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Computer Virus Help!

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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
 
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.
 
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 :D ) and running these 3 got rid of the lot. About 100 files deleted in total and the computer has been running fine ever since. :2twocents
 
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
 
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.
 
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. :2twocents
 
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.
 
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
 
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!
Click to expand...
ok here's a quick spoof of the mac vs pc commercial.

 
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!
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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."
 

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