Anybody else going on three months of Trojan Horse nightmares with the internet?

[Mike 03]

I have three anti-spyware programs, and although they are supposedly running all the time and guarding my system, I've had more than twenty trojan horse programs today, and--this is the main point of my post--I just tried to go to the White House website and got hijacked to another site.

That is how bad it is.

If you can recommend an anti-spyware program that actually works, please do so. This has been going on for me since the first week of April.

Unbelievable.

ON EDIT:

Yes, yes, I don't mean the Internet is messed up, but I'm saying it is depressing that everytime some of us go on the internet, in spite of the fact we have the most up to date protection from the alleged best programs, it's become such a drag to try to navigate around anymore.

It's not the internet's fault, obviously.

Okay, Okay.

EDIT AGAIN:

Retitled thread for accuracy.

[Xipe Totec]

1. 1st week of April? as in April 1st?

If you reached this web site, your computer is not infected. If you are running an up-to-date version of a Norton security solution – you are not infected.

The Conficker worm is no longer spreading quickly. On April 1st the worm took steps to protect itself. Since then we have seen signs that the worm may be spreading new malicious code between already infected machines.

If you have a computer that cannot access symantec.com, microsoft.com or the web sites of other security vendors your computer may be infected. If that is the case, follow the steps below (see “What to do if you are infected”).

http://www.symantec.com/norton/theme.jsp?themeid=conficker_worm

[sandnsea]

2. Hijacked to another web site?

I've never had that happen. Tell me how that worked. What browser do you use?

[MADem]

3. Are you sure you don't have something running in your computer that's causing these troubles?

What are you using to keep your computer protected? How strong are your settings? Do you go to fishy sites?

[ret5hd]

4. Sounds more like a problem with your operating system than the internet

[Mike 03]

5. You could be right that it is an OS problem. I'm not a tekkie. All I know is that

I'm paying money to get reports like I got today from one of the most highly regarded AS programs:

"Protected against 26 incidents (in two days)"

I wish I could cut and paste this report so you can see it with your own eyes.

But these were not programs that my system protected me from. They were trojan horses that I had to remove manually through about 12 scans.

[havocmom]

16. Been having escalating problems with my computer not doing as ordered

Took off a couple programs for webinars and thought that fixed it. Then, it started again, off and on. Took off Roxio. Thought that fixed it, but it started up off and on again. Downloaded update to mouse, thought THAT fixed it, but intermittent crap again ...

Plugged old track-ball mouse into USB (:cry: I love my wireless mousie) and ... it seems fine now.

This has gone on, intermittently for almost a month and I was terrified we had a virus, though our very good virus/mal-ware program seemed to register A-OK all the time no matter what test we ran it through.

Mouse. Sick mouse. Now computer going where I want it to.

Hope your's gets better soon.

[PatSeg]

37. Is it Logictech?

There is an issue with its software slowing down your computer.

[havocmom]

48. Yep. What do I have to worry about now?

:banghead:

The Logictech is in a drawer at present. Old Dell track ball with tail is in. But I have a couple of Logictechs at work too, and one of those machines is acting odd. Guess I go to the box of old mousies on Monday?

Any links re the issues? Grateful for any help. Like I said, NO tech help for a long ways.

[PatSeg]

55. No, there's nothing to worry about

It doesn't do any damage, its just a pain in the ass. I'll see if I can find the website where I read about it.

I use a Logitech cordless mouse and keyboard.

[havocmom]

59. Still using the logictech keyboard, as it is my only split keyboard

and it is more comfortable for my arthritic paws. Is that gonna be a problem too?

Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it.

off to check cnet for anything on the subject.

[PatSeg]

65. I don't think so

If you had a problem, I'm sure you'd notice it. It is possible that earlier problems have been resolved as it seems to have been a big issue a while back. I haven't had any issues with my keyboard and mouse - I bought them a little over a year ago.

[havocmom]

69. Have had my duo well over a year, probably about 2 years

I am reading the trouble shooting and trying some stuff. Thanks for all your help!

