however they do not run Fusion). In fact, I have for years told friends and relations to "Get a MAC" when they ask me about windows issues and none of them have ever looked back!



ok here's a quick spoof of the mac vs pc commercial.


----------



## xyzedarteerf (14 April 2008)

as a gamer i don't have any love for mac's at all. hey to each his own.


----------



## So_Cynical (14 April 2008)

Spybot - Search & Destroy....the new version gets u to manually approve registry changes.
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Hitman Pro....if your in real trouble....auto installs 5 or 6 freeware programs..takes 3 or 4 hours all up.
http://www.hitmanpro.nl/hitmanpro/

Use Azureus for Torrents and Firefox for web surfing...cant go wrong.


----------



## trading_rookie (15 April 2008)

I've run virus and ad/mal/spyware tools to try and get rid of a trojan for yonks now....was up till 6:30am last night with more success than previous nights.

I'd take the 100% success or no worm/trojan/virus found message(s) you're seeing with a grain of salt. 

The one tool that will clearly show you what's going on with your system & if it infact is free of nasties is HijackThis. It will scan and show you everything. Trojans, especially the W32.trojan I had (and who know's if it's been completely removed) will come up as Winlogins. 

You need tools like like KillBox to try and remove them and if possible boot from your W2K/XP boot disk into recovery mode and try and remove things manually! It's a tedious process...root kits like the siclt32.exe run as a service. They're getting harder and harder to distinguish between legite files and there are hundreds and hundreds of individual tools out there to try and get rid of them.

On the anti-hacking forums you'll see a ton of ppl asking for help and the solution can take days if not weeks while some expert gets them to run a number of tools to remove the crap...and then there's no guarentee unless you do a complete install.

Note: These files are in encryption form...most virus scanners ignore these files! Also if you're using a comprised machine for netbanking, financial transactions etc, I'd consider having a chat with these institutions to make sure you're not a victim of identity fraud!


----------



## So_Cynical (15 April 2008)

In reality we all should have a 1 button back up drive...less than $200 bucks now....so when 
the inevitable reinstall is done, its not as painful as could be.


----------



## stad (15 April 2008)

Perhaps this will be of use to someone.

I use True Image to make a back up, when I have problems, I restore my latest backup and in 26 minutes approx after the computer reboots, I have the machine up and running. I may miss some files/programs if the backup isn't recent.

I also have a True Image Secure Zone that can be accessed before Windows starts up and a backup sits in there. I also partion my hard drive to show 3 hard drives. The last drive is where 'My Documents' is moved and also any data is stored there. 'Temporary Internet Files' (Internet Explorer) are moved to the 2nd partition. 

Reason for this is that most virus/trojans will only activate from a operating hard drive and they just sit there until I get around to do a scan and then delete.

I use Look n Stop as a Firewall because it watches traffic, in and out and seems to be easy to set up and isn't resource hungry.

Plenty of good 'free' Anti-virus programs. I felt Avast was good and didn't slow my machine up, so I pay for it but not really necessary as the free Home version is just as good. 

Spybot Search and destroy's Teatimer is activated to warn me if any registry changes are made.

I make backups on every drive as well as a portable hard drive. So I feel that all bases are covered especially as True Image will restore Programs/Files individually.

I have mostly got my ideas from "castlecops.com" over quite a few years.
It works for me.


----------



## sparc (15 April 2008)

Download Kaspersky from www.kaspersky.com

That should fix the problem, this is by far the best.


----------



## roland (14 May 2008)

Be careful where you play:....

*Hackers hijack a half-million sites in latest attack*
They're exploiting phpBB open-source forum software, says researcher
Gregg Keizer (Computerworld) 13/05/2008 08:32:20


More than half a million Web sites have been compromised in a new round of attacks that hacked domains in order to infect unsuspecting users' PCs with a variety of malware, a security researcher said today.

"This is an on-going campaign, with new domains [hosting the malware] popping up even this morning," said Paul Ferguson, a network architect with anti-virus vendor Trend Micro. "The domains are changing constantly."

