Computer is infected, can't stop pop-ups

[Guest]

Have run spybot, have reinstalled xp service pack 2 all to no avail, HELP.

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "dgreene1227" <[email protected]>

| Have run spybot, have reinstalled xp service pack 2 all to no avail, HELP.

You need to be MORE specific if you want help.

For example...

What exactly is the Pop-Up stating ?

Is it a Pop-Up for WinAntivirus Pro 2006 or WinAntiSpyware 2006 ?

Does to Pop-Up show, http://www.amaena.com/ as part of a URL ?

Does it state you are infected with the Beagle virus ?

Please provide facts surrounding what you are experiencing.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Have run spybot, have reinstalled xp service pack 2 all to no avail, HELP.

What specific kind of pop-ups are you seeing? There are at least
three varieties of pop-ups, and the solutions vary accordingly.

1) Does the title bar of these pop-ups read "Messenger Service?"

This type of spam has become quite common over the past few years,
and unintentionally serves as a valid security "alert." It demonstrates
that the computer user hasn't been taking sufficient precautions while
connected to the Internet. The user's data probably hasn't been
compromised by these specific advertisements, but if he/she's open to
this exploit, he/she may well be open to other threats, such as the
Blaster Worm that swept across the Internet years ago and the Sasser
Worm that followed shortly thereafter, both of which can still be
contacted. Install and use a decent, properly configured firewall.
(Merely disabling the messenger service, as some people recommend, only
hides the symptom, and does little or nothing to truly secure the
machine.) And ignoring or just "putting up with" the security gap
represented by these messages is particularly foolish.

Messenger Service of Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;168893

Messenger Service Window That Contains an Internet Advertisement
Appears
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=330904

Stopping Advertisements with Messenger Service Titles
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Oh, and be especially wary of people who advise the user to do
nothing more than disable the messenger service. Disabling the
messenger service, by itself, is a "head in the sand" approach to
computer security. The real problem is not the messenger service
pop-ups; they're actually providing a useful, if annoying, service by
acting as a security alert. The true problem is the unsecured computer,
and the user's been advised to merely turn off the warnings. How is
this helpful?

2) For regular Internet pop-ups, you might try the free 12Ghosts
Popup-killer from http://12ghosts.com/ghosts/popup.htm, Pop-Up Stopper
from http://www.panicware.com/, or the Google Toolbar from
http://toolbar.google.com/. Alternatively, you can upgrade your WinXP
to SP2, to install IE's pop-up blocker. Another alternative would be
to use another browser, such as Mozilla or Firefox, which has pop-up
blocking capabilities. (But I'd avoid Netscape; it carries too much
extraneous AOL garbage.)

3) To deal with pop-ups caused by any sort of "adware" and/or
"spyware,"such as Gator, Comet Cursors, Xupiter, Bonzai Buddy, or
KaZaA, and their remnants, that you've deliberately (but without
understanding the consequences) installed, two products that are
quite effective (at finding and removing this type of scumware) are
Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de and SpyBot Search & Destroy from
www.safer-networking.org/. Both have free versions. It's even
possible to use SpyBot Search & Destroy to "immunize" your system
against most future intrusions. I use both and generally perform
manual scans every week or so to clean out cookies, etc.

Additionally, manual removal instructions for the most common
varieties of scumware are available here:

PC Hell Spyware and Adware Removal Help
http://www.pchell.com/support/spyware.shtml

More information and assistance is available at these sites:

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

The Parasite Fight
http://www.aumha.org/a/parasite.htm

Neither adware nor spyware, collectively known as scumware,
magically install themselves on anyone's computer. They are almost
always deliberately installed by the computer's user, as part of some
allegedly "free" service or product.

While there are some unscrupulous malware distributors out there,
who do attempt to install and exploit malware without consent, the
majority of them simply rely upon the intellectual laziness and
gullibility of the average consumer, counting on them to quickly click
past the EULA in his/her haste to get the latest in "free" cutesy
cursors, screensavers, "utilities," and/or wallpapers.

