Warning - I got "hit"

rossfingal

Well, I got an early "Christmas Present"!
No, I wasn't hit by a vehicle, drunk in a bar, irate female -
I got "hit" by something, courtesy the Internet.
I'm fairly, savvy concerning computer security, safe surfing, etc...
"Forewarned" is "for-armed" - I'm "for-armed".
(Maybe, as it turns out: not "for-armed" enough!)

A few days ago everything is fine - just surfin' the Web!
All of a sudden problems start happening.
Very slow browser (IE, Firefox) -
A very large amount of "browser redirects" -
Can't access a lot of sites - MS, Symantech, MBAM, Anti-virus, any
"Security" related sites etc...

Things progressively, get worse!
Can't access the "Registry", Windows Explorer, Task Manager wouldn't run -
Ctrl - Alt - Delete wouldn't work.
I can't run any anti-virus, anti-malware programs
Interestingly, I can still get on the Internet -
However, I'm redirected to all these "interesting", "nasty", sites ("pron")

So, re-boot into another operating system (I have several installed - 5) -
Start running scanners and some things start popping up!
Start manually hunting through my default OS; and removing things.
(Not things you want to find on your computer!)
Among other things - 2 "Phone-Dialers" - good thing I'm not on dial-up -
I can imagine what my phone-bill would be for all those calls to someplace
in Eastern Europe!!! (arse-wholes!!!)

Do the same thing in "Safe Mode" from my default OS.
I'm having some success.
Reboot into my default OS and things, at first, seem normal.
Get on the Internet and, almost immediately - same problems!
Oh Goody!

Well, I remember about a year ago I "Imaged" my "Boot" and "System" drives -
Time to resort to "drastic" measures.
Got the "Images" an a "bootable" DVD.
I "install the "Images" - Success! (Some "jumping through hoops" still
required!)
Still have to re-install some stuff.
(At least, I didn't have to do "reformat - reinstall!)
That's what I call "FUN"!
I wish the "creative" people who write this "creative" garbage would use
their "creative" abilities to write something "creative" and not malicious!!!


Well, for the moment, so far so good! (Fingers crossed!)

Be careful out there, people!
Happy Holidays!

rossfingal

diyorpay

Making images is a reliable insurance against bad stuff happening.

From time to time I run a full scan of my Windows Op system using Microsoft's Standalone System Sweeper. It is basically a boot CD disk that you burn with standard MS detection tools and root kit removal ability. Belief today is that if you are running these types of scans from within the Op System, you are wasting your time. The malware has already told your detection software to report 'everything ok'. Only a boot disk stands a chance. http://connect.microsoft.com/systemsweeper

The other thing I do is run as a virtual machine using Returnil SystemSafe. There are others. When I reboot, my C directory drops any and all changes first. Anything I want to keep goes into another directory ie 'D'. (All my mail these days is 'in the cloud' or this wouldn't work, as with MS Outlook.) Can't say it works but I don't get malware either.

And I image once a month.

Tizzer

So, re-boot into another operating system (I have several installed - 5) -
............

How is 5 operating systems possible?

rossfingal

Windows 98 SE, NT 4.0, 2 Installs of 2000 Pro, XP Pro.
NT based systems have a "boot-loader" - "boot.ini" -
It handles them fairly well.
You can't run more than one, at the same time.

rossfingal