According to Ferguson, over half a million legitimate Web sites have been hacked by today's mass-scale attack, only the latest in a string that goes back to at least January. All of the sites, he confirmed, are running "phpBB," an open-source message forum manager.

Ferguson didn't know how the sites were compromised; Trend Micro's investigation is in progress, he said. "We're not sure if it's [because of] improper configuration of phpBB or a vulnerability. Open-source applications like phpBB tend to be targeted quite a bit."

Visitors to a hacked site are redirected through a series of servers, some clearly compromised themselves, until the last in the chain is reached; that server then pings the PC for any one of several vulnerabilities, including bugs in both Microsoft's Internet Explorer and RealNetworks' RealPlayer media player. If any of the vulnerabilities is present, the PC is exploited and malware is downloaded to it.

Some of the compromised sites have been hijacked before, said Ferguson. "Some had recently been used for keyword search ranking manipulation, and others to pitch fake pharmaceuticals or just malware," he said.

While other research by Trend Micro identified the malware hitting users' PCs as a variant of the Zlob Trojan horse, Ferguson said that more than just one piece of malware is being served. "We seeing some new stuff coming out of this one," he said.

The last massive site attack was less than three weeks ago, when sites that included government URLs in the UK and some domains operated by the United Nations were hacked. At the time, some researchers said that bugs in Microsoft's SQL Server or Internet Information Services (IIS) server software was to blame. A few days later, however, Microsoft denied responsibility.

Don't expect the run of site infections to stop anytime soon, said Trend Micro's Ferguson. "As long as attacks are tied to site development and as long as sites don't secure their content, we'll see these attacks," he said.


----------



## roland (16 May 2008)

Be careful with any downloads from P2P or Warez sites

*Bogus Grand Theft Auto IV contains Trojan*
Planted on P2P networks
_Carrie-Ann Skinner (PC Advisor (UK)) 16/05/2008 09:40:00_

Hundreds of Grand Theft Auto IV fans eager to get their hands on a free copy of the game have been targeted by a Trojan virus, according to DriveSentry.

Hackers planted the virus in bogus game files, which are being illegally downloaded from P2P networks by those keen to experience the game without purchasing it.

John Safa, chief technical officer of DriveSentry, said: "People are exploiting the popularity of GTA IV in a way which could bring mayhem to the internet."

"Hackers are increasingly sophisticated in the way they disrupt the web. They will piggyback on anything popular to wreak havoc. The only thing that many gamers can think of at the moment is GTA IV and hackers are using that interest to try to generate chaos as quickly as they can," he added.

Former hacker Safa highlighted that within two minutes of logging on to P2P network Limewire he found evidence of Trojan viruses disguised at GTA IV files.

"Such computer viruses have the potential to wipe out or steal sensitive information such as a user's bank details or wipe out important files. Some of these links were offering free downloads for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV even though it is not available yet."

"I would urge anybody to tread very carefully around these links, as some links are designed to look official ”” or even better invest in a good anti-virus package that is capable of protection from the latest threats for their computer."


----------



## roland (28 May 2008)

*Hackers exploiting Flash Player zero-day bug*
Details skimpy, but in-the-wild attacks taking place, say researchers
Gregg Keizer (Computerworld) 28/05/2008 08:47:06


Attackers are exploiting an unpatched bug in Adobe System's popular Flash Player, security researchers warned Tuesday.

The bug, which is in the most up-to-date version of Flash, was reported by researchers at the SAN Institute's Internet Storm Center and by others from Symantec.

"Adobe Flash Player is prone to an unspecified remote code-execution vulnerability," Symantec said in a warning posted to its SecurityFocus site. "An attacker may exploit this issue to execute arbitrary code in the context of the affected application. Failed exploit attempts will likely result in denial-of-service conditions.

"Symantec has observed that this issue is being actively exploited in the wild," the company added.

The last serious Flash vulnerability fixed by Adobe was patched last month. That bug was used in late March by a hacker to take down a laptop running Windows Vista and claim a US$5,000 prize in a contest sponsored by 3Com's TippingPoint security company.

According to Symantec, Flash Player 9.0.124.0 -- the version currently available for download from the Adobe site -- is vulnerable to attack. Flash is used by a huge number of Web sites, including YouTube, to display multimedia content.