If you were to read the EULAs that accompany, and to which the
computer user must agree before the download/installation of the
"screensaver" continues, most adware and spyware, you'll find that
they _do_ have the consumer's permission to do exactly what they're
doing. In the overwhelming majority of cases, computer users have no
one to blame but themselves.

There are several essential components to computer security: a
knowledgeable and pro-active user, a properly configured firewall,
reliable and up-to-date antivirus software, and the prompt repair (via
patches, hotfixes, or service packs) of any known vulnerabilities.

The weakest link in this "equation" is, of course, the computer
user. No software manufacturer can -- nor should they be expected
to -- protect the computer user from him/herself. All too many people
have bought into the various PC/software manufacturers marketing
claims of easy computing. They believe that their computer should be
no harder to use than a toaster oven; they have neither the
inclination or desire to learn how to safely use their computer. All
too few people keep their antivirus software current, install patches
in a timely manner, or stop to really think about that cutesy link
they're about to click.

Firewalls and anti-virus applications, which should always be used
and should always be running, are important components of "safe hex,"
but they cannot, and should not be expected to, protect the computer
user from him/herself. Ultimately, it is incumbent upon each and
every computer user to learn how to secure his/her own computer.

To learn more about practicing "safe hex," start with these links:

Protect Your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/default.asp

Home Computer Security
http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/

List of Antivirus Software Vendors
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;49500

Home PC Firewall Guide
http://www.firewallguide.com/

Scumware.com
http://www.scumware.com/


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

 

[Guest]

I turn on the computer a dell inspiron 5100. my displayed photo is often not
there and needs to be reset. within a couple of minutes, even before I go
online I start getting popups one right after another. eventually I can't
get rid of all of them before the computer freezes. Nothing has said virus
or infected, I just can't stop the popups. I've run spybot 6or 8 times and
"network monitor" and some others can't be removed. I've reinstalled service
pak 2 but it basically achieves nothing. It seems to also reset my firewall,
sometimes it's on and sometimes I can't access it

 

[Guest]

Hi,
By pop-ups I mean all kinds of ads. poker, american express, virus
protection, they just keep coming

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "dgreene1227" <[email protected]>

| I turn on the computer a dell inspiron 5100. my displayed photo is often not
| there and needs to be reset. within a couple of minutes, even before I go
| online I start getting popups one right after another. eventually I can't
| get rid of all of them before the computer freezes. Nothing has said virus
| or infected, I just can't stop the popups. I've run spybot 6or 8 times and
| "network monitor" and some others can't be removed. I've reinstalled service
| pak 2 but it basically achieves nothing. It seems to also reset my firewall,
| sometimes it's on and sometimes I can't access it
|



If you are using any version of Sun Java that is prior to JRE Version 5.0,
then you are strongly urged to remove any/all versions that are prior to JRE
Version 5.0. There are vulnerabilities in them and they are actively being exploited.
It is possible that is how you got infected with malware.

Therefore, it is highly suggested that if there are any prior versions of Sun Java
to Version 5 on the PC that they be removed and Sun Java JRE Version 5.0 Update 6
be installed ASAP.

http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp


For non-viral malware...

Please download, install and update the following software...

* Ad-aware SE v1.06
http://www.lavasoft.de/
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
http://www.lavasoft.de/ms/index.htm

* SpyBot Search and Destroy v1.4
http://security.kolla.de/
http://www.safer-networking.org/microsoft.en.html

* SuperAntiSpyware
http://www.superantispyware.com/superantispywarefreevspro.html

After the software is updated, I suggest scanning the system in Safe Mode.

I also suggest downloading, installing and updating BHODemon for any Browser Helper Objects
that may be on the PC.

* BHODemon

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?id=3550&file=11&evp=245a87539eea8ed6904332b4b8b8442d

For viral malware...

