Virus, Spyware.. Need Help? Here it is

Originally posted by Merger


BTW, do you know much about this Macintosh using Intel Chips fiasco? Do you know what that means for the OS's for these systems? I'm wondering if the MAC using Windows OS's will allow for further 'spyware' infiltration to get onto the MACS as well as the average PC...

merger

From what I know MAC has been safer in the past when it comes to spyware issues. However running anything that is Microsoft is going to open yourself up to vulnerability. Being the top dog on the market, all hackers are trying to bring them down.

What I have heard, they are trying to make VISTA the most compatible version of windows yet to go with the MAC computers. So hopefully that will cover up any exploit between the MACs running windows that has been uncovered. I've never actually run a MAC myself so my none of my knowledge is first hand and would probably consider myself a noob on it.

[edit on 11-4-2006 by chissler]

Hey Chissler,

Every night, my pc goes REALLY slow at around 2am - 3am. I'm not too sure what causes this. No auto-scans are programmed to run at this time, do you know what it could be?

Thanks.

Edit: typo.

[edit on 5-5-2006 by xeroxed88]

You may have scheduled tasks if it commonly happening at the same point each night.

Check antivirus-antispyware programs, or possibly Disc Cleanups or Defrags. That would be the logical answer I think.

If none of these are scheduled, possibly some infections on the system but it should be effecting the system on a regular basis, not just at a specific time period.

Check out some of the programs I have listed in some previous posts and do some scans to determine what may or may not be on the system.

Are you currently experiencing any of these problems:

• Unable to access special folders like "My Documents" or "My Pictures".
• Microsoft Office applications may stop responding when you attempt to save or open Office files in the "My Documents" folder.
• Office files in the "My Documents" folder are not able to open in Microsoft Office.
• Opening a file through an application's File / Open menu causes the program to stop responding .
• Typing an address into Internet Explorer’s address bar has no effect.
• Right-clicking on a file and selecting Send To has no effect.
• Clicking on the plus (+) sign beside a folder in Windows Explorer has no effect.
• Some third-party applications stop responding when opening or saving data in the “My Documents” folder.

support.microsoft.com...


This can be extremely technical so I would deffinately not suggest you jumping into this head first.

Take your time!

-- Log on and make sure you have administrative Rights

-- Start -- Run -- RegEdit -- Ok

-- Navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Cached

-- Right Click and Select New -> DWORD Value with and enter the following:

[A4DF5659-0801-4A60-9607-1C48695EFDA9] [000214E6-0000-0000-C000-000000000046] 0x401

-- Set the Data of this value to 1

-- Close the Registry editor

Now Restart Your Computer


All of this information can be found at the Microsoft Link I provided above.

Problems with Microsoft Office: Updated!

If your still experiencing problems with opening/saving files with any Office program, Microsoft has just released a new set of updates that will resolve the problem.

This issue has been consistent with a recent batch of updates and HP software.

These new updates should correct the problem and everything should roll smooth. The post above this one is the manual fix for it, or you can simply do your next windows updates.

OOPS!!

[edit on 26-4-2006 by WERE_ALL_GONA_DIE]

Clicked post reply instead of new thread (please delte)

[edit on 26-4-2006 by WERE_ALL_GONA_DIE]

I've noticed the new thread. I'll respond there.

Spycatcher Express detects spyware that others don't because it downloads the spyware

Hijack This!

This is a very strong program and should not be taken lightly. It is very powerful and probably the most effective program to remove some of the malicious files that maybe on your system. You can download this program at:

www.spywareinfo.com...

Scroll down and look for

Official Downloads

HijackThis : A general homepage hijackers detector and remover. Initially based on the article Hijacked!, but expanded with almost a dozen other checks against hijacker tricks. It is continually updated to detect and remove new hijacks. It does not target specific programs/URLs, just the methods used by hijackers to force you onto their sites. As a result, false positives are imminent and unless you are sure what you're doing, you should always consult with knowledgable folks (e.g. the forums) before deleting anything.
A rudimentary HijackThis log tutorial by me is available here.
The official HijackThis QuickStart for posting on the SpywareInfo forums is available here.
Currently at version: 1.99.1
-> Download from Merijn.org
-> Download from Subratam
-> Download from UniteTheCows
-> Download from BleepingComputer
-> Download from SpywareInfo
-> Download from CastleCops
Old version 1.98.2 available here or here or here.

Simply click on one of the Download From.. and you can have a direct download. Be sure to save this program to your desktop.

Now you will see a Hijackthis.zip file on your desktop, right click and Extract All.

Open up the program and you will see this...



You want to click on- Do a System Scan and Save a Log File

This will run quickly and a .txt document will open. You can simply close this for now.

Open another browser and go to this website - www.hijackthis.de -

This is an analyzer to help with the removal steps.

You want to click on the Browse button and then upload the .txt file that is now saved in the Hijack This document which should be saved on your desktop.

Now click Analyze

You will be brought to a website that looks like this...



Now you want to scroll through and look for items that are Nasty. When you see these, you want to go back to th Hijack this Program which looks like..



The items that are nasty, match them up in this list and check them. If it is possibly Nasty or Unknown you should just have a look and remove anything that looks suspicious.

Other items can be removed, but for now this analyzer will do the trick and should help out the system.

After removing everything that comes up as nasty, redo all of these steps again and determine if the analyzer comes up with nothing that is labeled as nasty.

Hopefully these steps are useful!