[PatSeg]

74. You're welcome

I'm no tech. That would be my son. After he taught me a few things, I got really curious about what was on my computer and its just coincidence that I ran across the Logitech stuff. Good luck!

[PatSeg]

63. Okay, I checked in my Task Manager

and it is "setpoint.exe". I can't find the site I read a couple weeks ago, but there are a lot of sites citing many problems. What I read before said that it is only necessary if you want to use advanced features on your mouse and can be removed safely and still use the mouse. Thus far I haven't had any problems, though it could be slowing up my computer.

Here is one message board:

http://forums.logitech.com/logitech/board/message?board.id=software&thread.id=683

There are lots more if you Google "setpoint logitech problems".

[havocmom]

66. Thanks. Yeah, I did the set point update and that helped...

for a while, then it acted up again. Won't let me scroll. Sorta did a visual 'stutter' instead of letting me scroll. Basically, it looked like Max Headroom sounded ;)

[PatSeg]

67. Have you checked their tech support

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/support_downloads/&cl=us,en

It could be a known issue (there are so many with them) and there might be a fix there. If not, I'd try Google for other customer's experiences.

[PatSeg]

36. I generally get over 100 warnings a day,

but they are generally redundant cookies.

[rufus dog]

45. yup

The warnings you are seeing are not infections. You are likely O.K. Are you running Zone Alarm?

[PatSeg]

56. AVG anti virus

I've only had one serious warning since we installed it. The rest of the same old cookies.

[Garbo 2004]

40. Many of those AS reports consider stuff threats & incidents that really aren't. Some report cookies

for ex as if they are malware. But it does sell products.

If you don't know specifically what the program is reporting, and how much of a threat the "incidents" reported are or aren't, how do you know if the product is really doing its job or mainly relying on hype and your lack of knowledge to keep you paying for the product that may or may not actually provide real protection?

What "highly regarded AS program" do you use?

First line of defense for a PC is an educated user. Don't have to be a "tekkie" to learn. Lots of info out there on safe computing practices and measures that increase security and don't cost money. There's also legit free software that can assist in protection.

[tularetom]

6. I know I'm gonna catch a ration of crap about this but

There is an operating system that will solve a lot of your problems. It's called Macintosh OS-X.

[Deja Q]

8. Not from me...

No platform is immune, but

a) OS X has some safety in that it has no native Windows functions so OS-based attacks are worthless unless it's geared toward a Mac... (browser hijacks are browser-based and therefore no platform is immune)

b) Its browsers, especially firefox, have adblock and noscript, which add another layer of protection (until the user disables them)

c) it's more efficient by default; 10.6 even more so...

[backscatter712]

9. Or Linux...

Yes, I'm a big Linux fan. Currently posting using Linux Mint and finding it works damned well.

Though for the OP and other Windows users, I recommend Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

It works decently, it doesn't play security theater or hose up your system like Norton or McAfee, and it removes just about every piece of malware out there.

[anigbrowl]

13. Not really

More accurate to say 'there is an operating system that isn't popular enough to justify the effort of exploiting its known security holes'. One could say the same thing of Linux; though it can be made very very secure, it usually isn't, but there aren't enough people running it for this to matter. Attacks against Linux powered servers are something else again.

there is Mac malware out there, just not that much money in developing it. Contrary to what most people imagine, few hackers actively push out viruses or malware just for evil kicks. Doing so in a lab setting is one thing, releasing it out into the wild is generally motivated by money. Lots of PCs running windows = lots of money.

[TahitiNut]

71. Yup. Mac OS-X is "secure" for the same reason pedestrians aren't car-jacked.

:rofl:

[anigbrowl]

7. It's not the the internet, it's you.

We've had this discussion before.

1. Install a reasonably secure browser. If you don't already use Firefox, consider it. I use Chrome. If you are using Internet Explorer, then more fool you.

2. Spybot Search and Destroy. If it doesn't fix everything for you, maybe you should ask someone knowledgeable to help, rather than blaming the software for your lack of understanding.

