Tooltip message: "This is an Asterix System Tray Icon - Right click on me!"

[tlvp]

Recently an icon in my System Tray has started displaying
the Tool Tip (or Balloon Help) message,

"This is an Asterix System Tray Icon - Right click on me!"

when my mouse cursor hovers over it. This is an
intermittent phenomenon -- some start-ups it happens,
some it doesn't. The Sys Tray icon affected has thus far
only been my Nokia PC Suite access icon (offering tools,
by Nokia, for hotsynching a Nokia phone).

Q.: What is this? More important, how do I get rid of it?

Thanks for any help. Cc: to my email appreciated.

-- tlvp.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

I can't find a lot on this--some references in German, which I don't read,
seem to indicate that this is a dialer, and that perhaps it is related to
the Dyfuca series of viruses or trojans or whatever they are. A search on
Symantec's site comes up with a name--asterix.309, but no more information.

Based on that, I'd go for an online scan with Trend Micro's Housecall:

http://housecall.trendmicro.com

Normally, Spybot Search & Destroy would be my choice for diallers, but if
this one has made it to the mainstream antivirus vendors, Trend Micro is my
choice for best detection and cleaning of a broad variety of bugs at the
moment.

Let me know if you try this, and if it seems to do the job--I can think of
other possibilities if this doesn't seem appropriate for any reason.