[edit on 2-5-2006 by chissler]

Windows Firewall

Ok this issue has been driving me crazy for the last while. Being a moron and looking for Registration codes for a program I infected myself with: Winfixer, SpyAxe, SpyQuake etc. My windows installer was shot, and my firewall was ripped up pretty good too.

After an hour or two I did resolve all of the spyware issues, but the Installer and Firewall were another issue. The installer took me a day which was resolved with a msiexec rereg command in the run box. But no way could I ever repair my firewall, Until Now!!

I have finally resolved my firewall issue and here I share it with you now if your having the problem.

I could never turn my firewall on, and I went to view the settings it would say something like --

Due to an unidentified Problem, Your Firewall Settings could not be Displayed.

Many days I sat here wanting to break something, but I drove on.

To fix this issue it is beyond simple.

You need to do the following...

Start -- Run -- rundll32 setupapi,InstallHinfSection Ndi-Steelhead 132 %windir%\inf\netrass.inf -- Press OK

Your computer will process for a minute.

Now do this...

Start -- Run -- NETSH FIREWALL RESET -- Press OK

After doing both of these commands you need to Restart your computer. This will resolve the issue surrounding the firewall.

It just worked for me, so I hope it works for you.

CCleaner

This is a great tool I highly recommend to all users, even if your not experiencing a problem. It cleans out alot of files on the system, that are dead links or useless.

You can download it at - www.ccleaner.com -

Download the program from the link and run it periodically. I watch this remove a few hundred mb on a regular basis. The most I have seen this remove in one scan (Approx. 1 Minute Scan) is 3.5 gigs.

Check this program out and give it a run, it helps the system alot I find.

Webroot SpySweeper

This program is a great program for the average user. It is strong against spyware, but gentle with your computer. It is a subscribed program that used to have a free trial available on the site - www.webroot.com -

Well here is a nice little way to find the Free Trial and use it for two weeks. If your currently having a problem with spyware, this is deffinately a great place to start.

Go to:

www.softpedia.com

Search for -- SpySweeper 4.5.8.683

You will now see a direct download to the program and simply follow the motions from here.

This is a great program and should not be passed up. Purchasing the program would be good for your computer but I normally lean towards the free software. Take advantage of the two weeks for free though.

I found the below link quite beneficial, I hope others will too.
Optimize Guides




seekerof

Seeker,

Thanks for your input on the thread. Hopefully it has helped some members of the board.

Hiya chrissler,

first off great thread very very informative.

Just a quick question for you. Have you ever heard of AVAST Antivirus software and if so is it any good?

thank you for your time

Thank you for your comments. Really do appreciate them. Hopefully some of it was beneficial.

As for the Avast Antivirus. I have not used it personally but I have heard of it. I would recommend it over Norton, but personally I would never recommend Norton for the individual user. I am not a fan of overbearing antivirus programs. The quiet program that runs in the background are the ones I recommend the most.

Through my work with Microsoft, rarely to I come across a customer running Avast that has had major problems. No antivirus program is perfect, problems will always arise and seep through the seems. Its inevitable. But you just want them limited as much as possible.

Resources are another big I have to give Avast and AVG. (I run AVG on my home computer) They use very little resources on you. I find Norton chows down on a high percentage of your resources which is going to spell out a slow system.

I would not pay for an Antivirus program though. If your paying for Avast at the moment, I would have a look at AVG when your subscription expires. Great program at no cost.

With Antivirus programs, its not always true that you get what you pay for.

thank you Chrissler for your swift reply.

Ive abandoned Norton about 3 years ago. They used to be great when they were trying to make a name for themselves . but after reaching the top(or close to it) they have really slipped.

As far as AVAST, Ive haad no problems to date and I run AVAST on my home and work comps. no slowdowns or conflicts yet.Which is great since I have to use my computer for software testing alot which eats up ALOT of my free RAM- im running a gig at the moment.

If you hear of anything about AVAST that ISnt good please pass it on sinice iI know you are much more well steeped in computers then I.


thanks again Chrissler, also thanks for the help with my avatar a couple weeks ago!
can I give you a vote for way above(due to your overwhelming desire to help other members on this site?) Just wondering..you deserve it:

Yeah you never need permission to give out WATS votes. With or without the vote, I was happy to help.

Feel Free to u2u me anytime if you have any questions.

Thanks for the info, Chissler..alot to read here and understand!

I actually have Avast and it seems ok, I think.
You subscribe to it for a trial run, then you get an email for 1 years subscription...its all free fo rthose that are not buisness based.

Well,the Avast scanning is telling me ....Detected a virus/spyware?

c:\program files\newdotnet\newdotnet7_22.dll

Win32:Spyware-gen. [Trj]

Trojan Horse

It says something like the virus is in 'memory' and it can't access it?
Cannot process it?

I have a choice of either deleting the file, or moving to chest?

It is bad?

helen

New.Net can be a pain in the backside but can be removed for sure.

www.cexx.org...

Use this link.

Downloads: (All downloads will fit easily on a floppy disk.)

lspfix.zip - includes the program and documentation

Look for this and click the lspfix.zip to download. This is what will resolve your problem.

You need to download this file and extract the files. Very simple and shouldn't take more than 30 seconds.

Open the file that says LSPFix.exe.

Select were it says, I Know What I'm Doing

If you see where it says New.Net select it and click the button to move it over to the Remove section. Click Finish.

This should remove it 95%, other steps may be necessary but lets try this and if it remains just let me know and I will offer some follow up steps. Might be a bit confusing but anything that is not making sense, feel free to ask again.