Adobe officials were not immediately available for comment.


----------



## roland (4 June 2008)

*Safari flaw worse than first thought, Microsoft warns*
Microsoft is warning that a recently reported Safari browser attack can be combined with another Windows flaw to run unauthorized code
*Robert McMillan (IDG News Service) 02/06/2008 07:46:10*


Microsoft is warning that a previously disclosed flaw in Apple's Safari browser could have dire consequences for Windows users.

The Safari bug, originally disclosed on May 15 by security researcher Nitesh Dhanjani, allows attackers to litter a victim's desktop with executable files, an attack known as "carpet bombing."

It turns out that if this flaw is exploited in combination with a second unpatched bug in Internet Explorer, attackers can run unauthorized software on a victim's computer, according to Aviv Raff, a security researcher. Raff says he originally reported the IE flaw to Microsoft more than a year ago, and then told them about how it could be combined with the carpet bombing bug just over a week ago.

IDG News Service tested Raff's demonstration attack code, which runs Windows Calculator on a victim's system. For the attack to work, a victim must first visit a maliciously crafted Web page with the Safari browser, which in turn will trigger the carpet bombing attack and exploit the IE flaw.

Both the Safari and IE bugs "are moderate vulnerabilities that, combined, produce a critical flaw, which allows remote code execution," Raff said in an instant message interview.

Microsoft is taking the issue seriously. It released a security advisory on the problem late Friday, a sign that it may be working on a patch for the IE flaw. The advisory says that the vulnerability has to do with the way Windows handles desktop executables and recommends that Windows users "restrict use of Safari as a web browser until an appropriate update is available from Microsoft and/or Apple."

The attack reportedly affects all versions of Windows XP and Vista, Microsoft said.

Apple may not be rushing out to patch this bug, however. Dhanjani says that Apple has told him that it is not treating the Safari bug as a security issue, a response that has generated criticism from the security community. Last week, for example, the consumer advocacy group Stopbadaware.org urged Apple to reconsider this stance.

According to Raff, unless Apple patches the bug, more attacks like the one he found in IE are likely to pop up. "This is not the only issue that can be combined with the Safari vulnerability," he said. "If Microsoft fixes this, Safari users will still be vulnerable."

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.


----------



## Temjin (4 June 2008)

What some people do is just download every free anti-virus, spywares, adwares you can find and use all of them to scan your computer. 

If all else fails, you can always reformat it.  

I'm currently using Free AVG, Spybot (registered) and Ad-aware and never seem to have a problem. *touchwood*


----------



## rhen (17 June 2008)

http://www.av-comparatives.org/seiten/ergebnisse/report18.pdf

Latest results

regards
rhen

ps I have used eset successfully for several years though Avira looks good too...read the report if you have time.


----------



## roland (25 June 2008)

*Storm storms back with pr0n scam*
8 million messages in 24 hours try to trick users into installing bot
Gregg Keizer (Network World) 23/06/2008 08:39:45

Security researchers Friday warned of a new, massive spam campaign that tries to convince users to install the long-running Storm bot Trojan on their PCs.

The new spam blitz is difficult to characterize, said researchers from MX Logic and F-Secure, because of the nearly 40 different subject heads used by the spammers. "We've seen subjects talking about everything from 'White House hit by lightning, catches fire' to 'Italy knocked out of Euro 2008' and 'Nokia unveils revolutionary new phone design'," said an F-Secure researcher in a post to his company's blog Friday.

F-Secure has posted a text-only listing{Subject headings of the subject headings its researchers have seen in the wild. Among the more outrageous: "Statue of Liberty struck by lightning, catches fire," "Obama quits presidential race," and "Man wakes up from 40 year coma."

No matter what the subject headings used, all the spam includes a link to a fake version of the pornographic YouTube-lookalike PornTube.com. According to McAfee researchers, the phony site is hosted on multiple compromised legitimate servers.

Once the user's browser reaches the spoofed site, a pop-up warns that an ActiveX control must be installed to watch the pr0n videos. The control is, not surprisingly, nothing of the kind, but is instead a variation of the Storm Trojan.