* Download MULTI_AV.EXE from the URL --
http://www.ik-cs.com/programs/virtools/Multi_AV.exe

To use this utility, perform the following...
Execute; Multi_AV.exe { Note: You must use the default folder C:\AV-CLS }
Choose; Unzip
Choose; Close

Execute; C:\AV-CLS\StartMenu.BAT
{ or Double-click on 'Start Menu' in C:\AV-CLS }

NOTE: You may have to disable your software FireWall or allow WGET.EXE to go through your
FireWall to allow it to download the needed AV vendor related files.

C:\AV-CLS\StartMenu.BAT -- { or Double-click on 'Start Menu' in C:\AV-CLS}
This will bring up the initial menu of choices and should be executed in Normal Mode.
This way all the components can be downloaded from each AV vendor's web site.
The choices are; Sophos, Trend, McAfee, Kaspersky, Exit this menu and Reboot the PC.

You can choose to go to each menu item and just download the needed files or you can
download the files and perform a scan in Normal Mode. Once you have downloaded the files
needed for each scanner you want to use, you should reboot the PC into Safe Mode [F8 key
during boot] and re-run the menu again and choose which scanner you want to run in Safe
Mode. It is suggested to run the scanners in both Safe Mode and Normal Mode.

When the menu is displayed hitting 'H' or 'h' will bring up a more comprehensive PDF help
file. http://www.ik-cs.com/multi-av.htm

Additional Instructions:
http://pcdid.com/Multi_AV.htm


* * * Please report back your results * * *

 

[Guest]

I've seen nothing that says:
http://www.amaena.com/ as part of a URL
or beagle virus
-David

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I've seen nothing that says:
http://www.amaena.com/ as part of a URL
or beagle virus

Telling us what you haven't seen isn't going to enable us to provide
any help. You need to describe *exactly* what you are seeing, and under
exactly what circumstances.

No one can help if you don't provide at least a modicum of pertinent
information.

Help us help you:




--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Bruce Chambers" <[email protected]>

|
| Telling us what you haven't seen isn't going to enable us to provide
| any help. You need to describe *exactly* what you are seeing, and under
| exactly what circumstances.
|
| No one can help if you don't provide at least a modicum of pertinent
| information.
|
| Help us help you:
|
|
|

Bruce:

It did rule out the Vundo Trojan/WinFixer problem.

 

[Guest]

How do I get to "safe mode"?

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "dgreene1227" <[email protected]>

| How do I get to "safe mode"?
|


For those users having trouble getting into Safe Mode, there is the free BootSafe
application:
http://www.superadblocker.com/bootsafe.html

 

[Guest]

Bruce,
As I've said, I turn on the computer. often my displayed photo is not there
anymore and I have to go to control panel to put it back. eventually, though
offline advertisement popups appear, one right after another, most of them
spy remover types like ad aware, windows antivirus, spy sheriff, but also ms
internet explorer provided by verizon ( a particularly difficult one to get
rid of). I've run spy bot about 9 times and I've reinstalled xp service pak
2 twice to no avail. The afdvert pop-ups continue and often freeze my
machine.

 

[Guest]

also, when I run spy bot it seems the two most pervasive spies are "command
service" and "network monitor", neither of which can be removed from the
system

 

[Guest]

there's nothing that states "messenger service"

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Bruce:

It did rule out the Vundo Trojan/WinFixer problem.

Good point. One down, several hundred thousand possibilities
remaining.... ;-}


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Bruce,
As I've said, I turn on the computer. often my displayed photo is not there
anymore and I have to go to control panel to put it back.

I don't even know what that means, or how it's relevant. What
"displayed photo," A desktop background?

eventually, though
offline advertisement popups appear, one right after another, most of them
spy remover types like ad aware, windows antivirus, spy sheriff,

Then you're apparently thoroughly infested with malware. Have you
tried multiple products to remove the infestations?