Blaming the internet for a problem you've had since April is like blaming the weather for the your failure to recover from flu, despite your insistence on going out in bad weather wearing only a pair of swimming trunks.

[anigbrowl]

29. Well, I did give you a hard time

But seriously Mike, I think you're slapping on band-aids without really knowing what you are doing. I strongly recommend looking around Craigslist and paying someone $100 to clean the system up. And it's be cheap at that price, because it's at least half a day's work in a typical case, longer if you have an older, slower machine.

[5X]

10. I spend all day fixing computers, so I am somewhat qualified.

What antispyware programs are you using?

[Cleita]

11. Nope. My Mac doesn't allow those things in. n/t

[anigbrowl]

15. Oy, some people are going to be crying long and hard one of these days.

It's been demonstrated repeatedly that neither Safari nor OS/X are especially secure. But keep on believing you're invincible.

[Cleita]

17. Perhaps, but I can actually take my computer to a Mac store and have

their techies fix it right on the spot.

[anigbrowl]

26. Tee-hee. Sure you can.

I've got a bet going with myself about which DUers will switch from being unquestioning mac devotees to decrying Apple's evil bait-and-switch corporatism the day after their data/online identity gets hosed. It's not that I hate Apple, though I do think they are complacent and believe their own advertising a little to strongly. But I have no sympathy for the Mac owners whose great joy in life is to join any thread about PC problems and take a sanctimonious dump on what they perceive as inferior operating systems.

Thing is, I've been using (and fixing) both kinds of computers for ~20 years, and Mac users' air of superiority is inversely proportional to their technical ability when something goes wrong.

[Cleita]

28. Actually, I have an appointment to go in tomorrow to get my files in order

that have gotten a bit messy. Me and a techie will spend an hour doing that. They also are going to put some software in for me that I was hesitant to do.

[anigbrowl]

30. Ah, safety

[Cleita]

32. You are entitled to your loyalties but after twenty years of dealing with

Microsoft. Macs are a real pleasure to work with. I will never do Windows again.

[anigbrowl]

41. I guess you missed the bit where I asid I had 20 years of using both

I am totally down with you preferring a Mac. It is the better option for a lot of people. You pay more, you don't get the same degree of freedom or flexibility, but in return you get relatively gold-plated treatment. But you do not have a better computer. You have a computer package that is better for your needs and abilities. I understand it being a pleasure for you to work with. Equally, that makes it a frustration for other people.

An awful lot of Mac people seem to think that their computer (and by extension, their data) is bulletproof (figuratively speaking, of course). I can't help noticing that these are the people who become most angry when Something Really Bad happens and the guy/gal at the store where you bought it has to explain that the data is not coming back, ever.

[Cleita]

42. The data not coming back ever happened to me on my last PC.

My hard drive fried and a very good computer guy I took it too did his best, but he couldn't retrieve anything, not my pictures, not my writing. It was all gone. Yes, I should have backed up but that was always so tedious. Now I back up and I burn CD's and DVD's with my documents.

[Edweird]

80. eh, your 'very good' computer guy wasn't all that hot.

If you wanted the info back, you could have gotten it.
http://www.micradatarecovery.com/
http://www.compurecovery.com/

These people physically disassemble the hard drive and recover the data. Short of complete physical destruction (like blowing it up or driving over it with a steam roller) you can generally get it all back. Your 'very good' computer guy either didn't know it was possible (which makes him a phoney) or had another agenda. I'm sorry you lost all your data, but I have one question for you: if you bought a mac believing that it was superior to a pc and won't crash, why are you NOW backing everything up (like you should have been before)?

[Cleita]

82. Well, he was all I had that was physically available.

My other option was some guy in India, whom I didn't understand and who didn't understand me. I back up now because I learned my lesson. Even Mac recommends it.

[frog92969]

20. Neither do my 6 Linux PCs

Not a hiccup.

[elfin]

12. Nope - I've got a Mac --

Not a target for malicious spyware -- yet.

Or if it is -- whatever is on my system deflects it before it infects.

