Rundll process uses 100% of CPU

[Guest]

I have a workstaiton that slows to a crawl several times a day. We've found
that if we look the the running processes, we see rundll taking up all the
cpu capacity. If we kill it, the system returns to normal operational mode.

Might this be spyware or other malware? or there something else that might
be triggering this?

thanks...

 

[Detlev Dreyer]

I have a workstaiton that slows to a crawl several times a day. We've
found that if we look the the running processes, we see rundll taking
up all the cpu capacity. If we kill it, the system returns to normal
operational mode.

"rundll" or "rundll.exe" does not belong to WinXP in contrast to the
file "rundll32.exe".

Might this be spyware or other malware?

Yes. That file itself may or may not be virulent, however, it may or
may not run API functions embedded in virulent files.

or there something else that might be triggering this?

Yes, however, not a Windows issue anyway (see above).

 

[PA Bear]

Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting your hijackthis log
to an appropriate forum.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=5878
http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal_and_Prevention:_Introduction
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://defendingyourmachine2.blogspot.com/
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

When all else fails, HijackThis v1.99.1
(http://aumha.org/downloads/hijackthis.zip) is the preferred tool to use.
It will help you to both identify and remove any hijackware/spyware with
assistance from an expert. **Post your log to
http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html,
http://forums.subratam.org/index.php?showforum=7,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30, or other appropriate forums for expert
analysis, not here.**

If the procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting this
isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA) computer repair shop.