Computer infected

[TiNy]

Today My pc was happily running along when the desktop background
picture changed to a blue screen with a black box in the middle saying I
had serious spyware detected then a a message appeared in the corner
(bottom right) Saying:
YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED
Windows has detected spyware infection
It is recomended that you use special anti spyware tools to prevent data
loss windows will now down load the most up to date anti spyware for you
Click here to protect you computer from spyware

This message appears next to the clock and in the box where the clock is
a large red dot appears with a white cross on it there are 3 of these
crosses and each in turn show this message I am on broadband and if this
is switched on it windows keep opening (like popups) but they remain as
a white screen and eventually the pc slows to almost stop
Programs run ok (a bit slow) but I cannot browse the internet at all no
pages will open.

Is this really windows giving me this message or a company trying to
sell me their software because when I click to protect my computer from
spyware as instructed nothing happens? does anyone know what to do
should I re format the hardrive or can this be stopped

If you would like to email me please remove my coat from the addres

 

[KC Computers]

Today My pc was happily running along when the desktop background

picture changed to a blue screen with a black box in the middle saying I
had serious spyware detected then a a message appeared in the corner
(bottom right) Saying:
YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED
Windows has detected spyware infection
It is recomended that you use special anti spyware tools to prevent data
loss windows will now down load the most up to date anti spyware for you
Click here to protect you computer from spyware

This message appears next to the clock and in the box where the clock is
a large red dot appears with a white cross on it there are 3 of these
crosses and each in turn show this message I am on broadband and if this
is switched on it windows keep opening (like popups) but they remain as
a white screen and eventually the pc slows to almost stop
Programs run ok (a bit slow) but I cannot browse the internet at all no
pages will open.

Is this really windows giving me this message or a company trying to
sell me their software because when I click to protect my computer from
spyware as instructed nothing happens? does anyone know what to do
should I re format the hardrive or can this be stopped

It is NOT a message from Windows but rather a company that you should
NOT trust. You should install and run adware/spyware and popup blocker
software.
Some are free such as Ad-Aware
(http://lavasoft.element5.com/support/download/)
and Spybot (http://www.safer-networking.org/). I use those along with
Norton
Internet Security which gives additional protection against viruses, spam,
ads, etc.

 

[dawg]

Google desktop has an excellent pop-up blocker. If you don't mind having
google search widow.

 

[BigJIm]

you can download Microsoft spyware blocker beta 1 for free
from MS of course, can't really speak of how well it works
but I am testing it, seems ok.

 

[frischmoutt]

Had this kind of message twice within the last ten days.
I'm under Win98 and the messages didn't have the Win98 look, moreover Win98
doesn't have an embedded firewall !!!!
First time there was a red circle in the tray with a white cross inside. A
banner appeared when I put the mouse in the very upper part of the screen.
For someone who isn't accustomed to this kind of event I shall recognize
it's quite scaring.

This message is displayed by the Malware itself. If you click on it, you
install immediately the trojan and possibly more damage. IGNORE IT.

This trojan is squatting the search bar. Possibly harmful wrt your
passwords.
The mechanism is as folow:
A small piece of software is downloaded in the temp dir, then an activeX
script activates this program and modifies the run key values (HKCU & HKLM)
of the registry.
Some modules ".cab", ".dll", ".dat" and ".exe" are both put in the windows
dir and in the system dir.
They control one another in such a way as if you delete one module or one
run key value, it is restored when you leave the registry.

The only way to identify and remove them is to get HiJackThis at
http://www.tomcoyote.com/hjt/
Run it under protected mode ( IMPORTANT, the modules don't load, hence they
can't control them together).
If you can't feel sure of what HJT says, post your log in the good forum
(look at tomcoyote website).
Remove the bad entries under the protected mode and reboot in normal mode.
Look at the suspect registry values, they shall have disappeared.

 

[edges]

Yes ... that is the Spyaxe virus

See here

http://www.2-spyware.com/review-spyaxe.htm

Try the manual removal, if you think you feel comfortable with thing
like editing registry values etc

 

[JAD]

there is a BMP/html document that is being used for your background. Not
only that but you may find that your display properties window has been
butchered and some of the controls are gone. VIRUS.
I used spysweeper trial by webroot and AVG, it did a good job, all I had to
do afterwards is change the background back and delete that bogus image.

 

[Fred]

Hi,

This is the best. Via a script it installed several anti spyware, run it
takes some time to finish the job: www.hitmanpro.nl

fred

 

[Conor]

Google desktop has an excellent pop-up blocker.

However the latest IE flaw leaves Google Desktop users wide open to
being exploited.

 

[TiNy]

Thank you to you all I have installed a spyware problem and has done a
great job on my pc but it cant seem to catch my initial problem even when
run in safe mode couls any one tell me where to find info on how to do a
step by step format of my hard drive as I feel this is the only option now
I have been backing up all day so I am ready for this
many thanks again

 

[frischmoutt]

format isn't necessary.
As far as you've followed the rules with HiJackThis and posted your log,
received experts' advice and cleaned as told, you're safe.

 

[Tom]

Thank you to you all I have installed a spyware problem and has done a
great job on my pc but it cant seem to catch my initial problem even when
run in safe mode couls any one tell me where to find info on how to do a
step by step format of my hard drive as I feel this is the only option now
I have been backing up all day so I am ready for this
many thanks again

Which OS?

 

[Peter]

Today My pc was happily running along when the desktop background
picture changed to a blue screen with a black box in the middle saying I
had serious spyware detected then a a message appeared in the corner
(bottom right) Saying:
YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED
Windows has detected spyware infection
It is recomended that you use special anti spyware tools to prevent data
loss windows will now down load the most up to date anti spyware for you
Click here to protect you computer from spyware

This message appears next to the clock and in the box where the clock is
a large red dot appears with a white cross on it there are 3 of these
crosses and each in turn show this message I am on broadband and if this
is switched on it windows keep opening (like popups) but they remain as
a white screen and eventually the pc slows to almost stop
Programs run ok (a bit slow) but I cannot browse the internet at all no
pages will open.

Is this really windows giving me this message or a company trying to
sell me their software because when I click to protect my computer from
spyware as instructed nothing happens? does anyone know what to do
should I re format the hardrive or can this be stopped

If you would like to email me please remove my coat from the addres

Don't know if anyone else has posted this, but my news server is playing
up and I've only seen the first couple of messages in this thread, but
it sounds similar to this:

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/
trojan.desktophijack.c.html

 

[Pdigmking]

Today My pc was happily running along when the desktop background
picture changed to a blue screen with a black box in the middle saying I
had serious spyware detected then a a message appeared in the corner
(bottom right) Saying:
YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED
Windows has detected spyware infection
It is recomended that you use special anti spyware tools to prevent data
loss windows will now down load the most up to date anti spyware for you
Click here to protect you computer from (snip)

You may want to switch browsers as well. Try Mozilla or Firefox. Mozilla
has a lot of blocker stuff built in and is much less prone to spyware and
infection. If you aviod MS explorer, have a decent anti virous program,
and load up the free anti spy stuff already suggested, you should have no
further such problems in the future.

Paul.