[Feron]

14. Helpful links:

Cleanup advice:

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/13616

Prevention advice:

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/security

[havocmom]

18. Thanks for the links. I am a nervous computer user

Have to keep 6 running and no tech help within 200 miles.

[ThirdWorldJohn]

19. If you got HiJacked then go here to down load HiJackThis

http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/tools/security_tools/hijackthis

Download and install the program to your Hard Drive. Run the program and it will create a log file of the processes running on your computer. Copy the logfile to clipboard.

Then go to this site

http://www.hijackthis.de/

Now you can paste the log file into the text box on this site. Then hit the Analize button. A window should appear showing the level of threat of the processes running. You can also copy and paste the process into google and find out if it is Malware or not. Go back to the original logfile and check the box for that malware and click the fix button.

Also there is SuperAntiSpyware that is good. And I once downloaded Kaspersky Anti Virus - 30 day free demo - that got rid of manby trojans from my computer.

[juno jones]

21. Sounds like you might have one of those little buggers that reloads itself on startup.

Check your startup menu and see if there's anything unusual on it. Sometimes you can take the culprit off the start-up menu, find and purge the offending source file and be done with. I've stopped a few that way. Or, if you have at least a passing familiarity with your start-up and registery, I recommend Greatis's Reanimator, which even allows you to send it's findings to a tech for evaluation (or take stuff out yourself, if you feel confident in doing so). Reanimator has gotten rid of a couple of nasty trojans for me that weren't detected by my anti-virus/spyware. Their anti-rootkit is great too. Best of all, it's freeware.

I also highly recommend the forum at Major Geeks.com. The geeks there have walked me thru some virus removals and have helped a lot with advice.

Best of luck with the computer.

(PS, do you have a tool bar on your browser? The computer at work got majorly hijacked for several days, turns out it was the google toolbar that was causing the problem. They uninstalled the toolbar and the problem resolved itself.)

[Shagbark Hickory]

22. How did you find them?

[rosesaylavee]

23. I have spyware that logs on from wherever I pick it up

I know it's there when my mouse flits around with me moving it. So, last month, I installed Ad-aware, a Swedish product that used to be free but is reasonably priced at about $30. I scan my computer with that and then my virus protection software just to clean up whatever is going on. And that seems to fix it.

Good luck! I hate computer problems.

[ThirdWorldJohn]

24. Ad-Aware Free is free. Ad-Aware pro and Ad-Aware plus are not. n/t

[rosesaylavee]

76. That could be...

I think this time tho I bought the product. The free thing is good only for 30 days and I didn't want to bother with buying it after 30 days. I used it for free for years, figured it was time to pay up.

[pkdu]

25. I installed "The Shield Deluxe 2009" on my new machine - its top-notch

has saved my ass numerous times already , does everything and was only 29.95

[obliviously]

27. It might be Dick Cheney

My computer started acting up right after the inauguration. The Re pubs don't have much to do right now since they lost power. They can get all our IP addresses when we are logged into DU. Just sayin

[Garbo 2004]

43. What do you think can be done with an IP? If the PC is firewalled, the answer is "nothing." nt

[obliviously]

77. that gives them a target

The address is a starting point any fire wall can be cracked.People get revenge in chicken shit ways. Of course the thought of politicians doing it is ridiculous but there are enough punks online with nothing better to do especially with the recession.

[Garbo 2004]

78. Really? There have been challenges to do precisely that against stand alone firewalled PC's & the

attempts I'm aware of failed.

If you know of instances where a PC has succumbed simply due to attacking the IP and breaking through a firewall, please provide links. I'd imagine this would be discussed on security related sites.

Which is why exploits are accomplished from the inside via downloads, email, surfing, luring the user to a compromised site, etc. Not by simply by attacking an IP and busting through a firewall (hardware and/or software) from the outside.

[obliviously]

79. Are Firewalls Foolproof?

I am still looking for the article I wanted to sow you but this covers some.

Are Firewalls Foolproof?

