31-12-2009, 12:10 PM
1
Hit by a virus
This is very long and rambling folks.Yesterday was playing poker on Internet on a very slow table so was surfing my forums, on one forum there was talk about "A gathering" Buffy the vampire slayer" comes to mind, click on You Tube and goes thru the list and then.....
Gets on screen "you have been infected click on this"with a same sort of Logo as my AVG virus detector, so I in my stupid way clicked.
This then downloaded a virus which I realised straight away but could not stop.
This virus was saying that I had over 50 virus and one was trying to get my credit details but could buy for $50 and gt rid off after giving my debit details.
NO problem just go to Control panel and delete the soft ware, was not there,No problem just go to system restore and remove,ever time did so would get a pop up which stop the system restore.
Then got a message say windows will have to shut down as a major ????? has happened.
Rebooted and just got this virus asking me to send CC details, no back screen no screen savers, the dog in the mean time was cowering under the table with my replies to this stupid computer(poor little Dougie)
In the old days with XP would just go back to Factory settings and spend the next to days reloading all my sites and passwords.
With Vista and this lap top did not get a disc to reboot to Factory settings would have to send off for, panic stations no poker till Tuesday till I went down to local shop to remove Virus.
Switched off again and tried system restore no good, switched off again and then through the mist of time it came to me.
Switched on pressed F11 up comes system restore in safe mode set back two days and Virus is removed am all happy (Dog is still upset)
Moral is and I for one should know DONT CLICK ON ANY POPUP, even on what you think is a safe site.
31-12-2009, 04:03 PM
2
Re: Hit by a virus
I have seen exactly what you are talking about and I knew not to trust it! So sorry to hear about all of your computer troubles... but glad that you are back up and running! Thanks for sharing with everyone! Maybe someone else will NOW know NOT to click on anything!
31-12-2009, 04:32 PM
4
Re: Hit by a virus
I'm far far too frightened of the wrath of my sweet placid son to risk doing anything like that with my PC or netbook
I can imagine his cool questioning "But why, mother, did you think it might possibly be a good idea, or not a bad idea? And now you want me to mend it? Hmm"
31-12-2009, 04:38 PM
5
Re: Hit by a virus
Originally Posted by dinahsmum
->
I'm far far too frightened of the wrath of my sweet placid son to risk doing anything like that with my PC or netbook I can imagine his cool questioning "But why, mother, did you think it might possibly be a good idea, or not a bad idea? And now you want me to mend it? Hmm"
31-12-2009, 04:46 PM
6
Re: Hit by a virus
Well in galty's defense... it does look like a real anti-virus annoncement with the same logo as a anti-virus company! I thought about it long and hard when it popped up for me... but knew that my virus protection was a good one and would / should have caught it. So just be warned that sometimes under pressure (and fear) we all get worried and just want to "fix-it"! Glad that I didn't... but I could very well have!
31-12-2009, 05:46 PM
8
Re: Hit by a virus
There's one program I talk about wherever I go on the Internet. It's not as popular as some security programs but it keeps you very safe from infections of any kind. The program is called Sandboxie. It isolates the browser from the system. If malware is picked up in some way or another while browsing, it cannot get out of the isolated area (called the sandbox) to infect the system.In the case described by galty, getting rid of the problem would have just been a matter of emptying the sandbox. The rogue program would have been completely removed.
Using Sandboxie takes the worry out of clicking on links. The trouble is that bad links aren't always obvious and it can happen that even good sites get hacked and may unknowingly carry malware. Sandboxie doesn't trust anything and will keep the ills of the Internet at bay.
There are a few similar programs such as ZoneAlarm's ForceField but Sandboxie goes a bit further than that. It has a function for opening saved e-mail attachments safely inside the sandbox. You can also install and run programs under trial inside a sandbox until sure they are safe and wanted. Only install them to the system proper once tested.
Sandboxie can be used for free but after 30 days a nag screen occasionally shows. Well worth the bother of that for the protection it gives in my opinion.
03-01-2010, 11:54 AM
9
Re: Hit by a virus
Not to further press the point about sandboxing but just for information, the sandbox just saved me! I was reading Azz's thread 'Any fitness goals this year?'. Well one thing I've thought of is some neck exercises. I'm having trouble twisting my head as far as I used to be able to. I thought I'd do a quick search on the problem before posting and went to a site that looked OK.It had some relevant information but shortly after starting to read it, the page went off and I was redirected to a search page. When this was closed, a message came up saying that I needed to scan my computer for malware. A definite rogue program was offered for me to do it! I closed Firefox, emptied the sandbox and the problem was deleted. I'm sure that, without the sandbox protecting me, things wouldn't have been so simple.
The site wasn't a bad one in itself. It really was about neck pain. Another thing: the site is ticked as being OK by Norton IPS (similar to Mcafee Site Advisor). This suggests that the site was OK at the time of assessment and that malware has turned up on it since. Just goes to show that innocent looking sites can also be troublesome and that even 'careful browsing' isn't always going to mean safety.
On closer inspection, the URL of the site doesn't seem to tally with the information found on it. No links because they appear risky but I wonder if the site's owner is aware of what's happening? The trouble is that the page won't stay on long enough to for me to find details and send an e-mail.
Perhaps other software might have kept the computer safe too but thank goodness for the sandbox in my case! All computer scans come up clean. No problems with computer usage or browsing.
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