Computer Virus

[Bomber1]

So my computer crashed but I managed to salvage it.  fast forward a few weeks and now i have a stupid virus.  i have no idea how i got the virus though.  piece of crap internet!   now i'm running some antivirus software to try to get rid of it, but so far it seems to be eluding most of it.  i did find this "Win32:SkiMorph[Cryp]" in the temporary files.  i googled it and it found that it exists as a trojan on a site affiliated with "hot-tv".  of course ya'll know what that means.  however I do not visit "those kinds of sites" and so I am stumped on that one.  anyway, can anyone recommend some strategies for dealing with this?  currently I am running Avast's boot disk.  I have already run another antivirus boot disk but it didn't find anything suspicious beyond a few temporary internet files.  It didn't find anything in the registry or anything like that.  if avast doesnt work, i am going to try to get my data off my hard drive and wipe it, but that is a last ditch plan.  it seems that computers never really work the same after something like that. 

[compmanio365]

Avast and MalwareBytes are the two I use to keep things clean......Avast has never let anything through on my PC, but the sad fact is, these days, once something gets in, that's it.....time for a wipe and reimage.  Even Avast and MalwareBytes can't always get things clean, and your PC is never the same after a real bad infection.  Too many critical files are lost, settings changed, etc.......

[Bomber1]

Avast and MalwareBytes are the two I use to keep things clean......Avast has never let anything through on my PC, but the sad fact is, these days, once something gets in, that's it.....time for a wipe and reimage.  Even Avast and MalwareBytes can't always get things clean, and your PC is never the same after a real bad infection.  Too many critical files are lost, settings changed, etc.......

my face currently looks a lot like your avatar

[anon626]

I used AVG on mine and it took care of the one I had.

[blade55440]

as far as free utilities i find that spybot S&D works really well for a large number of crap like that. Check it out.

[Bomber1]

update to add that avast has found the following viruses

Win32:Adware-gen[Adw]
Win32:Lighty[Cryp]

more research on my part has revealed that this is going to a major PITA to get rid of. 

[47_MasoN_47]

My first plan of action is generally to download AVG and all the updates as well as Spybot S&D and all it's updates, then disconnect the PC from the Internet.  Run a scan and remove all threats, then restart and repeat that process at least 4 times, unless it keeps finding stuff, in which case you'll need to do it more than that.  After the AVG process is finished, use Spybot S&D and scan (also while disconnected from the Internet) and repeat the scan and restart process.  If that doesn't take care of it, I say use a linux boot disk or something to backup your data and format that bad boy.  Don't use Windows to backup your data because some viruses replicate themselves onto removable media.

[Bomber1]

i think i just had a revelation.  I heard a couple of weeks ago that there is a flashplayer update floating around that is actually a virus.  a website will inform you that you need to update your flashplayer and it nails you with the virus.  i bet that was it.  well, beware i guess......

thanks mason by the way.  i am going to download AVG and spybot to a dedicated flash drive from another machine and go from there.  currently the virus has royally f**ked up my browsing capabilities to the point where i cannot download any antivirus software.  this is a nasty little bugger.   did i mention the damn thing disabled task manager so that i could not end the malicious processes? 

[SpecialK47150]

I've always found AVG to be decent, but Avast to be the best free antivirus out there.

[AGuyNamedMike]

I run Avast! and Spybot S&D for protection, as well as a properly configured hardware firewall (but that's beyond a lot of reg'lar folk, I know).  For cleaning up user's PCs, I rely on those as well as Malwarebytes, Combofix, and UnHackMe.

[Bomber1]

I run Avast! and Spybot S&D for protection, as well as a properly configured hardware firewall (but that's beyond a lot of reg'lar folk, I know).  For cleaning up user's PCs, I rely on those as well as Malwarebytes, Combofix, and UnHackMe.

how do you like combofix?  I am on plan C, and combofix is plan D, wiping the hard drive is plan E.  If combofix is unlikely to work, i may skip right to E

[47_MasoN_47]

Combofix is FTW!  It doesn't do everything, but it's a dang good tool.  I used to use Avast! but in my testing AVG picked up some stuff that Avast wouldn't.

The best way to keep your PC secure is to run Linux

[blade55440]

Combofix is FTW!  It doesn't do everything, but it's a dang good tool.  I used to use Avast! but in my testing AVG picked up some stuff that Avast wouldn't.

The best way to keep your PC secure is to run Linux

while some of us are geeky, not all of us are geeky enough to be competant enough to keep up with linux. I know that while linux has become very user friendly, it still requires knowledge of linux to truly work well with it, something I lack and don't feel like getting.

Yes, I'm a lazy geek.

[SpecialK47150]

I am looking into getting a new laptop that has vista on it, but I can get Windows 7 ultimate whatever edition for $20 from my school, so Im going to load that.

[anon626]

You can re-enable the task manager, then once you do that open task man and delete the virus processes from the tray.....then you should be able to dl an antivirus.