Do I have a trojan? iexplore.exe using too much processor time!

[ship]

Windows XP Pro
MSIE v7 (latest)


Hi

How can I tell if I have a trojan?
After I open my Internet Explorer 7 and close it again,
I find that according to I am still running "iexplore.exe", and worse
it is using 50% of my CPU, continually no matter what I do !

Is it at Trojan?
How can I get rid of this?
Should I uninstall (or Reinstall?) IE v7?

Or is it just some weird bug with IE7

With thanks

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[Guest]

Windows XP Pro
MSIE v7 (latest)


Hi

How can I tell if I have a trojan?
After I open my Internet Explorer 7 and close it again,
I find that according to I am still running "iexplore.exe", and worse
it is using 50% of my CPU, continually no matter what I do !

Is it at Trojan?
How can I get rid of this?
Should I uninstall (or Reinstall?) IE v7?

Or is it just some weird bug with IE7

With thanks

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

1... First, try to clean up your caches, Internet files and delete cookies
by doing this:
Click Start >> Control Panel >> Double click Network and Internet
Connections >> Double click Internet Options.
On the IE properties windows you will see these Taps:
General | Security | Privacy | Content | Connections | Programs |
Advanced
Under General Tab clear your History, Internet Files and Cookies.
Then click on Advanced tab and scroll down to under the Browsing Option:
[&] Browsing
[ ] Enable Third-Party browser extensions (Req Rest) uncheck this box.
Then click on Programs Tab and click Manage Add-Ons and Disable all non
Verified Add-Ons (You should Renable them later one-by-one and see the
culprit and update it or remove it.

2... You need to be sure your system is clean from malwares and Viruses by
scanning for them.
http://www.lavasoftusa.com
http://www.safer-networking.org

Download the Filemon or Processor explorer and
check the background in real time:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/filemon.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/processexplorer.mspx
HTH.
Let us know.
nass

 

[Malke]

Windows XP Pro
MSIE v7 (latest)


Hi

How can I tell if I have a trojan?
After I open my Internet Explorer 7 and close it again,
I find that according to I am still running "iexplore.exe", and worse
it is using 50% of my CPU, continually no matter what I do !

Is it at Trojan?
How can I get rid of this?
Should I uninstall (or Reinstall?) IE v7?

Or is it just some weird bug with IE7

The most effective way to tell if you have malware is to scan for it!
You didn't mention what antivirus/security software you are using. Here
are general virus/malware removal steps:

Go through these general malware removal steps systematically -
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

Include scanning with either Sysclean or Multi_AV, plus AVG Anti-Spyware
(formerly Ewido - http://www.ewido.net/en/) and follow instructions to
do all scans in Safe Mode.

Standard caveat: 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
professional computer repair shop (not your local version of
BigStoreUSA). Please be aware that not all local shops are skilled at
removing malware and even if they are, your computer may be so infested
that Windows will need to be clean-installed. Have all your data backed
up before you take the machine into a shop.


Malke

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "ship" <[email protected]>

| Windows XP Pro
| MSIE v7 (latest)
|
| Hi
|
| How can I tell if I have a trojan?
| After I open my Internet Explorer 7 and close it again,
| I find that according to I am still running "iexplore.exe", and worse
| it is using 50% of my CPU, continually no matter what I do !
|
| Is it at Trojan?
| How can I get rid of this?
| Should I uninstall (or Reinstall?) IE v7?
|
| Or is it just some weird bug with IE7
|
| With thanks
|
| Ship
| Shiperton Henethe


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 * * *

 

[Gerald309]

Windows XP Pro
MSIE v7 (latest)

Hi

How can I tell if I have a trojan?
After I open my Internet Explorer 7 and close it again,
I find that according to I am still running "iexplore.exe", and worse
it is using 50% of my CPU, continually no matter what I do !

Is it at Trojan?
How can I get rid of this?
Should I uninstall (or Reinstall?) IE v7?

Or is it just some weird bug with IE7

With thanks

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

Another simple thing to do is try any of the known popular free
spyware scans available. Many times spyware will employ trojans in
their unwanted installations which can be picked up browsing the web
or clicks in emails and so on. On the web sometimes these are called
"drive by" installations. BOOKMARKS (Here are two):

Trend Micro AntiSpyware Scan Free Scan
http://www.trendmicro.com/spyware-scan/
Trend Micro Anti-Spyware for the Web is a free online tool that checks
computers for spyware....

Webroot Spy Audit
http://www.webroot.com/services/spyaudit_03.htm
Quickly scan your PC for spyware - It's free! At no cost or obligation
to you, Spy Audit scans your system registry and hard drive space for
thousands of known spyware programs....

Also there is the well known and used genuine freeware program (not
bundled with adware or ad-driven):

a-squared trojan remover (Free Working Version - updates for life -
and Proactive Premium Version)
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/
a-squared (a-squared) is a complementary product to antivirus software
and desktop firewalls on MS Windows computers.....

Notes: Trojans are found in worms and spywares, other. They may be
included with keyloggers also and with self contained SMTP mailer
programs and CPU drainage or activity in background can be the copying
of private files and transmission of that back to the cybercriminal(s)
on the other end. Trojans may also be coupled with screen snapshot
spyware survellience, which coupled with keyloggers, are actually
transmitting virtually live everything seen and done on the computer
including reading everything and transmitting everything typed back to
the cyber criminal(s). Antivirus software and some firewalls will
catch handfuls upon handfuls of these - but the additional protection
is now recommended and needed for safe computing generally (anti-
trojan and/or anti-spyware programs).

Gerald309 / Advanced User:
webmaster/bluecollarpcnet (Computing Security)

 

[Robert Morley]

It may not be a trojan (or any other form of malware). I just had IE7
running at 50% (on a hyper-threaded system, so effectively 100%) for no good
reason, without having visited any unreliable sites recently or anything of
that nature. (And just to confirm, I did a system scan with Ad-Aware,
Spybot S&D, and Norton...plus I have SpywareBlaster and the MVPS Hosts file
installed besides.)

Whether or not it's malware in your case, at least for me, it appears to
have been an IE7 bug.



Rob

 

[Robert Morley]

Sorry, should've mentioned that the behaviour disappeared on closing and
restarting IE7.


Rob

 

[ship]

I ended up rebuilding my entire profile, which strangely seems to have
solved the problem!

with thanks


Ship

 

[Gerald309]

Windows XP Pro
MSIE v7 (latest)

Hi

How can I tell if I have a trojan?
After I open my Internet Explorer 7 and close it again,
I find that according to I am still running "iexplore.exe", and worse
it is using 50% of my CPU, continually no matter what I do !

Is it at Trojan?
How can I get rid of this?
Should I uninstall (or Reinstall?) IE v7?

Or is it just some weird bug with IE7

With thanks

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

a-squared trojan remover (Free Working Version for life and Proactive
Premium Version)
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/