Are firewalls foolproof? Are humans foolproof? The answer to both questions is no. Firewall products have not been proven to be flawed, but human implementation has. Crackers have conducted various studies on breaking firewalls. The majority of those studies point to two phases of an attack. The first is to discover what type of firewall exists on a particular network and what type of services are running behind it. That first task has already been encapsulated in an automated package; the Jakal scanner can accomplish this for you.

The second task, finding a hole in the firewall, is a bit more difficult. Cracker studies indicate that if there is such a hole, it exists as a result of human error (or rather, misconfiguration on the part of the system administrator). This is not a rare occurrence. One must recognize that no matter what platform is in use, this is a problem. In UNIX networks, it can be at least partially attributed to the fact that UNIX is so complex. There are hundreds of native applications, protocols, and commands. This is before you begin to construct a firewall. Failed firewall implementation on Microsoft platforms might occur for other reasons (for instance, because administrators might be unfamiliar with TCP/IP). In either case, human error is a likely possibility. For this reason, companies should be extremely selective when choosing the personnel responsible for implementing the firewall. Some common cracker agendas include
Sorting out the real components from the fake ones--Many firewalls use sacrificial hosts, machines designed either as Web servers (that the owners are willing to part with) or decoys. Decoys are nothing more than traps, places where an inexperienced cracker's activities are captured and logged. These can employ complex means of veiling their bogus character. For example, they might issue responses to emulate a real file system or real applications. These generally are deeply entrenched in a chroot'd environment. The cracker's first task is to identify what viable targets might actually exist.

http://www.windowsecurity.com/whitepapers/Maximum_Security__Chapter_27__Firewalls_.html

[Garbo 2004]

81. That's re: networks w services, servers, not a stand alone PC that doesn't have such other

potential vulnerabilities that come into play when running an enterprise network and web servers.

From that article: "Firewall products have not been proven to be flawed, but human implementation has."

The article rather supports what I said. It's not an example of a firewalled stand alone pc being broken into by just attacking the IP, which was what was discussed in this thread.

[dixiegrrrrl]

31. Mike...what browser/OS are you using, and what anti-virus?

[Mike 03]

39. My browser is Internet Explorer, and my AV are:

MS Defender
Trend Micro

I thought I had Spybot too, but I can't find it on my system now. That's weird. I'm almost sure I had Spybot and Adaware. Possibly I deleted these two, but that would have been out of character for me to delete them.

[Garbo 2004]

46. What are your net surfing habits? Any unsafe practices? What OS? Logged on as Admin?

What version IE? Do you install MS/IE security updates regularly? Do you allow scripting, Active X on all sites?

[ohheckyeah]

57. I can only tell you what I do to protect my computer.

First of all I use Firefox instead of I.E. I have Adblock Plus as an add on which is free from Firefox. I use McAfee for my virus protection and firewall. I also have Spybot Search and Destroy.

Be sure you clean out your cache regularly and your cookies regularly. Run McAfee and Spybot weekly.

[L. Coyote]

60. Set explorer.exe to max security, no cookies, etc., and browse with Mozilla Firefox

then don't accept cookies from third-party sites, block pop-up windows, and clear cookies on closing.

If you use Yahoo e-mail, make yourself invisible in Yahoo Messenger.
Their recent changes are malware, and will crash your app.

[dixiegrrrrl]

75. I ahve been virus free for ages now since i switched to Firefox and

and the add ons of NO Script, Adblock and I use Avast ! anti-spyware.
Pop ups are a thing of the past, I can block most Flash, and No Script stops bad scripts.

On my previous puter, I opened IE for less than 3 miutes and got bombared with malware and crap.

[vow66]

33. "I've had more than twenty trojan horse programs today"

The problem Is not with your O/S or browser, the user Is the Issue here.

[PatSeg]

34. I had that happen to me a few times

and my son installed AVG anti-virus. I've only gotten one Trojan Horse warning since then. Also I use Firefox, though my son prefers Chrome.

Occasionally I hit control-alt-delete and check under "processes". If there is anything unusual looking there, I look it up on Google.

[cliffordu]

35. Use linux. Problem solved.

Remember folx, you're using the best software M$ can 'develop'

Unfortunately it won't work without massive anti-spyware/antivirus programs....