The size of the spam run is staggering, said MX Logic in an e-mail alert Friday morning. "The MX Logic Threat Operations Center reports that it has received over 8 million of these messages, accounting for over 85% of its worm traffic over the past 24 hours," said the warning.

Storm, an often-revised Trojan horse, is designed to hijack Windows PCs and add them to a collection of compromised computers, or botnet, which in turn is used by hackers and spammers to distribute more malware or scams. Earlier this year, researchers had said the Storm-based botnet was in decline, while Microsoft crowed that the malware search-and-destroy tool it distributes to Windows users each month had eradicated so many of the bots that its controllers threw in the towel.


----------



## DB008 (26 June 2008)

l lost everything last week.
Was running NOD32, until 1 got through! 5 came at once and Nod only caught 4 of 'em. 
Switched to Kaspersky now. Oh well, life must go on.
Got the message that restore points are very helpful as l hadn't done one since last year.
Bugger.
Anyone have any good backup programs?


----------



## Timmy (26 June 2008)

DB008 said:


> Got the message that restore points are very helpful as l hadn't done one since last year.




Danny - might be a dumb question but Windows XP creates restore points on my PC each day automatically, why didn't this happen for you?  I ask because in case I am missing something and don't want to have whant just happened to you happen to me!


----------



## DB008 (26 June 2008)

guess l don't have restore points set up automatically.


----------



## Timmy (26 June 2008)

Ok - thanks Danny.  I have used the restore points in the past, lifesavers.....


----------



## xyzedarteerf (26 June 2008)

DB008 said:


> l lost everything last week.
> Was running NOD32, until 1 got through! 5 came at once and Nod only caught 4 of 'em.
> Switched to Kaspersky now. Oh well, life must go on.
> Got the message that restore points are very helpful as l hadn't done one since last year.
> ...




I have to agree on that, restore points is by far one of the most usefull feature on windows xp up,  save me  a couple of times to from dodgy progs. 

I think an external drive is better option for backup  than a program , I backup data weekly cause you never now. 
good luck hope you got most of your data back.


----------



## DB008 (26 June 2008)

Yeah, l have an external. Saved me heaps. So cheap nowdays anyone who hasn't got one is sort of asking for trouble IMO. If  you cant afford say $200, well....

Did lose a little bit of data but overall it wasn't to bad.
In the end l think it was a blessing in disguise (if u can believe that). Cleaned up alot of crap that l had on the laptop and wasn't using. 

I was using Ad-aware, AVG free and Spybot S&D. Ad-aware is usless and Spybot was also starting to create more problems than it was worth, wouldn't allow google.com.au to be my homepage, to suspicious for some reason?!?
After all that, l just settled on Kaspersky. Very happy so far. I also scanned my dad's external 320gb and found 19 tojans that Norton missed.


----------



## xyzedarteerf (27 June 2008)

DB008 said:


> Yeah, l have an external. Saved me heaps. So cheap nowdays anyone who hasn't got one is sort of asking for trouble IMO. If  you cant afford say $200, well....
> 
> Did lose a little bit of data but overall it wasn't to bad.
> In the end l think it was a blessing in disguise (if u can believe that). Cleaned up alot of crap that l had on the laptop and wasn't using.
> ...




thats good to hear Danny, nowadays I think its best to use a combination of at least 2 Antivirus program. Here's what I do one pc for trading and personal stuff, and another pc for games,music and other downloads not a perfect system but its been good so far.
I use AVG and ClamWin open source, I have personally stopped using Spybot S&D for a few years now, it used to be  a good little program until they included all that crap extras that made it unstable.


