Very strange happenings!

[gabriella]

Hi all

Can you help me? Went on PC last nite to do some WP - all fine and dandy. The went back later to check some emails and back to WP document. All of a sudden the keyboard wasn't typing what I was keying in - instead pretty obscene stuff - most strange. I hadn't downloaded anything and had been the only user for quite a while. Never had this before. Then up came this message to say that 100 keystrokes were up and did I want to register for the product. The answer was obviously not!!

So dear friends....any ideas...what is this thing, where has it come from, how do I look for it and most importantly how do I zap it.

For people who don't know me, this is a genuine query - I don't fancy having some major report ruined by whatever this thing is - it was the weirdest thing I have seen for some time.

Kind regards to all

Gabriella x

 

[Matt Jason H]

Re: Very starnge happenings!

Could well be a virus or trojan, what word processor are you using?

 

[ChristopherP]

Re: Very starnge happenings!

weird.

The 100 keystrokes were up, register thing, sounds like the program was actually installed on your computer as opposed to being anything else.

i don't have much knowledge about this but perhaps a trojan horse virus was installed on your computer and a malicious user installed this program without your knowledge...

OR... a webpage you visited installed it without your knowledge - the same as porn diallers etc etc but for that instead.

What you would need to do, in my opinion, is get a hold of Norton Internet Security 2004 - it includes the popular firewall and the antivirus program, and also run adaware (see muchshifters signiture) and make sure your computer is "safed up"

it is baffling when things appear on your computer without you knowing how they got there and its usually a case of loose security, ESPECIALLY with broadband users. I would also reccomend you run Windows Update and download all the latest security patches and updates.

Hope nothing more strange happens - good to see you back - havent heard from you in a while.

Chris

 

[muckshifter]

Someone or something has installed a "keystroke logger"

Perfect Keylogger - easy to use solution for PC and Internet surveillance

*Now with Remote Installation support!

an example ...
http://www.blazingtools.com/bpk.html

As you can see here, one must "install it" ...
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/spyware.keykey.html

http://www.2-spyware.com/keyloggers-parasites

http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3380941

and this may be of some use...
http://www.spysweeper.com/netspy-trojan-horse.html

Good luck.

 

[KGB-911]

I use Internet Security 2004, its great. it will block unauthorized downloads, stop hackers, viruses etc...

 

[muckshifter]

I use Internet Security 2004, its great. it will block unauthorized downloads, stop hackers, viruses etc...

You'll be surprised what "gets through" ... download & install Spy Sweeper (its free)

 

[KGB-911]

OK, i may try that sometime, i have just installed SP2 i as asked me 3 times in the last 2 mins to check my anti-virus.

 

[Ian]

Another thing to note - were the words typed just random stuff, or was it like someone was actually typing it in aimed at you? It could be a virus is it was the former, or a trojan if it was the latter!

 

[Spooky Mouse]

Gabriella ... or you could try Spybot search and destroy to find that little demon... its free too at

www.spybot.info/en/index.html

If you identify it please let me know what it was... just out of interest

Happy Hunting

 

[gabriella]

Dear all

Thanks for your replies. When I typed it was as if it was responding to me but producing obsene langauge - I have Norton 2004 and it isn't coming up with anything. I will try the Spyware stuff and see what happens. The reason u haven't seen me for a while is cos we were away - very near Boscastle where the floods were. Weather pretty dodgy although not half as bad as in poor Boscastle.

Thanks to all and I will be back with a report once I suss this further.

Kind regards

Gabriella x

 

[Matt Jason H]

Let us know how this one turns out, weird problem. Which word processor were you using?

 

[gabriella]

Dear Matt Jason

Using Word - did the Spybot stuff and came up with loads of stuff - goodness knows what it was - zapped the lot - bit scary as I wasn't sure whether I should/shouldn't delete but went for it anyway. Still no wiser other than it definately happened and it was well freaky. Not sufficiently au fiat with PCs and all that stuff to really know what I am looking for etc.... Bit strange that no-one else knows what this thing might be and where it came from. I am fairly conservative in terms of the things I go on to and I can't see my 'favourites' infiltrating with some obscene stuff. Plus the kids are well covered (I hope) with NAV and appropriate settings for their respective ages. Who knows, I don't certainly!!

Gabriella xx

 

[Spooky Mouse]

Gabrella.. did it eliminate your problem?..
I hope you have no more naughty typing sessions

 

[ChristopherP]

you worded that wrong dude!

 

[gabriella]

Dear Spooky

Dunno whether it's gone - I've only had the problem the once. There were shed loadsof things that came up with Spybot and I zapped the lot - haven't a clue what they were but they have been deleted anyway. Is there any way of knowing whether it's OK to delete the stuff it throws up or are you OK just to zap the lot. To be honest this is just a tad too technical for me and it would be nice if from time to time some kind soul would do house calls and check out that the likes of me aren't doing anything too drastic with the delete function!!!

Gabriella x

 

[muckshifter]

Gabriella,



I doubt whether you would have done any "damage" by just deleting everything found, but I don't personally trust SBSD ... that is not said to scare you as it does do its job, but I prefer to use Ad-Aware SE.



You'll find a lot of people use both, nothing wrong with that, but I feel Ad-Aware does a slightly better job as it has, to my knowledge, never deleted anything not considered deletable.

Now enter a relatively new kid ... Spy Sweeper ... I have been silently evaluating is efficiency at finding those little "nasties" we don't want on our systems and have been quite satisfied in the results. One big advantage over the "other two" is if left running in your taskbar it will constantly monitor any suspected intrusions. It will even ask you if you really want to "save" that web site as a favourite.

The one drawback, if any, is the fact you need to "register", which is quite cheap @ £16, before you can receive updates. This is probably the one leading factor in why people stick to SBSD & Ad-Aware as these are free to update. However, the programme is free to use and has a better detection rate than the "leaders" plus as an added bonus offers "real-time" protection. Why not give it a go for a few weeks.