To repeat what you've already been told, but apparently not not yet done:

To deal with issues caused by any sort of "adware" and/or
"spyware," such as Gator, Comet Cursors, Smiley Central, Xupiter, Bonzai
Buddy, or KaZaA, and their remnants, that you've deliberately (but
without understanding the consequences) installed, two products that are
quite effective (at finding and removing this type of scumware) are
Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de and SpyBot Search & Destroy from
www.safer-networking.org/. Both have free versions. It's even possible
to use SpyBot Search & Destroy to "immunize" your system against most
future intrusions. I use both and generally perform manual scans every
week or so to clean out cookies, etc.

Additionally, manual removal instructions for the most common
varieties of scumware are available here:

PC Hell Spyware and Adware Removal Help
http://www.pchell.com/support/spyware.shtml

More information and assistance is available at these sites:

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

The Parasite Fight
http://www.aumha.org/a/parasite.htm

There are several essential components to computer security: a
knowledgeable and pro-active user, a properly configured firewall,
reliable and up-to-date antivirus software, and the prompt repair (via
patches, hotfixes, or service packs) of any known vulnerabilities.

The weakest link in this "equation" is, of course, the computer
user. No software manufacturer can -- nor should they be expected
to -- protect the computer user from him/herself. All too many people
have bought into the various PC/software manufacturers marketing
claims of easy computing. They believe that their computer should be
no harder to use than a toaster oven; they have neither the
inclination or desire to learn how to safely use their computer. All
too few people keep their antivirus software current, install patches
in a timely manner, or stop to really think about that cutesy link
they're about to click.

Firewalls and anti-virus applications, which should always be used
and should always be running, are important components of "safe hex,"
but they cannot, and should not be expected to, protect the computer
user from him/herself. Ultimately, it is incumbent upon each and
every computer user to learn how to secure his/her own computer.

To learn more about practicing "safe hex," start with these links:

Protect Your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/default.asp

Home Computer Security
http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/

List of Antivirus Software Vendors
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;49500

Home PC Firewall Guide
http://www.firewallguide.com/

Scumware.com
http://www.scumware.com/

If automated tools won't do the trick, use the manual removal
instructions provided by several of the above links; simply search for
each specific malware product you currently have installed.

but also ms
internet explorer provided by verizon ( a particularly difficult one to get
rid of).

This isn't malware, per se. It's simply a branded version of IE that
you voluntarily installed when you opted to install your ISP's software,
rather than simply configuring IE to use the Verizon connection. If you
now want to change that:

How to Change the Internet Explorer Window Title
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/176497/en-us

I've run spy bot about 9 times

I presume that you mean SpyBot Search & Destroy, with updated
definition files? There are similarly named products that actually
install more malware. See:

Spyware Warrior: Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites
http://spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

Have you tried no other anti-malware tools? No one tool can clean
everything.

.... and I've reinstalled xp service pak
2 twice to no avail.

I'm not sure why you'd expect that to help. Granted, having SP2
installed and it's firewall enabled will help stop some new infestations
from occurring, but it couldn't possibly remove any current infections.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

 

[Guest]

CAN ANYONE TELL ME HOW TO GET TO SAFE MODE?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

CAN ANYONE TELL ME HOW TO GET TO SAFE MODE?

Press <F8> just as the PC finishes its POST (Power On Self-Test)
and switches control to the OS.

And please unstick your CapsLock key. Posting in all caps, as you have
done, is the Usenet equivalent of shouting, and is considered very rude
by a large number of people. More importantly, posting in all caps
makes the post harder to read, further reducing your chances of getting
help; a great many people won't even try to read such a message. If you
really want help, simply comply with the dictates of common courtesy and
the conventions of the milieu.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

 

[Guest]

Sorry didn't realize my caps were on.
-dg

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Bruce Chambers" <[email protected]>


| Good point. One down, several hundred thousand possibilities
| remaining.... ;-}
|