----------



## noirua (7 September 2009)

Having problems with "malware", then go to the Microsoft "Malware Protection Centre":  http://www.microsoft.com/security/portal/


----------



## prawn_86 (4 November 2009)

Here's a new one for the gurus,

my web based hotmail account just sent a spam mail to everyone in my address book (apologies to members here who are in my list). How do i remove it as it seems to be web-based, not actually in my PC. I have run a malware scan and virus (AVG) scan

Help very muchly appreciated


----------



## skyQuake (4 November 2009)

prawn_86 said:


> Here's a new one for the gurus,
> 
> my web based hotmail account just sent a spam mail to everyone in my address book (apologies to members here who are in my list). How do i remove it as it seems to be web-based, not actually in my PC. I have run a malware scan and virus (AVG) scan
> 
> Help very muchly appreciated




Seems like your hotmail password has been compromised, you may have signed in to a phishing website pretending to be hotmail (net based) or a keylogger has stolen ur details. (your comp based)
Change your password and see if it still gives you any trouble.
I think there was a news article a few weeks ago about how lots of hotmail account info were sold...

good luck


----------



## It's Snake Pliskin (4 November 2009)

prawn_86 said:


> Here's a new one for the gurus,
> 
> my web based hotmail account just sent a spam mail to everyone in my address book (apologies to members here who are in my list). How do i remove it as it seems to be web-based, not actually in my PC. I have run a malware scan and virus (AVG) scan
> 
> Help very muchly appreciated




Prawn,

Create a bogus address and add it to your address book. If your account is hacked or your PC has a keylogger on it you will get notification of a failed to send. That way you will know that your e-mail has had unauthorised access. 

Relying on Avg alone is not good mitigation. 

I have recently been seriously infected on my surfing machine which I was totally shocked about.


----------



## marklar (4 November 2009)

prawn_86 said:


> Here's a new one for the gurus,
> 
> my web based hotmail account just sent a spam mail to everyone in my address book (apologies to members here who are in my list). How do i remove it as it seems to be web-based, not actually in my PC. I have run a malware scan and virus (AVG) scan
> 
> Help very muchly appreciated




Change your password to something much more complex (no english or recognisable words, mixed case, + numbers and special characters, at least 8 characters in length).

There's been a spate of Hotmail and Gmail account compromises (including one of mine  ) that had easily guessable or stolen passwords.

m.


----------



## prawn_86 (4 November 2009)

My password was already 14 characters long...  But i have changed it now


----------



## Kryzz (8 August 2017)

Can anyone help me guys?? Concerned I've lost my HDD - is there anything I can do to salvage this? Can't make heads or tails of the information from what I've found on Google so far. Error messages below! Thanks!


----------



## SirRumpole (8 August 2017)

Do you have a boot CD ? If so, try booting from that.


----------



## Kryzz (8 August 2017)

SirRumpole said:


> Do you have a boot CD ? If so, try booting from that.




No boot CD, PC/hard disk is about 7 years old now..


----------



## Logique (9 August 2017)

Sorry to hear it Kryzz, if it won't boot at all, a fried HDD is a possibility. 'Surgery' would be required in this case.

Will it boot into Safe Mode? - in Win 7 tap the 'F8' key while booting.

If it will boot, go to the Device Manager.  In Win 7, Windows key > Run , then type: devmgmt.msc. to open Device Manager, then check the health of the hardware components incl. the disk


----------



## Craton (9 August 2017)

You could try a rescue disk like those found here: https://techtalk.gfi.com/top-5-free-rescue-discs-for-your-sys-admin-toolkit/

E.g.
http://www.system-rescue-cd.org/Download/
or..
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/download.html

Failing that, it's off to the "doctor's". Good luck.


----------



## Country Lad (9 August 2017)

Kryzz said:


> No boot CD, PC/hard disk is about 7 years old now..



Likely your drive if it is 7 years old.  Choice is new drive or new computer. If you want to go the new drive option, take it to a computer doctor for a new SSD.  If you don't have backups, they may be able to take the medium out and if it is OK, retrieve the data.


----------



## Kryzz (9 August 2017)

Thanks for the reply guys. Still no luck booting, looks like I'm going to have get a new PC. I'll have a chat to a PC doctor and see if I can recover my my HDD (thank god for Dropbox).

I need a new laptop too in as it turns out, my thinking now is to splurge on a quality docking system and laptop.


----------



## Garpal Gumnut (9 August 2017)

Kryzz said:


> Thanks for the reply guys. Still no luck booting, looks like I'm going to have get a new PC. I'll have a chat to a PC doctor and see if I can recover my my HDD (thank god for Dropbox).
> 
> I need a new laptop too in as it turns out, my thinking now is to splurge on a quality docking system and laptop.