And they cannot fix it. They just need to sell it. Sell it to people used to being told what's good for them and what they NEED for a successful life.

Just like Congress, I guess.

Don't fear the penguin....

[BlooInBloo]

38. Get off the pr0n sites.

[Mike 03]

44. What are pron sites? NT

[Garbo 2004]

47. Pron = pornography. nt

[havocmom]

50. I am admittedly ignorant of such sites, but shouldn't it be "porn sites"?

Cuz I can't find what pronography is. Why is it called pron?

If we have prawns, I would like mine grilled with a little lime.

[BlooInBloo]

51. :) Internet-ese.

[Garbo 2004]

53. In addition to what BinB said, IIRC some board sites profanity filters used to block the word "porn"

& so variants were used.

[havocmom]

58. Ooooh, I get it

Thanks for the 'splaination

[L. Coyote]

61. Some sites also block DU because "uk fu" appears here too often.

[TahitiNut]

73. Also, you can type "pron" using alternate thumbs while "porn" is 2-right + 2-left.

Some folks can't seem to use the same thumb twice in a row without 'refreshing' it in their butt.

:evilgrin:

[seabeyond]

49. lol, hubby says (computer guy) have only one anti virus and get off porn sites, lol

i wasnt gonna put it down cause of.... well, my reputation. but i didnt say it and i know nuthin...

[Rosco T.]

52. www.superantispyware.com, www.eset.com - nod32

best combo of proggies I've ever used. There is NOT such thing as a 'single protection'

[Twillig]

83. SuperantiSpyware saved me from the 'google Update'

malware rootkit shit!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[MrSlayer]

54. No, I get rid of that shit as soon as it happens.

You cannot get a virus from simply surfing the net. You have to download something. Figure out what the root program is and then google how to get rid of it. Many of the newer trojans and ad/spyware can evade even updated clear programs.

[Ghost in the Machine]

62. Have you tried Trojan Killer?

Trojan Killer - Free Download - Effective Tool - Daily Updates!
Trojan Killer - Don't wait while malicious programs strike roots in your computer. Don't let them ever reach you PC!
http://www.gridinsoft.com/trojankiller.php

[kentuck]

64. If it were me...

First, I would go into the Control Panel and click on the icon "ADD or REMOVE" and remove all the programs that I was not using. (But be careful) Then I would delete all the anti-virus programs except the one I wanted to use. Then re-boot the computer and see how it works?

[Trekologer]

68. Are you sure you're entering the address in the the browser's address bar?

It is very common for "toolbar" browser add-ins to put a search bar onto the browser's tool bar that looks very similar to the address bar. Some of the more nefarious ones then turn off the address bar, leaving on the search bar. So you're not really going to the address you enter, you're searching for that address in a search engine.

My opinion of continuously active anti-virus, etc software is very low. Most of them are total garbage. A lot of my "protection" is common sense (or at least I think it should be). First, my bank/credit card/etc doesn't send me poorly written emails telling me I must sign into their website to "confirm" my information (nor do they call and then ask for my account info).

[KakistocracyHater]

70. toshiba satellite laptop=windows hell

xp 'professional', slower than my Mac, weirdly sensitive mouse. I put Firefox on it too, looks a little different from the Mac. Anyone know why it keeps asking for registration numbers when I try to copy & paste passwords in Word(I think)?
I thought I paid for those programs when I bought the laptop. Can't find anything in the small manual, I purposely bought the last of the xp because I'd read how awful vista was.

[Dappleganger]

72. Toshiba suck monkeyballs

The laptop I had from them spent more time in the shop than it did on my desk.

None of my macs have ever had virus or file problems...they get the job done and don't make me waste time troubleshooting the same problems time after time.

[Thickasabrick]

84. I had same problem. Spybot and AVG. My nasty virus locked me out

and shut down my virus program. I actually had to call Norton which directed me to a site that fooled the virus so they could get rid of the little bugger. Been using Spybot and AVG ever since - no problems whatsoever anymore. I need to donate to Spybot - i love them.