My advice to you is to 

1. Put your PC in a large bucket of salted water for 24 hrs.
2. After 24 hrs take it to the dump.
3. On your way home buy a Mac

gg


----------



## Tisme (9 August 2017)

Kryzz said:


> Can anyone help me guys?? Concerned I've lost my HDD - is there anything I can do to salvage this? Can't make heads or tails of the information from what I've found on Google so far. Error messages below! Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Pull the box apart, pull plugs and sub boards  and give them a good dusting with a paint brush. Look for anything obvious.

Chances are its not the hard drive, the usual suspects are video cards and power supplies.


----------



## ThingyMajiggy (9 August 2017)

Kryzz said:


> Thanks for the reply guys. Still no luck booting, looks like I'm going to have get a new PC. I'll have a chat to a PC doctor and see if I can recover my my HDD (thank god for Dropbox).
> 
> I need a new laptop too in as it turns out, my thinking now is to splurge on a quality docking system and laptop.




An option would be to live boot into a Linux distribution, that way you can see if your stuff is still on your hard drive, or if its even recognised still, or check out and try some of this stuff: https://support.microsoft.com/en-au...tart-windows-7-the-windows-boot-configuration

best of luck


----------



## Kryzz (9 August 2017)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> My advice to you is to
> 
> 1. Put your PC in a large bucket of salted water for 24 hrs.
> 2. After 24 hrs take it to the dump.
> ...




Sounds like someone is long Apple!



Tisme said:


> Pull the box apart, pull plugs and sub boards  and give them a good dusting with a paint brush. Look for anything obvious.
> 
> Chances are its not the hard drive, the usual suspects are video cards and power supplies.






ThingyMajiggy said:


> An option would be to live boot into a Linux distribution, that way you can see if your stuff is still on your hard drive, or if its even recognised still, or check out and try some of this stuff: https://support.microsoft.com/en-au...tart-windows-7-the-windows-boot-configuration
> 
> best of luck




Cheers! Looks like I have some weekend jobs


----------



## Tisme (10 August 2017)

Kryzz said:


> Sounds like someone is long Apple!
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I had my first computer in circa 1982, learned how to design and build industrial computers in circa 1983, employed them in automation and telemetry systems in the late 80's upto now, at any one time I have five computers in each of my personal offices and hundreds out in the field and there is one thing common with each and every one of them:

never had a hard drive failure. So when someone says you have a cactus drive, question it and question it again. I've never had a real virus either, sure the one or two trojans which are generally easy to kill, but never a virus virus


----------



## Logique (28 September 2017)

My PC wouldn't boot in normal mode recently.

Turned out it was being caused by an update to the security program! Reinstalled the program and all fixed.


----------



## PZ99 (28 September 2017)

Logique said:


> My PC wouldn't boot in normal mode recently.
> 
> Turned out it was being caused by an update to the security program! Reinstalled the program and all fixed.



Which security program were you using ? I need to install one sooner or later


----------



## Logique (29 September 2017)

PZ99 said:


> Which security program were you using ? I need to install one sooner or later



Make that sooner mate. This new ransomware that's out there is scary.

I'm using AVG, which has worked ok, and I'll stick with it for now.

Dr Google is your friend for comparisons, eg have a look at these alternatives


----------



## macca (29 September 2017)

If you have Windows then start using theirs, they are much better than they used.
People who know more than me are using that and freeby Malwarebytes in tandem and are quite comfortable with that
https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/


----------



## Logique (29 September 2017)

macca said:


> If you have Windows then start using theirs, they are much better than they used.
> People who know more than me are using that and freeby Malwarebytes in tandem and are quite comfortable with that
> https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/



Also MS updates still supply a Malicious Software Removal Tool, which users can run after each update.

I've heard it said that with Windows 10, using the onboard Windows Defender, plus freeware Malwarebytes is enough.  But push coming to shove, I'm not sure I'll be game to abandon my security program. Not just yet anyway, but users may make their own calls on this, depending on their risk tolerance.


----------

